The Best All Grain Brewing Equipment For Homebrewers
If you’ve mastered beer kits and partial mash brewing, all grain brewing is the next logical step.
All grain brewing gives you complete control over your recipes, ingredients, and brewing process.
You can control:
- body
- color
- flavor
- fermentability
- efficiency
But before you start spending a fortune on equipment, let me tell you something.
You do NOT need a professional brewery to make great all grain beer.
In fact, many homebrewers start all grain brewing with a very simple setup.
Let’s start there.
Affiliate Disclosure: Some of the equipment recommendations below contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.
Basic Brewing Equipment You’ll Still Need
Before upgrading to all grain brewing, you’ll still need the basic equipment every homebrewer uses, including fermenters, sanitizer, hydrometers, siphons, and bottling or kegging equipment.
If you’re missing any of those items, check out my complete beginner equipment guide.
👉 View Recommended Beginner Brewing Equipment
The Easiest Way To Start All Grain Brewing: BIAB
Before we talk about all-in-one brewing systems, I want to mention the simplest and least expensive way to get into all grain brewing.
It’s called BIAB (Brew In A Bag).
All you need is:
- a kettle
- a brew bag
- a heat source
- your regular fermentation equipment
That’s it.
Many homebrewers brew fantastic beer using BIAB.
If you’re looking for the most affordable path into all grain brewing, I highly recommend starting here.
👉 Learn How to BIAB Step by Step
My Recommended All Grain Brewing Upgrade Path
Most brewers don’t buy everything at once.
This is the path I recommend:
Step 1
BIAB Brewing
Step 2
All-In-One Brewing System
Step 3
Wort Chiller
Step 4
Grain Mill — Optional
Step 5
Precision Measuring & Other Brew-Day Upgrades
Focus on making better beer first.
Upgrade equipment second.
Big Robb’s Quick Picks
Best Simple Way to Start All-Grain:
BIAB Brewing Equipment
👉 Learn How to BIAB Step by Step
Best All-In-One Brewing System:
BrewZilla Gen 4
👉 Check Price on Amazon
Best Wort Chiller Upgrade:
Stainless Steel Immersion Wort Chiller
👉 Check Price on Amazon
Best Digital Thermometer:
TempPro TP19H Digital Instant Read Thermometer
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Best Grain Mill — If You Actually Want One:
FERRODAY Malted Grain Mill
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All Recommended All-Grain Brewing Gear
All-In-One Brewing Systems
Once you’ve decided you enjoy all grain brewing, an all-in-one brewing system is one of the best upgrades you can make.
Benefits include:
- easier brew days
- built-in temperature control
- simpler cleanup
- less equipment clutter
- improved consistency
My Recommendation
BrewZilla Gen 4
Why I Recommend It
The BrewZilla gives you:
- excellent value
- built-in pump
- easy operation
- compact footprint
- scalability for future growth
It’s one of the best all grain brewing systems available for homebrewers.
Grain Mill
A lot of all grain brewers eventually buy a grain mill.
Personally?
I don’t own one.
And honestly, I don’t feel like I need one.
This is Make Beer Easy after all.
I simply have my homebrew supplier crush my grain for me.
It’s one less piece of equipment to buy, store, clean, and maintain.
That said…
If you want maximum control over your brewing process, fresher grain, and the ability to fine tune your mash efficiency, a grain mill can be a worthwhile upgrade.
It’s not something I would recommend buying right away, but it’s definitely something advanced brewers may want to consider.
My Recommendation
FERRODAY Malted Grain Mill
Why I Recommend It:
- adjustable crush settings
- durable construction
- excellent reputation
- built specifically for homebrewers
Wort Chiller
One of the first upgrades I recommend after moving into all grain brewing is a wort chiller.
Fast chilling helps:
- improve beer clarity
- reduce contamination risk
- improve cold break formation
- speed up brew day
A Quick Note About The Included Wort Chiller
Most BrewZilla packages include an immersion wort chiller, so if you’re upgrading from BIAB to a BrewZilla, you may already have your wort chilling solution covered.
That said, my biggest complaint about the BrewZilla package is the included immersion chiller.
It works.
But in my opinion it’s a little undersized for the system.
You can absolutely start with the chiller that comes with the BrewZilla, and that’s exactly what I would recommend for most brewers.
However, if you’re looking for faster chilling times and a more efficient brew day, upgrading to a larger immersion chiller is something worth considering down the road.
For most brewers though, the included chiller will get the job done just fine while you’re learning the system.
My Recommendation
Stainless Steel Immersion Wort Chiller
Why I Recommend It:
- affordable
- reliable
- easy to clean
- simple to use
Need the smaller tools that make brew day easier? 👉 See My Brew Day Equipment & Accessories
Packaging, Serving & Cleaning Your Beer
Once brew day is over, you’ll still need equipment to package, serve, clean, and sanitize your beer.
I keep those recommendations in separate guides so this page can stay focused on the equipment that actually matters for all-grain brewing.
Want to keg your beer?
👉 See My Kegging & Kegerator Equipment
Prefer bottling?
👉 See My Bottling & Packaging Equipment
Need cleaning and sanitation gear?
👉 See My Cleaning & Sanitation Equipment
Digital Thermometer
Mash temperature matters.
A fast digital thermometer makes brew day much easier.
Recommended Thermometer
Digital Scales
When it comes to homebrewing, one scale doesn’t always do it all. That’s why I recommend having two digital scales—one for larger ingredients like grain and another for smaller ingredients like hops and brewing salts.
For weighing grain, a standard kitchen scale like the Etekcity Digital Kitchen Scale is perfect. It has plenty of capacity for measuring malt, a tare function for easy weighing, and is accurate enough for virtually every homebrewing recipe.
For measuring small ingredients, I recommend a precision pocket scale such as the Fusion Digital Pocket Gram Scale. It’s ideal for weighing hop additions, brewing salts, yeast nutrient, Irish moss, and other ingredients that need to be measured in tenths of a gram. This becomes especially important when brewing 1-gallon batches, where even small measurement errors can have a noticeable impact on the finished beer.
Having both scales gives you the accuracy you need for every stage of the brewing process and makes following recipes much easier.
Recommended Kitchen Scale:
Recommended Precision Pocket Scale:
Want all my measuring gear in one place?
The Basic All-Grain Brewing Setup I’d Buy
Assuming you already have the basic fermentation and packaging equipment, you do not need a massive setup to start brewing all-grain beer.
If I wanted to keep the cost as low as possible, I’d start with:
- A kettle large enough for the batch size I’m brewing
- A good BIAB bag
- A reliable digital thermometer
- A kitchen scale for grain
- A small precision scale for hops and brewing salts
- A simple way to chill the wort
That is enough to make excellent all-grain beer.
If I wanted an easier, more compact brew day and had a little more money to spend, I’d skip the traditional multi-vessel setup and go straight to an all-in-one electric system like the BrewZilla.
Start simple. Learn the process first. Then upgrade only when a piece of equipment solves an actual problem.
Essential vs Optional All-Grain Brewing Equipment
You can spend a pile of money on all-grain equipment, but you absolutely don’t have to.
What I consider essential:
- A kettle or brewing system large enough for your batch
- A way to mash the grain — BIAB bag, grain basket, or mash tun
- A reliable thermometer
- A scale for measuring ingredients
- A way to chill the wort
- Your normal fermentation equipment
Useful, but optional:
- An all-in-one electric brewing system
- A grain mill
- A dedicated brewing pump
- A larger or faster wort chiller
- Precision scales for brewing salts and tiny additions
- Other convenience upgrades that make your particular brew day easier
Start with the essentials. Add the optional gear only when you know why you want it.
What I Would NOT Buy When Starting All-Grain
Moving to all-grain brewing does not mean you need to build a miniature commercial brewery in your garage.
If you’re just getting started, I would skip:
- A full three-vessel brewing system — BIAB or an all-in-one system is much simpler and takes up far less space.
- A grain mill right away — If your homebrew supplier will crush your grain for you, let them. Buy a mill later if you actually want more control.
- A separate brewing pump if your system already has one — Systems like the BrewZilla already include a pump. Don’t buy the same capability twice.
- An expensive plate or counterflow chiller immediately — Start with the immersion chiller you already have or the one included with your system. Upgrade only if chilling speed becomes a real problem.
- A giant brew kettle just because you’re going all-grain — Match the kettle or system to the batch sizes you actually brew.
- Every upgrade you see other homebrewers using — Equipment should solve an actual problem in your brewing process.
Start simple, learn your system, and upgrade when something is genuinely making brew day harder.
Solve problems instead of collecting equipment.
Looking for equipment for another part of your brewing setup?
Frequently Asked Questions About All-Grain Brewing Equipment
Do I need expensive equipment to start all-grain brewing?
No. The cheapest and simplest way to start is BIAB. If you already have a large enough kettle, you mainly need a brew bag, a heat source, a thermometer, and your normal fermentation equipment.
Is BIAB really all-grain brewing?
Yes. BIAB is a full all-grain brewing method. You mash the grain yourself and have complete control over the recipe just like you would with a traditional multi-vessel system.
Do I need a grain mill?
Not necessarily. I still have my homebrew supplier crush my grain for me. A mill is useful if you want more control over your crush and efficiency, but it is not something I consider essential when starting out.
Do I need an all-in-one brewing system?
No. You can make excellent all-grain beer with a simple BIAB setup. An all-in-one system like a BrewZilla mainly makes the process more compact and convenient.
What size brewing system do I need?
That depends on the batch size you normally brew. For standard 5-gallon batches, you want enough capacity for the full mash and boil without constantly fighting overflow. Don’t buy a giant system just because bigger sounds better.
What all-grain equipment should I buy first?
Start with the equipment that actually lets you mash, boil, measure temperatures, and chill your wort. Add things like grain mills, larger chillers, and other upgrades later when they solve a specific problem.
Final Advice
Don’t try to build the perfect brewery overnight.
Start simple.
Focus on fermentation.
Upgrade gradually.
And remember:
Great beer comes from process, not just equipment.
Cheers,
Big Robb
Make Beer Easy
Simple Brewing. Better Beer. Made Easy.
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Recommended All-Grain Brewing Gear Summary
BIAB / Simple All-Grain Setup
👉 Learn How to BIAB Step by Step
All-In-One Brewing System
BrewZilla Gen 4
👉 Check Price on Amazon
Grain Mill — Optional
FERRODAY Malted Grain Mill
👉 Check Price on Amazon
Wort Chiller Upgrade
Stainless Steel Immersion Wort Chiller
👉 Check Price on Amazon
Digital Thermometer
TempPro TP19H Digital Instant Read Thermometer
👉 Check Price on Amazon
Kitchen Scale
Etekcity Food Kitchen Scale
👉 Check Price on Amazon
Precision Scale
Fusion Digital Pocket Gram Scale
👉 Check Price on Amazon