I’m frequently asked by craft beer fans what they need in order to start brewing their own beer. Is there a home brewing equipment list that one could follow? Luckily, Adventures in Homebrewing has taken the guess work out of this question by offering a Starter Home Brew Kit, which includes a bunch of equipment and one ingredient kit for the homebrewer’s first batch of beer. The only thing not included is a large kettle, which you may have on hand already. (If you don’t, we can hook you up with a brew kettle, too!)

Now, let’s take a closer look at the list of home brewing equipment included in the Steam Freak beer brewing kit:

• Home Brewing Book:
  Before even getting to the actual equipment, every brewer needs some literature to guide them through their first batch. The Complete Joy of Home Brewing is the perfect accompaniment for the beginning brewer. After getting a batch or two of homemade beer under their belt, homebrewers can upgrade to more advanced books. I recommend Marty Nachel’s Homebrewing for Dummies and Ray Daniels’ Designing Great Beers. More >>

• 6 Gallon Primary Fermenter (Comes with airlock, stopper, and faucet):
  A 6 Gallon Fermenter is ideal for primary fermentation. Even though you will be brewing a five-gallon batch, the extra space allows for krausen, or foam, to build during the height of fermentation. The airlock and stopper allow carbon dioxide – a byproduct of fermentation – to escape from the fermenter, while the faucet makes it easy to transfer to the carboy for secondary fermentation. More >>

• 5 Gallon Plastic Carboy (Comes with airlock, stopper, and faucet):
  The carboy is where the beer sits for a 10-14 day conditioning phase, known as secondary fermentation. A curved racking cane will make it easier to transfer from the carboy back into the fermenter for bottling. More >>

• Home Brew Hydrometer:
  This nifty tool should on any home brewing equipment list. It allows brewers at every level to determine the alcohol content of their beer. Carefully place the sanitized home brew hydrometer in the unfermented wort to take the first measurement – referred to as the original gravity (OG). After fermentation, take another – called the final gravity (FG). The difference between the two is used to calculate the alcohol by volume (ABV)! More >>

• Thermometer:
  Your fermentation temperature matters. Too cool, and the yeast won’t ferment; too warm and you are promoting bacterial growth and possible death of the yeast. More >>

• 6′ Length of 3/8″ Vinyl Hose:
  Any home brewing equipment list is going to have this. The heat resistant hose facilitates transferring from one fermenter to the other. More >>

• Bottle Capper  
  When it’s time to bottle your brew, you’ll need something to cap the beer bottles. The double lever capper is easy to operate and ensures a firm seal on every bottle. More >>

• Cleaner/Sanitizer:
  Brewing can get a little messy, but with several cases of beer at the end, it’s well worth the effort. A cleaner is ideal for cleaning your home brewing equipment before and after brewing a batch of beer. More >>

• Beer Bottle Brush:
  Homebrewers typically save beer bottles for when their home brew is ready. The beer bottle brush helps to clean the insides of the bottles, helping to make sure nothing contaminates the beer you’ve worked so hard to make. More >>

• Beer Ingredient Kit:
  Choose from over 30 beer ingredient kits for your making your first batch of beer. The Steam Freak Ingredient Kits include all home brewing ingredients for a five gallon batch, recipe instructions, and caps. More >>

So what are you waiting for? Order a kit already and start brewing! It has a home brewing equipment list that is perfect for the first-timer. And, it’s something you can easily build upon as you progress in this wonderful hobby.
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David Ackley is a beer writer, brewer, and self-described “craft beer crusader.” He is a graduate of the Siebel Institute of Technology’s “Start Your Own Brewery” program and the Oskar Blues Brew School in Brevard, NC.

Getting started in homebrewing should not be intimidating. E. C. Kraus makes the initial leap much easier by including nearly everything you need for your first batch in one homebrewing kit.
Our Steam Freak Beermaking Starter Kit includes:

• Complete Joy of Homebrewing – This book is the original homebrewer’s guidebook. It will guide you through your first few batches and well beyond into your homebrewing career.

• 6 Gallon Screw-Top Fermenter – This is what the beer ferments in for a week or so before moving to the secondary fermentation carboy. The fermenter comes with an airlock, stopper, and faucet. It can also be used as a bottling bucket.

• 5 Gallon Plastic Carboy – After about ten days in primary fermentation, the beer is moved to the carboy for further conditioning and flavor development. The carboy also comes with an airlock, stopper, and faucet.

• Triple Scale Hydrometer – This tool is used to measure the gravity of your homebrew, and those measurements are used to determine alcohol content. Learn more about working with your hydrometer in this blog post.

• 21″ Curved Racking Cane – The racking cane, along with a section of vinyl hose, helps you transfer, or rack, the beer from one fermenter to another.

• 6′ Length of 3/8″ Vinyl Hose – Attach the hose to the racking cane to complete your racking setup.

• Double Lever Capper – Used to cap bottles.

• Beer Bottle Brush – Used for cleaning bottles.

• Racking Cane Clip – This clip secures the racking cane to the bucket to facilitate racking procedures.

• 8″ Floating Thermometer – A thermometer can be used in the home brewery in a number of ways, in particular, measuring mash temperature.

• Basic A No Rinse Cleanser – A brewery-grade cleaning agents used to clean all of your homebrewing gear.

• 24″ Stirring Spoon – Used to stir and aerate the wort before pitching yeast

• Steam Freak Kit – Unlike other homebrewing starter kits, our kit includes a Steam Freak recipe kit of your choice, including bottle caps. So the tough question is this: What beer style will you make with your first batch?

In addition to the Beermaking Starter Kit, you will also need a brew kettle. The 20-qt. Brew Kettle is ideal for brewing indoors, but many homebrewers will eventually upgrade to a larger kettle (see below).

Suggested Equipment Upgrades

Once you’ve brewed your first batch or two, you might be willing to make a few upgrades to your home brewery. Some of the most popular steps forward on the equipment side include:

• Auto-siphon – This nifty device makes siphoning from one fermenter to another a breeze.

• Temperature controller – After you brew a few batches of beer, you’ll soon discover that fermentation temperature control is a very important part of brewing good beer. If you have a spare freezer or refrigerator, a temperature controller will allow you to control your fermentation temperature to the degree.

• Additional Fermenters – Once you’re hooked on homebrewing, additional fermentation capacity will definitely come in handy.

• Mash tun cooler – If you’re interested in making the jump to all-grain brewing, you’re going to need a mash tun. A mash tun cooler is a simple, affordable way to mash the grains before the boil. (On a tight budget? The Brew In a Bag method is a wallet-friendly alternative.)

• Bigger kettle – You might need a propane burner as well.

• Stir plate – Yeast health is a crucial part of brewing good beer. This includes making sure that you have a healthy colony of yeast large enough to ferment your beer. A stir plate stirs the yeast in your yeast starter, giving it plenty of oxygen in order to grow to the right size.

What piece of equipment is on your home brewery wish list?
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David Ackley is a beer writer, brewer, and self-described “craft beer crusader.” He holds a General Certificate in Brewing from the Institute of Brewing and Distilling and is founder and editor of the Local Beer Blog.

One of the best ways to improve your homebrewing abilities is to replicate commercial brews and compare them against the original. Did you get the color right? The flavor? How about the head retention? Can you detect any fermentation faults or off-flavors? There’s nothing quite like the feeling of when you nail the perfect clone beer recipe. Lets dive into the world of brewing clone beer with eight classic clone recipe kits:

1. Sahara Nevada Pale Ale (Sierra Nevada Pale Ale Clone)
   Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is one of the original craft beers. When Ken Grossman launched Sierra Nevada back in 1980, little did he know that his Pale Ale would come to define the American pale ale. This clone beer recipe kit features just enough caramel malt and Carapils to give the beer enough a malty-sweet body to back up the generous dose of Cascade hops. 5.5% ABV, 44-48 IBUs.

2. Blue Noon Belgian Wit (Blue Moon Clone) 
   Blue Moon represents what many would call their entry into drinking craft beer. Blue Noon is a refreshing Blue Moon clone recipe brewed with wheat, oats, and spices. It offers a full body combined with a complex citrus/wheat flavor that is worlds apart from other mass-market beers. Coriander and orange peel add a tart and spicy complexity. 5.4% ABV, 20-24 IBUs.

3. S. S. Tadcaster Porter (Samuel Smith Taddy Porter Clone) 
   Samuel Smith’s Taddy Porter is a classic English Porter. Brewed with water from a 250+ year old well, Taddy Porter features roasted malt flavors with hints of dark fruit and molasses. This clone beer recipe kit uses classic English hop varieties to provide a moderate bitterness in balance to the malt. 4.6% ABV, 55 IBUs.

4. Petey’s Evil Ale (Pete’s Wicked Ale Clone) 
   Pete’s Brewing Company was founded in 1986, and Pete’s Wicked was the brewery’s flagship beer, an American Brown Ale with nutty malt flavor and a fruity combination of English and American aroma hops. Though Pete’s was discontinued in 2011, Pete’s Wicked Ale will live forever as one of the original American craft beers. Resurrect Pete’s Wicked Ale with this easy clone beer recipe! 5.25% ABV, 40-44 IBUs.

5. Fat Liar Amber Ale (Fat Tire Clone) 
   It’s hard to imagine the American craft beer movement without New Belgium’s Fat Tire. With its nutty and biscuity malt flavor, floral hop flavor, and exceptional balance, this Belgian-American amber ale is agreeable to a wide variety of palates. Have a friend that doesn’t like craft beer? A nice cold Fat Liar may bring them over to the other side. 5.8% ABV, 45 IBUs.

6. Bazz Pale Ale (Bass Pale Ale Clone) 
   Bass is the English pale ale that defines the Burton-style English pale ale. It’s a fantastic session beer with an intriguing English hop aroma. An English yeast strain adds a subtle fruity aroma that’s characteristic of English Ales. 4% ABV, 33 IBUs.

7. Buddy Light (Bud Light Clone) 
   Everyone needs a lawnmower beer! Though Bud Light may not be as complex as some other craft beers, you have to be impressed by its consistency – a Bud Light in LA tastes exactly like one in New York. Can you brew a clone that tastes just like what’s in the can? 3.3% ABV, 10 IBUs.

8. Pilsner Urkel (Pilsner Urquell Clone) 
   Pilsner Urquell is the classic Czech pilsner. Bright gold in color, this clone of the iconic pilsner features the familiar flavor of Czech Saaz hops, which give this beer a relatively assertive hop bitterness. Ferment cool for best results. 5.25% ABV, 43 IBUs.

Do you have a favorite clone beer recipe? Which of these clone beer recipe kits would you like to try first?

If you spent the winter brewing barleywines, double IPAs, and other high gravity beers, you may be ready for a change of pace. A session beer could be just what you need. As an easy way to get you started, below are 5 session beer recipe kits using extract and partial grains.

What are session beers?
Session beers are lower gravity ales and lagers that you can drink repeatedly without getting too buzzed. In other words, you can enjoy a few over a session of drinking. They are highly drinkable (or “sessionable”) beers that are good for a variety of occasions.
But session beers are more than just booze to guzzle down. A session beer recipe should add flavor, too. Beer writer Lew Bryson, founder of the Session Beer Project, gives the session beer definition as following:

• 4.5% alcohol by volume or less
• flavorful enough to be interesting
• balanced enough for multiple pints
• conducive to conversation
• reasonably priced

Are you ready to brew some session beer recipes? Here are five recipe kits you can craft in your home brewery.

• Steam Freak High-Flyin’ Derwitzer Wheat – This extract recipe kit creates a golden yellow, German-style wheat beer, also known as a Bavarian hefeweizen. It’s a very easy beer to brew, with bready malt flavor and banana/clove characteristics from the yeast strain. Target alcohol content is 4% ABV.

• Brewers Best English Pale Ale – This five-gallon recipe kit makes an English pale ale in the range of 4.25-4.5% alcohol. Similar to what you might find in an English pub, it features caramel malt flavor, about 30-33 IBUs of hop bitterness, and pleasing, English hop flavor and aroma.

• Brewcraft Premium Series Northlands Nut Brown Ale – With about 4.1% ABV and a smooth, nutty flavor, this nut brown ale is the ultimate session beer recipe kit. A variety of specialty grains, including chocolate malt, caramel malt, and Munich malt, create a rich nutty-chocolatey flavor that goes down easy. English hops round it out with about 25 IBUs and a balanced hop flavor.

• Steam Freak Bazz Pale Ale (Bass Pale Ale Clone) – Based on one of the beers that made Burton-on-Trent a world-famous brewing city, Bazz Pale Ale features a big dose of caramel malt flavor balanced by European hops. The English yeast strain included in the kit ferments quickly and clean. 33 IBUs, 4% ABV. Of this five, this is my favorite session beer recipe kit.

• Brewers Best Irish Stout – Not all stouts are heavy and high-gravity. Brew a sessionable stout beer with this partial mash kit. Roasted barley and black patent give this beer a dark color and roasty flavor. Shoot for an original gravity in the ballpark of 1.046 to keep the alcohol content around 4.5% ABV.

Do you have a favorite session beer you like to brew? Do you have a session beer recipe kit that is your favorite? Share in the comments below!
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David Ackley is a beer writer, brewer, and self-described “craft beer crusader.” He holds a General Certificate in Brewing from the Institute of Brewing and Distilling and is founder and editor of the Local Beer Blog.

It’s helpful as a homebrewer to always be thinking ahead. Laying out a brewing calendar and deciding what beer styles would be best for the upcoming season.
Now that summer’s just around the corner, do you have your brews lined up for the warmer months? Do you know what summer beers you’ll be brewing?
To help get your mental brewing calendar flowing, here are twelve beer recipe kits that will quench your thirst in the summer heat! These are excellent kits for brewing summer beers

Best Beer Styles For Brewing Summer Beers

• Witbier – Belgian witbier is a wheat-based ale that uses orange peel and spices to give it a citrusy flavor. The wheat gives the beer a bit of sweetness, making it an easy drinker. If you like Hoegaarden or Blue Moon, this one’s for you! This is a beer style that’s always in my plans for brewing summer beers.

• Weizenbier – German weizen is a wheat beer with notes of tropical fruit and cloves. These characteristics are derived entirely from German weizen yeast, and may also feature notes of vanilla or bubblegum. The wheat gives the beer a somewhat creamy texture, but the light body keeps the beer from being too filling.

• Kölsch – This German-style ale is a clean, crisp, golden-colored ale with a touch of light malt flavor and a hint of apple or pear. Though similar in appearance and mouthfeel to light lagers, German noble hops give the beer a more assertive bitterness and a decent amount of hop flavor.

• American Pale Ale – Good old American pale ales are always in season. APAs tend to feature some notes of caramel malt, but the main feature is always the hops. American hops tend to showcase flavors and aromas of pine, citrus, and spice and usually a bracing bitterness as well. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is the benchmark.

• American Cream Ale – Cream ale is a great beer for the summer. It’s very similar to light lager, but it’s fermented at ale temperatures, making it easier to produce for the average homebrewer.

• English Bitter – If you like hops, but find American Pale Ale a little too aggressive, try an English Bitter. This English Pale Ale is a little more balanced between the malt and hops, and tends to have a slightly lower alcohol content as well.

• Light Lager – Here’s a good option for tailgating, a cookout, or any event with red plastic cups. Also makes a great lawnmower beer!

• Pilsner – German lager is somewhat more refined, with more pronounced hop bitterness, flavor, and aroma. Dry and crisp, pilsner works well in just about any summertime situation.
  

• Saison – Saison features a fruity, citrusy aroma with some floral and spicy notes – definitely a flavorful option for summer drinking! It’s usually an enticing, bright orange color with lots of carbonation. Saison usually finished dry with a touch of refreshing acidity.

What are some of the beer styles you’re thinking about putting on your summer brewing calendar? Are any of the above fit into your plans for brewing summer beers?
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David Ackley is a beer writer, brewer, and self-described “craft beer crusader.” He holds a General Certificate in Brewing from the Institute of Brewing and Distilling and is founder and editor of the Local Beer Blog.

After a long, dreary winter, I for one as a homebrewers can’t wait to get out of the house in the spring time and fire up the brew kettle. What do homebrewers brew in the spring? Generally some lighter-bodied beers that exemplify the qualities of the spring season. As if to salute the growing season, these beers tend to showcase the lively flavors of floral hops and fruity yeast varieties.

Below are some of the best beer styles for brewing this spring:

• Saison – Saison is a dry, Belgian-style farmhouse ale typically characterized by fruity and spicy flavors from the use of estery Belgian ale yeast and spices like coriander. Many versions use specialty grains, like oats, wheat, and rye, and can range from a sessionable 4.5% ABV up to 7% or higher. Sometimes honey or sugar are added to help achieve a dry finish. High carbonation and sprightly acidity make saison a supremely refreshing beer to brew in the spring.
  

• Bière de Mars – It’s not too late to pull off this high-gravity cousin of the saison this spring. Bière de Mars is a malt-forward Franco-Belgian ale with notes of toffee, dry, fruity flavors, and minimal hop aroma. Like saison, Bière de Mars may utilize adjunct grains, sugar, and spices to achieve the appropriate style characteristics. It’s a no-brainer for spring time brewing.
  

• Maibock – Maibock, or “May bock”, is Germany’s answer to spring weather. It’s a higher-gravity lager just like traditional bock, but paler and a little more bitter. Check out Growler Magazine for a wonderfully simple maibock recipe.
  

• Rye Pale Ale – Like barley, rye is a cereal grain that can be used in making beer. It’s often added in smaller doses to contribute a subtle spicy notes to pale ales, IPAs, and sometimes Beglian-style beers. Try this clone of Terrapin Brewing Company’s Rye Pale Ale.
  

• Tripel – Belgian Tripels are the true champagne of beer. Bright, golden, effervescent, with notes of fruit and spice, triples are high-gravity Trappist-style beers that showcase the complexity of Belgian ale yeast. Try a Belgian Tripel recipe kit or try this Westmalle Tripel clone when brewing this spring.
  

• Belgian Witbier – Belgian wit, or white beer, is the perfect beer for drinking the spring sunshine. Brewed in the style of Hoegaarden or Allagash White, witbier is a sessionable beer at just 4-5% ABV. The color is very pale, often cloudy and creamy due to the use of oats and wheat. Citrus peel and coriander make the beer bright, fragrant, and refreshing. Try the Brewer’s Best Witbier kit or Blue Noon, a clone of the ever-popular Blue Moon.

These are some of my favorite beers for brewing in the spring – what’s your favorite spring time brews?

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David Ackley is a beer writer, brewer, and self-described “craft beer crusader.” He holds a General Certificate in Brewing from the Institute of Brewing and Distilling and is founder and editor of the Local Beer Blog.