Best Home Brewing Kits
There’s nothing more refreshing than a pint of freshly homebrewed beer on a hot summer day.
Here’s some more good news: you don’t have to wait for that neighborhood bar to open up or make do with canned beer. That’s because you’ve always got tasty homebrew going, and there’s plenty on tap.
What’s that? Are you still thinking about taking up beer brewing as a hobby?
What you need is a home brewing kit that has all the necessary materials to get your new hobby underway stat!
We combed through the market to find some excellent home brewing kits that come complete with quality tools and top-notch ingredients and many others that simplify the brewing process we didn’t think possible. These kits are space-efficient and come with easy-to-follow instructions that are perfect for newbies.
Let’s explore your options.
Best Home Brewing Starter Sets
Best Overall Home Brewing Kit For Beginners – Mr. Beer Complete Beer Making Kit
Mr. Beer’s home brewing kit is just what you need to kick start your brewing venture. Just set it up and start brewing in as little as 30 minutes. You’ll find a step-by-step instruction manual to help you ace the process.
This brewery kit has a 2-gallon fermenter with a wide mouth top that is perfect for brewing and easy-to-clean afterward. It also has some fantastic features like an airlock, UV-resistance, and a locking spigot to help you bottle the beer without creating a mess.
The sediment tray is situated below the spigot that holds back the trub, giving you a clean brew.
Moreover, Mr. Beer’s brewery kit comes with quality ingredients that are tested and chosen by experts from Coopers Brewery in Australia. One such essential ingredient is the hopped malt extract that adds a kick to the beer – it is also perfect for beginners no matter what their skill-sets may be. With these ingredients, you can easily ferment your beer in 10-14 days with a consistent, punchy taste.
The kit also has 11 BPA-free reusable plastic bottles that are specially designed to withstand carbonating beers.
Pros
- Comes with all brewing equipment
- Step by step instructions through online videos, tutorials, live chat and support
- Space-efficient compact fermenter
- Inexpensive
- Easy to set up
Cons
- The beer’s taste is not preferred by everyone
Best Mid-Range High-Quality Home Brewing Starter Set – Northern Brewer Essential Brew
Northern Brewers’ starter set is perfect for making beer at parties and festivities to impress the guests with some quality brew. This kit has all the equipment and ingredients you need to produce about 5 gallons of high quality, divine tasting beer.
The essential brew kit has a recipe kit, fermenters without an airlock, spigot or a lid, bottling bucket equipped with a spigot, bottle filler, siphon tubing, bottle brush, stainless steel spoon, and a bottle capper.
Also, the kit offers premium-grade grains and malt, flavor-filled hops, and the top-notch quality of yeast especially picked by experts, so you can rest assured that you are making the best possible beer for your friends.
Northern Brewer’s starter kit also lends itself perfectly to a little experimentation. So if you want to try infusing new flavors in your homebrew, this would be an excellent option for you. In fact, the kit itself comes with the Block Party Amber flavor that gives the beer a mix of caramel and bready taste – which is an absolute favorite among guests.
Since you are new to the entire brewing process, this kit comes with printed and laminated visual instructions, digital manuals, and online videos to facilitate you.
Pros
- High quality, durable equipment, and ingredients
- Easy to follow instructions
- Good quality to price ratio
- Comes with cleaning solutions
- Produces 5 gallons of beer
Cons
- Does not include bottles
Easy To Use Brewing Kit For Beginners – BrewDemon Beer Kit
BrewDemon is the first to introduce a conical fermenting system in a home brewing starter set. It is a competitively priced kit that only takes two minutes to prepare 2 gallons of beer with an unparalleled taste.
Unlike many other starter sets, this one is easy to use and gives you a clear understanding of the brewing process. You can brew the beer on the stove and add any flavors or ingredients you want to give it an extra punch.
The conical fermenting system is the star of this brewing kit with cone-shaped fermenters with a large mouth that makes it simple to remove the trub and dispose of the yeast for repitching.
The amber-finished exterior protects the beer from sunlight while providing you a view of what’s happening inside. You’ll also find that the fermenter is marked with volume measurements to help measure your ingredients in the exact amount needed to prepare gallons of beer.
Additionally, the smooth inner surface, easy on/off function, and a barbed spout makes the bottling process really easy for you.
To prepare your beer, all you need to do is clean and sanitize the equipment, add the ingredients and yeast, and allow the beer to carbonate naturally.
Pros
- Includes 1-quart bottles
- No siphoning required while bottling
- Comes with Evil Pilsner recipe that gives the beer a refreshing taste
- Doesn’t require jugs or buckets
- Space-efficient design
- Easy to clean
Cons
- Not suitable for brewing more than 2 gallons in a single batch
Best Small Batch Starter Kit – Brooklyn Brew Shop Everyday IPA Beer Making Kit
Brooklyn Beer Shop’s starter kit is perfect for beginners who want to try their hand at homebrewing and only want to make enough beer for themselves and a friend or two. This one offers step-by-step instructions and video tutorials to help you make the most flavorful beer using high-quality ingredients, so you have nothing to worry about.
Additionally, this kit is designed for making small batches and can be easily used on a stovetop. So no matter how big or small your kitchen may be, you can use the Brooklyn Brew kit to brew your favorite beverage easily.
The beer brewing mix included in this set has grains, hop and yeast, a 1-gallon reusable glass fermenter, a glass thermometer, and other essential equipment for the brewing process.
You will just need a strainer, bottles, and bottle caps of your own before you get started. Moreover, the recipe kit contains quality grains that give your beer a deep taste that you cannot achieve with extracts. The citrusy aftertaste, combined with the bitterness of the beer, will surely leave your guests in awe of the taste.
Pros
- Easy to follow instructions
- Perfect for small batches
- Uses sugary malt extracts for fresh flavors
- Space-saving kit
Cons
- Does not include strainer, bottles and bottle caps
What To Look For In The Best Home Brewing Starter Kit?
The right brewing equipment is crucial for producing the best tasting beer. We suggest a comprehensive home brewing starter set but make sure you know which features you are looking for.
The following are some of the things you must keep in mind while looking for the best home brewing kit that is perfect for your brewing expertise and light on your pocket.
Quantity Of Beer Produced In A Batch
The first question you need to ask yourself is, how much beer do you want to brew?
Now before answering this, you need to keep in mind that small batches provide ample room for experimentation. In contrast, with larger batches, you might feel restricted about trying new ideas.
Also, large brewing kits are not space-efficient, so if you are cramped on space, our suggestion would be to go for brewery kits that make smaller batches.
Quality Of The Ingredients
The ingredients such as malt, yeast, or flavored extracts can affect the taste of your beer.
That’s why you need to look for a brewery kit that promises high-quality ingredients packaged to ensure their freshness so that whenever you choose to brew, your beer will taste refreshing and light.
Essential Equipment
Fermenters are essential pieces of equipment in a home brewing kit; these contain airlock to prevent contamination and a spigot for an easy bottling process.
The right fermenter should be used according to the batch size of your brew. But make sure you also have the right boiling pots, siphons, stirring spoons, thermometer, bottles, and bottle caps.
Tips For Home Brewing Beginners
Before getting started with the thrilling brewing experience, allow us to share some tips that will help you get the best out of your home brewing starter sets.
Ensure Cleanliness
It is highly recommended to clean your equipment after every batch.
Cleaning and sanitization should be your prime focus because dirt and micro-organisms can quickly destroy your entire batch before you even have the chance to get a taste of your beer.
So start by cleaning all equipment with high-quality cleaning solutions. After this, sanitize all the equipment, especially the fermenter and siphons, as they are the most vulnerable to microbial growth.
Stick To Simplicity
As a beginner, we recommend you take things slow until you get the hang of it. Start with simple equipment and ingredients that you are familiar with. Also, conduct some research on the ingredients and recipes you are going to try but keep them simple.
You will have plenty of time to experiment with different recipes once you become an expert at home brewing.
Focus On The Yeast Starter
A yeast starter determines the effectiveness of the beer’s fermentation cycle. So, going for a top-quality, healthy yeast will save you from any risks of contamination. Moreover, it is crucial to add plenty of yeast to your beer for the string fermentation phase that promises the most delicious beer.
Chill The Wort
As the wort is susceptible to the growth of micro-organisms, it is highly recommended to chill them as soon as possible after boiling. This rapid chilling destroys the proteins in the beer, which can help decrease its cloudiness, giving you a clear concoction.
Ventilate The Wort
After your wort is chilled, it is entirely devoid of oxygen. Since yeasts require oxygen to kick start the fermentation phase, you need to oxygenize the wort.
Now the most economical way to add oxygen to the wort is to shake it several times and then placing it in a sanitized carboy. Also, shake the carboy for some time, but not too long.
If you are willing to spend some money, you can buy an oxygenation kit to aerate the wort.
Be Mindful Of The Temperature
Now that the wort is aerated and the yeast is added, the fermentation phase begins. For a successful fermentation process, you need to make sure that the temperature is optimal for the yeast cells to work their magic.
If the fermentation is carried out at a cooler temperature, the chances are that it will be incomplete. Similarly, at a higher temperature, yeast will give off a fruitier flavor that is less than desirable for harsher beers.
There must be no fluctuations in temperature wherever you decide to perform the fermentation process.
Keep Yourself Informed
Before you begin, look online for reviews and authentic information from your trusted home brewery kits providers. Also, look for videos of from brewing experts who experiment often and document their journeys for everyone to see.
Moreover, you can also join brewing clubs to get in touch with fellow brewers and share your experiences with them. Sharing your beer brewing skills with others will also help you in getting some feedback, and it also makes for an excellent opportunity to learn from your mistakes.
Take notes on all your findings and observations from day one so that you can search for any discrepancy and improve on it. Write down the littlest details so that you can keep on producing successful batches and identify wherever you go wrong with them.