The Basics Needed for All-Grain Brewing

So, for those that are new to brewing, or have done some extract stuff, here is a basic list of the supplies needed in order to get into all-grain brewing. There are some things that I may have left off, but if it isn’t on the list then it isn’t 100% needed to brew your first batch of beer.

So, I guess first on my list is to go over the equipment that I ended up buying to get started in all-grain brewing (def: brewing beer with malted barley rather than the syrup I mentioned previously). If you have a question on any piece of equipment, just post a comment and I’ll fill you in. I’ll go over the process in more detail in my next note.

1. Kettle/Pot – This is essential since you”ll be heating up to 7 gallons of water at a time to brew a 5 gallon batch of beer. My suggestion is nothing more than a turkey fryer set. The sets with the bigger pots are better, as the more space you have in the pot means you’ll have a smaller chance of the dreaded boil over. Most fryers of any value come with 30 quart pots…I suggest one with a 36 quart pot if at all possible. Another suggestion: check craigslist. A turkey fryer new comes with a variety of things that are all but useless when not frying a turkey and on top of that, you could save up to $40 on a used pot/fryer (and may even get the gas tank to boot).
Rough cost new: ~$60 Used: ~$25

This isn’t a necessity either as it’s my brew pot for my bigger (10 gallon) batches. It’s a 20 gallon aluminum pot…much larger than the 7.5 gallon turkey fryer pots.

Pot that came from a turkey fryer set. This one is a 7.5 gallon pot.

2. Mash Tun (Def: Container that holds the grain when you steep…like a giant tea bag…though not so much a bag as it is a large cooler to hold the grain and the heat of the water) – So as I just mentioned, a mash tun is a necessity to all grain brewing. It is essential to have a well insulated cooler to keep your water temperature up through the 60 minute mash (def: adding heater water to the grain sitting in the cooler). I personally used a 15 gallon water cooler which has worked out extremely well. You can also use the standard rectangular coolers as well.
Rough cost new and purchased, not made: ~$65
Make on your own: ~$35

Agent Orange—my beast of a mash tun. The crushed grains are put in the cooler. The heated water (from the pot on the turkey fryer) is put over the grain. The grain then sets with the hot water for 60 minutes (usually) to extract as much sugar as possible. The water (now called wort) is then transferred to your boil pot.

The front of the mash tun (where the hot wort, or steeped liquid, comes out). The handle is ball joint that shuts the valve on or off.

The inside of the mash tun. The gray line is nothing more than a toilet bowl line (purchased new of course) with the inner plastic pulled out. This filters the hot wort from the crushed grain.

3. Ale Pail/Carboy (Def: the container you use to ferment your wort into beer) – I use both Ale Pails and carboys. I like Ale Pails because they’re easy, opaque (to prevent light damage), easy to clean, have an easy handle, and hold up to 6.5 gallons. The argument against Ale Pails is the ease of scratching while cleaning which makes it easier for bacteria to flourish…however, I’ve used my pale quite a few times with zero issue. Carboys are nice because you can see the fermentation, look nice, and don’t scratch internally (nice to prevent bacteria growth).
Cost of new Ale Pail w/air tight lid: $12
Cost of a carboy: ~$25 or so used for a 5 gallon, ~$35 for a 6

This is an ale pail which is what you put the wort in, along with your yeast, to ferment…it is nothing more than a 6.5 gallon bucket with pre-printed markings to show the amount in the bucket. This is the best option in my opinion, better than the glass carboys…though the carboys look nicer.

This is a carboy with wort inside fermenting into beer. The thing on top is the airlock to prevent oxygen from entering while allowing CO2 to exit.

4. Airlock (Def: the plastic contraption that allows CO2 to exit while preventing oxygen from entering) – These things are absolutely necessary to prevent spoilage while your beer is fermenting. There isn’t much to say about these as they’re cheap and pretty self explanatory. There are a couple of different airlocks available but I’ve only used the type I have pictured.
Cost of a new airlock: $1.25

An airlock to prevent any oxygen entering the fermentation bucket (ale pail) but allows CO2 to exit the bucket (or carboy).

5. Auto Siphon (Def: a siphon that can start with a pump like action rather than trying to start the siphon with your mouth…which can be terrible) – this isn’t a necessity like the other things I’ve listed but once you use one, you won’t go back. There are so many different times during brewing/cleaning/etc that a siphon is incredibly handy, making this thing the best non-necessity item you can get.
Cost of a new large auto siphon: ~$13

An auto siphon which starts a siphon with the pull of the plastic bend at the top of the tube rather than using your mouth. This isn’t a necessity but after experience without one, I couldn’t imagine brewing with one.

6. Immersion Chiller (Def: an item you use to crash cool your beer after you finish the boil) – This isn’t a full out necessity, but without this you really risk spoilage. The idea of a chiller is taking your beer from boiling to ~70 degrees as soon as possible so you can pitch your yeast and close up your fermenter. A chiller makes this possible as quickly as 10 minutes. Without a chiller, that type of temperature drop would take hours, even if you sat your pot in cold water to speed up the process. The longer your beer sits after the boil, the higher the chance of contamination so a chiller is pretty imperative.

This is a copper immersion chiller which is used to cool the wort immediately after the boil. The chiller is put into the wort and hooked up to an outside hose. Water travels through the copper which helps crash cool your wort (to hopefully 70-80 degrees).

7. Bottle caps and Bottle Capper (Def: No def really needed) – You need a place to put your beer…logical choice initially would be bottles. To close up the bottles, you’re going to need bottle caps and something to put the things on.
Capper cost: ~$15
Caps cost: ~$2.50 for 144

Various trinkets needed. The red thing is a bottle capper to obviously put caps on bottle. The bag of unused caps are needed for those bottles. The two stoppers aren’t necessarily needed unless you own/use a carboy.

8. Hydrometer and hydrometer jar (Def: A tool that is used to measure the gravity of liquids…which is used to determine your brew efficiency and the alcohol content of your beer) – You measure your pre-boil mash to determine your efficiency (Def: the percent of sugars you were able to extract from the grain you used), the post boil wort to give you a number that you use to eventually find your alcohol content, and lastly you measure your beer after fermentation. You use the post boil number and the post fermentation numbers to determine your alcohol content. The hydrometer jar is used to hold the liquid you are testing.
Cost of a new hydrometer: ~$6
Cost of a hydrometer jar: ~$3

Other various things that will be needed which includes a funnel, a turkey baster to pull beer for testing, a hydrometer jar, a hydrometer to check the beer’s gravity readings (to give you an idea on efficiency and alcohol content), and a bottle filler.

9. Sanitizer/Cleanser (Def: stuff you need to prevent contamination) – You need solution to make sure your equipment is completely sanitized to prevent any bacteria growth and eventual contamination. I use iodine solution which doesn’t need to be rinsed before you use your equipment, making it very convenient. There are a couple of different sanitizers but I’ve only used the iodine variety. A cleanser is needed that rinses clean. The only thing I’ll recommend would be Oxy-Clean powder. Make sure you get the fragrance free stuff.
Sanitizer: ~$11.50
OxyClean: ~$8

Iodine sanitizer to kill any bacteria, yeast, etc. This is necessary to prevent any contamination which can make a brew day completely worthless.

10. Turkey Fryer (Def: equipment to heat/boil water and wort) – You need a turkey fryer as a stove doesn’t work well when dealing with so much liquid.
Cost—See #1 above

A turkey fryer to heat water and boil your wort.

(This article was taken from my facebook note to friends..)