Equipment

You can brew a very fine beer with only the basic equipment listed here.  I have included approximate prices in Canadian dollars.  Your total cost should be not much more than a hundred dollars if you have to purchase everything, and if you make a dozen batches, the capital costs will be only about forty cents per bottle.  Bring the list to your local home brew store.  If you do not have a local store, see the list of Canadian Suppliers.

• 20 litre stainless steel brewpot, $20.  This was the only item I found unreasonably priced at my local home brew store.  I bought mine on sale at Home Hardware.

• 20 litre glass carboy, $17.

• 23 litre fermenting bucket, $14.

• Air lock, $1.

• Racking hose, $3.

• Filler wand, $3.

• Long plastic spoon, $4.

• Cooking thermometer, $10.  Another Home Hardware special.

• Bottle brush, $3.

• Carboy brush, $5.

• 24 one-litre plastic bottles or 48 half-litre bottles.  $12.  I have sometimes used the Creemore Springs one-litre glass bottles.  You can use standard beer bottles too.

• Bottle caps, $3.

There are many more pieces of equipment you can buy, from basic items such as a hydrometer to complex filtering systems.  Some enthusiasts spends thousands of dollars, but you only need the basics to get started and produce excellent results.