Beyond basics

Just about any kit or extract beer can be made using the basic equipment you buy to make your first beer. But when you decide to take the next step and start making beers that go beyond the kits, youâll want to acquire a few additional pieces of equipment. Hereâs a list of items that homebrewers often acquire after they have brewed a few batches.

Wort Chiller: This is a long section of copper tube that has been coiled up to fit inside your brew pot. Water is run through the coil while it sits in your hot wort in order to quickly chill the wort after boiling. If the volume of wort you boil is more than 2 gallons, you should acquire this piece of equipment. You can buy one from your homebrew shop for $40-60 or build your own for about half that.

How to make an immersion chiller

Scales: As you make more complicated recipes, youâll want to accurately measure your grains and hops. To do this, youâll need a couple of kitchen scales -- one for hops and one for grains. The hops scale should be calibrated in quarter-ounce increments (or grams, if you donât mind converting) with a scale from zero to two or three ounces. The grain scale should be marked in ounces or quarter pounds with a capacity of at least five pounds and perhaps more. Hardware stores that carry kitchen items often have a good selection of scales to pick from. Prices vary, but expect to pay from $10-$30 for each.

Grain Mill: Many homebrew shops will grind grain for you or they will sell pre-crushed grain. If you want to save some money on the cost of grain, or have greater control over the grind that you get, you can grind your own. A number of grinders designed specifically for homebrewing can be purchased at the homebrewing stores. These arenât cheap, with prices ranging from $85-$140.

Carbon Water Filter: Carbon filtration removes chlorine from your brewing water. This is important because chlorine can form unpleasant-tasting compounds when included in your brews. A simple faucet-attached unit can be installed in 10 minutes without requiring any changes in your plumbing.

Glass carboy: Five gallon glass carboys are the fermenter of choice among more experienced homebrewers. Unlike plastic, they do not scratch and therefore are easier to keep clean and sanitary. Also, you can see what is going on inside. Using them for your initial fermentation requires a bit more caution and effort. For each carboy, you will want a cap and a handle. Also useful: A carboy brush for cleaning. The basic carboy is $15-20, depending upon size, accessories are a few bucks more.

Stainless Steel Brew Pot: Under ideal circumstances, the entire volume of wort that will go into the fermenter should be boiled. To do this, you will need a brew pot that will hold at least six gallons of liquid for extract-based brews. If you plan to do all-grain brewing some day, go ahead and buy a bigger pot, preferably 7.5 to 8 gallons. Prices range widely depending upon the size and type of construction, $44.95-$180.

Jet Burner: Few domestic stoves are powerful enough to boil six or seven gallons of wort in a reasonable time period. As an alternative, you might buy a propane-fueled jet burner or Cajun cooker. These connect to readily available propane tanks like those used for barbecue grills and they put out enough heat to quickly produce a rolling boil in 8 gallons of wort. Just remember, these burners must be used outdoors! Prices run from $50-$80.

Electric Brew Bucket: If you canât brew outdoors, you might consider a brew bucket fitted with a high-powered electrical heating element. These systems work best with 220 v power, which is available in the laundry room of many homes. The most common models hold a little over 6-gallons and come equipped with a basic regulator for controlling the heat output. These can be used successfully for all types of brewing. About $90.

Good Reading: If you havenât already, check out our list of recommended books for homebrewers.