They generally have a kit with all the equipment you'll need. The kit runs around 100-150 bucks. What's in it? Usually, you'll find:

• glass carboy (a huge glass bottle, between 5 and 6.5 gallons)
• plastic fermentation bucket (the food-grade version of a big paint bucket, outfitted with a plastic tap near the bottom and a tight-fitting lid) 
• siphon tube 
• bottling wand (which attaches to the siphon tube and only dispenses the beer when you push it into the bottom of a bottle)
• fermentation airlock (which plugs into your fermentation bucket, letting carbon dioxide escape and keeping air out) 
• hydrometer (which measures the dissolved solids,  like sugars, in your beer. it has markings that allow you to determine the alcohol content of your beer simply by taking a reading before you ferment and after you ferment. easy-peasy!)
• carboy cap (seals over the mouth of your carboy and allows you to attach the airlock) 

Things that are usually not included:

• a stainless steel brew kettle (some people use aluminum. it's probably fine, but aluminum is a reactive metal so spring for the steel! you need something around 3 gallons or more.) 
• a bottle brush to clean out your carboy
• sanitizing solution (I love a brand called 1-Step because you don't have to rinse it, you can use iodine solution or even diluted bleach.)

Some homebrew kits come with a starter kit of ingredients for your first batch, but sometimes you have to buy one from your homebrew shop. Either way, it should come with detailed instructions on the steps to create your first brew!     

What does this mean? Any time you're going to leave your beer for more than a few hours, ensure it's in a state where the headspace will be filled with carbon dioxide. One place people don't think about this is after filling the bottles at the end of fermentation. Instead of capping the bottles immediately, leave them open for awhile. This allows the yeast some time to reactivate and begin producing carbon dioxide (which is heavier than air, remember). The carbon dioxide will fill the headspace in the bottles and ensure they remain unspoiled.

Oak Barrel Winecraft

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