Question: How do I find out what equipment to use?

Answer: Depending on where you're brewing and how much will depending on your parts list.
For instance, if you're brewing in your kitchen then chances are you will want to shop for equipment that will accommodate no more than 3-5 gallons. If you're fixing to do a propane setup then look for larger equipment that will allow you to scale up or down. This helps for when you want to experiment with small batches as well as large ones.

Additional Resources: Check out this website for help with the basics on brewing equipment.

Question: What is a wort chiller and should I buy one?

Answer: Simply put, it is a heat exchanger that cools down wort quickly and efficiently. This is a highly recommended resource to have when homebrewing because the last of brewing before pitching the yeast to allow for fermentation is to get the wort to a temperature that is suitable for living organisms. The caveat to this is that after the wort gets from boiling temperatures to luke warm it is important that no bad organisms gets into the wort for fear of contaminating and ruining your beer. Wort chillers helps by speeding this process by rapidly cooling the wort with copper coils that has water passing through it at all times.

Question: What is the difference between an Ale and a Lager?

Answer: Although there are thousands of different kinds of beers to try there are truly only two types of beers in the world: Ales and Lagers. Ales are brewed with top-fermenting yeast and Lagers with bottom-fermenting yeast. This means that these two types of beers important differences is the temperatures in which they are fermented and conditioned. Many of the crystal clear and deliciously light beers you have tried in the past may have fallen under the category of a Pilsner or a Vienna lager. Some of the darker, cloudier, maltier tasting beverages like Porters, stouts, pale ales (IPAs), and other strong ales have all been brewed in a warmer weather with top-fermenting yeast strains.

Question: What is wort? What about hops, barley, and yeast?

Answer: Wort is unfermented (and non-alcoholic) beer. Hops are flowers grown from a wild vine which holds different auroma smells and tastes. Barley is wheat grown from many different regions and have many variety of traits as it relates to color, smell, and taste. Barley is made into malt by soaking the barley seeds in water and then drying them with hot air. Much of the traits that beers have is derived from this ingredient. Yeast was a complete mystery and was not a known ingredient until later in the 18th century. It is the living organism that consumes the sugars in the wort converting it into alochol and excreting CO2. The excreted CO2 also acts as a natural carbination in the beer.