You'll need different equipment for different home brewing methods. You won't need a lot of equipment for general brewing, but you may need some additional equipment if you plan to use a lot of advanced techniques.

You could start out by purchasing a brewing kit. These generally contain a couple of 6.5 gallon buckets, a lid which contains a hole and a grommet, a spigot, some tubing, a hydrometer, an airlock, and a bottle capper.

You'll need other equipment like mash tuns, lauter tuns, carboys, and other things if you get into more advanced brewing. A tun is a vessel that is used to hold the grain and water while it is fermenting.

There are two main types of tuns. A hot liquor tun, also called HLT, is required for making the mash. It is used to heat and store the liquid. A mash lauter tun, also called MLT, is used to hold the grain and water while it's converted into sugar.

The lauter tun is a type of strainer used to strain the grain out of the liquid, but this may be the same vessel as the MLT. Some people convert an upright barrel-shaped cooler into a mash lauter tun.

It's watertight, and easy to use. A cooler like this can be used as-is, but if you add a strainer to it, it becomes even more efficient. If you can buy a cooler with a tap near the bottom, it's even more ideal.

There are also recirculating mash systems that hold the mash at the correct temperature. They work by heating part of the liquid and then recirculating it into the mash tun. Using a system like this can make for a clearer wort, and helps keep the mash at a stable temperature, which is important for consistency between batches.

The brew pot is the vessel in which the liquid is heated when needed. Stainless steel is the material that most brewers prefer. It is strong, durable, and easy to clean. Some people use aluminum, but some people worry about the safety of this material.

It has been linked to Alzheimer's disease, so it isn't used as widely as it used to be. It's a light, inexpensive material, so some people choose it because of the cost. Other brew pots can be made of enameled steel, but these can contain lead.

Lead poisoning is a serious risk, so if you do decide to use an enameled pot, verify that it doesn't contain lead before you use it. You must also be careful to not chip the enamel. You'll need some sort of heat source.

Gas is preferable to electric heat, because most electric ranges can't reach a full boil, which is required for many recipes. With an electric range, it may take over an hour to reach a full boil, and keeping it there may be extremely difficult.

Even a home gas range may not be adequate for getting the wort to a full boil. A propane burner may be a better choice. You can buy these at hardware store and home stores in ranges of around 30,000 to 200,000 BTUs. A 30,000 BTU model may be adequate for most home brewers, but if you can get a 100,000 BTU or better model, it might be a safer bet.

The first step in making your own wine is to prepare the fruit that will be used in making it. You have to cut up large pieces of fruit and burst the skins on smaller fruit. Any type of fruit will need to be cut, bruised, or chopped. All seeds or pits should be removed. And never use a blender or food processor for this, because the skin and seeds can make the wine too bitter.

Now you should stir all of the ingredients together, except the yeast. You'll stir it all together into whatever you'll be using as your primary fermenter. Pulp must be collected in a fermentation bag and submerged into the mixture.

Take the fruit you've put into your fermenter and add water until the mixture equals 5 gallons. Add 5 crushed Campden Tablets to the mixture. Don't add the yeast at the same time you add the tablets, because you will kill the yeast.

Cover the mixture with a clean towel, preferably something thin. Let the mixture ferment for about 24 hours. The Campden Tablets will sterilize the fruit juice. Within 24 hours, the sulfur gas which sterilized the juice will dissolve away, and the yeast can be added.

Next you need to sprinkle your yeast over the surface of the liquid and recover with a towel. This must be allowed to ferment for 5 to 7 days. After this time, you need to remove the pulp from the fermenter and dispose of it.

The wine must then be siphoned into a second fermenter. This should be done carefully, so any sediment is left behind in the first fermenter. Sediment will make your wine cloudy, so it needs to be left behind. If you need to, add a bit more water to bring the mixture back to 5 gallons.

Attach an airlock to the fermenter and fill it about half way with water. Now the mixture must ferment for another 4-6 weeks. Once the mixture is completely clear, it's ready. If you have a hydrometer, you can verify that fermentation has finished by checking that the reading is between 0.990 and 0.998 on the SG scale.

Finally, you should spiphon off any sediment and add another 5 crushed campden Tablets to the wine. Then it may be bottled. It is very important to remove all sediment at this step, even if it means you have to leave a little wine behind. Click here to see more information about brewing your own wine and beer at home!

You should first prepare everything you're going to need to brew your own beer. Equipment should be cleaned and sanitized. Make sure you have all of the ingredients you need ahead of time, and double check everything.

Add about 2 ½ gallons of water to your 5-gallon pot. Put your grains inside a muslin bag and tie it securely. Put the bag into your post, and heat until the water is almost boiling. Then remove and discard the bag of grain.

Turn the head off and add your malt extract to the mixture. If you intend to add any sugars like honey or rice syrup, this is the time to add them. Don't add any fruit extract or priming sugar until you bottle your beer.

Now you should being your mixture to the most vigorous boil you can without the mixture boiling over. This is a frequent occurrence, so you you must keep a close eye on it. Put bittering hops into a mulson bag and tie, then add this to the pot and boil for an hour. This is the point when your brew becomes known as wort. Don't cover the wort, and stir it occasionally.

Fill another muslin bag with your finishing hops and tie up. Then add to your pot when there are only about 5 minutes left in your one hour boil. If you need to add yeast nutrient or Irish moss, this is the time to add it. When your hour is finished, turn off the heat and remove and discard any hops bags.

Next you need to put your pot in a bath of ice, probably in your sink. You can also use a wort chiller if you have one available. This brew should cool for about 15-20 minutes, or until it's just warm to the touch.

Add 2 ½ gallons of ice cold water to your fermenter. Then pour your wort into the fermenter and add the yeast. Stir with a sanitized spoon. Put the lid in your fermenter and place the airlock into the lid. The airlock should be half filled with sanitizing solution. Rock the sealed fermenter back and forth for about 5 minutes to aerate the mixture.

The fermenter should then be placed in a warm spot. The ideal temperature should be between 65 and 73 degrees Fahrenheit. Allow the mixture to ferment for 3-7 days. You can use a hydrometer to find out for sure when the fermentation process is complete. Brewing beer at home is easy and fun and will be a hobby you maintain for a lifetime!