If you already have a fermenter, hydrometer, thermometer, some pvc tubing etc I bet you can get the rest for next to nothing.
Have a google for Freecycle and sign up (it's free) for an account in your local area. Once you've an account, put a wanted ad for home brew equipment in your area and I reckon within a week or two you'll have another fermenter or two which can be converted into a boiler/mash tun
Next you'll need some old kettles (which work), rip out the elements, remove the safety cut-out (to stop it from switching off), get a hole saw (40mm usually?) and pop two elements in your soon to be boiler/mash tun. Next get a couple of decent pc power cables and pop a 13amp fuse in each of them so they don't keep burning out. Now you have your boiler/mash tun. Just make sure the plastic the fermenter is made from has a "PP" within a triangle (usually on the botton) this states it's made from polypropylene so won't leach any nasty chemicals into your beloved brew once heated
Now you need some copper pipe to use as a grain filter. This has holes or slits cut into the underside of it and is connected to the tap. So, pop into your local plumbing shop, get a decent (polypropylene or stainless) tap with fittings to attatch to your grain filter - maybe take the whole boiler in so they can do it for you?
While your there, get 10 meters of 10mm copper pipe and carefully bend it around an old demi-john/gas cylinder to make it fit inside your boiler - don't be tempted to try doing this with your hands alone as it WILL kink the pipe - this will be your immersion cooler so needs to be connected to your cold tap (via some hosepipe) and then back to the sink drain.
If you have a keg it would come in very handy on your first outing as you can boil some water in another fermenter (need another element/pc cable for this) then fill the keg as a holding tank. This is then placed above your mash tun and water is drawn off it via gravity to wash the grains of the sugar (if you're going to fly sparge). Then, below the boiler/mash tun you collect your runnings into a spare fementer and move that (once full) back to a work surface to boil for 60 - 90 mins.
So, the most expensive thing you'll need would be your immersion cooler (plus a couple of tap fittings) that should cost about £20. Asda are doing kettles for £3, so I've heard, although I haven't seen/needed them. It might cost around £15 for the grain filter (don't use pellet hops with these as they clog) plus another £5 for the tap.
So, if you can get a couple of fermenters and a keg for nothing your looking at around £50
If your not sure on how to use this set up here's how I do it...
Get recipe, fill mash tun/boiler with 3-1 ratio of water to grain, heat water to required temp (usually 72C). Fill spare fermenter (with one element) to 5 gallons ready to heat. Once mash tun/boiler is at required temp add the grains, stir to remove any lumps then cover with tight lid and cover with insualtion (blanket, camping mats etc). Mashing will take 60 to 90 mins depending on your recipe. Once the mash is on, start heating the water held in the other fermenter. That should heat to boiling temp in around 90 mins. Once the mash is done and the other water is boiling I fill a spare plastic keg with the boiling water and put it on top of a breakfast bar stool which is on top of my dishwasher. Now, put the mash tun (grain included
) below the keg of VERY HOT water. I use a length of hose with a shower head and fly sparge the grain. Collect the "first runnings" into a large jug and carefully pour back into the mash tun then run off slowly into a waiting fermenter below the mash tun. I collect around 6 gallons. I then empty the mash tun of it's grain into a bin bag and give it to my uncle who has chickens
He gives me fresh eggs
. Once I've rinsed the mash tun of spent grain I re-fill it with the (wort) runnings so the mash tun now becomes a boiler. Place the boiler onto a decent work surface and bring to the boil for your recipes required amount of time adding hops when required. Once your 15 - 20 mins from the end, put your immersion chiller in to sanitize it plus any whirlflock/copper finings you fancy. At the end of the boil (switch off time) start cooling the wort asap to help it produce it's cold break. Now, don't disturb it once it's all settled and cooled just carefully run it all into your fermenter making sure it splashes quite a bit on the way in. Throw in your yeast and leave somewhere between 18 - 24 C for 10 days then bottle or keg.
The job, as they say, is a good-un
