Consumers Digest

What is the best home brew starter kit to buy?

I want to buy a home brew kit and start brewing some real ale. Can anyone suggest the best kit to start off with and where I can buy it from. Cheers!

Public Comments

1. Best - - -? ? take a look http://homebrew-supplies.homebrewmart.com/shared/StoreFront/default.asp?CS=hbm&StoreType=BtoC&Count1=336757838&Count2=253898262&CategoryID=2&Target=products.asp
2. I just got one from this place. This is the only way I remember getting there. try this link. Its at the bottom of page. Check it out. I love mine.
3. Any one that has all the needed equipment and ingredients to brew your first beer. Do you have a 6-10 gallon stainless steel or canning pot? This will help reduce your investment capital. A couple of key things top look for include a hydrometer, capper w/ caps, racking tube and tubing, two fermentation tubs/tanks/ either foodgrade plastic or glass. Most kits are well designed. Just google a shop or online store nearest you amd ask you their guidance.
4. I think the beginner kit at www.northernbrewer.com is pretty good.
5. Geordie beer kits available in supermarkets.
6. Boots own label home brew kits are good - available at all but the smallest branches.
7. I don't know that it's the best but I started with Brewers' Best. You can often get good deals on eBay.
8. I wouldnt even worry about a kit, most important thing to find is a 5 or 6 gallon stainless stell pot, and a 5 gallon glass carboy and/or a 5 gallong plastic bucket with room for the little device to let the oxygen out... bsides that just get some tubing and a capper. Also id reccomend splurging and getting the 6 gallon cooking pot, i have a 5 gallon and regret it
9. I get all my stuff in Wilkinson. They have a good range of equipments and kits and are very reasonably priced. I like the Youngs Brew Buddy and Geordie kits for simplicity and economy, and they are a good place to start. Once you get more experienced you could try one of the Woodforde's real ale kits (again from Wilko) which need no added sugar and the taste is superb. Alternatively, you could mash your own, which I do a lot of the time. It's not as difficult as you might think, but does take time. CAMRA publish "Brew Your Own British Real Ale" which I regard as my bible.