Good start up Brewing Kit?

I love to drink beer but haven't brewed it. I'd like to start. Can anyone recommend a good kit to get going that I wouldn't outgrow if I get deeper into the hobby?

Brewer's Best has a good equipment kit. As for never outgrowing it - Everyone eventually adds to or replaces parts of or all of their kit.

All the beginner kits are pretty much the same. It's the kettle(s) and other equipment that get bigger and better.

I am new too, so take this with a grain of salt, but I got Northern Brewer's essential starter kit because it came with an autosiphon and a beer ingredient kit for 70 bucks. Their deluxe brewing kit is nice, but you probably don't need a secondary right away at least. If you get the deluxe, glass carboys will last forever, you just have to be extremely careful moving full carboys and cleaning them. There are many horror stories of them shattering.

I would (and did) spend that money building a wort chiller and getting a second primary. If you like brewing you're going to want to have more than one beer going at a time. As you go along you can pick up a hydrometer and other smaller things that aren't absolutely essential when brewing extract (your beer's OG should be pretty spot on with the kit's). It would be good to have a quality thermometer though, and another great upgrade would be a dorm fridge with a temp controller for your fermentation.

Definitely agree w/Brewer's Best. I've been using a bunch of their equipment for the last few months, and just recently purchased another fermenter (adding to my collection) to continue with more batches.

Of note: I was fortunate enough to have a laser thermometer in my toolbox downstairs, and I've been using that instead of the provided glass thermometer. I've been at several homebrew stores that do the same thing and use the laser instead. If you can ever get your hands on that, it's very accurate and, best of all, requires no sanitizing.

I'm actually not a fan of the brewer's best stuff, but it's all personal preference. If you want a kit you won't outgrow, start on extract and get Northern Brewer's Deluxe kit, and add a hydrometer and a test vial. It even comes with your first extract recipe kit. You really can't go wrong. If you want to move up to all-grain quickly, get a big pot 8-10gal, and a big mesh bag for BIAB to test the waters.

Kit linked here: http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/...-starter-kits/deluxe-brewing-starter-kit.html

Has anyone tried the Monster Brew kits? Trying to get started home brewing and looking at kits now. Want to get something that can grow but also something that will be good to learn and get started with.

The equipment looks okay but the ingredients that come with the recipe kit aren't great. A cheaper kit from a more prominent supplier would be a better deal. Check out the offerings from Austin Homebrew and Midwest Supplies as well. My money's still on the Northern Brewer kit though.

There is no kit that won't need upgrades eventually. My general recommendations are: get a big pot, I use a 15 gallon keg for 5 gallon batches (no boil over) and can make 10 gallons work.
Get a propane burner, it saves a ton of time. A turkey fryer works good for both a pot and burner.
Plastic buckets are great fermentation vessels, just accept they need to be replaced every year or too. Oh and don't bother with secondaries for a while.
Good luck and welcome.

Just getting started so I'm just getting the parts together right now. Already have a fryer/burner. Plan on making my own immersion chiller.

What should I be looking for in a good startup kit? Glass carboys, secondary fermenters, measuring tools, boilover prevention? Also what should I look for in ingredients? What should I stay away from? I know I know so many questions but my budget is limited and I really want to get something that will work for me for a long time. With room to upgrade without replacing everything. I'm a computer guy so I know all about buying something and before I get it it's obsolete, or the price has dropped.

Glass carboys are okay, but I would count them as a luxury rather than a necessity. I do fine fermenting in bottled water carboys (where I've used the water for brewing that batch). The plastic buckets are good fermentation vessels, as well as good sanitizing vessels.

None of the equipment is going to become obsolete. Some might need to be replaced, but it will be due to wear. You might want to upgrade pieces, like building a sparging apparatus or investing in a real purpose built mash tun, but really a basic kit will be adequate forever.

As for ingredient kits, for your first batch, stick with a strictly extract kit. Munton's canned Nut Brown Ale and Export Stout are nearly bulletproof (be sure to read the instructions under the plastic cap before you walk out of the store), and Brewer's Best kits have detailed, clear instructions. As you brew more, you can invest in kits with steeping grains or partial mash kits, or you can start assembling your own ingredients list. Talk to the owner of your LHBS about what you're going to try and what he might suggest.

I greatly prefer plastic carboys (like better bottles and the generic versions MWS and NB sell) over glass. They achieve the same thing but can't be broken. Scrubbing/scratching just isn't an issue- if you soak with oxy or PBW there's just no need to scrub. That's part of the reason I like the NB kit so well. It should be mentioned, though, that I've gotten away from carboys entirely. Buckets are just so much handier- easy to pull the lid off and dry hop, no need for a thief to check gravity, easier to clean, lighter, cheaper, they come in a wider range of sizes, and most have handles built in! Anyway, I'd want at least:

Bucket fermenter
Bottling bucket with spigot
Hydrometer + Sampling tube
Bottling wand/bottle filler + tubing
Autosiphon + tubing
Capper + Caps
Sanitizer (iodophor or starsan)
Thermometer
Extract recipe kit (I prefer Northern Brewers, and their starter kits come with one!)
s-type airlock and grommet (3 piece is ok, but s-type is better)

Great extras:
autosiphon clip
vinator
5gal secondary carboy (plastic is my personal preference)
Boil kettle (even for extract, go 8+ gallons, otherwise you'll just end up buying another in a month or two)

One thing I have noticed with some of the recipes I've seen are instructions to ferment say for 21 days or so at 68 degrees or something. Are there kits around that you can build something to do that? In florida I would have a tough time doing that any time of the year.

Leons_Bad_Side said:

One thing I have noticed with some of the recipes I've seen are instructions to ferment say for 21 days or so at 68 degrees or something. Are there kits around that you can build something to do that? In florida I would have a tough time doing that any time of the year.

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No kit I know of, the best in my opinion is a ranco or johnson themp controller (northern brewer and more beer both have them) then a small fridge (saw one at home depot on sale this week). That is not a cheep solution but works best.
A tub filled with water and ice is the other popular choice, not as good but helps.
The last option is make beers which have higher fermentation temps. Belgian or English beers can work better at higher temps. Sasion would be great, although not really a beginner beer. Irish stout perhaps?