Ready to start brewing non-alcoholic beer? Find out what essential brewing gear you need to get, with our beginner-friendly guide to non-alcoholic beer home brew equipment.
Brewing beer at home is a rewarding and exciting hobby for anyone who is looking to create a flavorful beverage to share with their friends. But not everyone is looking to brew an alcoholic beer. When you choose to brew non-alcoholic beer, it is important to choose the right beer home brew equipment to ensure that the brewing process is efficient, safe, and as enjoyable as possible.
In this article, we explain what essential non-alcoholic beer home brew equipment you need to get started, and leave out the things you don’t really need as a beginner.
Non-Alcoholic Beer Home Brew Equipment
Beer Home Brew Equipment – Major Items
These are the most important and most expensive beer home brew equipment items that you will need to brew non-alcoholic beer using the all-grain method. If you are brewing from a kit (in other words, you are not making the wort), then the only thing you need from this list is the fermentation vessel, and maybe a large pot depending on the recipe.
Major brewing beer at home equipment pieces include:
- Brew Kettle (for making the wort)*
- Mash Tun (for making the wort)*
- Siphon or Racking Cane (for transferring the wort to the fermentation vessel)*
- Wort Chiller (for cooling the wort down to fermentation temperature)
- Fermentation Vessel (where the fermentation magic happens)
*You can buy all-in-one vessels that combine the function of these items, and makes the all-grain brewing process a whole lot easier, cleaner and fun. I personally use a BrewZilla, for this purpose. If you are new to all-grain brewing, I highly recommend the investment.
Using an all-in-one device such as a BrewZilla is like the difference between making bread 100% by hand, or using a bread machine to help you knead and rise the dough. Like a bread machine, the BrewZilla cuts out some of the work, making the process less labor-intensive. Some purists don’t like these devices for whatever reason, but many brewers love them. By the time you buy all the parts separately, it’s not much more expensive to buy one of these devices.
Brew Kettle
Why It’s Needed
A brew kettle is an important essential item for boiling and extracting the flavors of your various ingredients. When you brew a non-alcoholic beer, you mix your malt, hops, and spices into the kettle so as to infuse the flavors into the brew.
How It’s Used
The brew kettle plays a pivotal role in the boiling of your unfermented beer, otherwise known as wort. As the mixture is boiled, you’ll need to slowly add your hops and other flavors at specific points during the boiling process, to ensure that all of the flavors and aromas are infused in the final product properly.
Buying Considerations
When choosing a brew kettle, it is important to select one that matches your planned batch sizes. You will find a large selection of brew kettles that range anywhere from 5 to 10 gallons in size. Select one that comes with a lid, as this will help to control any boil-off, and minimize the chances of a boil-over.
Fermentation Vessel
Why It’s Needed
A fermenter (aka fermentation vessel) is the #1 most essential non-alcoholic beer home brew equipment to get, you can’t make beer without one. Once your mixture has boiled in the brew kettle, it is time to move the wort into the fermentation vessel. The fermentation vessel is where the magic happens, as your choice of yeast begins to transform the various sugars in your wort, into minute traces of alcohol as well as carbon dioxide. This particular item is crucial to the proper fermentation of your non-alcoholic beer.
How It’s Used
In use, you will simply transfer the wort from the brew kettle into the fermentation vessel. The fermentation vessel generally has an airlock that will allow gases to escape and prevent contaminants from getting inside.
Buying Considerations
When selecting a fermentation vessel, is important to select a food-grade plastic or glass vessel that has an airtight seal and enough capacity for your entire batch. Fermentation vessels come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, depending on the type of alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverage you are brewing.
Wort Chiller
Why It’s Needed
In order to promote a clean fermentation, you will need to make use of a wort chiller. These chillers are designed to rapidly cool down the boiled wort to a temperature that is suitable for the yeast that you have selected to brew your non-alcoholic beer.
How It’s Used
In use, the wort chiller is immersed in the hot wort, and cold water is then run through it in order to quickly lower the temperature of the wort. Once the temperature of the wort has been reduced to the perfect temperature for yeast production, the wort is then transferred from the kettle into the fermentation vessel.
Buying Considerations
When you choose a wort chiller, make sure to select something that has the correct dimensions for your brew kettle. You want something that is easy to clean and maintain but is also capable of rapidly chilling your entire batch.
The wort chiller I use is a coil of copper tubing, which you attach to a garden hose. You place the coil of copper tubing into the wort, then run cold tap water through the tubing, which chills the wort. It is simple, but slow and uses a lot of water. Other styles of chilling devices are also available.
Mash Tun
Why It’s Needed
If you are brewing an all-grain non-alcoholic beer, then chances are that you will need to create a mash first. A mash tun is used to convert the starches in your malted grains into sugar, with the help of hot water.
How It’s Used
In order to separate the liquid wort from the solid grains, it is important to select a well-designed mash tun that includes a false bottom. This will play a crucial role during the lautering process.
Buying Considerations
As with many other pieces of non-alcoholic home beer brew equipment, you will need to select a mash tun that is the correct size for your batches. A properly sized mash tun will allow for effective temperature control during the mashing process.
Siphon or Racking Cane
Why It’s Needed
In order to minimize the amount of oxygen that is exposed to your brew, you will need a racking cane or siphon. The siphon is a specific piece of non-alcoholic beer home brew equipment that will help you to transfer your brew from one vessel to the next, minimizing the amount of oxygen that it is exposed to.
How It’s Used
In order to use a siphon, you will need to employ the assistance of gravity. Simply put, when transferring from one vessel to the next, the containing vessel will need to be situated above the receiving vessel. This will allow the siphon to transfer the wort or fluid from the brew kettle to the fermentation vessel, or bottling bucket.
Buying Considerations
There are many different options when it comes to a siphon or racking cane, but when selecting one for home brewing always make sure to find one that has an anti-sediment tip. These tips are specially designed to prevent unwanted solids from flowing from one vessel to the next. This helps to improve the clarity of your final product.
See a Siphon / Racking Cane in action here: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/qv73Gjws7F0
Home Beer Brew Equipment – Small Items
Here are the smaller beer home brew equipment items you will need. They are smaller and cheaper than the home brew beer equipment listed above, but just as essential.
Airlock and Bung
Why It’s Needed
As the mixture begins to ferment, the yeast will convert the sugars in the wort into alcohol and carbon dioxide. An airlock and bung are components of a specially designed one-way valve that allows gases to exhaust from the fermentation vessel, and prevent any outside contaminants from getting in.
How It’s Used
In order to use an airlock, you will need to fill it with either water or a specially design sanitizer. The airlock is then inserted into the bung, and both are placed into the opening of the fermentation vessel. As gases are created through the fermentation process, they are able to bubble through the water or sanitizer solution and escape from the fermentation vessel.
Buying Considerations
You always want to make sure that you select an airlock that can fit securely into the bung. If the airlock is too loose, contaminants can get into your non-alcoholic beer. The bung, must also securely fit into the opening of the fermentation vessel, in order to maintain a closed system.
Hydrometer
Why It’s Needed
Since you will be producing non-alcoholic beer, a hydrometer will play an important role in ensuring that your beer has minimal alcohol content. A hydrometer is used to measure the gravity of your wort, which allows you to calculate the actual content of alcohol. The hydrometer is also used to help monitor the entire fermentation process, to ensure that the alcohol content does not increase.
How It’s Used
You will want to take readings before and after the fermentation process in order to determine the alcohol content of the final product. The hydrometer will not only help you to determine the alcohol content at the start of the fermentation process but will also help you to determine when the fermentation process has been completed.
Buying Considerations
There are many different types of hydrometers available on the market today. When selecting one for brewing non-alcoholic beer, make sure to select a hydrometer that has been specifically calibrated for use in brewing beer. You may even want to consider getting a hydrometer jar.
Thermometer
Why It’s Needed
Controlling the temperature of your brew during mashing, boiling, as well as the fermentation process is crucial to the success of any small-scale non-alcoholic beer process. In order to ensure that your brew is maintained at the optimal temperature you’ll need to use a high-quality thermometer.
How It’s Used
Simply insert the thermometer into your wort, or fermentation vessel, in order to check the temperature of your brew at various stages. Pay close attention to the temperature, because if it gets too high, it can kill off the yeast and stop the fermentation process before it has completed.
Buying Considerations
Make sure to select a thermometer that is easy to read and one that has a suitable range for use and brewing beer. There are many excellent options on the market today, find one that fits your particular needs the best. I personally use one that is a sticker that sticks to the outside of your fermentation vessel (similar to the ones used on home aquariums), so it is easy to monitor the temperature from the outside. Try to avoid any thermometer that you need to physically stick into the brew, as this increases the risk of contamination.
Bottling Bucket
Why It’s Needed
When it comes to bottling your non-alcoholic beer, it’s important to ensure that each bottle has a consistent amount of carbonation. A bottling bucket ensures that the carbonation in each bottle is consistent, but it is not essential. Personally, I don’t bother with it.
An alternative to a bottling bucket is to place a small amount of sugar in each bottle, instead. I personally prefer this method, as there is one less step in the process where unwanted bacteria could accidentally spoil your brew. In my opinion, a bottling bucket is overly pedantic, especially when you can measure the sugar into each bottle accurately and simply with a measuring spoon (a little deviation in the quantity of sugar between bottles makes no noticeable difference to the carbonation, in my experience). However, there are many people who prefer the bottling bucket method.
How It’s Used
To use a bottling bucket, transfer the beer from the fermentation vessel into the bottling bucket using your siphon or racking cane. Once your brew is in the bottling bucket, you can add priming sugar to the product, and then stir it in to evenly distribute the sugar through the brew. Keep in mind, if you use this method, you need to make sure every piece of equipment is scrupulously well sanitized, as this is a major weak point where unwanted microorganisms could enter and ruin your batch.
Buying Considerations
Make sure to select a bottling bucket that comes with a spigot to ensure that bottling is as simple as possible. As always, use a bottling bucket that has a tight-fitting lid, as you need to minimize the amount of oxygen that is exposed to your non-alcoholic beer.
Bottles and Caps
Why It’s Needed
If you plan to bottle your own non-alcoholic beer, you will need both bottles as well as caps. Although you could always choose to use Mason jars, properly designed bottles and caps are safer and ensure the freshness of your beer for weeks to come.
As a side note, I have used recycled jars for homemade cider, but they didn’t seal as well as a properly capped bottle. Many jars were contaminated as a result, so I’d suggest steering clear of that idea.
How It’s Used
Before filling your bottles, always make sure that they have been properly sanitized. Fill them up from your fermenter or bottling bucket, and securely fasten the cap to lock in the carbonation. From there, you will place your bottles of non-alcoholic beer in a cool dark place to allow them time to fully carbonate and mature.
Buying Considerations
Because the bottling process creates pressure, it is essential to select a bottle that is specifically designed for containing carbonated beverages. The bottles can be either glass or plastic. Some people say never bottle your non-alcoholic beer in plastic, as the bottles can rupture or explode, but this isn’t true.
I have bottled many batches of beer in plastic bottles specifically designed for home brew, and it has been no problem whatsoever. Whether the bottle bursts has nothing to do with whether they have been bottled in glass or plastic, rather it’s to do with how much priming sugar you used. On the contrary, I’d say it’s safer to have a plastic bottle explode, rather than a glass one…
Bottle Capper (for Glass Bottles Only)
Why It’s Needed
When using glass bottles and caps, it’s important to also make use of a bottle capper. A bottle capper ensures that the caps are sealed properly, which preserves the freshness and carbonation level until it is time to drink.
How It’s Used
Once you have filled your glass bottles, simply place a cap on top of the bottle and use the bottle capper to crimp it in place tightly. Always keep in mind that when you are using a capper you are applying high pressure to glass, so I personally always wear gloves or cover the bottle with a tea towel while capping, in case of breakages (to be honest, I’ve never had a bottle break, but I like to be safe).
Buying Considerations
In selecting a bottle capper, always make sure to find one that is sturdy and compatible with the bottle caps that you will be using. Because of the amount of force needed to properly crimp the caps on the mouth of your bottles, sturdiness is key to ensuring a snug fit.
There are two main types of bottle cappers, the handheld capper or the bench capper. I highly recommend the bench capper, that is all I use. It costs a little more, but feels sturdier and safer to me, which is important when pressing caps onto glass bottles.
Sanitization Equipment
Why It’s Needed
Many of the non-alcoholic beer home brew equipment items you will get are reusable. As a result, it is important to also make sure that you have the proper sanitation equipment to prevent anti-cross-contamination during the brewing process.
How It’s Used
This will usually be a liquid or powder concentrate, that is diluted with water. Sanitizing solutions help thoroughly clean all of the equipment before they are used. Even if you brew batches back to back, it is important to properly sanitize the equipment in between each batch, to prevent any possibility of cross-contamination. Do not use a rag or sponge (which often carry bacteria), simply dip your items into the sanitizer solution.
Buying Considerations
Always choose food-safe sanitizer and follow the instructions provided by the manufacturer. I also suggest you get a plastic mat or large tray for putting your sanitized beer home brew equipment on (eg stirrers, caps, hydrometer). Some sanitizers require you to rinse the items afterward, but for ease of use, make sure you look for one that doesn’t require rinsing.
Brewing Scale
Why It’s Needed
You may also need to use a brewing scale, especially when it comes to priming sugar. I also use it for measuring sanitizer, since I use a highly concentrated acid-based sanitizer solution to clean equipment, which requires very precise measurement. Many of the ingredients that you will be using to brew your non-alcoholic beer, need to be measured with precision and accuracy. A quality brewing scale will help ensure that your final product is perfect every single time.
How It’s Used
In order to weigh your malt extracts, hops, or any other ingredient that you plan on using, place it on the brewing scale. Measuring your ingredients by weight is always more accurate than by volume.
Buying Considerations
Choose a brewing micro scale that has a digital display, and has a high enough capacity for the size of your batches. Most kitchen scales are not precise enough, so you will need to choose one that is capable of measuring in smaller increments (eg 0.1g) for more accurate measurements as well as larger quantities. I personally have two scales (micro scale and regular kitchen scale), although you can nowadays buy kitchen scales that also feature a built-in micro scale.
Stirring and Mixing Tools
Why It’s Needed
Throughout the entire brewing process, you will need to both stir and mix various ingredients together. Good stirring and mixing tools will ensure that you do not end up with any hotspots or clumps.
How It’s Used
For working with a mash, you will need a mash paddle, to mix everything together evenly. During the boiling process, you will also need to stir in your hops and other ingredients. Mixing tools will play a crucial role when incorporating priming sugar into your batch before bottling.
Buying Considerations
When choosing stirring and mixing tools, select ones that are easy to clean, and are designed for the volume of the batches you plan on brewing.
Long Sleeved Gloves
Why It’s Needed
When making the wort you are exposing your arms to hot, boiling liquid. Some beer home brew equipment is stainless steel and gets quite hot (like a saucepan on a stove), so you want to protect yourself from those burns, too. Long sleeved, heavy duty rubber gloves will protect your arms from any such burns.
How It’s Used
You know, put them on your hands, like gloves…
Buying Considerations
Opt for the most heavy-duty, waterproof gloves you can find, that reach to your elbows. Avoid those thin flimsy ones used for washing the dishes. Instead look for industrial-grade gloves designed for handling chemicals, the material is much thicker and will protect your arms better.
Non-Essential Brewing Beer at Home Equipment (Optional)
Here are the optional pieces of beer home brew equipment that are not really needed as a beginner. When you get more serious about creating your own recipes, then they are worth considering, but for now you can leave them off your wish list.
pH Meter (Optional)
Why It’s Needed
To ensure the perfect conditions for your yeast to survive, you may also want to pick up a pH meter. The pH meter is used to monitor the acidity levels of both your water and mash. If you are following a clear recipe, which you will as a beginner, then this is not necessary. Consider investing in one of these when you start crafting your own recipes.
How It’s Used
Electronic pH meters are easy to use but may need to be calibrated from time to time. While it may be tempting to use strips instead, these can get costly over time.
Buying Considerations
Always make sure to calibrate your pH meter on a regular basis, and select one that has been specifically designed for use in beer brewing.
Brewing Software or Recipe Calculator (Optional)
Why It’s Needed
Brewing non-alcoholic beer at home can be a fun and rewarding experience, as long as you use a good brewing calculator and software. Brewing calculators will help you to calculate the amount of ingredients that you need to successfully brew your non-alcoholic beer, and software will help you track the entire process as it unfolds.
How It’s Used
In order to use a calculator, simply input the details of your recipe and it will provide you with the information you need to brew your non-alcoholic beer successfully. From there, make use of the brewing software to guide you as you perfect your product.
Buying Considerations
There are many different calculators and software options available on the market today, so it is important to choose one that will match the style of beer you plan on brewing. For simple and beginner brewing tasks, free online tools will suffice.
Refractometer (Optional)
Why It’s Needed
Refractometers are used to calculate the alcohol content of the beer. It is very similar to the hydrometer, but works differently. They are more precise than hydrometers, but a bit more tricky to learn how to use. If you need a high degree of precision when assessing the alcohol content of your non alcoholic brew or low abv beer (remembering that all beers contain some alcohol, due to the fermentation process), then it is a more reliable tool than the hydrometer.
How It’s Used
Place a small sample of the beer onto the refractometer, and apply a formula to calculate the alcohol content.
Buying Considerations
As with any tools, aim to buy a good quality refractometer to ensure that it is accurate. It is important that you learn how to perform the calculations properly, as even small errors can cause wildly incorrect results.
Grain Mill (Optional)
Why It’s Needed
When it comes to brewing whole grains, you will also need a grain mill. If you are working with whole grain, then grain mills are essential pieces of non-alcoholic beer home brew equipment that are used for crushing the grains and extracting the sugar from them. However, many brewing stores sell the grain freshly crushed at no extra expense (which they can do easily, as they have large machinery to do it), so unless you have a good reason for wanting the whole grains then just buy them already crushed.
How It’s Used
To use a grain mill, you will simply adjust the gap to achieve the crush size that you are seeking. Depending on the type of non-alcoholic beer you are brewing, you may want a more efficient extraction of sugar from the grains. You simply turn the handle, and out your crushed grain comes. It sounds simple, but I have a grain mill for general kitchen tasks and damn it is hard work. To give you an idea, one time it took me several hours to grind just a single a pound of corn kernels. I don’t care how much better the beer may taste from using grains you crushed yourself, crushing the grain using a manual grain mill sucks and is not worth it; just my honest opinion.
Buying Considerations
Always make sure that your grain mill is fully adjustable. While there is a wide variety of grain mills available on the market today that claim to be a one-size-fits-all solution, adjustable grain mills are always the best option. When making your selection, also take the time to find something that is easy to clean and durable.
Final Tips for Choosing Beer Home Brew Equipment
This brings us to the end of our list of non-alcoholic beer home brew equipment. This is not a comprehensive list, but covers the main pieces of home beer brew equipment you need to get started with non-alcoholic and low abv all-grain beer brewing.
There is so much more equipment out there to learn about and begging to be bought, but to cover it all would probably require it’s own website. As a beginner, it can be easy to become overwhelmed or distracted by all the home beer brew equipment available, but keep in mind that most of it is not essential. As a beginner, just get the few items you need, and if you want you can always purchase other equipment later.
Essential home beer brew equipment for all-grain brewing:
- Fermentation vessel (aka fermenter)
- All-in-one device for making wort (eg BrewZilla), or the separate items:
- Brew kettle
- Mash tun
- Siphon or racking cane
- Wort chiller
- Airlock / bung
- Hydrometer
- Thermometer
- Bottling Bucket
- Bottles and Caps
- Bottle Capper
- Sanitization equipment
- Brewing scale
- Rubber gloves
- Long-handled stirrer
Now that you have an idea of the non-alcoholic beer home brew equipment you need, it’s time to move onto our Non-Alcoholic Beer Brewing Ingredients 101 article, where we help you choose your ingredients and learn what they all do. See you there!
