We have all been there. Someone special’s birthday is just around the corner and our minds go blank when considering a gift. Well, here’s a great gift idea that’s easy on the wallet and always results in a very happy ending, a home brew kit.
Brewing your own beer at home is not a new concept. People have been brewing beer for as long as the United States has been a country, and in the 1970s, President Jimmy Carter legalized home brewing. US federal law states that a person can brew up to 100 gallons of their own beer in a year, as long as it is used solely for personal consumption.
Like anything else, finding the right home brew kit can be a bit of a challenge. There are so many variations online these days that it can be quite confusing. However, if you keep in mind that you don’t have to overpay for a homebrew kit, you’ll quickly find the right kit at the right price. Home brew kits are a lot like cars. You can always buy the fanciest model, but be prepared to pay a premium for it. For beginners, buying an expensive home brew kit with all the bells and whistles could be a huge waste of effort and money. His first car wasn’t a Ferrari, so his first DIY kit doesn’t have to be top of the line, either. An old Ford will get you from point A to point B just as well as a new Ferrari will. The old Ford has a set of tires, wheels, an engine, and a steering wheel. So, just keep in mind that a beginner home brew kit will produce the exact same beer as one of those expensive fancy kits, only costing about half the price. Below, we’ve put together a quick list of must-have gear when it comes to home brew kits, so here they are;
1. Food-grade buckets, at least two, one with a tight-fitting lid!
(make sure the pails are food grade HDPE)
2. Airlock
(a device that keeps oxygen out but allows CO2 to escape)
3. Thermometer
(without a thermometer, you won’t be able to control the temperature of the wort)
4. Siphon system
(an auto siphon or siphon syringe will work)
5. Hydrometer
(you will need this to test the gravity of your wort)
6. Test jars
(you will need it along with your hydrometer)
7. Racking Stick
(used to siphon your wort between buckets)
8. Disinfectant
(an important step in home brewing)
9. Muslin or cheesecloth bags
(removes hop strain and other particles)
That is all! Believe it or not, with this basic kit you can easily brew beer in your kitchen. Now there are a couple of other items you’ll need to consider, but they aren’t typically sold with a home brew kit. Those items are;
1. A pot or kettle with a capacity of 3 to 8 gallons
(a 5 gallon batch is the standard, so an 8 gallon pot is required)
2. A kit of ingredients
(sold by the same retailers, this is your recipe)
3. Beer bottles.
(12 oz or 22 oz sizes, you will need 48 12 oz bottles for 5 gallons of beer)
The above auxiliary equipment is not expensive. It is usually purchased from your local brewery as bottles are expensive to ship and it is always possible for them to break during shipping.
Now, should you buy your home brew kit from your local brewery? Well, in short, the answer is “shop around first”. Local breweries charge a premium for their homebrew kits simply because they have a lot of overhead. We’ve never seen a homebrew kit at a local brewery that was actually a good deal. In fact, most kits sold at breweries are overpriced. Again, there is nothing wrong with expensive kits, breweries have to pay rent.
There are several sites online that sell prep kits at great prices. One that comes to mind is TheAmericanHomeBrewer.com, another is NorthernBrewer.com. Unfortunately, Northern Brewer doesn’t sell brew kits in all the different sizes, while with The American Home Brewer you can choose a brew kit in 1¼ gallon, 2½ gallon and 5 gallon sizes. Northern Brewer, because it is such a large company, offers a larger selection of ingredient kits or recipe kits; however, for first-time brewers, this can be confusing. The American Home Brewer offers around 20 to 25 different recipe kits and that’s all you’ll need to get started. At Northern Brewer you will find over 70 recipe kits.
We’ve compared prices from most major online retailers including Midwest, Northern Brewer, Bruhaus, Williams Brewing, E Krauss, and The American Home Brewer. After careful research, we can safely tell you that the best coffee brewing kits are on The American Home Brewer website. This is an honest opinion that has resulted from many hours of research. We don’t work with or for The American Home Brewer, but we buy from them quite frequently.
So there you have it. The next time you’re looking for a special gift and are out of ideas, consider a home brew kit. It’s a fantastic gift idea for under $100 and you’ll definitely be the most appreciated giver at the party!