You can make a brewing stand in Minecraft using just one blaze rod and three cobblestone. This single block unlocks potion brewing, which gives you healing, speed, fire resistance, and many other effects. This guide covers the exact recipe, where to find a blaze rod, and how to use the stand once it’s built.
TL;DR
- You need 1 blaze rod and 3 cobblestone to craft a brewing stand.
- Place the blaze rod in the center slot and cobblestone across the bottom row of the crafting grid.
- Blaze rods only drop from blazes, found in nether fortresses.
- You also need blaze powder as fuel before the stand will brew anything.
- Brewing stands can also spawn naturally in village churches, igloo basements, and end ships.
What You Need To Make A Brewing Stand
- 1 blaze rod
- 3 cobblestone
- A crafting table
The cobblestone is easy to gather almost anywhere underground. The blaze rod is the real challenge, since it only drops from blazes, hostile mobs found inside nether fortresses.
How To Craft A Brewing Stand Step By Step
- Open your crafting table to bring up the 3×3 crafting grid.
- Place the blaze rod in the center slot of the middle row.
- Place one cobblestone in each of the three bottom row slots.
- Take the brewing stand from the output box and move it to your inventory.
How To Get A Blaze Rod
Blaze rods come only from blazes, which spawn around blaze spawners inside nether fortresses. To get one:
- Build a nether portal and travel into the Nether.
- Search for a nether fortress, recognizable by its dark red brick structure.
- Find the blaze spawner room, usually guarded by multiple blazes.
- Defeat blazes with a sword or bow. Each one has a chance to drop blaze rods on death.
Bring extra blaze rods home, since you will also need them to craft blaze powder, which fuels the brewing stand.
How To Fuel A Brewing Stand
A brewing stand will not brew anything until it has fuel. To make fuel:
- Place a blaze rod in the crafting grid to turn it into 2 blaze powder.
- Open the brewing stand and place blaze powder in the fuel slot, found on the left side of the interface.
- One blaze rod’s worth of powder can fuel multiple brewing operations before running out.
How To Use A Brewing Stand
Once your brewing stand is placed and fueled, follow these steps to brew your first potion:
- Fill glass bottles with water from a cauldron or any water source.
- Place up to three water bottles in the bottom slots of the brewing stand.
- Add nether wart to the top ingredient slot to create an awkward potion, the base for most other potions.
- Once brewing finishes, add a second ingredient, like a magma cream for fire resistance or a glistering melon slice for healing, to the awkward potions to create the final effect.
- Optionally add gunpowder afterward to turn a potion into a splash potion, or redstone and glowstone dust to adjust duration and strength.
Note that potion of weakness skips the nether wart step entirely. Adding a fermented spider eye directly to a water bottle creates weakness, which is also useful for curing zombie villagers.
Where To Find A Natural Brewing Stand
If you would rather skip crafting one, brewing stands can generate naturally in a few places:
- Village churches, sometimes claimed by a villager that becomes a cleric
- The basement of igloos, often alongside a splash potion of weakness
- End ships, usually holding two instant health potions
Break any natural brewing stand with a pickaxe to collect it, since other tools will not drop it in Java Edition.
Tips For Using Your Brewing Stand
- Stock up on extra nether wart from nether fortress gardens so you don’t run out mid-session.
- Keep a steady blaze powder supply by saving a few extra blaze rods from every nether trip.
- Once you have good potions set up, pair them with strong gear using our full enchantments list for an even stronger loadout.
- Place your brewing stand near a crafting table and a chest of ingredients to speed up repeat brewing sessions.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do you need to make a brewing stand in Minecraft?
You need one blaze rod and three cobblestone, crafted together on a crafting table.
Where do you get a blaze rod?
Blaze rods drop from blazes, which spawn inside nether fortresses found in the Nether.
Why won’t my brewing stand brew anything?
Your brewing stand needs blaze powder in its fuel slot before it can brew. Craft blaze powder from a blaze rod and add it to the stand.
Can you find a brewing stand without crafting one?
Yes. Brewing stands can spawn naturally in village churches, igloo basements, and end ships.
What is the first potion you should brew?
Start with an awkward potion by adding nether wart to a water bottle. It has no effect on its own but is the base ingredient for most other potions.
