But this is what I picture when someone says beer-making...
Grain mill
Food scale
Five-gallon carboy with tap
A stack of books
Yards of plastic tubing
Kettle for cooking, copper tubing for cooling (we forget its proper name and the brewmaster is downstairs)
Basement sink - brewing was banned from upstairs after an explosion busted a dining room window and threw shards of glass into the newly plastered ceiling.
Hydrometer
Kegs and CO2 charger in 1965 GE fridge (freezer on the bottom - great item!! donated by Penn College, refurbished by Lou)
Chemicals and stuff
The stove caught on fire and has been replaced by a propane burner (probably from a turkey fryer)
I hear there are $100 kits available...
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Icicles at the office
Uncle Dudley and her new cocker spaniel puppy Jude. He's four months old.
(e:lauren) - yes, very serious brewmaster :-) He's always got something on tap, and the beers range from "okay" to "yummy!"
Yes, it's legal as long as the total production is less than 200 gallons/year and not for sale (Pennsylvania). :::link:::
New York isn't quite so clear :::link:::
! All this is legal, is it?
holy crap. you must have a pretty serious brew master living in the basement! :) there is definitely no need to have all that stuff for brewing, especially for beginners. There are two routes I would suggest: 1) Go to Mr. Beer dot com or another similar site that will get you a very basic starter kit. These are great because there is not a lot of investment and if you find that you hate brewing, it's not such a big loss. But, the beer reflects what you pay and isn't that amazing. Or 2) Go to Niagara Traditions Home Brew Supply and buy one of their kits. It comes with all the ingredients you need, but you will also need some of the equipment. (Although almost none of what you have pictured above. We have a 2 big carboys, a hydrometer, and some big kettles.) It is difficult, admittedly, but lots of fun and rewarding!