Complete builds
The Cider and Mead Setup
No mash, no boil, no kettle. The cheapest genuine fermentation you can start.
Cider and mead need no mash and no boil, so the entire hot side of a brewery is unnecessary: you ferment store bought juice or diluted honey directly.
That makes this the cheapest real fermentation to start, and the slowest to finish, because mead in particular is measured in months rather than weeks.
The complete list below comes to $376.16 across 14 items.
Who this build is for: Somebody who wants to ferment something without buying a kettle, or a beer brewer adding an easy parallel batch.
Ferment
Glass suits long ageing because it does not scratch or hold odours over months.
| Item | Why this one | Price |
|---|---|---|
| North Mountain Supply 6 Gallon Glass Carboy North Mountain Supply | Six gallon glass carboy with drilled and undrilled stoppers. | $67.93 |
| Twin Bubble Airlocks (3 pack) Zazolyne | Twin bubble airlocks show activity at a glance, useful when fermentation is slow. | $8.89 |
| Fermtech 24 inch Auto Siphon with Tubing Fermtech | Cider and mead get racked more often than beer, so this earns its place. | $19.99 |
| Subtotal | $96.81 |
Measure
Cider and mead can ferment very dry, so gravity readings matter more than they do in beer.
| Item | Why this one | Price |
|---|---|---|
| SOLIGT Triple Scale Hydrometer with Glass Test Jar SOLIGT | Triple scale hydrometer and glass jar. | $18.98 |
| Fermentaholics Hydrometer Test Jar Fermentaholics | Sample without risking the instrument in the fermenter. | $9.49 |
| Subtotal | $28.47 |
Treat and stabilise
Back sweetening without stabilising is a direct route to burst bottles, because the new sugar simply ferments again.
| Item | Why this one | Price |
|---|---|---|
| LD Carlson Potassium Metabisulfite (2 oz) LD Carlson | Knocks back wild yeast on fresh juice and dechlorinates water. | $7.99 |
| Craft A Brew Potassium Sorbate (2 oz) Craft A Brew | Prevents refermentation when back sweetening cider or mead. | $7.99 |
| Subtotal | $15.98 |
Clean and sanitise
| Item | Why this one | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Five Star Star San (32 oz) STAR SAN | No rinse sanitiser. | $28.98 |
| Tapcraft 26 inch Carboy Brush TAPCRAFT | Reaches the shoulders of a carboy. | $10.25 |
| Subtotal | $39.23 |
Kits to start with
A one gallon kit is a cheap way to find out whether you like the result before committing five gallons.
| Item | Why this one | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Craft A Brew Hard Cider Making Kit Craft A Brew | Complete one gallon cider equipment and ingredient kit. | $49.95 |
| Craft A Brew Mead Making Kit (1 gallon) Craft A Brew | Reusable one gallon mead kit. Expect months, not weeks. | $49.95 |
| Cider House Select Apple Cider Making Kit The Homebrew Shop | A full batch cider ingredient kit once the one gallon trial has convinced you. | $64.88 |
| Subtotal | $164.78 |
Bottle
| Item | Why this one | Price |
|---|---|---|
| YEBODA 16 oz Amber Swing Top Bottles (6 pack) YEBODA | Flip tops need no capper, and amber glass protects the contents. | $18.99 |
| Fermtech ProFiller Bottling Wand Fermtech | Bottom filling wand that keeps oxygen out. | $11.90 |
| Subtotal | $30.89 |
Running total
| Group | Items | Subtotal |
|---|---|---|
| Ferment | 3 | $96.81 |
| Measure | 2 | $28.47 |
| Treat and stabilise | 2 | $15.98 |
| Clean and sanitise | 2 | $39.23 |
| Kits to start with | 3 | $164.78 |
| Bottle | 2 | $30.89 |
| Total | 14 | $376.16 |
Prices are those returned when this page was last built and change often. Nothing here is a quote.
What you can skip
Telling you not to buy something is what makes the rest of this list worth trusting. None of the following are needed to finish a batch with this build.
- A kettle, a burner and a mash tun. Cider and mead use none of them.
- A wort chiller. There is no boil to chill.
- Yeast nutrient for cider, usually. Mead genuinely needs it, because honey is nutritionally almost empty.
What to upgrade first
Once this build is working, these are the purchases that change the most per dollar.
- Temperature control, if your fermentation space swings. Cider fermented too warm develops harsh character quickly.
- A larger carboy, once a one gallon batch disappears faster than it ferments.
Before you brew this
Back sweetened cider and mead are the classic bottle bomb. If you add sugar or juice after fermentation, you must either stabilise with sorbate and metabisulfite, or pasteurise, or keep it refrigerated and drink it quickly. Otherwise the yeast ferments the new sugar inside sealed glass.
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Frequently asked questions
- What does the the cider and mead setup cost in total?
- Adding every item on this page comes to $376.16 across 14 items at the prices returned when this page was last built. Prices change often, so treat that as a planning figure rather than a quote. You can also drop the items listed under what you can skip, which brings the real starting cost down.
- Do I have to buy everything at once?
- No, and most people should not. The items are grouped by function, so you can buy the fermentation and cleaning groups first and borrow or improvise the rest for a batch or two. What you cannot skip is a way to measure gravity and a way to sanitise, because without those you are guessing at both safety and quality.
- What should I upgrade first afterwards?
- Temperature control, if your fermentation space swings. Cider fermented too warm develops harsh character quickly.
Researched from published brewing formulas, manufacturer specifications and verified owner reviews. This is general guidance, not professional advice.