facebook pixel

Equipment Every Beginner Needs

Categories:

Brewing Tips

We shared a post recently about a how it can be easily sucked into the trap of buying lots of equipment that you might not need at the early stage of your brewing journey. So, we figured it was probably a good idea to highlight some of the equipment & tools a beginner would probably need to start producing some amazing beer. 

If you’re absolutely new to brewing, before you buy anything you need to ask yourself if you want to do extract, partial mash or all grain brewing. If you spend long enough searching all over the web, you’ll find a lot of people share their opinions as to why the method they use is superior than the others but in our opinion, what ever method means you get to brew beer and enjoy the whole process is the best for you. 

We’re going to list a few items that you’ll need regardless of the brewing method you’re using. 

Fermenter

There are many options on the market nowadays, all of which vary  from entry level all the way up to the semi-pro home brew solutions. Price is normally a deciding factor when buying any new products but that’s not always the case when we’re talking about fermenters. The biggest thing to consider when picking a fermenter is the size and the material. Currently on the market you’ll find plastic, glass & stainless steel. 

My preferred option is Stainless Steel due to the strength of the material whilst making it really easy for cleaning and once you’ve brought one you’ll never need to get another one (unless you brew more beer). Glass is another good option but the strength of the material can make for an eventful brew day if it was to fall over and smash. Finally, the other option which is possibly the most widely used type of fermenter with beginners is the plastic fermenter. Whilst you can produce some amazing beer using a plastic fermenter, you should be careful when cleaning. If you scratch some of the plastic inside the fermenter, some bacteria can hide in there and infect your beer. 

We’ve highlighted our favourite fermenters for each material. Make sure you pick up an airlock, you’ll need one of those for sure.  

7018 08

Plastic Bucket Fermenter

6.5 gallon food-grade plastic bucket printed with volume graduations. Lid has grommet to accept an airlock. Keep a few extra buckets with undrilled lids to store cleaning and sanitizing solution between brew sessions.
Buy UK
41326 Bmb Evo2 6Gal

Big Mouth Bubbler Glass Fermenter

The fermentor that started it all, reinvented again! They've taken the revolutionary Big Mouth Bubbler® glass and re-engineered it with the help of world-class Polish master glassmakers to ensure sturdy, solid, superior craftsmanship. Extra-thick glass eliminates oxygen permeation and keeps your brew safe. Banish bugs and bacteria with perfectly air-tight seals from a carefully ground, completely smooth and obsessively flat neck top.
Buy UK
Img 2166

SS Brew Tech Fermenter

The signature conical base of the Brew Bucket minimizes potential off flavor yeast contact during fermentation, and allows the yeast to concentrate for a clean transfer. All sizes of brew buckets fit nicely into standard chest freezers for convenient temp controlled fermentation. And of course one other very popular and unique feature of the design is that Brew Buckets can be stacked during use.
Buy UK

Cleaning Solutions

You’ve probably heard it a hundred times but it might be worth me highlighting it again, ‘Brewing 90% cleaning, 10% brewing’. It sounds crazy and it’s slightly exaggerated but there is some truth in it. Let’s put it like this, if you don’t clean your equipment, there’s a pretty high chance of an infected beer. No one wants that unless you’re creating some crazy sort of sour beer. Investing some money and getting your hands on some good cleaning brush and a cleaning solution such as Starsan will set you up in the right direction. All throughout my brew day I will have a spray bottle which has some solution made up which comes in really handy when I need to use random spoon or other items that will touch the beer, I would just spray it a few times and then it’s all good to go. 

Bottling tools

You’ve spent all the money and time insuring the beer turns out right, now’s the time to bottle or get it ready to serve. I rarely bottle now but when I do it’s good to know that I have reliable equipment available. There’s only a few important items that should make it into your start up kit. The first is some sort bucket you can transfer the finished product into, this is where you’ll add your priming solution. I like to use one with a tap if it’s at all possible otherwise I would suggest picking up an auto syphon. This allows you to get a steady flow of beer into the bottles without having to syphon the beer out yourself using your mouth. You might need to use need to pick up a bottle capper if you’re not using any swing top bottles. Finally, the only other item you might need to bottle your beer is a bottling wand. To use a bottling wand you would just attach it to the tap or auto syphon and then add a slight bit of pressure to the bottom of the bottle and then the beer will start flowing into the bottle.

Starting out brewing is very exciting but it can be a little daunting . We’ve gone a head and highlighted a few starter kits that might be helpful. Get in touch if you have any questions or  feel free to contact the sellers, they are very helpful. 



7Gal Ags System 1

Fermenter's Favorites® Essential All-Grain Brewing Starter Kit - 7 Gallon

The new and improved essential all-grain brewing system is the most affordable introduction to all grain brewing, loaded with brewing power at an unbelievable price. Upgraded to ensure a tight seal, our insulated Fermenter’s Favorites® Hot Liquor Tank and Mash / Lauter Tun coolers feature silicone-reinforced valve ports for a leak-free brew day. Quick and simple to assemble, the brass ball valves offer superior flow control, minimizing the risk of clogging or stuck sparges. Keep grain particles out of your wort. The newly redesigned smooth-edge Titan universal false bottom promotes clear wort while setting up a solid grain bed. You'll have high mash yields and eliminate scratched cooler walls to keep your system pristine. The strongest, most effective false bottom on the planet.
Buy UK
Brew In A Bag Equipment Kit

BIAB Brew-In-A-Bag All Grain Starter Kit

The Brew-In-A-Bag Starter Kit is the ultimate gateway into exploring advanced brewing methods. The first BIAB brewing system built with exactly what you need to achieve all-grain results with extract simplicity. Whether you’re looking for a shorter, simpler all-grain brew day or an extract brewer seeking marked improvement in the quality of your beer without complicating your process, BIAB is the epitome of a happy medium. Brew-In-A-Bag is a brewing method that combines all the steps of all-grain brewing into one vessel, allowing you to fine tune the flavor profile of each batch for maximum quality while simplifying the all-grain process to minimize time, space and effort. Hit the ground running in the world of all-grain brewing and step up your game without stepping up your equipment.
Buy UK
U760X Bmb Deluxe Starter Kit Dead Ringer Ipa

Big Mouth Bubbler® Deluxe Starter Kit w/ Dead Ringer

The Deluxe Brewing Starter Kit is the first and only homebrewing starter kit featuring the revolutionary patent-pending Big Mouth Bubbler® Plastic Fermentor, the Big Mouth Bubbler® Deluxe Starter Kit is the next-generation all-inclusive homebrewing starter to kit—easy-to-clean with everything you need to brew a batch of beer. Folks tend to become very passionate about homebrewing after a batch or two, but we've also seen a lot of new brewers fall in love even before embarking upon their first fermentation. For those of you who are already passionate about hand-crafted beer, like we are, here's the Big Mouth Bubbler® Deluxe Brewing Starter Kit—an all-in-one Brewery in a Box.
Buy UK