Brewing Equipment

Revision as of 00:37, 9 February 2007

The equipment used in home brewing ranges from simple household items to ingenious homemade gear to commercially-produced equipment designed to meet the needs of home brewers from the most humble to the most affluent.

Brewing

The most basic items of equipment needed to make beer at home is a pot or kettle and a long-handled spoon for stirring.

Fermenting and Conditioning

Many vessels can be used to hold fermenting beer. Items range from plastic pails to stainless steel conicals.

The most basic vessel is a Food Grade Plastic Bucket. These are normally 6-7.5 gallons in capacity and have a lid that can be sealed. The lid has a hole drill into it so a airlock (or blow off tube) may be placed to let gas escape from the fermentation.

Another common fermentation vessel is the glass carboy. Ranging from 3-6.5 gallons these vessels normally have a 1.25" opening on the top. A drilled rubber bung is placed in this opening to accommodate an airlock (also a 1" ID tube may be use for a blow off tube).

An advanced fermentation vessel used in home brewing is the conical fermenter. Made of durable Stainless Steel and ranging from 7.5 gallons to in excess of 30 gallons these are the preferred fermenter of professional brewers.

Bottling and Kegging

Bottles -- or -- kegs -- etc

Serving

Pour it in a glass and drink it.