Gluten Free Home Brewing: Our Equipment List

Home Brewing Supplies & Equipment

The Supplies We Used To Home Brew Our Gluten Free Beer

Home brewing can be intimidating. Especially if you’re attempting to brew a gluten free beer. There isn’t nearly as much documentation on brewing gluten free ales as there is in the regular home brew world.

Luckily, the equipment necessary to brew a gluten free isn’t really any different than a regular glutenous beer. It just takes a little (or a lot, depending on your equipment) more time.

We have put together a comprehensive equipment list below that contains all the supplies we used to brew our latest experimental home brew. We hope you can use it as a framework for your own home brew set-up. Please note that this is not the only way to do it. For instance, we used some tools that made our life easier, but that you could absolutely brew without.

Also, be sure to consider the size of the batch you intend to brew. We chose to brew 10 gallons which required equipment that wouldn’t fit on the average kitchen stove. We set up a brew station outside this time, but in the past, I have brewed gluten free beers right on my kitchen stove. So treat this list as a guide, not a shopping list. ;)

You can find a Step-By-Step Brewing Guide HERE.

This is the full equipment list we used to brew our latest gluten free ale.

Optional equipment (that makes your life easier) is highlighted in orange.

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Equipment List

• Acid/Cleaning & Sanitizing
  We used Star San Acid Sanitizer Home Brew.
  Sources: Amazon or Homebrew Shop 

• Propane Tanks and Propane Burners or a Coil Heating System  
  Sources: Amazon or Homebrew Shop

• Carboys (1 for every 5-6 gals. We used 2)  
  Sources: Amazon or Homebrew Shop

• Hot Liquid Kettle/Pot  (for wort)  

• Mashing Vessel with False Bottom
  We used a 15 ½ gal.
  Note: These are quite expensive, so if you’re doing a small 5 gallon batch, you can source smaller equipment. You can buy cheaper non-stainless steel Igloo ones too. You can find those at the Homebrew Shop link below.
  Sources: Homebrew Shop

• Boiling Kettle
  We used a 15 ½ gal.
  Note: These are quite expensive, so if you’re doing a small 5 gallon batch, you can source smaller equipment.You can buy cheaper non-stainless steel Igloo ones too. You can find those at the Homebrew Shop link below.
  Sources: Homebrew Shop

• Lid for Hot Liquid Tanks & Kettle
  We used one lid and exchanged them between the two.
  Sources: Homebrew Shop

• Recirculation Pump and/or drain spigot at the bottom of your kettle
  Note: If you do not have access to a recirculation pump, you will need a Large Stainless Steel Bowl. It’s a great idea to have one handy just in case.
  Sources: Homebrew Shop

• Heat Exchanger
  Sources: Amazon or Homebrew Shop

• Hoses & Fittings 

• Scale
  Sources: Amazon or Homebrew Shop

• Long Thermometer (sometimes called a Compost Thermometer)  
  Sources: Amazon or Homebrew Shop (cheaper!)

• Long Stirring Spoon/Mash Paddle
  Note: Stainless Steel is preferred but plastic will work. The handle needs to be longer than the height of your Boiling Kettle (approx. 2 feet)   
  Sources: Amazon or Homebrew Shop

• Garden Hose with Nozzle and Running Water
  Sources: Amazon

• Hydrometer (to measure sugar levels)
  Note: This includes Cylindrical Stem and Glass Bulb Weighted with mercury or lead shot.
  Sources: Amazon (kit) or Homebrew Shop (if buying here, don’t forget to get a test jar too!)

• Elevated Sturdy Surface
  Such as a counter or table that can support over 100 lbs.

• Scissors and a knife

• Timer
  Note: You can use any phone or computer with a timer app!
  Sources: Amazon

• Adjustable Clamp with an easy grip handle  
  Sources: Amazon or Homebrew Shop

• Notebook and pen 

• Book or a friend to drink a beer with while you’re waiting (which there is A LOT of).

How about a recipe?

Now that you have your supplies list, you need to get ahold of your ingredients! If you’d like to use our recipe as a starting point, you are welcome to. Our recipe was written to produce an IPA though–so if you’re looking to make a pilsner–don’t follow our recipe. ;)

What are the actual steps to brew?

In order to better assist home brewing newbies, we’ve organized a how-to guide to walk you through the home brewing process, step-by-step. You can download that free resource here.  Between this guide, our supplies list, and our recipe, you should have a pretty good starting point with your home brew adventure!

P.S. Like what I do for the gluten free beer community? Consider buying me a beer for my efforts! ;)