As you may have found out everybody has an opinion, that many like to tout as fact, on what kind of equipment is needed to brew a beer. There is no doubt you will need some things, it will be nice to have others and some are just for the serious brewer. This site is for those who want to brew as a hobby, not as an art form.
So here is some equipment, some of it is necessary and some no so much. I will attempt to dispel a few myths in the process and hopefully help make brewing enjoyable for you.
This is exactly what it looks like, a bucket. This is a piece of equipment that is really not optional, unless you have other more optional equipment in your reserves.
Notice the Spigot, now that is optional, but really very handy. I have two buckets each with spigots, you can find them at a Beer and Wine store for about $15 dollars or so. Make sure the one you get has a tight fitting lid, that too is not really an option, but I guess if you have some really good Plastic wrap you can make due.
If you think about it, prisoners in jail make wine out of raisins and a bucket of water, so I would consider this a vital piece of equipment.
This is a Carboy, and for all first time brewers this too is an optional piece of equipment. It is really nice to have and as you grow into the hobby you will find yourself drawn to these glass vessels like a sailor to a siren song, but for your first brew this is an expensive luxury.
A Carboy this size, 6.5 gallons, should run around $45 dollars. The handy handle is sold separately at around $7 dollars. Warning if you buy a carboy, get the handle, or spend the time and money to go back to the store to get it like I did. A full carboy is heavy and the handle will make a load of difference.
Some carboys are plastic, for about $10 less in price. Here is where you will get some flak, so just do what feels right for you. Some swear by them, some at them. If you are going to brew once in a while I say go for it. If you are going to brew once and just see if you like it, I say use a 5 gallon plastic water bottle. But if you are going to do this for a long time, invest in glass. But that is just my opinion.
Now I am jumping ahead of myself but I ran out of pictures, so until I can take some more I will use this last picture to jumble everything together.
The tool box is not needed but you can see it would be helpful. In fact nothing in the picture is really needed to make beer or wine. Some are more handy than others but I wanted to show you what kind of trouble you can get into if you start this hobby.
I will say that the one thing in the picture that is most importaint, especially if you make more than one batch is the journal. For Pete's sake write everything down and keep it in a place you know you will find it later. there is nothing worse than making a bad batch of beer not knowing what you did to make it bad.
The next most important item is the Hydrometer. Measuring the specific gravity tells you a lot more than just how much alcohol is present, but most people use it for just that. Heck, Beer & Wine Homebrew has a calculator for just that purpose.
So what have we learned? To brew a beer or make wine, all you really need is a boil pot and a bucket!