Best Home Beer Brewing Kits: Where To Buy?

There are many online retailers that sell home beer brewing kits, including MoreBeer, Northern Brewer, Amazon, Midwest Supplies, and Craft a Brew. These kits are designed for beginners and often include the equipment and ingredients needed to brew your first batch of beer. Some kits are designed for brewing smaller batches of 1 gallon, while others can brew up to 5 gallons.

Home brewing kits for beginners

Home brewing beer is a rewarding hobby that allows you to experiment and create something unique. The process is simple and only requires four ingredients and a few straightforward steps.

There are a variety of home brewing kits available that provide you with the essential equipment and ingredients to get started. These kits are designed to make the brewing process foolproof and enjoyable, even for those who are just starting out.

Northern Brewer Brew Share Enjoy Homebrew Starter Kit:

• This kit is highly recommended for beginners as it includes many essential tools, providing a solid foundation for your brewing journey.
• It comes with clear instructions and reliable support, with customer service available seven days a week to answer any questions.
• The kit includes a 5-gallon kettle, a 21-inch stirring spoon, and a hydrometer—tools that are sometimes lacking in other kits.
• It features a siphonless design, making the transfer of beer after fermentation extremely simple.
• Northern Brewer offers excellent customer service with dedicated "brewmasters" to guide you through the brewing process.
• You can choose from three recipes: an amber ale, a hefeweizen, or an IPA.

MoreBeer Premium Home Brewing Kit:

• This kit is ideal if you're certain you want to dive into brewing and are looking for a more durable and flexible starting point.
• It includes bigger and better gear, such as an 8.5-gallon stainless steel kettle with a ball-valve spigot and a wide-mouth 7-gallon fermenter.
• The larger kettle allows for full-volume boils, and the ball valve makes transfers easier and safer.
• The kit also comes with a copper immersion chiller, which makes cooling the beer after boiling more efficient.
• MoreBeer offers various support options, including phone, live chat, and email assistance.

Northern Brewer Craft Beer Making Kit with Siphonless Fermenter:

• This 1-gallon kit is perfect for those on a budget, with limited space, or who are unsure about brewing.
• It makes the brewing process more foolproof than other small-batch kits, thanks to its siphonless design and wide-mouth fermenter.
• The kit includes almost all the essentials, such as an airlock, bottling wand, tubing, bottle capper, caps, cleanser, and even customizable beer bottle labels.
• The biggest omission is a hydrometer, but this can be purchased separately for a small additional cost.
• Northern Brewer provides excellent customer service for this kit, with support available seven days a week.
• You can choose from four recipes: a brown ale, a wheat beer, an IPA, or an Irish red ale.

These kits offer a great starting point for beginners, providing the necessary tools, instructions, and support to ensure a successful and enjoyable brewing experience.

Beer brewing equipment

There are many options available for those looking to purchase a home beer brewing kit. The equipment you will need depends on your level of expertise and the type of beer you want to brew.

Beginner Kits

Beginners can choose from a variety of starter kits, which include the basic equipment and ingredients needed to brew your first batch of beer. These kits are designed to be easy to use and often come with instructions and guarantees. Some popular options include:

• Northern Brewer's "Brew. Share. Enjoy." kit, which includes equipment and recipes for 5-gallon batches.
• MoreBeer's "Home Brewing Kit", which includes a range of equipment and ingredients for their American Ale extract kit.
• Craft A Brew's "American Pale Ale" kit, which provides the equipment and supplies to make a gallon of craft beer.
• Midwest Supplies' "Essential Beer Making Kit", which provides the equipment to brew a gallon of beer for under $50.

Intermediate Kits

If you're an intermediate brewer, you might want to invest in a more advanced kit that offers more variety or larger batches. Some options include:

• Northern Brewer's "MegaPot All-Grain Brewing System", a commercial-quality system for aspiring pro brewers.
• MoreBeer's "Premium Home Brewing Kit", which includes a kegging system and instructional videos to guide you through the brewing process.
• Midwest Supplies' "Northern Brewer All-Grain Cooler System", an upgraded system that provides an improved brewing experience.

Advanced Kits

For advanced brewers, there are kits that offer more specialised equipment and the ability to brew larger batches. Some options include:

• Midwest Supplies' "Ultimate Craft Brewery in a Box", a stainless steel beer-making starter kit for those dreaming of starting their own brewery.
• Northern Brewer's "Electric Brew Share Enjoy Homebrew Starter Kit", which pairs their popular homebrew starter kit with an electric brew kettle.
• MoreBeer's "Premium Electric All Grain Home Brewing Kit", which is designed for advanced brewers who want to skip ahead to the highest level of beer making.

Additional Equipment

In addition to the kits mentioned above, there are also individual pieces of equipment that can be purchased separately, such as:

• Fermenters: For example, the Fermonster Fermenter, which is made of plastic and features a built-in spigot for easy transfers.
• Wort Chillers: These are used to bring down the temperature of the wort after boiling.
• Bottling Supplies: Including bottles, caps, and a bottle filler.
• Hydrometers: Used to take gravity readings and determine the alcohol content of your beer.
• Sanitizers: Proper cleaning and sanitizing is crucial to making great beer, so it's important to have a good sanitizer like Star San.

Beer recipe kits

Where can I buy beer recipe kits?

There are several online retailers that offer beer recipe kits, such as:

• Northern Brewer: They offer a wide range of beer-making kits and equipment, including their popular \"Brew Share Enjoy\" homebrew starter kit.
• MoreBeer: With over 250 types of beer recipe kits, MoreBeer has a large selection to choose from, including extract brewing kits and the only complete entry-level All-Grain Brewing Kit on the market.
• Craft a Brew: Their 5-gallon beer recipe kits come in more than 25 styles and are designed to be used with their 5-gallon brewing equipment, but can also be used with any 5-gallon fermenter.
• Midwest Supplies: Featuring a curated collection of Northern Brewer recipe kits, Midwest Supplies offers both Extract Beer Recipe Kits and 1-Gallon Beer Recipe Kits for beginners.

The style of beer will vary depending on the retailer, but some common styles include:

• IPA (India Pale Ale)
• Stout
• Pale Ale
• Amber Ale
• Wheat Beer
• Lager
• Saison
• Pumpkin Ale
• Porter

With a variety of beer recipe kits available, you can explore different styles and find the perfect brew to suit your taste preferences.

Beer brewing ingredients

There are four basic ingredients in beer: malt, hops, yeast, and water. However, there are many other ingredients that can be used to modify the flavour of your brew.

Malt

Malt is made from grains, usually barley, which have been soaked, germinated, and then dried in a process called "malting". This process creates the enzymes necessary to convert the starches in the grains into sugars, which can then be fermented by the yeast. Different types of malt will produce different flavours and colours in your beer.

Hops

Hops are the flowers of the hop plant, *Humulus lupulus*. They are used primarily as a bittering agent to balance the sweetness of the malt, but they also have preservative properties and can add a range of flavours and aromas to your beer, from citrus and pine to floral and earthy.

Yeast

Yeast is a type of fungus that feeds on the sugars in the wort (the sugary liquid extracted from the malt) and produces alcohol and carbon dioxide as by-products. Different types of yeast will produce different flavour profiles in your beer, and they can also affect the level of alcohol content and carbonation.

Water

Water is the main ingredient in beer, making up around 90% of the final product. The type of water used can have a significant impact on the flavour and character of the beer. Different brewing waters have different mineral contents, which can affect the pH and chemical reactions that take place during the brewing process.

Other Ingredients

In addition to the four basic ingredients, many other substances can be used to modify the flavour, aroma, appearance, and mouthfeel of your beer. These include:

• Adjuncts: These are unmalted grains or other starch sources, such as corn, rice, or sugar, that can be used to add additional fermentable sugars to the wort and contribute to the flavour and mouthfeel of the beer.
• Spices and herbs: These can be used to add a wide range of flavours and aromas to your beer, from subtle hints of spice to bold, in-your-face flavours.
• Fruits: Fruits or fruit juices can be added to the beer to introduce new flavours and aromas, as well as additional sugars for fermentation.
• Sugars: In addition to the sugars derived from malt, additional sugars can be added during the brewing process to increase the alcohol content or change the flavour profile of the beer.
• Flavourings: A wide range of flavourings can be added to beer, from vanilla and chocolate to coffee and chilli peppers.

Home brewing video courses

Homebrewing is a fun and rewarding hobby that anyone can do at home. If you're looking to improve your homebrewing skills or just starting out, there are plenty of online video courses that can teach you the basics and beyond.

Homebrewing 101:

Northern Brewer offers a video course that covers everything you need to know to make your first batch of beer. From ingredients and equipment to the brewing process itself, this course will give you the foundation you need to become a successful homebrewer.

Homebrewing 201: Beyond the Basics:

Also offered by Northern Brewer, this course is designed for new and intermediate homebrewers who want to take their beer to the next level. It includes in-depth discussions and demonstrations that will elevate your brewing skills.

Homebrewing 301: Brewing The All-Grain Way:

Another offering from Northern Brewer, this course focuses on all-grain brewing. You'll learn about processes such as mashing, recirculation, lautering, and sparging, giving you the tools to create more complex and flavourful beers.

Level Up All-Grain Brewing Course:

With 29 videos, this course offered by At Home Brewer will teach you about mash pH, water chemistry, yeast health, advanced mashing techniques, and more. It's perfect for both advanced and beginner brewers who want to improve their beer-making skills.

Homebrewing Mastery - Small Batch Edition:

Also offered by At Home Brewer, this course focuses on brewing beer in smaller batches, which is ideal for beginners. You'll learn about the complete beer-making process, including equipment, water chemistry, mashing, boiling, cooling, and more.

Beer Tasting Mastery:

Offered by both At Home Brewer and Homebrew Academy, this course is for those who want to develop their palate and enhance their tasting skills. You'll learn how to identify the subtle flavours in craft beers and pick up on any off-flavours in your home brew.

Beer Judge Certification Program Mastery:

If you're interested in becoming a certified beer judge or just want to deepen your knowledge, this course offered by At Home Brewer will teach you how to evaluate every style of beer, including food pairings and scoring. After completing the course, you'll be ready to take the BJCP exam with confidence.

With these video courses, you'll be well on your way to becoming a master homebrewer, creating delicious beers that you can share and enjoy with friends and family.

Frequently asked questions