There are a lot of sayings about using the right tool for the right job at the right time for good reason - they are good advice. Having the right tools and equipment can make the brew day a lot easier and help you to produce even better beer.

We spend a lot of time selecting or developing a recipe, brewing, fermenting and conditioning. The final stage is bottling or legging. We want to reduce the contact between our beer because oxygen causes oxidisation, and in beer that comes across as wet dog.

In this case we’re looking at kegging and ways of reducing oxygen contact when you have to syphon.

As home brewers we take gravity readings for a number of reasons:

To check our pre- and post-boil gravity - to see how close we are to our expected numbers and what our mash and brewhouse efficiencies are like.

Prior to fermentation to estimate the amount of alcohol that could potentially be produced.

After fermentation to calculate the actual amount of alcohol in the beer.

Learning to brew a decent handcrafted beer at home has never been easier. This kit combines all the instructions, essential equipment and ingredients to allow you to make great tasting beer.

The worst part of brewing is the cleaning. Full stop. End of discussion. It’s nowhere near as engaging as brewing, fermenting, kegging or drinking (especially the drinking), but it has to be done. I mean it’s cleaning FFS.

What basic equipment do you need to brew a good beer? Home brewing can be very equipment intensive, but when you are starting out a few basics will get you by – until you get hooked.