Home Brewing: Getting Started (Lesson One)

I have been getting some inquires about how to get started with home brewing. Instead of submitting all the information personally, I decided to provide all my home brewing information on this beer making journal so anyone can view it.

The most common thing a person who wants to start asks me what kind of equipment they need to get to get started so I started a list, it is pretty much the same as the list in "The Complete Joy of Hom Brewing" by Charlie Papazian.

Note: The links to each equipment are intended to provide you with an idea of what each equipment looks like, some images may not accurately represent the actual size or product listed below and I do not order from any of those online stores so I do not know if their service quality is good.

• One 3 - 4-gallon (11.5 - 15-l) pot (an enameled or stainless canning pot is best)
• One 5-gallon (19-l) glass carboy or 6 1/2-gallon (25-l) glass carboy (for now, I recommend not getting this [due to cost] until you get a hold of making your beer, if you decide to get this, reduce below item to one instead of two)
• Two 5 - 6-gallon (19 - 23-l) new fermentation bucket (get only one if you buy a glass carboy)
  
• One 6-foot (2 m) length of 3/8-inch (.95 cm) inside-diameter clear plastic hose
• 1 plastic hose clamp to fit 3/8-inch hose
• 1 fermentation lock
• 1 rubber stopper (size 6.5) with hole to fit fermentation lock (get only if you buy the glass carboy)
• 1 large plastic funnel (I do not use a funnel with filter)
• 1 thermometer
• 1 hydrometer
• 1 bottle washer (optional, but recommended)
• 60+ plastic screw caps
• 60+ 16-oz. (500-ml) PET beer bottles (recommended), OR
• 24 32-oz. (1-liter) PET beer bottles (the ones I use and got from Beers of the World in Rochester, NY - but I think I will switch to 12-oz. bottles soon)
• 1 bottle of household bleach

Once you have all these equipment, you should be ready to get your first beer kit (Coopers, Edme, Muntons, John Bull, are examples of companies that produce beer kits. Their kits should come with the necessary yeast, malt syrup and instructions. The only thing you will need to add to the recipe is dextrose (corn sugar) unless otherwise specified.

Beer kits are the simplest and basic method of brewing your own beer. If you realize making beer will become a true hobby, you may want to advance to more complicated brewing methods.