Complete builds
The Complete Home Brewing Shopping List
Every item from all six brewing builds on one page: 94 products across 6 complete setups, each with a budget range and a link.
Pick the single build that matches where you are rather than working through all of them. They are alternative routes, not a sequence.
This is every build on the site in one place. It stays current because the budget ranges and totals are read from the catalog each time the page is built, so nothing here can quietly go stale the way a downloaded file does.
The Extract Starter Setup
The cheapest route to a finished, drinkable batch. No mash, no sparge, no separate mash tun. Read the full build.
The All-Grain Starter Setup
All-grain without buying an electric system: a cooler mash tun, a kettle and a burner. Read the full build.
The Buy-Once Electric Setup
One vessel, indoors, on household power, with real fermentation temperature control. Read the full build.
The Expert Electric Brewery
The ceiling. Most brewers should not buy this, and this page says so plainly. Read the full build.
The Kegging and Draft Setup
The upgrade that removes the most tedious two hours of brewing. Read the full build.
| Group | Item | Budget |
|---|---|---|
| The cold box | VEVOR Dual Tap Kegerator (full size, D system) | Under $1,000 |
| Kegs | TMCRAFT 5 Gallon Ball Lock Corny Keg | Under $250 |
| MRbrew 5 Gallon Ball Lock Keg | Under $250 | |
| Gas | SPARC Premium Dual CO2 Regulator | Under $100 |
| TMCRAFT 5 lb CO2 Tank (DOT aluminum, CGA-320) | Under $100 | |
| Pour | Perlick 630SS Stainless Draft Faucet | Under $100 |
| Ball Lock Beer Line and CO2 Gas Line Kit (5 ft each) | Under $25 | |
| Ferroday 5 ft Ball Lock Beer Line with Picnic Tap | Under $25 | |
| Keep it clean | Kegco 1 Gallon Pressurized Keg Cleaning Kit | Under $100 |
| Five Star PBW Cleanser (4 lb) | Under $50 | |
| Five Star Star San (32 oz) | Under $50 | |
| Total | Under $1,500 |
The Cider and Mead Setup
No mash, no boil, no kettle. The cheapest genuine fermentation you can start. Read the full build.
| Group | Item | Budget |
|---|---|---|
| Ferment | FastRack Italian 6 Gallon Glass Carboy | Under $100 |
| Twin Bubble Airlocks (3 pack) | Under $25 | |
| Fermtech 24 inch Auto Siphon with Tubing | Under $25 | |
| Measure | SOLIGT Triple Scale Hydrometer with Glass Test Jar | Under $25 |
| Fermentaholics Hydrometer Test Jar | Under $25 | |
| Treat and stabilise | LD Carlson Potassium Metabisulfite (2 oz) | Under $25 |
| Craft A Brew Potassium Sorbate (2 oz) | Under $25 | |
| Clean and sanitise | Five Star Star San (32 oz) | Under $50 |
| Tapcraft 26 inch Carboy Brush | Under $25 | |
| Kits to start with | Craft A Brew Hard Cider Making Kit | Under $50 |
| Craft A Brew Mead Making Kit (1 gallon) | Under $50 | |
| Cider House Select Apple Cider Making Kit | Under $100 | |
| Bottle | YEBODA 16 oz Amber Swing Top Bottles (6 pack) | Under $25 |
| Fermtech ProFiller Bottling Wand | Under $25 | |
| Total | Under $400 |
The six builds together cover 94 items, but buying all of them is not a target and no brewer should do it. They are alternative routes into the hobby, so the number that matters is the total of the single build you choose.
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Frequently asked questions
- How should I use this shopping list?
- Pick the one build that matches where you are, and ignore the rest. These are alternative routes, not a sequence to work through, so adding them together is not meaningful for any real brewer. Within a build, buy the fermentation and cleaning groups first if you are spreading the cost.
- Why budget ranges instead of prices?
- Amazon prices change often, sometimes daily, so each line shows a budget range and links to the listing, where Amazon shows the current price. Totals are rounded up to a band from the same catalog, so treat them as a planning figure rather than a quote.
- Why is the same item in more than one build?
- Because some things do not change with experience. A hydrometer, a sanitiser and an auto siphon do the same job in a first extract batch as in a full electric brewery, so there is no reason to recommend something different. Where a build genuinely needs a different item, it lists a different one.
Researched from published brewing formulas, manufacturer specifications and verified owner reviews. This is general guidance, not professional advice.
