Essential Home Brewing Equipments

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Have you been wondering how to brew your own beer lately? Have no fear, you’re not alone. The number of people who are interested in homebrewing has increased since the end of Prohibition, as more and more people want to try their hand at creating their own alcoholic concoctions. In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the equipment that you will need to start your very own home-brewing hobby.

 

Home brewing necessitates the use of specific equipment. Start with the essential items if you’re just getting started. As you progress in home brewing, look through the other sections for equipment that will help you up your brew game.

 

What you must have on hand for your first batch of home brewing.

 

1. Fermenter – A fermenter is a vessel that holds the wort while it ferments into beer. Fermenters come in a variety of shapes and sizes, each with its own set of advantages and disadvantages.

 

2. Bung & Airlock – An airlock is installed in the top of a fermenter to allow carbon dioxide, a by product of fermentation, to escape while keeping contaminants out. A bung may be required to secure the airlock depending on the fermenter. Without an airlock, the pressure in the fermenter could cause the lid or bung to pop off, or worse, the fermenter to explode, leaving you with a sorry mess.

 

3. Brew Kettle (Kettle) – The brew pot, or kettle, is where the entire boiling process takes place, including extract, hops, and/or other ingredients. A brew pot will suffice for partial-boil extract brew, depending on batch size. When dealing with larger volumes of liquid, you’ll want to consider larger brew pots and ensure you have plenty of headspace to avoid a boil over.

 

4. Heat Source – You’ll need a heat source powerful enough to quickly heat up your pre-boil volume (a watched pot never boils, right?). Smaller batches can be cooked on your kitchen stove, while larger batches can be cooked on a turkey fryer or another powerful heat source.

 

5. Siphon/Tubing – A siphon and tubing system is an excellent way to move hot wort or finished beer without the hassle and mess of lifting and pouring (and spilling!) large amounts by hand. Quick tip: an auto-siphon is a type of siphon that uses a vacuum to transfer liquid from one vessel to another while avoiding the introduction of too much oxygen or other contaminants into the beer.

 

6. Cleaner – There are homebrew-specific cleaners available at your local homebrew shop, but unscented dish cleaner will suffice. Avoid using products with scents because they can linger after cleaning and cause off-flavours and aromas in your beer.

 

7. Sanitizer – Sanitizer, as opposed to cleaner, ensures that no microorganisms remain on your brewing equipment after cleaning. There are no-rinse homebrew sanitizers available.

 

8. Hydrometer – The gravity, or sugar density, of wort and beer is measured using a hydrometer. Although a hydrometer is not required to brew beer, measuring gravity allows you to closely monitor fermentation and calculate specifications such as alcohol content. You’ll also need a vessel to hold the sample while it’s being measured.