Beer Brewing Equipment

[jamieh]

Gday,

just wanting to know what equipment i need to start my own home brew....at the moment i have 2 kegs with taps, a bottle capper and thats it....any help on this would be great.....i have a fair idea of some things i need...bottles, caps, airlocks, brew, sugar measurer, etc.
cheers.

 

[Scruffy]

How much do you want to spend?

You could probably (definitely) do it with:

Sanitizer (defo)
A Fermenter (Bunnings?)
A Long Spoon (your kitchen)
Some Bottles/caps (Suprmarket?)
A hose to siphon beer (hose shop)
Some Extract (LocalHomeBrewShop/Woolies?)

A hydrometer might help, but if you're only using a can of goo, it's probably going to brew out...

Buy a kit (like the Coopers Micro Brew), That'll get you started...

Or buy a HERMS system, or somewhere inbetween...

What did you want to brew...

I might leave the Kegs for the time being... you could end up spending a few hundred on all the guff for the kegs, which could have been spent on ingredients...

 

[raven19]

Check out this Linky

An albeit basic brewing kit:

Sanitising solution
Fermentor and tap
Airlock
Stirring spoon
Hydrometer
Bottles/Kegs

Beer ingredients...
Beer tin and sugar (kit & kilo)
Yeast (kit yeast ok to start with)
Water

So many good links and articles on this site, search around, read up and enjoy!

Welcome aboard!

 

[dj1984]

And try too stay away from brewcraft!! way to expensive.

Where are you from so we can find you a good homebrew shop.

 

[captaincleanoff]

i found a really good site that might help you out:

http://www.lmgtfy.com/?q=home+brew

 

[Scruffy]

i found a really good site that might help you out:

http://www.lmgtfy.com/?q=home+brew

Oh, I get it - yeah, when you're looking for an airlock, try and find one with a pre-installed kitten. A pack of air bubbles is essential. You should ask your home brew shop for a long stand and some skyhooks if you're going BIAB. You should check if your mash paddle is left or right handed...

meh...

 

[Renegade]

i found a really good site that might help you out:

http://www.lmgtfy.com/?q=home+brew

That was really helpful advice

 

[wambesi]

Gday,

just wanting to know what equipment i need to start my own home brew....at the moment i have 2 kegs with taps, a bottle capper and thats it....any help on this would be great.....i have a fair idea of some things i need...bottles, caps, airlocks, brew, sugar measurer, etc.
cheers.

I'm going to assume by kegs and taps you mean corny kegs and taps to pour your beer from and not fermenters which a lot of people new to the craft tend to confuse names with initially.

If thats the case then you need all your basic brew gear and the easiest way would be to purchase a coopers kit from K-Mart/Big W or a similar set up from a homebrew store. This will normally give you a fermenter, some bottles, cleaners, spoons etc and normally a kit thrown in to get you started.
Might pay to get a 15-20L pot as well.

That is also assuming you going to start with kits or extracts which most normally, if you want to start straight into all grain it will cost a bit more with some more specialised equipment needed.

That was really helpful advice

My thoughts too, especially as they only joined up yesterday.

 

[Renegade]

And I really would err on the side of spending a couple of bucks on a hydrometer (unless your starter kit comes with one already). Personannly I think its important for you to know your gravity readings so you can bottle with confidence. Some brew-shops sell custom kits with everything you could need so check out some of the sponsor links at the top of this page. I was looking at the "Morgans" brand one the other day and actually thought 'what a great start up kit for a newbie'.

You dont need a capper if you have kegs, so that's a saving already.

Edited: misreference to online stores.

 

[HoppingMad]

One of these Coopers Starter Kits from Kmart or BigW is how the majority of folk get going. Cheapest way in. Comes with all you need.

 

[jamieh]

Thanks heaps guys for the replies...didnt think id get so many but thats awesome...photos attached is what i have so far...just for those who wondered what i have to start off with...http://img262.imageshack.us/img262/926/08072009006.jpg.....This is my oldmans kits...or whats left of it...obviously needs a good clean...im building shelving for it so it can sit at hip level...easier to use. I had a look in safeway today...might try the tooheys lager or draught....havnt had coopers before and im more used to drinking tooheys or anything from Carlton draught, tooheys extra dry, Carlton natural blonde, pure blonde, VB, Melbourne bitter, etc.
So with my kegs...from watching my old man make brew....all i have to do is get the rest of the kit...mix the ingredients into both kegs...use a towel to keep them wrapped up and at a constant temp and instead of the siphon i can just use the keg tap??..not too sure if to make a lager or draught....as i like both.

cheers

 

[Yeastie Beastie]

Thanks heaps guys for the replies...didnt think id get so many but thats awesome...photos attached is what i have so far...just for those who wondered what i have to start off with...http://img262.imageshack.us/img262/926/08072009006.jpg.....This is my oldmans kits...or whats left of it...obviously needs a good clean...im building shelving for it so it can sit at hip level...easier to use. I had a look in safeway today...might try the tooheys lager or draught....havnt had coopers before and im more used to drinking tooheys or anything from Carlton draught, tooheys extra dry, Carlton natural blonde, pure blonde, VB, Melbourne bitter, etc.
So with my kegs...from watching my old man make brew....all i have to do is get the rest of the kit...mix the ingredients into both kegs...use a towel to keep them wrapped up and at a constant temp and instead of the siphon i can just use the keg tap??..not too sure if to make a lager or draught....as i like both.

cheers

That capper alone is worth $50+. Good score.

 

[bum]

Those are called fermenters. Kegs are something different. Yeah, you can just use the tap instead of a siphon but a "little bottler" is worth the investment too.

Think about the Coopers kits, they really are better.

 

[matti]

I started with a kit i got from my wife similar to the cooper kit.
What you need to do is to read on a bit about brewing with kits and bits and then brew on.
Brew an ale first up as it more likely to turn out drinkable then a lager.
Brewing lager even with kits can get a bit hit and miss in the beginning.

And Welcome to the forum

 

[jamieh]

and i live in pakenham too..for those who asked my location for nearest beer brewing supplies....and $$ wise...dont want to spend too much...want to do it on a budget..if possible...ill try an ale first i guess..see how that goes and go from there i guess...i think i might get that coopers kits too. sorry about the confusion between the fermenters and kegs.....obviously the fermenters are used to store the brew for the 3-4 odd weeks they need to mature before being bottled yes? and id rather use the taps on the fermenters so that when the beer is ready...just have to put each bottle under the tap..fill them with beer then cap them...as ive seen my oldman do it that way....whats with the keg thing...would i need to use a keg(s) at all or does my bottle capper replace the need to use one?

cheers fellas

 

[Renegade]

Those are called fermenters. Kegs are something different. Yeah, you can just use the tap instead of a siphon but a "little bottler" is worth the investment too.

+1

As far as terminolgy goes (at least here), you should be referring to these as 'fermenters'. The word 'Keg' is typically used to refer to those steel drums you see delivered to pubs, that are put in the basement and the beer is piped up to the bar when you get poured a VB/Tooheys/Carlton. Also "Kegs" can be set up by the homebrewer, filled with his/her own beer that he/she has made him/herself.

Im really not trying to be patronising, but helpful. Jamieh, you dont have kegs, but you already have a lot of the gear to start brewing. In fact, with what you have, all you would really need is:

• To clean those fermenters VERY well, they look dirty so a good scrub with a non abrasive cloth, then again with a weak solution of bleach & water, then a good old rinse with tap water.

• Buy a can of the Coopers stuff in the supermarket. Is there a Sparkling Ale ? This might do it. Keep in mind that you won't replicate the beers you currently enjoy. But you can still make a very good beer. Just different.

• While you're there, buy a box of Coopers stuff called "Brew Enhancer 2". The instructions will tell you to "Just add sugar" but seriously, this is a CRAP idea. Go for the "BE2". This is a mix of fermentable sugars, one third of which is actually 'malt'.

• Find your local homebrew shop. What you need is a hydrometer. Look around, your dad, grandad, whoever it was that owned those fermenters of yours, he might have one. It's a glass tube, with measurements at the skinny end. He had a bench capper (they are, without question, THE BEST bottle cappers. Not many people would argue here that you got a great score with that equipment) so he might have had a hydrometer too.

• While you're at the homebrew shop picking up your hydrometer, grab some hops. The can of Coopers already has hop flavour in it, but a little bit of 'fresh' hop flavour is a great think about good beer-making. The easy way is to get a 'tea-bag' of the hop pellets, throw it into your brewing beer, but that's a rip off. If you think you'll be doing at least a few beers in the future, pick up a 100gram portion of hops, there's a world of flavour for you to play with.

• Get some dried yeast. The Coopers can has a portion, and it might be OK, but it might not. Ask for "Safale". Five bucks a portion, so a slight addition to the cost of your brew, but keep in mind that you're making over two cases of beer. And if you follow down the path of brewing addictioon, you'l soon learn that the yeast can be re-used (a lesson for later perhaps)

• You need bottle-caps. Most major supermarkets sell them by the one or two hundreds, and they cost a couple of bucks. Easy & cheap.

• You really need empty bottles. To go with those bottle-caps. Your first brew will take up at least 25 longnecks, or 50 stubbies. You need to think about where you're going to put all this beer after you make it in those fermenters.

• You also need a "Little Bottler" as BUm said- this will be a 'one-off' purchase, under 10 bucks if youre lucky. That's to use in your bottling process when the beer has finished fermenting.

What are you waiting for ? You could be brewing this weekend !

BTW, wher are you ? Some members may be able to suggest a decent homebrew store in your area.

 

[Renegade]

and i live in pakenham too..for those who asked my location for nearest beer brewing supplies....and $ wise...dont want to spend too much...want to do it on a budget..if possible...ill try an ale first i guess..see how that goes and go from there i guess...i think i might get that coopers kits too. sorry about the confusion between the fermenters and kegs.....obviously the fermenters are used to store the brew for the 3-4 odd weeks they need to mature before being bottled yes? and id rather use the taps on the fermenters so that when the beer is ready...just have to put each bottle under the tap..fill them with beer then cap them...as ive seen my oldman do it that way....whats with the keg thing...would i need to use a keg(s) at all or does my bottle capper replace the need to use one?

cheers fellas

Ah the problem with writing so much, someone will get in before you and make it all seem silly.

Oops for the out of context post.

Jamieh, get a "Little Bottler". Seriously, so much more easy and accurate to use than filling your bottles straigt from the tap. It's a $10 investment.

As mentioned "kegs" are the pub barrel thing. But a lot of the guys here run kegs at home, just a bit smaller. You don't need to worry about the idea of kegging for the moment, especially if youre on a budget - its real 'champaign charlie' living for guys who like to live the LA-Pimp_Hip_Hop_Producer lifestyle with beer on tap in their own mansion.

The important thing is that you keep us up to speed with your first brew, there's lots of advice.

Although I think this thread's about to get off-topic. Counting 10, 9, 8, 7, 6..........

 

[bum]

Two bits of advice for you, mate. The first is to read this from start to finish: http://homebrewandbeer.com/forum/viewtopic...?f=2&t=3814. It is not an exhaustive list but it will give you a much better idea how to brew kits will than most people start with. The second is if you have any questions ask them before you start the brew. Most new brewers come back and say "I did this thing while putting everything together, was it wrong?" and the answer is usually yes. Ask first and risk feeling like a noob - it is better than having to drink 23l of not so good beer.

 

[mr_tyreman]

Im fairly new to brewing also... what i found very useful was to find someone on here that brews and go watch them brew, take notes and get a feel for it...

Also get on you tube, i found lots of vids of guys making beer using the All Grain method...im sure there will be kit beer instruction vids.

Just keep reading and reading....

Goodluck mate

 

[Screwtop]

A hydrometer might help, but if you're only using a can of goo, it's probably going to brew out...

more great AHB advice :angry: