For many, brewing your own beer is a simple but deeply-satisfying thing to do. Apart from filling you with a sense of accomplishment, it can save you a great deal of money and allow you to, eventually, produce the perfect-tasting beer.
To help you achieve this, many manufacturers have made available beer brewing kits. Including all the tools you need to start brewing, and designed to streamline and facilitate the process, these kits can be incredibly helpful.
This buyer’s guide will go over the features and characteristics of five such products that stand out over the competition. All beer making kits you can buy on Amazon.
Best Beer Brewing Kit in November 2018
| Model | Finished Product | Features | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Northern Brewer Brew Starter Kit(Editor’s Choice) | 5 gallons | Perfect for beginners, complete with foolproof instructions. | Check Price |
| 2. BrewArt Complete Beer Brewing Kit | 2.6 gallons | Fully automated. Contains 2 items (may ship separately) Wi-Fi connected + BrewArt app | Check Price |
| 3. BrewDemon Signature Beer Kit | 2 gallons | Beer in just 14 days! Reusable | Check Price |
| 4. Coopers DIY Beer Home Brewing | 6 gallons | Patented one-step brewing fermenter | Check Price |
| 5. Platinum Pro HomeBrewing Starter Kit | 5 gallon | Works with any of our other extract beer recipe kits for future batches | Check Price |
1. Northern Brewer Brew Starter Kit – Best Beer Making Kit For Beginners
Brewing your own beer is an intriguing and enticing possibility for many. However, for the uninitiated, doing this can seem like a daunting task.
For that reason, products such as the Northern Brewer Brew Starter Kit aim at providing all the items and instructions necessary for an inexperienced brewer to hit the ground running.
Comprised of all the tools necessary to brew beer, and including all the basic ingredients to achieve that goal, this starter kit is the perfect way to start your journey into the wonderful world of beer brewing.
The Feature You Would Appreciate
In addition, it comes with various sealed bags, each containing an important ingredient for beer brewing, including malt, hops and fermenting agents.
As a much-welcome addition, this starter kit also includes a set of products designed for sanitizing and cleaning all the brewing bottles and tools that you will be using when making your own ale.
At this point, it needs to be mentioned that, for a beginner, it can be daunting to see all the different receptacles, tubes and tools that are necessary to brew your own beer.
However, this beer brewing starter kit is as straightforward and practical as they come, characteristics that can help reduce the anxiety that is naturally felt by inexperienced brewers when looking at their first setup.
Much more importantly, however, the Northern Brewer Brew Starter Kit comes with an amazingly-detailed and clear set of instructions. As a result, even the most clueless wannabe-brewers will be able to start producing high-quality beer from the very start.
Final Words
Everything considered, this is, hands down, one of the best beer brewing kits for beginners available on the market. It yields a whopping five gallons of high-quality beer with every process, a factor that will undoubtedly turn the heads of many beer enthusiasts.
Additionally, due to the high quality of the materials used to create its tools, the Northern Brewer Brew Starter Kit is very durable, and it requires a surprisingly-low amount of maintenance in order to continue producing a top-notch beer of various different types and flavors. All in all, this is a product that is very much worth looking into.
- Includes a proprietary Block Party Amber Ale recipe kit.
- Includes basic ingredients.
- Features a clearly-detailed and foolproof instruction set.
- Features a long-lasting and efficient stainless steel brew kettle.
- Includes cleaning/sanitizing kit.
- Does not require using a carboy for secondary fermentation.
- Works with all types of bottles.
- The lid is difficult to pry off the fermenter bucket.
- The bottle capper is difficult to seal and open.
2. BrewArt Complete Beer Brewing Kit – Best Fully-Automated Beer Brewing Kit
At first glance, the BrewArt Complete Beer Brewing Kit may seem like a futuristic appliance or a space travel instrument. However, it is actually an incredibly advanced and fully automated personal brewing system.
Sleek, practical and very streamlined, it allows you to brew beer according to your own personal tastes without having to employ small components and additional tools.
Apart from its main fully-automated brewing tank, this complete BrewArt system includes a temperature-controlled beer dispenser that features a stylish chrome finished beer tap capable of pouring beer smoothly, resulting in a clear body and a rich frothy head.
As if that wasn’t enough, it includes an amazingly-useful kegging pack that party lovers will surely enjoy.
Extra Value. The Product of Tomorrow
Apart from making the process a lot easier, this automation ensures that the ingredients will be cooked to perfection.
At any rate, the entire process can be controlled directly through the product’s own BrewFlo LCD screen display, a useful feature that will also show important information such as temperature.
Even further, the product includes a state-of-the-art smartphone app that allows you to control and monitor your brew remotely, in addition to providing useful push notifications.
Verdict
Taking everything into account, it can be confidently said that the BrewArt Complete Beer Brewing Kit is a very valuable product.
Fully automated and made of high-quality materials, it can help even the most inexperienced brewer get fantastic results.
As a bonus, the kit comes with the pre-blended American Pale Ale BrewPrint, an all-in-one sachet that will help you make your first beer as soon as you take the kit out of the box.
- Fully automated.
- Includes a temperature-controlled beer dispenser.
- LCD display for control.
- Includes smartphone app for wireless control and notifications.
- Heavy.
- Lengthy brewing process.
3. BrewDemon Signature Beer Kit – Best Beer Brewing Kit for Beginners
Despite being incredibly affordable, compact and unassuming, this beer brewing kit has managed to get the attention of consumers and reviewers alike. Largely, this has to do with its straightforwardness and practicality.
Allowing you to produce the very decent amount of two gallons of beer every two weeks, there is no doubt that this kit has a great deal of potential. By combining this factor with its affordability, you have a beer brewing kit that is incredibly valuable.
What Will You Have After Purchase?
A great deal of the buzz regarding this product has to do with its brewing technology. To be more precise, the BrewDemon Signature Beer Kit features the World’s first small batch conical fermenter, allowing users to make their beer like the professionals (except in smaller batches).
While this aspect may not stand out too much to beginner brewers, the professionals know that having a conical fermenter can make a huge difference in the quality of the final product. Apart from improving the final product, this type of fermenter is easier to use and clean than many of its counterparts.
What’s more…
With full disclosure in mind, it needs to be said that the BrewDemon Signature Beer Kit is too small and streamlined to be used for anything other than the occasional brewing of homemade beer. This situation is worsened by the fact that each brewing takes around two weeks to be completed.
Even worse, it is not as durable as other, more expensive beer brewing kits, resulting in a limited yield of the delicious beverage for the investment. However, the high quality of the results it provides, in combination with the simplicity of the overall process, make it a perfectly acceptable starter kit, and a great option for those who want to get their beak wet in the wonderful world of home brewing.
Verdict
All in all, the BrewDemon Signature Beer Kit is a valuable product that is capable of producing a beer of the highest quality, albeit in small batches. Even though its design and engineering are very simple, it has all the things a non-professional brewer could need to experiment with producing their own flavors and styles of beer.
This includes an adjustable spigot, a stick-on temperature gauge, a CO2 vent plug, am 18-inches heat tolerant plastic mixing spoon, a bubbler upgrade, a bottle filler and a hose. As if that was not enough, it also includes bottles, caps and labels, allowing you to officialize your production and get your very own brand of beer.
- Comes with an exclusive 4.6% ABV craft series recipe.
- Conical fermentation system.
- Includes bottles, caps and labels.
- Its instruction manual is not thorough.
4. Coopers DIY Beer Home Brewing – Best Kit For Fast Brewing Beer
Established in 1862, Coopers Brewery Limited is one of the largest and most well-known breweries in the West. Apart from being incredibly successful, the company is renowned due to the high quality of its beer.
In addition, Coopers is the first brewery to create its own brewing kit. Applying the knowledge accumulated by over 150 years of brewing, the company came up with a simplified and streamlined version of the high-tech systems it uses to create its popular product.
Including items such as
- a patented fermenter,
- a hydrometer,
- a bottling valve
- and various reusable oxygen-barrier PET bottles,
this kit has everything you could possibly want in order to brew your own beer. For one, it has all the ingredients you could possibly want in order to make a Coopers-quality brew. Furthermore, it comes with a packeted proprietary brewing yeast that guarantees great results. Bear in mind that Coopers itself selects and processes all the ingredients, guaranteeing great flavor, aroma, body and all-around quality.
What Should You Know Before Buying
Regarding the material quality of this kit, there are some things left to be desired. Compared to other, more expensive products of the same kind, the Coopers DIY Beer Home Brewing seems somewhat flimsy and, even worse, kind of improvised. This is not to say that the kit is lacking in terms of brewing power, or that it’s somehow incomplete. As a matter of fact, it includes a hydrometer, a bottling valve and various reusable oxygen-barrier PET bottles.
However, the materials are mostly plastic, a factor that, in comparison to the high-grade materials that other brewing kits are made of, makes the Coopers DIY Beer Home Brewing seem disposable.
Final Words
At the end of the day, the Coopers DIY Beer Home Brewing is a solid attempt by the Coopers Brewery company to give its most faithful consumers a taste of what it takes to produce a high-quality beer.
Even though it is not as carefully or meticulously constructed as some of the other products on this list, this kit can produce refined, high-quality beer in a quick and efficient manner. At any rate, the company’s patented one-step brewing fermenter makes this kit very much worth looking into as it creates the possibility of producing an exceptionally high-quality beer quickly and affordably.
- Features patented one-step brewing fermenter.
- Includes ingredients collected and processed by Coopers Brewing Limited.
- UV resistant material.
- Shattering resistant material.
- Somewhat flimsy.
- No instructions available.
- Not suitable for continuous brewing.
5. Platinum Pro HomeBrewing Starter Kit – Best for
Even though it’s a home-brewing product, the Platinum Pro HomeBrewing Starter Kit will likely make you feel like a pro every time you use it.
First of all, it includes everything you need in order to make a high-quality product, and then some.
Among the useful extra items it comes with, you have a racking cane, a long-handled stainless spoon, an Oxywash cleanser, an incredibly high-quality bottler capper and several caps.
In terms of material quality, the Platinum Pro HomeBrewing Starter Kit can truly hold its own. Even though its presentation is not as refined and impressive as that of some competitors, the kit is compact, well-curated and streamlined.
What Is The Best Part Of This Brewing Kit?
Without a doubt, the main part of the product is the 6.5-gallon fermentor, a tough and rugged piece that comes with an airlocked lid, ensuring maximum quality and utmost security at all times. Apart from being durable and having a great capacity, this fermentor tank is incredibly proficient at blending and processing the ingredients that you pour into it.
Most of the complaints by customers of this product have to do with the rugged appearance of its instruments. Largely, this has to do with the lack of versatility and efficiency presented by the kit’s main containers. By most accounts, they are uncomfortable to transport, and they are not ergonomic enough to be handled on the fly.
Verdict
Everything considered, however, considering that the main purpose of these containers is to facilitate the processing of the ingredients into the final product, this is not something that would keep most people up at night. Overall, this product is efficient and practical, allowing users to produce their own beer in a speedy and satisfactory manner.
- Large 6.5-gallon fermentor.
- Includes Oxywash cleanser.
- Includes proprietary Front Porch Pale Ale ingredients.
- Easily-scratchable material.
Best Beer Brewing Kit – Buyer’s Guide
What to Consider Before Buying a Beer Brewing Kit
Items Included
Beer brewing kits vary wildly from one to another in terms of content. Of course, there are a few basic items that all beer brewing kits need to have.
At its most basic, a beer brewing kit worth the name should have
- a brewing stock pot with a capacity of at least four gallons,
- a large (around 21 inches) brewing spoon,
- a large fermenting bucket,
- an airlock for the fermenting bucket,
- a thermometer and…
- a siphon with at least five feet of tubing.
Depending on its quality, a brewing kit can also include useful accessories that will help improve the quality of the resulting product. They include items such as a combination bottle filler, a bottling spigot, a hydrometer and even a levered capper. More so, they may include industrial-level tools for kegging the delicious beverage.
Going even further, there are beer brewing kits that include bonus items such as designer bottles, printable labels, unique caps and many other items that will help you enjoy the process of producing (and consuming) your own beer even more.
The best beer brewing kits and starter packs on the market will also include the ingredients necessary to make your own home beer. Put simply, these ingredients are yeast, malt extract and hops. However, some kits may include additional ingredients designed to give the beer special flavors, textures or finishes.
Usability and Practicality
When attempting to make their own homebrew, most people want to avoid excessive complications. Getting too technical can kill the fun of the process, and it does not always ensure a higher quality of beer.
- For that reason, when looking to buy a new beer brewing kit, it is always advisable to take a look at the complexity of the system.
- In addition, it’s always worthwhile to check whether the instructions included with the kit are clearly written and easy to follow.
- Lastly, it is always a good idea to think about the cleaning and sanitation process. Some beer kits are efficient but incredibly difficult to clean. This is a factor that reduces their value as it undermines their durability and overall usability.
Yield
Another factor that it’s important looking into when attempting to buy a beer brewing kit is its yield. The quantities yielded by different kits vary wildly. When considering a particular kit, it is always a good idea to take into account the amount of beer you will use, whether directly or by giving it to other people.
Size
Even though it may seem basic, many people don’t consider the size of a kit before ordering it. Make sure it’s not too large to fit comfortably in your garage, brewing room or wherever you are planning on keeping it. Take into account that most beer brewing kits include at least 3 large receptacles, a few instruments and various tools.
Other Important Factors to Consider
Additional Tools
Depending on the brewing kit you decide to purchase, it may be necessary for you to obtain a few extra items in order to make the brewing process easier, quicker and more effective. For example, a large stirring spoon is a very useful tool that is rarely included in brewing kits.
Other instruments such as a waterproof thermometer or a waterproof hygrometer may be truly useful when the time comes to control that the brewing process is transpiring flawlessly.
The Importance of Sanitizing and Cleaning
It’s incredibly important to ensure that all the parts of your beer brewing kit are perfectly clean before using them. For that reason, many brewing kits come with tools for sanitizing and cleaning, often including a chemical agent that will help remove debris from spots that may be otherwise difficult to reach. However, if a cleaning agent is not included, you may simply use a mixture of water and unscented soap in order to make your own.
It’s also important to know what type of tools to use. You should never employ wire brushes, sponges or pads as they may scratch the surface of the equipment, allowing bacteria to accumulate, which may result in a lower quality of the beer.
Frequently Asked Questions
How difficult is to brew your own beer?
While it’s not the simplest process, beer brewing is not nearly as difficult as most people imagine it to be. As a matter of fact, positive results can be successfully reached on the first try by most people. Additionally, most kits are designed to be easy to operate, and they often include a set of instructions that makes things that much easier. Of course, like any form of cooking, beer brewing is something that requires practice in order to improve its results.
Does homemade brew taste as good as store-bought beer?
Most likely, your first attempts at making homebrew will not taste much like the store-bought beer you are used to. However, practice makes perfect, and the quality of your beer will surely improve as you become better acquainted with the brewing process.
How long is the beer brewing process?
The process of sanitizing, assembling and using a beer brewing kit is actually rather short. However, after the cooking has taken place, it takes at least two weeks for the liquid to ferment, making it ready for bottling.
After that, it takes at least two more weeks for your homemade beer to be ready for drinking. Furthermore, most brewing enthusiasts would recommend waiting for a longer period of time after bottling, with the average waiting time becoming as long as five weeks.
How much does it cost to make your own beer?
The initial cost of making your own beer will vary according to the price of the brewing kit you decide to purchase. After that, the cost will vary according to the ingredients you use to make your brew.
At any rate, however, the price of making your own beer will almost certainly lower than the price of purchasing the same amount of beer from a store.
In Conclusion
After reading this buyer’s guide, you probably have a deeper understanding of what makes a good beer brewing kit. Being durable and incredibly efficient, all the products featured here are valuable and worth looking into. However, only you can choose the perfect one for your own personal needs.
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