I’ve been brewing beer at home now for over 10 years and I still use the same equipment I got for Christmas that year. Why is that? For starters, none of the equipment feels cheap, and you would think a ‘kit’ would have some things that are just crap, but no!
I remember getting this kit and I was so excited to make beer and finally brewing my first batch in my tiny efficiency apartment.
Before I ramble on at how this has changed my life, let me share with you my recommendation.
The absolute best homebrew kit for beginners is the homebrewers starting set, from northern brewing. It comes with everything you need, including beer to brew your first 5 gallons. You can pick a hefeweizen, IPA, or an amber-style beer.
I love this kit and recommend it to everyone who is interested in getting started in home brewing.
You can see more details of my favorite kit here.
What is in a beer making kit?
The great thing about these kits is they set you up with everything you need to get brewing for an affordable price. Like I mentioned above I still use the same equipment I got a long time ago. An investment that pays its self off over a short period of time and really has not deteriorated.
The kit I got and recommended comes with the following equipment:
- 6.5-gallon fermentor bucket with lid and bubbler airlock
- Bottling bucket with easy pour spigot
- 5-gallon stainless brew kettle
- Bottle Filler
- Stainless Spoon
- Auto Siphon w/ 5 feet of tubing
- Beer brewing ingredients kit (you can choose the beer)
- Cleaning and sanitizing supplies
- Bottle capper w/ caps
All of the above will produce 5 gallons of beer, which is about 55-60 12 oz. bottles.
When I first got mine I took each piece and spread it out on the kitchen table, and then went through the book that came with so that I can understand the equipment.
The one thing that is different in this updated version is that you get a 5-gallon stainless steel kettle. This is absolutely key to the brewing process because you will need all that room when you brew.
The boiling process is around 60 minutes where you will be adding ingredients along the way. When you add hops, this is when it tends to want to boil over, using a small pot will be a disaster.
They didn’t include the hydrometer, and I don’t know why, but as a beginner kit, the kettle is better to have. You can always get a cheap hydrometer to test gravity.
But I think with these kits, it’s pretty spot on for beginning and ending gravity. And maybe that is why they did not include it.
But take my word for it, I wish I had the kettle vs the hydrometer my first time brewing.
When can I drink my homebrew?
In short, it will take four to six weeks before you can drink your home-brewed beer.
I know, why does it take so long! Good things happen during the process, first, you will do the brewing, which can take a few hours.
Then you will fill the fermenting bucket and seal it with the tight airlock, that helps air escape without letting air in which could contaminate your beer, and ruin it.
While it’s in the fermentor, it gets really active, the airlock will be releasing air very rapidly, it’s actually very wonderful to watch and to smell.
This is a lot of brewers’ favorite part other than drinking it, what it’s doing is letting you know it is making alcohol. That activity happens for about 2-4 days.
After that, you will let it sit another week or two depending on the beer you are brewing.
Once that has finished in the fermentor, you can now transfer it to bottles or kegs and let it get carbonated.
Finishing in bottles is going to be your most likely option as a beginner, this process will take another week or two. Using priming sugar to carbonate takes a little time, but waiting is worth it.
Once you become a great home brewmaster, you will have a system in place so that you won’t run out of beer.
How hard is it to brew your own beer?
No, if you can boil water, follow instructions and be sanitary you can successfully make beer in your house.
I was intimidated at first, but completely excited to see if and how I can do this. To be honest, once you make your first batch you’ll understand that its a lot of boiling and sanitizing.
You have to stay there the whole boing time because the wort will like to go up and down and eventually if too hot will spill over causing a huge mess and waste.
Making beer is easy, cleaning is the biggest pain.
Do I need a Kit to brew beer?
As a beginner, yes, because a kit has everything you need to brew for years to come.
In a kit is everything you need to brew from day one. You could buy the equipment but that would be a pain to piece together.
The more you brew the more you will likely want to try some more challenging beers. That’s probably when you will need to upgrade beyond the kit.
I don’t suggest jumping straight to the more advanced stage without going this route first. Many other brewers still use these great kits to try small batches before brewing a larger one.
Are home brewing kits good?
The beer ingredients that come with are very high quality, everything is included.
I’ve had nothing but great results with them. My very first kit was a hefeweizen style beer, easy to brew and delicious to drink.
I’ve shared many home beers with friends and I always get great compliments.
The one downside to home beer is sometimes sediment settles at the bottom and that can freak people out, including me. What it is is leftover yeast cells that are perfectly drinkable and are actually good for you because they are vitamin b.
For a starter kit, the craft beer is actually decent.
The best homebrew kit for beginners conclusion
Anyone can become a brewmaster at home. In fact, it is super easy and fun. If you are passionate about craft beer and want to start brewing, I recommend this is the way to get started.
I also recommend this as a gift for dads, husbands, wives, boyfriends, and girlfriends. This is an absolute blast, and they’ll love it!
