Beer is the oldest man-made drink. Just think that its first evidence dates back to 13,000 years ago. It is made up of natural ingredients, water, grains, hops, and yeast through the brewing process. Each ingredient plays a key role. Water quality is very important when you brew because its mineral content can affect the flavor you get. The color of the beer depends on how long you toast or roast your grain. When toasting grain, beer has a caramel color, but if you roast it longer than usual, you will get a darker beer. Hops are important for providing bitterness and flavor; the yeast is to convert sugar into ethanol, which makes beer the alcoholic drink we all know and love. But which production steps and brewing equipment are needed to make beer? The recipe is a crucial component that should be followed to achieve the desired result.

Compared to industrial breweries and brewhouses that produce a large amount of beer annually, a microbrewery, also known as a craft brewery is a small, independent brewery that produces 15,000 beer barrels or less per year. To turn your passion for beer into your business, the first thing to look for is home brewing equipment. You will need a mashing system to mix hot water and grain so that the starch starts to convert to sugar (wort). If there is no sugar, there will be no alcohol. Next, you will need a lautering system and a brew kettle to boil the wort with the hops; a heat exchanger to cool the wort for fermentation, and last but not least a fermentation vessel or carboy where the yeast will convert the sugar to ethyl alcohol. Aside from production capacity, what sets microbrewery apart is the freedom to experiment with new flavors and production techniques.