What kind of equipment do I need?
Of course you need some things to make alcohol. What you need specifically depends on what you are making. Ive made drinks with the bare minimums but there is more to it then just throwing yeast and sugar in a bucket and waiting.
Bare minimums
This is not the best setup as you can buy a whole set up with more but you may not have the money all at once. You probably wont be able to get away with too much but theres some recipes that need little equipment.
-A bucket or carboy: At this point any size will do but to make it worth your while id go at least 3 gallons. make sure you can close or cover it. If getting it used or from a source not food based make sure it is #1 or #2 hdpe plastic. This will make sure its food safe and you wont have to worry about chemicals in the plastic. Also make sure that it wasnt used for chemicals or paint because no matter how well you clean it chemicals can leach into your beverage. Get a lid too to make sure nothing gets in.
-Air lock: This very simple piece of plastic could be the most important piece of equipment you have. It allows the CO2 that the fermentation creates out while blocking anything else from getting in. Very important since the yeast do their best work in the exact same conditions that other unwanted yeast, bacteria and other nasties thrive in. You dont want to seal the CO2 in cause the lid could burst and the mess and waste of potential alcohol is disasterous.
-Hydrometer: You may read that you dont need one but you definitely do especially if you are using glass. This little tool helps you know the amount of alcohol made while also being a necessity to know when the fermentation is done. If you bottle your beverage in glass its not only a potential mess(see airlock) but the exploding glass is potentially dangerous if you bottle before your fermentation is done.
-A pot: A decent sized pot will also suffice at this point. Youll need to boil your water, wort(pre-fermented beer) juice etc unless coming from a sanitized source.
-Bottles: As said in buckets, food grade plastic is okay. When it comes to plastic bottles if you are carbonating your drink youll want bottles that can handle carbonation like soda bottles. If you get crown cap glass bottles you will need a capper and caps. Twist top beer bottles are possible to use but youll need a table top capper to do so.
-Sanitizer: There are many no rinse sanitizers out there. You can use bleach with good results you just have to make sure that all items sanitized with bleach are rinsed thoroughly with boiled water(water right out of the tap could recontaminate everything so its kinda pointless). Everything not boiling will need to be sanitized.
Definitely not the best setup and you can only do so much but it will get you started.
-A bucket or carboy: At this point any size will do but to make it worth your while id go at least 3 gallons. make sure you can close or cover it. If getting it used or from a source not food based make sure it is #1 or #2 hdpe plastic. This will make sure its food safe and you wont have to worry about chemicals in the plastic. Also make sure that it wasnt used for chemicals or paint because no matter how well you clean it chemicals can leach into your beverage. Get a lid too to make sure nothing gets in.
-Air lock: This very simple piece of plastic could be the most important piece of equipment you have. It allows the CO2 that the fermentation creates out while blocking anything else from getting in. Very important since the yeast do their best work in the exact same conditions that other unwanted yeast, bacteria and other nasties thrive in. You dont want to seal the CO2 in cause the lid could burst and the mess and waste of potential alcohol is disasterous.
-Hydrometer: You may read that you dont need one but you definitely do especially if you are using glass. This little tool helps you know the amount of alcohol made while also being a necessity to know when the fermentation is done. If you bottle your beverage in glass its not only a potential mess(see airlock) but the exploding glass is potentially dangerous if you bottle before your fermentation is done.
-A pot: A decent sized pot will also suffice at this point. Youll need to boil your water, wort(pre-fermented beer) juice etc unless coming from a sanitized source.
-Bottles: As said in buckets, food grade plastic is okay. When it comes to plastic bottles if you are carbonating your drink youll want bottles that can handle carbonation like soda bottles. If you get crown cap glass bottles you will need a capper and caps. Twist top beer bottles are possible to use but youll need a table top capper to do so.
-Sanitizer: There are many no rinse sanitizers out there. You can use bleach with good results you just have to make sure that all items sanitized with bleach are rinsed thoroughly with boiled water(water right out of the tap could recontaminate everything so its kinda pointless). Everything not boiling will need to be sanitized.
Definitely not the best setup and you can only do so much but it will get you started.
Extract beer brewing setup.
This is a set up to brew your own beer using malt extracts. This is a very simple way of making beer and you will get excellent results. Also all the equipment will carry on to all-grain if you decide to expand on the hobby. All items from minimum carry over into this list.
-Bucket/Carboy: At this point you should go with a 6.5 gallon setup as most kits are 6 gallon in Canada.
-A pot: you should try to get a 7 gallon or more pot at this point.
-A burner: If your stovetop can handle 6 gallons of water getting to a boil within a reasonable time go for it. If it cant you may need a separate burner that can give you more heat. Oftentimes a propane burner can do the job a lot better. Turkey fryer set ups are also a possibility.
-Racking cane: This can be used to bottle your drinks directly, transfer to a secondary carboy or bucket or transfer to a bottling bucket.
-Bottle filler: This allows you to fill bottles without a mess. Can be attached to the hose on your racking cane or your bottling bucket.
-Bottles: You could still use soda bottles but for best results the brown beer bottles will protect your beers. Clear and green bottles can be used but you should keep them out of the light or you could end up with skunked beer. Plastic and glass are both acceptable.
-Bucket/Carboy: At this point you should go with a 6.5 gallon setup as most kits are 6 gallon in Canada.
-A pot: you should try to get a 7 gallon or more pot at this point.
-A burner: If your stovetop can handle 6 gallons of water getting to a boil within a reasonable time go for it. If it cant you may need a separate burner that can give you more heat. Oftentimes a propane burner can do the job a lot better. Turkey fryer set ups are also a possibility.
-Racking cane: This can be used to bottle your drinks directly, transfer to a secondary carboy or bucket or transfer to a bottling bucket.
-Bottle filler: This allows you to fill bottles without a mess. Can be attached to the hose on your racking cane or your bottling bucket.
-Bottles: You could still use soda bottles but for best results the brown beer bottles will protect your beers. Clear and green bottles can be used but you should keep them out of the light or you could end up with skunked beer. Plastic and glass are both acceptable.
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