Reducing the Cost of Entry

 Brewing can be a very expensive hobby. It’s not difficult to spend five to ten thousand dollars on equipment . Luckily most of that expense is not needed. A competent setup can be achieved for much less if you’re willing to start small, forgo some luxuries, and/or assemble some components yourself. I do 2.5 gallon Brew In A Bag (BIAB) on my stovetop which I credit for keeping my startup costs in check.  

Using BIAB instead of a traditional all-grain approach will keep costs down. In BIAB brewing, you will only need one vessel for heating water for mashing, sparking, and boiling. Traditional all-grain systems may have 2-3 vessels. BIAB keeps the number of vessels purchased (and stored) to a minimum. A 4 gallon stockpot will be big enough for 2.5 gallon batches (if you watch the initial boil). 

Brewing 2.5-3 gallon batches is another way to reduce the entry cost of the hobby. Traditionally brewing is done in 5 gallon batches.  Brewing smaller volumes means most of your equipment can be smaller and easier to store.  Brewing on the stovetop means you don’t have to buy a propane burner/tanks or heating element and pump. It also means that you can brew in the comfort of your own kitchen.  I’ve brewed on resistive coil, ceramic cooktop, and gas stoves. Each provided enough boiling power and the hood vent will remove the steam. It is great to be able to schedule a brew day and not worry about it being ruined by rain or inclement weather. Another benefit of brewing small on the stovetop is that it gives you twice as many opportunities to brew for the same volume of finished product. Presumably, if you're considering getting into the hobby, its because you enjoy the process. Brewing definitely has a learning curve.  Failing small and throwing out a batch hurts a lot less when its a 2.5 gallon loss instead of a 5 gallon loss.

Another way to reduce your cost of entry is by making/adapting your own equipment.  For smaller batches immersion chiller are arguably better (a post for a different time). They can be bought for about $100.  By buying your copper refrigeration tubing and a couple fittings, you can easily build your own for $50. Fermentation vessels don't need to be conical or stainless.  A lot of great beer has been fermented in plastic buckets.  Your local bakery/donut shop might even have some food grade buckets they'd be willing to give away.  Drilling a hole and a $1 grommet will give a completely functional fermenter. 

If you're thinking about getting into the hobby but are worried about the budget, think about how you will brew, your batch size, what equipment you truly need to get started.  There are plenty of ways to upgrade in the future.

Consumable Equipment Kept On Hand

 Sanitizer: StarSan. I use it liberally. Almost every brewing event (bottling/brewing/racking) starts with creating a 1 gallon batch of sanitizer.  It's food safe and used by many (most) restaurants.  Whatever I don't use for brewing gets used for general counter cleaning.

Caps:  Pick a generic color and buy in bulk.  It's significantly cheaper per cap.  I don't splurge for the color changing or oxygen absorbing.  I try to drink the beer fast enough to not worry about needing the oxygen absorbing cap and I don't need a color changing cap to tell me if the beer is cold.  I leave that gimmick to Coors.

Priming Sugar: This is another thing I buy in bulk.  I have a kitchen canister full of it.  It's just great to know that its available whenever I have a free hour to bottle.

Irish Moss:  Irish Moss is completely optional, but it definitely makes beer clarify a lot better and doesn't impact taste.  A small bottle will last several batches.

My Equipment List (Non-Consumable)

This is the non-consumable equipment I use for brewing beer.  I think I have a pretty basic set-up, but it's been reliably getting me good beer for dozens of batches without changing.  If my math is correct (might not be) I just used my thousandth cap. When I originally started, I was doing 1 gallon batches, but quickly upgraded the equipment to a 3 gallon size. 

Stockpot: 5 gallon Stainless Steel.  Aluminum would be just fine.  If I ever want to go to induction for my heat source, the stainless steel will still work.  

BIAB Bag: This is the key to doing BIAB.  I bought mine through wilserbrewer, but there are plenty of other options.  Make sure that the bag fits your stockpot.  I don't need/use a ratchet for lifting in my 2.5 gallon setup but probably would need something for 5 or more gallons.

Stockpot Blanket: My wife took some quilted fabric and sewed a cover for the stockpot.  It keeps it warm while mashing.  Blankets and/or towels would also work.  

Immersion Chiller:  I made a 25' chiller with refrigeration copper tubing and the same vinyl tubing that the siphon uses.  2 hose clamps holds it together.  If your sink has a hose attachment you can buy an adapter to connect it to the sink. Otherwise, I use a small pond pump I put in an ice bath to circulate cold water.

Scale:  I use a small kitchen scale capable of reading in grams to measure hops/spices input to the wort.  The grains are all measured by the brew store.

Hydrometer: Absolutely necessary to see original and final specific gravity.  Every homebrewer has broken at least one hydrometer.  

Carboy/Stopper/Airlock: You'll need to ferment in something.  I use 3 gallon glass carboys.  I prefer S-type airlocks and replace them if they get dirty beyond cleaning.

Siphon with bottling wand and racking cane: I use the 3/4 inch tubing version.  It reaches down to the bottom of the carboy and bottling bucket.  The bottling wand allows you to accurately fill bottles.

Capper: I've used the cheaper wing type for nearly a decade.  It works just fine.  If you have extra space, a benchtop might be slightly easier to use with large batches.

Collection of Bottles: I wouldn't recommend buying bottles.  Find a beer you like that comes in pry-off bottles.  Rinse out the bottle as soon as its empty.  Bottles can be washed in the dishwasher and/or cleaned with PBW.  Store them in a dust-free place and wash/sanitize before each reuse.  Collect a few more than you think you need.  Over the years a few of mine have been damaged.