Brewing Stand is crafted from one blaze rod (looted from the Nether's blaze mobs) and three cobblestone or blackstone in a horizontal row. The device is the only way to produce potions in Minecraft, opening a tall narrow interface with three bottle slots, an ingredient slot at the top, and a fuel slot for blaze powder.

The brewing process is a chain. First, fill three glass bottles with water from a cauldron or water source. Then add a base ingredient — usually a nether wart — to convert them into awkward potions, the foundation of nearly every recipe. From there, add a primary ingredient (like a sugar for swiftness or a magma cream for fire resistance) to set the effect, optionally followed by glowstone dust to upgrade level, redstone dust to extend duration, or a fermented spider eye to invert the effect into something harmful. The device requires no redstone signal — fuel and reagents are entirely managed through its interface, and one blaze powder powers about twenty brewing cycles.