BrewGearCalc

Do the math, then buy the right gear

Home brewing calculators that show their working

Sixteen calculators for the arithmetic a brew day actually forces on you, plus 253 worked reference pages and six complete builds. Every calculator prints its formula and says whether that formula is a published standard or a brewing convention.

What makes this different

The two common ABV formulas disagree, and the gap widens with gravity: a beer at 1.090 down to 1.020 is 9.19% by the standard formula and 9.99% by the alternate one. Most sites quietly pick one. This site shows both, names both, and tells you where they part company.

Where a calculation cannot be answered honestly, the calculator returns no answer instead of a plausible looking number.

Start here if you are buying your first system

The Mash and Boil Series 2 is the cheapest route into single vessel electric all-grain brewing that still includes a recirculation pump, which is the feature that separates a system you tolerate from one you keep.

Brewer's Edge Mash & Boil Series 2 with Pump
Best starting point

Brewer's Edge Mash & Boil Series 2 with Pump

Brewers Edge

A programmable electric all-in-one that mashes and boils in one vessel on ordinary household power, so there is no propane burner, no separate mash tun and no transfer between them.

  • 7.5 gallon capacity, enough for five gallon batches
  • Runs on standard 110V household power, so it brews indoors
  • Recirculation pump included, which the cheaper version omits
$437.56 Check price on Amazon

Price last checked at publication and changes often.

The 16 calculators

Each one shows its formula, flags every constant as standard or convention, and re-ranks the gear below it against the numbers you enter.

ABV Calculator

Both published ABV formulas, side by side, with the gap between them shown rather than hidden.

IBU Calculator

Tinseth and Rager, both labelled, because they disagree by a predictable margin.

Grain Bill Calculator

Target gravity to pounds of malt, with efficiency flagged as the assumption it is.

Priming Sugar Calculator

Corn sugar, table sugar or dry malt extract, with residual CO2 taken from the beer temperature.

Complete builds, not shortlists

Six full setups, each listing every item needed to actually finish a batch, with a running total and an honest note on what to leave out. A roundup sells you one thing; these do the whole job at a budget you pick.

Beginner

The Extract Starter Setup

The cheapest route to a finished, drinkable batch. No mash, no sparge, no separate mash tun.

$415.49

Intermediate

The Buy-Once Electric Setup

One vessel, indoors, on household power, with real fermentation temperature control.

$1055.20

Beginner

The Cider and Mead Setup

No mash, no boil, no kettle. The cheapest genuine fermentation you can start.

$376.16

Worked reference pages

Every combination brewers actually search for, worked out from the same formula library the calculators use, so a number here and a number there can never disagree.

How this site works

Gear recommendations come from published manufacturer specifications, listed capacities and verified owner reviews. Nothing here is tested in person and no page claims otherwise. When a catalog has a real gap, such as consumer glycol chilling, the honest answer is to say so rather than recommend something that does not do the job. You can read the full research methodology and the editorial policy.

Brewing is a hobby that involves alcohol, so this site is written for adults of legal drinking age, which is 21 and over in the United States. Distilling is a separate legal matter entirely and is out of scope here.