Complete builds
The Extract Starter Setup
The cheapest route to a finished, drinkable batch. No mash, no sparge, no separate mash tun.
An extract setup gets you to a finished five gallon batch without mashing grain, which removes the single most error prone stage of a brew day.
It buys a kettle, a fermenter, a way to measure gravity, a way to clean and sanitise, and a way to bottle. Nothing else is required to make real beer.
The complete list below comes to $415.49 across 15 items.
Who this build is for: Somebody who has never brewed and wants to find out whether they enjoy it before spending seriously.
Boil
Extract brewing needs a kettle large enough for a full or partial boil, and nothing more.
| Item | Why this one | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Gas One 8 Gallon Brew Kettle (4 piece set) Gas One | Eight gallons is enough headroom for a five gallon batch without boiling over. | $99.99 |
| Winco 18 inch Stainless Basting Spoon Winco | Long enough to stir a five gallon kettle without putting your hand over the steam. | $7.89 |
| Subtotal | $107.88 |
Ferment
A bucket is the cheapest vessel that genuinely works, and it is easier to clean than glass.
| Item | Why this one | Price |
|---|---|---|
| FastRack 6.5 Gallon Fermenting Buckets with Lids (2 pack) FastRack | Two buckets covers primary fermentation and bottling day in one purchase. | $49.79 |
| FastRack 3 Piece Airlock with Stopper FastRack | Lets CO2 out and keeps oxygen and airborne bugs from getting in. | $8.95 |
| Fermtech 24 inch Auto Siphon with Tubing Fermtech | Starts a siphon in one stroke, so you never put your mouth near the beer. | $19.99 |
| Subtotal | $78.73 |
Measure
Without a hydrometer you cannot know whether fermentation has finished, and that is a safety point as much as an accuracy one.
| Item | Why this one | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Fermtech Glass Triple Scale Hydrometer Kit Fermtech | Triple scale hydrometer, the only real proof that fermentation has stopped. | $14.99 |
| Fermentaholics Hydrometer Test Jar Fermentaholics | Take a sample without dropping the hydrometer into the fermenter. | $9.49 |
| OXO Good Grips Digital Instant Read Thermometer OXO | Fast digital read for chilling the wort to pitching temperature. | $25.95 |
| Subtotal | $50.43 |
Clean and sanitise
These are two different jobs and beginners routinely confuse them. PBW cleans. Star San sanitises a surface that is already clean.
| Item | Why this one | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Star San 32 oz and PBW 1 lb Bundle Home Brew Ohio | The cleaner and the sanitiser together, which is exactly the pair you need. | $40.79 |
| Carboy, Airlock and Bottle Brush Bundle Home Brew Ohio | Covers the carboy, the airlock and the bottles. | $14.75 |
| Subtotal | $55.54 |
Bottle
Amber glass, because clear glass gives no protection against the light struck reaction that skunks hopped beer.
| Item | Why this one | Price |
|---|---|---|
| FastRack Amber Beer Bottles 12 oz (48 pack) FastRack | Forty eight twelve ounce amber bottles is about what a five gallon batch fills. | $39.29 |
| FastRack Red Baron Bottle Capper FastRack | The cheapest capper that seats crowns reliably. | $16.48 |
| Fermtech ProFiller Bottling Wand Fermtech | Fills from the bottom and stops when lifted, which keeps oxygen out. | $11.90 |
| Subtotal | $67.67 |
Ingredients
A kit removes recipe design from a first batch, which is one less thing to get wrong.
| Item | Why this one | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Brewer's Best American Cream Ale Ingredient Kit Brewer's Best | A forgiving, clean style that shows process faults rather than hiding them. | $46.75 |
| Safale US-05 American Ale Dry Yeast Craft A Brew | Dry yeast needs no starter, which removes a whole stage. | $8.49 |
| Subtotal | $55.24 |
Running total
| Group | Items | Subtotal |
|---|---|---|
| Boil | 2 | $107.88 |
| Ferment | 3 | $78.73 |
| Measure | 3 | $50.43 |
| Clean and sanitise | 2 | $55.54 |
| Bottle | 3 | $67.67 |
| Ingredients | 2 | $55.24 |
| Total | 15 | $415.49 |
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 wort chiller. At this scale an ice bath in the sink works, and it costs nothing.
- A grain mill. Extract brewing does not mill grain at all.
- A refractometer. The hydrometer you already need does the same job for the readings that matter.
- A kegging system. Bottling is slower but it costs a fraction as much to start.
What to upgrade first
Once this build is working, these are the purchases that change the most per dollar.
- Fermentation temperature control. It changes the finished beer more than any equipment upgrade at this level, and a controller plus a spare fridge beats a better kettle every time.
- A wort chiller, once you are tired of ice baths and want to cut the chill from forty minutes to ten.
Before you brew this
Two real risks at this level. Bottle conditioning stores pressure in glass, so prime only after gravity has been stable for several days and weigh the sugar rather than scooping it. And if you boil on propane, do it outdoors only, because a propane burner indoors produces carbon monoxide.
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Frequently asked questions
- What does the the extract starter setup cost in total?
- Adding every item on this page comes to $415.49 across 15 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?
- Fermentation temperature control. It changes the finished beer more than any equipment upgrade at this level, and a controller plus a spare fridge beats a better kettle every time.
Researched from published brewing formulas, manufacturer specifications and verified owner reviews. This is general guidance, not professional advice.