Deciding on a brewing kit to purchase when you are brand-new to this incredibly rewarding hobby is a daunting task with many variables. The right equipment for quality beer is obviously apexing the list; but other factors such as price, growth within the hobby (all-grain), batch size variability, and even the beer style the kit comes with can be somewhat tricky parameters without some proper guidance. So I, as a professional brewer with years of experience on the pro level and at home, will give you my top homebrewing beginner kits that will make great beer for years to come -- no matter the beginning brewer's aspirations.
Before we jump to the exciting list of potential beer kit candidates, I'll preface this by giving you some of my experiences and some considerations for you as you filter out and finally select a kit to buy. I won't go into budget, because that's subjective and not as much of a factor as there are plenty of good options for any size and shape you want. I will discuss some other considerations like kit size, included equipment that are must-haves (or things to avoid), and even the recipes that come with them. That way you can make your own choice and get the best results for you or the receiving brewer -- regardless of its mention in this article. You could even piece one together yourself to make it more your own, albiet potentially more expensive.
Beer kit size - This is obviously up to you and your best judgement. If you feel like you will want to brew large batch sizes out of the gate (for sharing, economy, or other considerations), go with something that is at least made for 5-gallon batches. A typical 5-gallon batch will yield about 50 12oz bottles. However, if you're a person who gets bored easily, likes variety, has limited brew time or space, or wants to experiment, a kit with a 1-gallon fermentor will treat you right. 1- gallon batches will yield about 10 12oz bottles (you could probably stretch this to two six-packs if you're ok with slightly overfilling a fermentor. I won't tell anyone). Selecting for a smaller fermentor will also have the advantages of being more accessible to a wider audience due to the application of small kettle sizes that most people already have in their kitchens and the more manageable ingredient and volume sizes. The only downside to smaller batches is less beer per time spent (although smaller batches in my experience take a bit less time), lower product stability, and running out of a delicious batch too quickly. Womp-womp. However, I personally brew 10-gallon batches and still keep a 1-gallon fermentor around for those experiments or really big beers of which I don't necessarily want a large volume. So even if you grow out of 1-gallon batches, it is still a very useful thing to have around if you have the space...just sayin'.
Equipment - All the kits around have many options for equipment. However, I have noticed some fluff in a few kits that you absolutely do not need and are actually a negative thing for your beer while also being at a higher price point. I would absolutely stay away from these kits -- ones that have a bottling bucket, glass carboys (I love glass as a material for fermenting, but the traditional carboy comes as a hazard and is detrimental to beer in a few different ways), auto-siphon, or an over-emphasis on mashing equipment while neglecting fermentation. Remember...it's all about the fermentation. Good beer comes with good fermentation and cold-side practices, not an overly-complicated mash schedule. I would look at a kit that has these things:
This is key to better beer stability and getting clean beer with less off flavors, namely oxidation in this case. If you're concerned about the overabundance of opacity of the above-linked fermentor (as you should be), wrapping it with some aluminum foil or other opaque material that will form around the equipment is a wonderful solution.
Here is another quality option that is bigger, not transparent, and will do a terrific job.
You will also need a bung and airlock that fits the fermentor lid opening to keep air/oxygen and unwanted bugs or dust out.
Another huge piece of equipment for best bottling enjoyment and quality. They allow for easy single-bottle filling, perfect packaging headspace, and are easily cleaned. I wouldn't bottle my beer without one. You'll need to get some tubing that fits over the filler and the spigot of your fermentor.
You need this for crimping the bottle caps to your bottled beer for a tight seal to allow for carbonation to develop and keep outside contaminantes in their proper place. You can also use reusable PET bottles with twist-on caps if you want to reduce the amount of equipment lying around. Some kits will include these instead of the traditional capper, caps, and bottles; and they work very well for the homebrewer.
This is where it gets a bit subjective; and the right brew kettle depends on your preferences, how you feel your growth in the hobby will develop, how big your batches are, and if you are doing all-grain or not. All-grain brewing requires a kettle or mash tun about twice the size of your batch sizes to accomodate the grain volume as well as the liquid. The one linked is the minimum you want for a 5-gallon batch of extract brewing and slightly topping-off with water at the end of the boil. You want a larger pot to prevent boil-overs and the potential burning hazard and mess for other methods. This linked kettle is also obviously made of some pretty thin material and is a consideration for wort scorching, but it will do the job without breaking the bank. For traditional mashing and boiling, try finding a kettle that is at least 8 gallons.
What Beer Style?! - I know, I know...I know. IPA is king, especially in today's craft beer climate. So why not get the IPA in the kit? Because it is lacking in many ways. Let me count them.
IPA beer kits generally don't have quality hops - this is a generality and obviously not true of every beer kit out there, but you are most likely better off sourcing ingredients yourself when it comes time to brew one in the future. You will get a better and more fulfilling IPA with a few "pedestrian" batches under your belt. I guarantee you that if you follow my guidelines on creating beer, these non-IPA beers will be anything but.
IPA is very hard to brew on the small scale - this is due to oxidation and the current trend in hop-forward beer flavors. The old adage, dogma, straight up balogne sausage, whatever you want to call it, is that hops can mask off flavors in homebrewed beer. This is wrong on so many levels, it even escapes the humor of a Bo Burnham lyric.
Water is extremely important in brewing IPA - the quality of flavor, bitterness, and extraction is dependent on close attention to the makeup of your water. And for a beginning brewer, that may be a daunting, if not impossible, task. You may get lucky with the tap water in your house being the perfect fit, but most are not as fortuitous.
I count at least 3 very good reasons to not brew IPA on the first go. And with all that being said, I would go with an amber ale recipe kit. Unless you are completely turned off by drinking such a style, these are most likely going to be the best fit for a first-time brewer who may not have the optics for the many aspects in making beer. They are a forgiving style in terms of oxygen ingress in packaging, small fermentation flaws, and water chemistry. IPAs, pilsners, and even a simple blonde ale can turn into unpleasant, hobby-ruining beers if done incorrectly; but if you are dead-set on not brewing an amber ale, the blonde option would be an OK choice as well. This is all said with the knowledge that this is just, like, my opinion, man. By all means choose the IPA or pilsner recipe kit if you really want it, but keep in mind that they are difficult styles for a beginner and to not be put off of the hobby if your beer ultimately doesn't turn out.
Alright, now you're ready to find the best kit out there! (Assuming that you don't want to do it from scratch from the info above). Some of these in the bottom ranking of this list might need some more of the equipment I mentioned above to make them complete, but they will not have any extra "fluff" you don't need.
5. Simply Beer - 1-gallon beer kit at a very affordable price
I have no idea who makes or packages this beer kit, but it is the minimum you need to ferment a small batch of beer. You will still need to get some bottles (I like to drink craft bottles while the beer is fermenting and cleaning/saving them), a capper (if not using PET bottles), caps, a spring bottle filler with tubing, and a small kettle if you don't have one; but it is the cheapest and best option to get into brewing and get the hang of it. Note: this is the small 1-gal fermentor I have kept for small batches, and it works very well. There is a comparable one from Northern Brewer with a nicer glass fermentor, and it comes with a bottle capper. However, it is normally twice the price of this one when not on sale. But at $60 on a nice sale, I would pick it over this one 10 times out of 10. The glass is more durable for cleaning and chemical usage, is an inert material, and will last longer in the long run.
4. Brewdemon - 2-gallon beer kit with good brewing engineering
This did not originally make my top list, but I think it is worth a mention. It didn't make my list because it does come with a Pilsner recipe kit (which as I mentioned above is one of those technical styles that might not come out to your liking), doesn't come with a kettle, and is a bit on the pricey side for what it is. But it is doing something none of the other beer kit fermentors are doing -- a conical bottom. This is a great consideration for the clarity of your packaged beer, especially when packaging directly from the fermentor like I suggest for optimal beer stability and freshness. This is Goldilocks' choice if the 1-gal kits are too small, the 5-gal kits are too big, you don't mind paying a little extra for the fermentor, and you already have (or plan to have) a kettle fit for brewing a batch of beer this size. The marketing for this (over and over and over) is for the "pro," but don't let that influence your choice. This is a cool and nice fermentor to use on the small scale, but there are other options that can do a good job as well at a much friendlier price.
3. MoreBeer Home Brewing Kit - finally a 5-gallon option in the list
This kit is similar to my #5 option. It is utilitarian and affordable, but this time it's for bigger batches for the beginning brewer going all-in (or at least ponying up a call). I like this option, even though it comes with a "bottling bucket." Forget what it is called, this bucket is useful in other ways such as grain storage, a milling destination, or for whipping up some chemical to use throughout your brew day. And speaking of chemical, this kit comes with cleaner AND sanitizer, so that you can properly make a successive batch. This is one of the better deals here -- even though you need to drink some craft brews to get some bottles (I guess purchasing them is also an option). It does come with fermentation monitoring equipment, much like the #4 option and those ranked above, so that you can pull samples and get an idea of when your beer is ready to package and its ABV. This is the option for one who is looking for a decent deal and knows that brewing is in his or her future. It is not the most economical kit in the list (#2 is slightly better at the time of writing), but it supports a great company that's smaller than the one that tops the final two rankings.
2. Northern Brewer Homebrew Starter Kit - The best option for beginners
Another great kit that is very similar to the MoreBeer kit, but at a slightly lower price. It has everything the above kit has but with a slightly different fermentor and different recipe options to choose from. It's almost the same kit, but a larger company has been able to lower margins and give you a better deal. Whether or not that's worth it to you, that's your call; but you certainly can't go wrong with this kit at this price point.
1. Northern Brewer Premium Kit - The best option for those who know they're going to brew and never look back.
This kit is obviously at a different price point than the others. It does however create the opportunity to upgrade quite easily to all grain without having to buy a whole bunch of equipment. You can add a bag for grain, and you have an all-grain system. Or you can just stick with this quality kettle and brew full-volume extract batches with ease. It comes with a wort chilling coil to cool your brews down to fermentation temp much more quickly than an ice bath and less risky than dilution like the previous kits would employ. After clutching my pearls at the price, a minute to think about the cost savings ahead lead me into believing that this is a stellar kit at a good price that will last a brewer for years to come.
Well, there it is. The list no one asked for, but I hope it was enlightening and helpful in your gear purchasing guidance either as or for a budding brewer. For more brewing tips and help, go to https://progressyourbeer.com to sign up for emails all about brewing the best beer possible -- you can even outdo a lot of the professional beer makers out there with the right guidance and practice. Cheers!
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