Beer Kits | Top Beer Kit Reviews

The Top 5 Beer Making Kits

Beer Kits — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 01:21:01 +0000

If you have been thinking about brewing your own beer there are a few things to consider before you run out and buy a kit. Take a look at the top five brew kits before you pull out your credit card.

#1 Mr. Beer 20629 Brewmaster’s Select Home Beer Making Kit

Mr. Beer has been making brew kits for years but this has become a favorite among ale drinkers, and if you are a beginner this kit is for you. It includes a two gallon fermenting tank and eight 1-liter reusable bottles that come with caps and labels. You will also receive a thermometer, a couple of pint glasses and a sugar measure. It even comes with a t-shirt and baseball cap.

#2 Gold Complete Beer Equipment Kit (K6) with 6 Gallon Glass Carboy

If you have brewing your own beer for awhile now, you might want to take your skills to the next level with the Gold Homebrew kit. Not only does it include the handbook and instructions, but it also comes with a 7.8 gallon fermenting bucket, a rack and fill kit, a bottling spigot, an Emily double lever capper, a three piece airlock, an eight pack C-Brite sanitizer and a bottle brush. This kit will give you value for money and produces an excellent brew that your friends and family will be talking about for quite some time.

#3 Mr. Beer Premium Edition Home Microbrewery System

If you have always wanted to own your own Microbrewery you will be well on your way with Mr. Beer. Once again the leader in beer kits has come up with a great recipe for making tasty micro brews in the privacy of your own home. It comes with a brew kit, PET bottles, a tasty west coast pale ale beer mix, a booster pack, a one step cleanser and the all important guide to help you brew the best home-made beer in town.

#4 Coopers Brewery DIY Beer Kit

Start brewing dark ale that hales from Australia’s only home owned brewery. You will love the rich nutty flavor that comes from this easy to use kit. Everything you need to brew rich dark ale is included. Detailed instructions along with a DVD will give you the secrets to becoming a professional brew meister. You will also get the PET bottles and everything you need to make your first batch.

#5 Superior Home-Brew Beer Making Equipment Kit

Get some strange brew with the superior home-brew kit. Not only do you get a 7.8 fermenting bucket with a great lid, but it also comes with a spigot, a 5 gallon glass carboy and a stopper. You beer will be fresh with the airlock and you can be sure that it will taste great because it also comes complete with a hydrometer and a thermometer.

Beer Making Kit

Beer Kits — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 01:12:34 +0000

Beer is one of the oldest and most enjoyed beverages on the planet, and many are wondering about the possibility for making their own home brew. Beer making is rather simple and involves few steps, but beginners should understand exactly what equipment is needed to perform the operation successfully.

Large Brewing Vessel

A 7- to 10-gallon polyethylene pail will do the job nicely, but brewers should make certain the vessel is food grade. It should also have a very tight-fitting lid and must have an opening at the top through which a fermentation lock can be inserted. These pails can be purchased at an online brew making equipment site or found at home improvement centers.

Bottles And Caps

Remember not to use non-returnable bottles because in most instances they will prove too fragile. Bottles are usually 12- to 16-ounces in volume and are nearly always sold with the appropriate caps. Home brewers will also need a bottle capper; these are usually sold at food supply stores, as are the bottles themselves.

Fermentation Lock For Brewing
This device allows carbon dioxide to escape during the fermentation process. It contains two separate bulbs that are connected to a tube. When inserted into the brewing vessel, the fermentation lock acts much like a sink trap. The carbon dioxide bubbles are allowed to escape, but outside air cannot get in.

Brewing Saccharometer
This simple device tests the sugar content of the fermenting beer. It is used after the malted barley and hops are mixed with boiled water and sugar, even before the brewer’s yeast is added. For beer that is to have an alcohol content of 6 percent, the saccharometer reading at this time should be twice this, or 12 percent. The saccharometer will not give an accurate reading unless it is twirled to release any bubbles that may be clinging to it.

The saccharometer is also used as a measuring tool during fermentation. When the sugar level drops below about 5 percent, the beer is siphoned into a second polyethylene pail.

After a few more weeks the sugar level will fall to about 1 percent, and fermentation is complete.

Saccharometers are usually sold by beer making supply distributors, but can often be found at specialty food stores or restaurant supply outlets.

Thermometer
This should be the immersible type and accurately show temperatures from about 50°F to somewhat above the boiling point of water. These can be purchased at a restaurant supply store or through most beer making supply distributors.

Siphon Hose
The same one used for the home aquarium will do just fine, but make sure that it is long enough for the job. Practicing using water will give beginners a good idea of where to place the pails when the real brewing is done.

Remember that all equipment used in home brewing must be clean and sanitized prior to use to eliminate the possibility of contamination during the fermentation process. All of the above equipment can be acquired for a very modest cost, and can be used repeatedly.

Brew at Home, Make Some Foam

Beer Kits — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 01:09:36 +0000

Make Your Own Beer Kit

Home brewing your own beer has grown in popularity over the last decade. Since the advent of microbreweries, home brewing has become a very enjoyable past time for beer enthusiasts and budding brewmeisters. Before you get to sample that first batch, you need a beer making kit that allows you to begin the home brewing process. Website beerkit.net aims to make this process as easy as opening a bottle of your favorite ale.

Tubs and Hoses

No kit is complete without large, plastic buckets. These are the common #5 size, but they need to be new and clean to prevent the brew and yeast from becoming contaminated. Amazon.com has a full assortment of home brew tubs and buckets. Make sure one of the buckets has a bottom tap built in, so you can drain and sample without opening the top and placing the contents at risk.

A set of brewing hose is needed to help transfer the brew to other tubs and bottles via siphoning. Siphon kits or home brewing are a needed part of the kit.

Capping Machine

To place the beer into the bottles and keep it fresh, the bottles need to be capped. We all know how to open a beer bottle (our favorite part!) but not many know how to cap them. A capping machine places the necessary pressure around the caps to tighten them onto the bottles. You need a large amount of caps as well as the machine.

Before the bottles get filled with the brew, they need to be washed and sterilized, requiring funnels and a special brew bottle-bleach.

Yeast and Flavor Kits

Kits are great but without the “magic ingredients” they are nothing but a collection of hardware. Yeast and flavor kits come in porters, ales, lagers and stouts. You can choose whatever your tastes go to. Amazon.com offers a range of yeast and flavor kits for all tastes. The yeast gets placed into the tub along with water and the flavor kit to percolate and brew, resulting in the tasty, tasty beer!

Tools

You are going to need a hydrometer, thermometer, sanitizer and siphon cane with anti-sediment tip to work the brew during the fermenting process. Beerkit.net puts them all together for yo, or you can select each tool for your specifications. Amazon.com offers individual tools, or puts them all into kits to get you going on the way to brewing in no time at all.

The Benefits of Using a “Brew Your Own Beer” Kit

Beer Kits — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 01:06:41 +0000

For those who love beer, getting into brewing is the ultimate way to take the hobby to the next level. Brewing your own beer may seem as if it might be exceedingly difficult, but the fact is that brewing beer is actually rather easy, not to mention enjoyable. The following are just a few reasons why one might want to use a “brew your own beer” kit to make beer at home.

Brewing Beer is Enjoyable

One of the main reasons to get into brewing beer at home is that the process is actually very enjoyable. The brewing process allows you to completely control the way your beer comes out, giving you the opportunity to use a variety of different malts and hops and adjust their measurements to your liking. Brewing beer is especially enjoyable for those who have an interest in science, making a “brew your own beer” kit a fantastic gift for the science lover in your family.

Brewing Beer Can Save You Money

Many people spend quite a bit of money on beer throughout a given year. Another reason why brewing your own beer can be a very wise move is because you can actually save quite a bit of money in comparison to purchasing commercially made beer. Depending upon the type of beer you brew, it’s often possible to brew a batch for as little as $0.30 per bottle; a far cry from what it costs to purchase beer at the store. In addition, buying bulk ingredients can help you to save even more money, allowing you to drink beer at a fraction of the cost of purchasing it commercially.

Brewing Beer is Educational

The world of beer is made up of a variety of different styles, each of which has its own unique origins. Many people don’t realize that beer is just as deep of a subject as wine, and is more than worth exploring. Brewing your own beer allows you to become intimately connected with the history and origins of craft brewing, making it an extremely educational experience for anyone who is interested in learning more about this magnificent beverage. If you are especially interested in the process of brewing beer, there are a variety of educational resources on the market that can not only help you to become a better brewer, but can be very interesting to read. For more information, consult your local library or do a search online.

Top 10 Beer Kits

Beer Kits — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 20:51:15 +0000

If you’re looking for a holiday gift for a friend, or even something interesting for yourself, why not invest in a beer kit. Beer kits provide you with everything that you’d need to brew your own beer at home. Don’t be fooled into getting cheaply made products or kits that’ll leave you with a sour taste in your mouth, so to make things easier, here’s a list of the top beer kits you can get online.

1. Coopers Brewery DIY Beer Kit
Coopers Brewery Beer Kit is the highest rated beer kit on Amazon. This kit allows you to make 6 gallons of delicious beer right at home without difficulty. The kit comes with all the ingredients you’ll need to start brewing right away, as well as an instructional DVD-ROM and step by step instructions.

2. Mr. Beer Premium Edition Home Microbrewery System
Mr. Beer’s Premium Microbrew System is a great starter kit for anyone interested in homebrewed beer. The kit includes all the necessary ingredients you’ll need to brew 2-1/2 gallons of premium microbrew beer at home. With this kit, there’s no need to buy any equipment or ingredients, and the kit comes complete with instructions and a cleansing cleaner to disinfect and clear the brewing equipment.

3. Mr. Beer Premium Gold Edition Home Brew Kit
Once again Mr. Beer appears on the list with the Gold Edition Home Brew Kit. The kit comes with all the necessary equipment to make Classic American Blonde Ale and Cowboy Golden Lager. With easy to follow instructions and quality ingredients, this kit is great for the beginner or advanced home brewer.

4. Mr. Beer Deluxe Edition Home Microbrewery System
Mr. Beer’s Deluxe Microbrew System is a small step down from the premium microbrew system, but is a great investment for the novice home brewer. This kit can craft 2-1/2 gallons of quality West Coast Pale Ale microbrew.

5. Superior Home Brew Beer Kit
Superior Home Brew Beer Kit has everything you’ll need to begin brewing quality beer at home. This kit is missing a stockpot, which is why it’s lower on the list. But the equipment provided within this kit is of great quality, but for the beginner, this kit is perfect.

6. Starter Home Brewery With Organic India Pale Ale Ingredients
For those interested in organic beer this kit is perfect. This starter kit provides everything you’ll need to brew 5 gallons of organic Pale Ale. This kit also includes “The New Complete Joy of Home Brewing,” by Charlie Papazian, so users have a better understanding of the home brewing process.

7. Mr. Root Beer Home Root Beer Kit
If you’re not interested in alcoholic beverages, this root beer kit is perfect for you. It comes complete with everything you’ll need to brew delicious root beer right inside your home.

8. Gold Complete Beer Equipment Kit (K6) with 6 Gallon Glass Carboy
Monster Brew Home Brewing Supplies brings the Gold Complete Beer Kit with all the equipment you’ll need to start brewing right away. The only downside is that ingredients are sold separately, but the equipment is top notch.

9. Mr Beer 20629 Brewmaster’s Select Home Beer-Making Kit
The Brewmaster’s Kit is a beginner brew set for people who want to start making their own beer at home. This is not a kit for the advanced brew maker, but is best for a novice.

10. Home Brewing Equipment Kit with Brew Beer Making with Carboy
By Midwest Home brewing Supplies the Home Brewing Equitment Kit has all the equipment, plus some more, that you’ll need to start brewing. Although this kit does not have ingredients, the plethora of equipment, as well as the instructional DVD makes this a great investment.