BOTTLES
Many
screw top bottles can be used. Twist off beer bottles can be used but I don't recommend it
as you will get a lot of failures. Although I have never done it, you can use plastic
drink bottles too, however make sure you allow at least 7 to 10 days to ferment and then
refrigerate for a day or two to allow the CO2
to dissolve.
Beer hates light, so if you use clear bottles store them in a dark place.
BREWING POT The
recommended size is 3 or more gallons, but it can be done 2 or more smaller pots. Smaller
pots means less energy to cook and faster cooling times. The time between boiling and when
the yeast becomes active is the highest point of susceptibility to infection.
The kitchen stove is probably the worst place to cook it. It foams over just as it reaches
the boiling point every time. Watching it closely helps, but you can't catch it every time
and it does make a mess. I use a single propane burner outdoors.
The new whole turkey cookers, with the burner underneath, are a good option.
COOLING
It is a good idea to cool your wort as fast as possible. They sell cooling coils
that you immerse in the wort and run water through them to draw off the heat. You can also
set your container in an ice water bath.
Here is a method that I have used successfully. Strip the labels and glue off of 3ea 2
liter bottles. Fill them about 4/5 full with water, cap, sterilize, and freeze them.
Immerse as many botlles as you can without overflow in your hot wort. I cut up a coat
hanger and wrapped it around the necks so I could hang them on the side of the pot to keep
the cap from submerging. I figured that the cap would be the hardest part to keep
sterilized. If you're worried about contamination in your freezer, wrap the bottles in
plastic wrap and remove it before submerging. When most of the ice in one bottle is
melted, replace it with another. The bottles are reusable.
Another method is to load new gallon sized zip-lock freezer bags with ice cubes and set
them in the wort. I dont recommend reusing them.
FERMENTOR
The most popular containers are PVC buckets and 5 gal. water jugs. 5 gal. PVC buckets are
a lot easier to get than the 6 gal. that are recommended. Water jugs, or carboys, are
easier to seal, but should have protection from the light.
Remember to leave an air space for yeast expansion. I had to repaint my ceiling in my
early brewing days when the bubbler blew off.
It's OK to ferment 4 or 4 1/2 gal. because water can be added after fermentation to bring
your batch up to 5 gal.
If you have a strong batch be careful not to ferment it in too small a container as beer
yeast will go dormant above 10 to 13% alcohol, then reactivate when you add water for
bottling, thus breaking your bottles.
GRAIN, HOPS BAGS They are used to steep hops or flavoring grains. Most major dept. stores sell nylon stocking eggs for about 3/$1. That's about 6 stockings for a buck and they work great and are reusable. You can also use cheese cloth.
WATER
If you are going to use chlorinated water, I recommend leaving it stand in a 5
gal. container at least over night before you brew. Also the type of water makes a
big difference in taste. For example I prefer hard water over soft, or reverse osmosis.
You'll have to be your own judge.
Remember, in order to bring your batch up to 5 gal., water can be added at any stage up to
bottling or kegging without changing the taste.
YEAST Very few yeast cultures are absolutely pure. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. Lagers like cold temps and ales like warm. If you use lager in warm temperature or ale in cold, they will tend to mutate a little. I usually use my yeast about 3 times because I make 3 back-to-back batches, pale, amber, and dark, and then wait a while. I see no reason why you can't do more batches. If your beer tastes the way you like, then go for it.