You want flavor control and repeatability—but your current setup holds you back. Missed targets, long days, hazy results. Here’s the simple, pro-grade path to plan your all-grain brew so you hit numbers, save time, and scale with confidence.
All-grain brewing equipment for a first all-grain brew typically includes a mash tun, kettle, heat source, accurate thermometer, chiller, fermenter (bucket or carboy), transfer tubing with spigot, and sanitation tools. Plan water, grain bill, and chill method; then mash, lauter, boil, chill, fermentation, and package. Use the checklist and sizing table below to choose capacities for a 5 gallon or pilot 3 gallon batch.
What is an all-grain brew and how is it different from extract?
When you brew all-grain, you convert starches from malted grain into fermentable sugars in your own mash. In contrast, extract brewing (or brewing with malt extract) skips conversion by using concentrated syrup or powder. Both methods make great beer, and beer can be made with either path, but all-grain gives you finer control over body, color, and beer style, plus lower long-term ingredient cost.
For many homebrewers, kits are a great entry point. Then, advancing to all-grain is a natural switch from extract for a brewer who wants to tweak the grain recipe, water profile, and hop schedule. This guide lays out the complete list of basic equipment plus the steps of the brewing process so your first grain day feels smooth.
The complete list of basic equipment for a grain brew (table + quick picks)
Below is a compact gear map for your first grain brew. It shows what each item does, the size that fits a 5 gallon batch, and when you might upgrade.
| Equipment | Purpose | Starter Size | Pro Tip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mash tun (cooler or vessel) | Holds mash and grain bed during conversion and lautering | 8–10 gallon | Add a false bottom; ensure a reliable spigot. |
| Kettle / brew kettle | Boil the wort | 10–15 gallon | Use volume markings; strong heat source. |
| Chiller (immersion or counterflow) | Cool hot wort quickly | Match kettle volume | Faster chilling improves clarity and taste. |
| Fermenter (bucket or carboy) | Hold cooled wort for fermentation | 6.5–7 gallon | Add a blow-off tube; keep it clean. |
| Thermometer + hydrometer/refractometer | Control temps and track gravity | N/A | Accuracy prevents off-flavors. |
| Transfer gear | Siphon/tubing, clamps | N/A | Keep oxygen low after chilling. |
| Cleaning & sanitize kit | No-rinse sanitizer, brushes | N/A | Sanitize everything touching cold wort. |
| Optional grain mill | Crush grain fresh | N/A | Improves efficiency and foam stability. |
| Wort chiller | Dedicated term; see above | Sized to kettle | Choose immersion to start. |
| Packaging | Beer bottles or kegging | N/A | Kegging speeds your finished beer. |
“Dialing in process beats chasing shiny gear. Start simple, then upgrade with purpose.”
Choosing your mash tun and kettle: sizes, features, and heat
A cooler-style mash tun with a false bottom is classic for a first system. It’s insulated, cheap, and stable. A stainless tun adds valves and sight glasses for visibility and control. The tun must comfortably hold your amount of grain plus water. Rule of thumb for strike water is about 1.25–1.75 quarts of water per pound. That ratio sets the temperature of the mash and viscosity so the grain bed flows right.
For the boil, a 10–15 gallon kettle is ideal for a 5 gallon batch; a gallon stock pot may work for very small pilots, but headspace matters for foam and evaporation. If you’re running larger batches later, step to 20+ gallons of wort capacity. Choose weldless valves for easy cleaning. One mention of brew kettle: stainless, tri-clamp ports, and internal markings save your brew day.
A reliable heat source—propane burner or electric element—keeps the boiling wort consistent. Propane is flexible outdoors; electric is quiet and indoor-friendly with great control. Either way, plan good ventilation and safe hose routing.
Mash water, lautering, and sparging explained (hit your numbers)
Add strike water to the mash, stir, and hold steady. Enzymes work best when the temperature of the mash is stable; a 148–156°F target is common, depending on the beer style. After conversion, the grain bed settles, forming a natural filter.
Now the flow moments: wort from the mash tun begins clear as you recirculate. Then runoff wort from the grains into the kettle. To lift efficiency, you may sparge water over the mash (batch or fly sparging). Keep the flow gentle so you don’t compact the bed. A good rule is to collect wort from the mash until you reach your pre-boil volume.
Do not rush—steady beats fast. If you’re newer, single-infusion mashing is fine. Later, experiment with step mashes. Either way, track pH and gravity to learn your system. This gives all-grain brewers consistent attenuation and clarity across batch after batch.
Boil, hops, and chilling: manage flavor and time
Bring it to a vigorous boil and watch for boil-overs. Add hop additions on schedule and boil your wort for 60 to 90 minutes depending on recipe needs. Use nutrition additions only as needed—most malt bills don’t require extra sugar unless you’re chasing a big gravity or adjunct character.
Chilling matters. Rapid chilling limits DMS and locks in aroma. An immersion coil is the easiest wort chiller to start with; stir the coil for better heat exchange or run an ice bath if groundwater is warm. A counterflow unit cools hot wort even faster when you’re ready to upgrade your brew setup. Keep the chiller clean and sanitized before and after use so your brew stays bright.
When you hit pitching temperature, transfer to the fermenter carefully to reduce oxygen pickup. This is where the pro habit pays off: protect the brew from air once it’s cold, and your finished beer will taste cleaner, every time.
Fermentation vessels and controls (clean beer starts here)
Choose a bucket or carboy sized with headspace—6.5–7 gallon for a typical 5-gallon batch. Stainless conicals add dump ports and pressure capability later. Aerate, then pitch a healthy yeast culture at the right temperature. Control temperature from start to finish; small swings can dull hop aroma or create fusels.
Measurement drives learning. Use a hydrometer or refractometer to track gravity on day 2–3 and near terminal. Keep gear spotless and sanitize anything that touches post-boil wort. Most primary fermentation finishes in 5–10 days; give the brew a few more to condition. Cold-crash if you want bright beer before packaging.
Packaging a 5 gallon batch: bottles, kegs, and timelines
For bottling, clean and prime your beer bottles carefully. Carbonation takes 1–3 weeks at room temperature; colder storage then polishes flavor. Kegging shortens the wait: force-carb, pull a sample, and the brew can pour in days. Either path is valid—pick the one that fits your space, time, and service.
Tip: Label your kegs or cases with brew day date, OG/FG, and any process notes. Future-you will thank you.
BIAB vs. traditional three-vessel (and when to scale)
BIAB (brew-in-a-bag) is the leanest route to an all-grain brew: one kettle, a mesh bag, and you’re off. Lift the bag, drain into the kettle, and you’ve essentially mashed and lautered without a separate vessel. It’s a great pilot method for a 3 gallon test batch, or to try a new grain recipe.
Three-vessel systems (mash, hot liquor tank, and kettle) improve repeatability and speed—especially for a larger brew day or multi-turn schedule. Recirculation helps clarity, while separate heating zones hold stable temperatures. When your brew schedule fills, three-vessel brewing systems pay back in throughput.
Planning water volumes and grain: hit targets the first time
Before you brew, write out: pre-boil volume, boil-off rate, loss to trub, and fermenter target volume. That defines strike water, sparge plan, and final volume. A typical starting point is 1.5 quarts of water per pound and a steady run-off to pre-boil. Then check gravity to confirm your efficiency.
Know your amount of grain and grain bill composition (base malt vs adjunct). A small difference of a pound can swing original gravity noticeably, especially on smaller systems. Record everything so you can repeat the brew or adjust the next batch.
Recipe kits, grain recipe design, and style targets
Recipe kits save time—measurements are done for you—and starter kits often include tools a first brew needs. Still, designing your own grain recipe lets you chase a beer style target on your terms. Balance base grain, specialty malts, and hops for your flavor goal.
If you’re coming from extract, know that malt extract is still useful for gravity tweaks and high-gravity beers. But the heart of all-grain is the mash. The thing to remember: taste your runnings, log your gravity, and keep notes so the next brew starts closer to the mark.
Safety, cleaning, and quality checks most new brewers forget
Hot surfaces, wet floors, and heavy vessels make a brew day risky if you rush. Wear gloves and eye protection around burners and boiling wort. Keep hoses tidy. Label your cleaning chemicals clearly.
Quality is 80% cleaning: clean first, then sanitize. Measure frequently with your thermometer, hydrometer, or refractometer to steer the brew instead of guessing. If something goes off, isolate the cause and fix one thing at a time. Consistency wins.
Where to source professional gear when you outgrow the garage
When your homebrew setup is dialed and demand grows, step into professional tanks and turnkey lines. Explore nano brewery equipment for tight spaces and pilot production, plus a flexible path to expand. If your taproom is bustling, compare micro brewery equipment packages that streamline hot-side, cellar, and utilities. For cellaring and service, pair a conical beer fermenter with a bright beer tank to condition and serve. Round out the line with a beer bottling machine when retail sales ramp, or consider kombucha and RTD expansions with purpose-built kombucha brewing equipment.
- Nano brewery equipment
- Micro brewery equipment
- Beer fermenter tank
- Bright beer tank
- Beer bottling machine
- Kombucha brewing equipment
These resources match the path we build for clients every week—from pilot to production—with global install and after-sales support.
Case study: from pilot to production with smarter choices
A small team began with a cooler mash tun, 10-gallon kettle, and immersion chiller. They brewed twice weekly, packaged in beer bottles, and rotated styles to test demand. After six months, they moved to jacketed conicals, added a bright tank, and standardized on two flagships. Throughput doubled without changing the brew schedule—because the process was already solid.
What changed? Heat, chilling, and handling. Faster chilling protected aroma. A sealed transfer kept oxygen out. A steadier fermentation profile made the hop pop. The lessons scale cleanly whether you’re making 10 gallons of wort or a much bigger batch.
Quick numbers you can use today (reference table)
| Step | Rule of Thumb | Why it helps |
|---|---|---|
| Strike water | ~1.5 qt per lb water per pound | Hits mash thickness fast |
| Mash rest | 148–156°F | Flavor and attenuation control |
| Pre-boil gravity | Measure & log | Confirms efficiency |
| Boil vigor | Steady roll | Drives off volatiles |
| Chill time | < 20 minutes if possible | Flavor, clarity, and stability |
| Oxygen after chill | Avoid it | Protects aroma |
“Equipment is a tool. Process is the edge.”
Your partner: a manufacturing team that scales with you
If you’ve read this far, you want control—hit targets, shorten days, and serve better pints.
We’re a Brewing Equipment Manufacturing team that designs, builds, and installs systems sized from pilot to regional production.
Jacketed tanks, CIP-ready piping, and cleanable surfaces reduce labor and risk. Data-friendly panels put power in the hands of your brewer.
Tell us your volume, room sketch, and utility plan—we’ll design a line that lets you brew more reliably tomorrow than you did today.
We’ll spec all-grain brewing equipment layouts that match your style, budget, and growth curve, plus grain brewing equipment accessories that keep the line moving during peak hours. From layout to training, we build systems that are easy to clean, easy to scale, and built to last.
FAQs
Can I start with one vessel and still make great all-grain beer?
Yes. Start with BIAB in a single kettle and upgrade as you learn. A bag + a good burner + an immersion coil can deliver consistent wort and clean brew days. Add a small pump later for recirculation.
What volume should I choose for my first kettle?
Pick at least twice your target volume. For 5 gallon fermenter targets, a 10–15 gallon kettle gives boil-over room, better hop utilization, and easier temperature control.
Do I need a pump for lautering and chilling?
Not at first. Gravity works. A pump adds speed and recirculation for clearer wort during lautering, plus faster chilling through a plate or counterflow unit once your brew volume grows.
What tools help me track quality?
A reliable thermometer, hydrometer, and refractometer. Log mash temps, pre/post-boil gravities, and final gravity. Over a few batch cycles, your brew will land on target more often.
How do I chill in warm climates?
Pre-chill water with an ice bath feeding your immersion coil, or upgrade to a counterflow setup. Faster chilling protects aroma and helps yeast start clean.
When should I move from bottles to kegs?
When time matters. Kegging cuts wait time and oxygen exposure. Bottling is fine, especially early, but most teams keg once they’re running more than one batch weekly.
Sources & further reading
- John Palmer, How to Brew (fundamentals of mash, wort, and process)
- Brewer-run blogs and guild resources that document repeatable brew methods and safe cellar practices
- Manufacturer datasheets for pumps, burners, and controls for exact sizing
One-page process recap (step list)
- Heat strike water, dough-in, and hold the mash.
- Recirculate until clear; draw wort from the mash, then sparge water over the mash if desired.
- Boil, add hop charges, boil your wort to schedule.
- Chill with immersion/counterflow gear; transfer cooled wort to fermenter.
- Pitch yeast; control fermentation temp; package and enjoy.
Final notes on capacity planning
- Start small, think big: pilot in 3 gallon or 5 gallon sizes, then plan headspace for future demand.
- Upgrade the few things that move the needle—heat, chilling, and transfers.
- Add additional equipment only when it solves a bottleneck.
Key terms you’ll encounter as you grow (quick hits)
- Hot liquor tank: dedicated hot water vessel for strikes and sparges.
- Spigot: valve on tuns, kettles, or fermenters for clean transfers.
- Counterflow / immersion / chiller: your options for rapid cooling.
- Wort from the mash tun: the sweet liquid headed to the boil.
Bullet-point summary (remember these)
- Size your kettle and mash tun for headspace and future growth.
- Control the temperature of the mash and flow during lautering.
- Chill fast; protect wort from oxygen post-boil.
- Measure often (thermometer, hydrometer, refractometer).
- Clean first; sanitize everything cold-side.
- Scale gear only when process is stable; partner with a manufacturer when you’re ready to expand your brew line.
You’ve got this—one clean, well-planned brew day at a time.