Do you love beer? Do you want to make your own at home, but don’t know where to start? Well, look no further!
If you’re an adult who enjoys drinking beer but also wants to diversify your alcohol portfolio, then it’s time to get into home brewing. There are many different kits available on the market that will allow you to brew up weeks or months of batches at a time, and they can be customized for any taste preference. This article will help guide you through the process of making your very own batch. Moreover, We’ve compiled the 10 best home brewing kits so you’ll know which one is best for your needs!
Let’s dive in!
Best Home Brewing Kits for Beer Lovers in 2024
Here are our favorite products:
1. Northern Brewer Essential Brew with Block Party
Why we love it:
- Great brewing kit for starters
- Excellent for its price
- It is an all-in-one kit and comes with everything to get you started
- Comes with a block party amber ale recipe which is a crowd-pleaser
Pros | Cons |
6.5 Gallon Fermenter | Lids for the fermenter might come loose |
Excellent Deal for its price | Fermentation buckets might leak |
2. Northern Brewer 1 Gallon Homebrewing Starter Kit with Recipe
Why we love it:
- Great Kama Citra IPA beer kit
- Comes with everything you need to start brewing your own beer
- The brewmasters at Northern Brewer are available 24/7 to help you with queries
- The recipe is made using the same technique as professional brewers
Pros | Cons |
Highly flavorful | The Glass Jug might leak |
Comes with Fresh Ingredients | Yeast can be bad |
3. Craft A Brew Complete Beer Brewing Starter Kit
Why we love it:
- German-style Hefeweizen beer kit
- Excellent brewing kit for starters
- Each kit is assembled by hand
- It comes with an easy-to-understand instruction manual
Pros | Cons |
Decent hefeweizen kit | The quality of the carboy is not great |
The kit is easy-to-use | The thermometer is not of great quality |
4. Coopers DIY Beer Home Brewing 6 Gallon
Why we love it:
- One of the best brewing kits put together by professional brewers
- Comes with a one-of-a-kind fermenter
- The company itself makes high-quality ingredients for its home brewing kits
- It comes with a lot of extra usable equipment
Pros | Cons |
Can be used for both beginner and advanced brewing | Expensive |
Includes a complete set of accessories | The tap might leak |
5. BrewDemon Craft Beer Kit with Bottles
Why we love it:
- The BrewDemon conical fermenter lets you enjoy beer without the sediment
- The BrewDemon Craft Beer Kit comes with three different beer recipes
- BrewDemon Beer can be brewed in as little as 30 minutes on the stove
- It comes with bottles and the filling valve
Pros | Cons |
Three one-gallon recipes | The lid might leak |
Comes with the bottles | Their shipping is not great |
6. Brooklyn Brew Shop Everyday IPA Beer Making Kit
Why we love it:
- It comes with easy-to-follow video tutorials
- It can be brewed on any kitchen stove
- Comes with a 1 Gallon reusable fermenter
- Makes 1 Gallon of 6.8% Alcohol-by-volume beer
Pros | Cons |
Easily affordable | Special caution needs to be taken with bottles |
All-natural ingredients | The instruction manual might be confusing for starters |
Bonus Products:
We have also listed some bonus products to help you choose from a wider range of choices.
7. Northern Brewer Siphonless 1 Gallon Craft Beer Making Starter Kit
Why we love it:
- Siphonless 1 Gallon Craft Beer Making Kit
- Made up of high-quality ingredients to make you proud of your brew
- Easy to brew because of the Siphonless fermenter
- Comes with easy to follow step by step instructions
Pros | Cons |
Great Quality Beer | Does not come with bottles |
You can pick your style of brewing | It might be confusing for first-time brewers |
8. India Pale Ale Homebrew Beer Kit
Why we love it:
- Easy to brew
- You can brew five gallons of high-quality IPA
- It has an ABV of 5.75% – 6.25%
- A great kit for its price
Pros | Cons |
Amazing taste | You need extra equipment for brewing it |
Easy-to-brew | Fair price-to-performance ratio |
9. American Cream Ale Homebrew Beer Ingredient Kit
Why we love it:
- This is the beer for light drinkers
- It is clean, light, and very easy to brew
- Faint malt notes enrich the flavor to your liking
- This beer can freshen you up any time of the day
Pros | Cons |
Great ale for both beginners and advanced brewers | The yeast might come bad |
A great brew for a hot day | Might be too bitter for some people |
10. Brewer’s Best 5 Gallon Kit
Why we love it:
- A great brewing kit for pros
- The blueberry honey ale is a great choice for any time of the day
- Comes with an easy-to-follow instruction manual
- It has one of the finest flavors and brewers love it
Pros | Cons |
Great for beginners | Does not come with complete equipment |
It tastes dreamy | Hardly any blueberry flavor |
What to look for in a home-brewing kit?
5-gallon kettle
Muslin bag for steeping ingredients
Cleaner:
We cannot stress how important this component is. After boiling, everything that has come in contact with your unfermented beer needs to be washed off. If any stray bacteria make their way into your mixture, it may ruin your whole batch. Getting a cleaner that doesn’t require rinsing with water is the best option. An acid-based liquid sanitizer works the best in our opinion. Some kits may include an ‘oxygen wash’ that works great too. If your kit doesn’t have this wash you still don’t need to worry. You can easily get it yourself!
Long Spoon
You will need to brew your mixture a lot while it is brewing. Any short spoon that you have will risk your hand being burnt. To ensure that you can mix the liquid well without the risk of burning your hand, get a spoon that is AT LEAST 16 inches long. It would be preferable to get one that is 21 inches though. We personally prefer stainless steel spoons due to their ease of convenience. However, plastic will work well too.
Fermenting container
Another important aspect of these kits is a fermenting container which usually comes in the form of a large bucket. After brewing, you add the wort to this container and let it ferment. The most important part of this container is that it should not have oxygen to enter. It aids anaerobic fermentation by restricting this oxygen intake, hence aiding the process of fermentation. It has a tight seal at the top to prevent the escape of unwanted gases and an airlock to allow the entry of some wanted ones.
Airlock:
As we mentioned before, the airlock in all brewing kits is specially made to ensure anaerobic conditions. Normally, oxygen can easily be kept out by sealing the object but we also need the carbon dioxide produced as a by-product to leave. Otherwise, too much carbon dioxide would cause increased pressure in the container, eventually risking a bursting. There are two types of airlocks, namely an S-shaped and a three-piece airlock. Both of these work similarly and are made of high-quality plastic.
Siphon:
A siphon is a piece of equipment that helps you put beer in bottles or the bottling bucket from the fermentor. It is simple and easy to use. Most brewing kits use a design called an auto-siphon that simply draws up liquid using the plunger built into it. If you have ever been in a chemistry lab this is somewhat like a pipette. You simply put it in the beer, pull the plunger, and voila! Make sure to dip the siphon in beer before using the plunger otherwise it may draw up air bubbles.
Another type of siphon is the racking cane. This is a long tube that requires you to suck at one end to draw beer in the other. Then, covering the tube top tightly with a finger, you transfer the bottom to a bottling bucket. You can only let go after you have aimed the beer at the right container. The racking cane is the least convenient of the other options but is somewhat cheaper.
Hydrometer:
This piece of equipment shows you the density of your beer compared with that of water. That may seem like a useless measurement to you. but this is actually how we measure the alcohol content of beer. Ethanol is less dense than water. Therefore, the more ethanol is produced, the lesser the density of the beer. Needless to say, more ethanol means more ABV.
You simply take measurements both at the beginning and end of fermentation. Comparing the values gives you a clear idea of how much sugar has been converted into alcohol and how long you should keep brewing. While a hydrometer is not an absolute necessity, it may be important for people who start to get serious in beer brewing. Your starter kit may not always include a hydrometer. If it doesn’t, we simply suggest getting one since it is extremely useful and fairly inexpensive
Thermometer:
All the processes of making beer at home require quite specific temperatures and therefore, it is absolutely vital to have a thermometer at hand. Stainless steel dial thermometers will allow you to read the temperature easily as they clip to the edge of the kettle. Glass thermometers like glass immersion and glass floating thermometers also work well. However, glass immersion thermometers are the less durable of the two.
How do you clean and care for home brewer kits?
Clearing out the built-up grit and dust off your home brewing machine is an absolute necessity. If you leave it there, eventually, your drinks will start picking off a weird aftertaste that will ruin your whole drinking experience.
The best way to prevent this and get rid of your beer residue is by a brewing-specific cleanser. It will easily wipe off any built-up scum and leave your machine sparkling. It is important to note that the quicker you clean your machine the easier it will be to do so. Always try to use a soft cloth instead of any hard abrasive materials that may leave scratches.
Does brewing my own beer save money?
In short: Yes!
This is after you go through the obstacle of buying your own equipment which will definitely leave a dent in your bank. After this, you will only need the ingredients. Truth be told, you won’t be saving a fortune but you will definitely save half the price per batch.
What else do you need to buy?
Usually, every beginner kit comes with every piece of equipment that you would need to venture into your brewing business. However, sometimes they may not come with certain parts. It is important to read product descriptions and find out what your selected kit does and does not have. Whatever it does not have, you will need to buy. Moreover, you will require raw ingredients for brewing.
Do I need to buy a kegerator?
If you are only planning to brew a gallon or so, you will probably not require a kegerator. Simply package the beer in bottles and store them away! However, if brewing beer has become your passion and you now want to scale up to brewing 5 to 10 gallons multiple times a month, then it is probably the best for you to invest in a kegerator. It quickly gets tiresome to store such large amounts of beer in bottles. In short, if you want to brew a lot and save your time and energy, get a kegerator!
Conclusion
You’ve probably heard of the famous saying, “beer makes everything better.” But what about when you want to make your own beer? You might have thought that that takes some real know-how. We know it can be intimidating for most people. We wanted you to know how simple your life can be using the right products and home brewing kits. This is why we did all the hard work for you by reviewing the best home brewing kits on the market today so that you don’t have to! One thing’s for sure–we’re always here with a helping hand whenever you need it, whether it’s in selecting which kit might suit your needs best or any other questions related to home brewing. So feel free to ask us anything at any time! Let us know which one was your favorite in our comments section below!