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Below is a list of essential equipment along with some key notes for prepping your set up. I also included some websites where you will be able to browse equipment and compare prices. Happy Brewing!!

This list will get you well on your way to brewing great beer:

• Plastic Primary Fermenter with drilled & grommeted lid
• Bottling Bucket With Spigot

   

  

  Example Starter Kit

• 5 Gallon Secondary P.E.T. Better Bottle™ Plastic Carboy
• Airlock & Drilled Rubber Stopper
• Triple Scale Hydrometer and Test Jar
• Thermometer
• Siphon Tube, Hose and Clamp
• Bottle Capper
• Bottle Brush
• Bottle Filler
• No Rinse Sanitizer
• About Fifty 12oz. Amber Beer Bottles(not included in below estimated price)No Twist Offs

This list will set you back a little over a hundred dollars, but should pay for itself after about two batches of beer! Start saving your beer bottles now, each case of 24 bottles will run you about $15.00(see my post about taking care of your bottles)

If you are just starting out I recommend buying a beer kit which includes all the ingredients you need as well as instructions on how to make your selected brew.

Below are a few sites to help you find your equipment:

Arbor wine Beer-wine.com Monsterbrew

Paulaner Hefe-Weisen Beer

Paulaner brewery goes back to the order of monks of San Francesco di Paola, who resided Munich. The monks had brewed beer for their own use since 1634. The beer was a Bock style which gained local fame. After 1799 the building was converted into a penitentiary, but soon Franz Xaver Zacherl purchased the former brewery and continued the bock tradition. In 1928 the brewery merged with the Gebruder Thomas brewery creating Paulaner. Starting in the late 1990′s Paulaner began being served in many bars in both New York City and Long Island.

Brief Thoughts

I am a huge fan of Paulaner’s Hefe-Weisen for its smooth flavor, light hop taste and crisp body. So I have decided to recreate this beer so I have it on hand whenever I desire it, which is usually all the time. This beer goes with everything and it is very refreshing on a hot day which also makes it a great summer beer.

Aroma: Moderate to strong phenols (usually clove) and fruity esters (usually banana). The balance and intensity of the phenol and ester components can vary but the best examples are reasonably balanced and fairly prominent. Noble hop character ranges from low to none. A light to moderate wheat aroma (which might be perceived as bready or grainy) may be present but other malt characteristics should not. No diacetyl or DMS. Optional, but acceptable, aromatics can include a light, citrusy tartness, a light to moderate vanilla character, and/or a low bubblegum aroma. None of these optional characteristics should be high or dominant, but often can add to the complexity and balance.

Appearance: Pale straw to very dark gold in color. A very thick, moussy, long-lasting white head is characteristic. The high protein content of wheat impairs clarity in an unfiltered beer, although the level of haze is somewhat variable. A beer “mit hefe” is also cloudy from suspended yeast sediment (which should be roused before drinking). The filtered Krystal version has no yeast and is brilliantly clear.

Flavor: Low to moderately strong banana and clove flavor. The balance and intensity of the phenol and ester components can vary but the best examples are reasonably balanced and fairly prominent. Optionally, a very light to moderate vanilla character and/or low bubblegum notes can accentuate the banana flavor, sweetness and roundness; neither should be dominant if present. The soft, somewhat bready or grainy flavor of wheat is complementary, as is a slightly sweet Pils malt character. Hop flavor is very low to none, and hop bitterness is very low to moderately low. A tart, citrusy character from yeast and high carbonation is often present. Well rounded, flavorful palate with a relatively dry finish. No diacetyl or DMS.

Mouthfeel: Medium-light to medium body; never heavy. Suspended yeast may increase the perception of body. The texture of wheat imparts the sensation of a fluffy, creamy fullness that may progress to a light, spritzy finish aided by high carbonation. Always effervescent.

Overall Impression: A pale, spicy, fruity, refreshing wheat-based ale.

Comments: These are refreshing, fast-maturing beers that are lightly hopped and show a unique banana-and-clove yeast character. These beers often don’t age well and are best enjoyed while young and fresh. The version “mit hefe” is served with yeast sediment stirred in; the krystal version is filtered for excellent clarity. Bottles with yeast are traditionally swirled or gently rolled prior to serving. The character of a krystal WEIZEN is generally fruitier and less phenolic than that of the hefe-WEIZEN.

History: A traditional wheat-based ale originating in Southern Germany that is a specialty for summer consumption, but generally produced year-round.

Ingredients: By German law, at least 50% of the grist must be malted wheat, although some versions use up to 70%; the remainder is Pilsner malt. A traditional decoction mash gives the appropriate body without cloying sweetness. WEIZEN ale yeasts produce the typical spicy and fruity character, although extreme fermentation temperatures can affect the balance and produce off-flavors. A small amount of noble hops are used only for bitterness.

Vital Statistics:
OG: 1.044 – 1.052
FG: 1.010 – 1.014
IBU: 8 – 15
SRM: 2.0 – 8.0
ABV: 4.3 – 5.6

Simple Recipe:

Ingredients:

6.6 lbs. wheat malt extract

1 oz. cascade hops

1 oz. select hops

.25 oz. of Irish moss

1 pack of brewers yeast

5 oz. priming sugar

Directions:

Boil 1 gallon of cold water, once boiling remove from heat and add your wheat malt, cascade hops and Irish moss. Return to heat and stir consistently for 40 minutes keeping temperature at 170 degrees. After the initial forty minutes is up, add your select hops and boil for an additional 5 minutes. Remove from heat, strain into fermentation bucket hot and top of with enough cold water to make 5 gallons. Wait till temperature reaches 75 degrees, take your hydrometer reading and pitch your yeast. Ferment for 5-7 days, your final hydrometer reading should be around 1.010! Rack your beer to a secondary if you desire for an initial 2 weeks for clarity. Come bottling day, boil your priming sugar in about 3-4 oz. of water, pour hot primer into your bottling bucket and rack your beer to your bottling bucket, bottle and cap off! In 10-14 days chill and enjoy.

Note:

Home brew will never replicate a commercial beer taste although it will come close and sometimes even better.

To buy a case of beer bottles it usually costs about $15.00+ depending on size and type.  Times that by how much beer you brew and how much you share with friends this price can quickly get out of hand!  Save some money by recycling your own bottles right back into your next batch, don’t be afraid to ask your friends to chip in and save a few bottles for you also(No twist offs).  After all i’m sure some of the beer they are drinking comes right from your private stock.

Now, in order to get extra life from your bottles it is important to take care of them as if they were still full!  Whenever you finish drinking a beer or pouring a glass of beer take a second to rinse out your bottle with a little warm water to help remove any sediment before it starts to stick to the inside of your bottle.  This will help ease your cleaning and sanitation process come bottling day and help prevent possible off flavors in your beer and even cause your bottles to explode. Some people rely on a bottling brush to clean before they sanitize, this is how I do it.  Others will use a brass bottle washer(providing it fits their kitchen or bathroom sink) I have one of these as well and I never had to use it cause of the simple step I take by rinsing the bottle out prior to storing until needed again.

On bottling day I get my bottles together usually about 45 and begin by running warm water into each one with a few turns of the bottle brush, rinse again and set aside until all are finished.  When this is done I submerge the bottles in a no rinse sanitizer for about 30 seconds and hang them on a bottle tree to air dry.

This method has been very effective for me, I have saved hundreds of dollars(which usually goes right back into more brew ingredients) and have never had an off flavored batch nor an exploding bottle!

Save your bottles and brew more beer!

Check these two websites out:

Six Pack Carrier

Custom Labels

First of all, carboys are a wonderful addition to your setup. Whether you’re using it to rack a secondary or to watch the magic of the fermentation process while your beer is in it’s primary stage. I personally use mine to rack to a secondary.

My opinion on glass or plastic is, drum roll please…. The plastic better bottle, and I will explain why! The three biggest reasons are; they are cheaper, they weigh practically nothing and they are extremely durable compared to the glass option. The only downside to plastic is that it could scratch leaving it vulnerable to produce a contamination in your brew. I have been using plastic for a while now and although I am very cautious in my cleaning and storing process, I have never come across a scratch and my better bottle has held hundreds of gallons of beer. People say that plastic is not the way to go because plastic has pores compared to the glass which in turn would or could oxidize your beer producing off flavors such as the taste of card board. The better bottle is made of industrial plastic made for cooking etc.. I have never come across a finished beer of mine that had off flavors. So go out and get yourself a better bottle, your back and your wallet will thank you for it and your taste buds will never know the difference!