Getting Started
Ready to make beer from scratch? It was way easier than I expected. You’ll most likely want to start with an extract kit (as opposed to an all grain kit). Extract kits are great because they are quick and easy. I won’t get into the composition of beer, the process, or anything else in this post. It is good to know but a lot of it is learn as you go. So let’s highlight what you will need to get started. There are a bunch of helpful companies out there that can help you take the first step. Links to the kit are all included in their respective section but to make life easy, here are the four I will cover:
Image courtesy of Northerbrewer.com
Northern Brewer: This was my first kit and I have nothing but good things to say about it. Northern Brewer offers a few starter options but mine was their baseline starter kit for $109. The kit comes with a 5 gallon extract recipe. I highly recommend the Block Party Amber Ale, especially if your taste testing audience isn’t crazy about hoppy beers. The starter kit includes:
5 Gallon Stainless Steel Brew Kettle
One Beer Recipe Kit of Your Choice: Block Party Amber Ale, Chinook IPA, or Hank's Hefeweizen
Siphonless 6.5 Gallon Fermenter w/ New Gasketed Lid
Bubbler airlock
Bottling Bucket w/ Spigot Assembly
Testing Equipment - Herculometer® - Triple Scale Hydrometer, test jar and lab thermometer
Spring Tip Bottle Filler
21" Stainless Spoon
Tubing
Cleaner/Sanitizer - Northern Brewer No-Rinse Cleanser
Bottle Brush
Northern Brewer Bottle Capper & Red Caps (60ct.)
FREE Homebrewing 101 Course Included
Printed Step-by-Step Instructions
2. Mr. Beer: Probably the best part of the Mr. Beer starter kit is the fact that you can make 2 gallon batches. While 5 gallons seems to be the standard for most homebrewers, you may not want that much beer right away. Mr. Beer comes with the ingredients, a fermentation/bottling vessel, bottles, and easy to follow instructions. The smaller batch also means you can brew even quicker (30 mins).
Image courtesy of mrbeer.com
3. More Beer: More Beer is a very useful website for homebrewers. Whether it is your first attempt at an extract kit or your hundredth all grain batch, there is plenty you can get from this site. So why not get their homebrew kit? For the low price of of $69.99 it is much cheaper than Norther Brewer however you will need to provide your own kettle and recipe kit, so it probably evens out. The Starter Kit Includes:
Food Grade Plastic Six Gallon Fermenter with spigot, stopper and airlock
Food Grade Bottling Bucket with spigot
Mesh bags for steeping grain and hops on Brew Day
Thermometer for easy temperature management
Hydrometer for making key sugar measurements
Transfer Tubing
Bottling Wand with shut off valve
Sturdy Bottle Capper
50 Bottle Caps
Bottle Cleaning Brush
Star San Sanitizer for true sanitizing
Image courtesy of morebeer.com
4. Brooklyn Brew Shop Beer Making Kit: Like the Mr. Beer kit, the Brooklyn Brew Shop Beer Making Kit is great because of it’s cost, equipment footprint and capacity. The kit makes 1 gallon batches which saves a lot of time between brewing, and bottling. You also have five great recipes to choose from.
Image courtesy of BrooklynBrewShop.com
Feel free to list any good starter kits that I missed in the comments, Happy Brewing!
