In our last blog, we began looking at some of the things you need to get started with a proper homebrew setup. From silicone hoses to buckets to hops, we're going to cover some of the basic steps you'll want to look at when starting your homebrew setup.

After you get organized and buy all of your equipment and sanitize it, it's finally time to start your boil. Get out a large boiling pot and add at least 1 ½ gallons of water to it. Open your beer kit or can of extract and add it to your water. Stir the wort and add heat. Stir periodically until the solution comes to a boil. This will help keep the wort from scorching. Boil for 15 minutes.

Next, you'll want to cool your wort! The more wort you boiled, the more important this step is. You can accomplish the cooling process by placing your boiling pot in a sink or bathtub full of ice. You will want to keep the pot covered during this process to help prevent contamination, but be sure your pot lid is sanitized.

While your wort is cooling, prepare your yeast. If you are carefully following sanitation, you should boil about 1 ½ cups of water for 5 - 10 minutes. Let the water cool to the desired temperature of 100 to 105 degrees Fahrenheit. Then add the yeast. The yeast should be allowed to stand in the water for 15 to 30 minutes before adding to the wort in the carboy. So, don't put the yeast in the carboy just yet.

In our next blog, we'll tell you how to add your wort to the carboy and aerate it, as well as pitching your yeast, and fermenting, and ultimately bottling the finished product!