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Homebrew Favorites: A Coast-to-Coast Collection of More than 240 Beer and Ale Recipes

The Homebrewer's Recipe Guide: More than 175 Original Beer Recipes, Including Magnificent Pale Ales, Ambers, Stouts, Lagers, and Seasonal Brews, Plus Tips from the Master Brewers

The Complete Joy of Homebrewing

Dave Miller's Homebrewing Guide: Everything You Need to Know to Make Great Tasting Beer

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Types of Beer

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Homebrewing and Sanitation

Homebrewing Equipment

To make beer at home, you need a fair amount of specialized equipment and ingredients. You can get brewing equipment online or from local homebrewing suppliers. Popular online vendors include:

MoreBeer: www.morebeer.com
Homebrewers Outpost: www.homebrewers.com
William’s Brewing: www.williamsbrewing.com

To find local homebrewing suppliers, check your local yellow pages under “hobbies” or “beer.”

Essential Beer Brewing Equipment

You can buy beer brewing equipment either as a prepackaged set or piece-by-piece. Buying the equipment in one set can make the process easier, though you also may end up paying for paraphernalia you don’t need, such as videos. Whichever way you decide to buy, make sure you get the following essential tools:

Brew pot: A stainless- steel or enamel-coated pot with a capacity of at least 4 gallons. Don’t get an aluminum pot, as it’ll give your beer a metallic taste. Approximate cost: $20–30.
Brew spoon: A large stainless-steel or heavy-duty plastic spoon. Buy one that’s at least 18" long, and never buy a wooden one, because they’re difficult to sanitize. Approximate cost: $3–5.
Fermenter: A bucket or tub used to hold wort and yeast during fermentation. The most common type of fermenter is a food-grade plastic bucket that has an airtight lid with a fitted hole in which an airlock can be inserted, as well as a plastic spigot at the bottom to make it easier to transfer your beer to bottles or a secondary fermenter (see Secondary Fermentation). Approximate cost: $10–14.
Airlock: A device that allows carbon dioxide to escape from your fermenter during the fermentation process while preventing air from entering. Alternatively, use a bubbler, a two-chambered device that performs the same function as an airlock. Approximate cost: $2.
Drilled rubber stopper: A rubber stopper with a hole through its center. The stopper fits into the hole in the lid of the fermenter, and the stem of the airlock (or bubbler) fits into the stopper’s hole. Stoppers come in different sizes. Buy one that fits your fermenter and airlock. Approximate cost: $1.
Long-stem thermometer: A large thermometer to measure the temperature of wort at various points during the brewing process. Approximate cost: $5–8.
Hydrometer: A device that measures a liquid’s specific gravity (density), which in homebrewing is used to gauge a beer’s alcohol content. Hydrometers come with a hollow cylinder, which should be plastic or glass. Approximate cost: $10–12.
Hose: A plastic hose to siphon wort between primary and secondary fermenters and to fill bottles with beer. Buy 4–5 feet of hose. Approximate cost: $5.
Bottle filler: A device that lets you regulate the flow of beer when filling bottles. A filler fits on the end of a hose and allows beer to flow only when you press it down against the bottom of a bottle.
Bottles: Glass bottles (either 12- or 16-ounce) to hold beer. Buy enough bottles to hold about 5 gallons of beer, which equals about 53 12-ounce bottles or 40 16-ounce bottles. Make sure the bottles are made of thick, strong glass and are not twist-off bottles—twist-off bottles can’t be capped using a bottle capper (explained below). Homebrew supply shops often sell bottles in various sizes, but you may be able to get a better deal from a local brewery. Approximate cost (for a set): $25–50.
Bottle washer: A handy tool for cleaning and rinsing out bottles. It attaches to a faucet and directs a strong spray of water into a bottle in order to clean and rinse it. Approximate cost: $10.
Bottle brush: A soft-bristle brush used along with a bottle washer to remove debris and clean bottles before filling them with beer. Approximate cost: $3.
Bottle capper: A device used to affix caps to bottles. Bottle cappers come in many designs: bench-top cappers (like the one shown here) that feature levers cost more than hand-held models but work more quickly. Approximate cost: $10–30.
Bottle caps: Disposable metal bottle caps that come in packs of 50. Caps are sometimes included in beer kits (see Beer Kits). Approximate cost: $1–2 per pack.