Christmas gift

Hi.

Hopefully this is possible.
I want to get my son a beginning home brew kit for Xmas. I want it to be simple, so that he can see if he enjoys doing it. I also want it to produce great tasting beer (at least comparable to the more expensive commercial brands).

I would probably get a starter kit and a number of different refills. I have looked at Mr Beer and the Northern Brewer small batch kits.

Can anyone offer opinions about which will produce the better tasting beer?
Also, can these starter kits be used for making hard cider?

Thanks,

Milt

Mr. Beer is a cheaper, slightly easier beginner kit, but the variety and quality the recipe kits is not that good. Personally, I think that the Norther Brewer kit is much more versatile. Many brewers start with Mr. Beer, but I bet the majority of us here still use a kit that is not too much different than a mid-grade Northern Brewer equipment kits.

If I was choosing between the two, I would get him the Northern Brewer kit because of the versatility, and the vast selection of recipes available. His brewing options are nearly limitless with a 5 gallon kit. There are also numerous websites with ingredient kits for 5 gallon batches.

Another, low-cost option for beginners can be found at www.smallbatchhomebrew.com This is a relatively new company, but their kit is extremely affordable. It is a one-gallon kit, and he offers ingredients and pre-packaged recipes on the website. I have tasted one of their recipes at a recent grand opening for a local bottle shop. It was very good beer (a spiced porter, I believe).

Any of these kits could be used to make hard cider, mead, wine, sake, or any other fermented beverage.

Hope that helps.

If you know what type of beer he likes, get that kind.

Thanks for the link Seth.
As far as the Northern Brewer, I was referring to their 1 gallon small batch. If you think their quality is good, I think it would be easier to start that way and then move up to a 5 gallon if he enjoys it.
With this new link, I have 3 options to consider.

Milt

any other opinions?

I would love to help, but I've never used a kit.

My comment was because it took me a few tries to figure out that I didn't actually like to drink a couple of the styles I brewed.

I brewed them right, but just didn't care for them.

Hence, get him a type of beer he likes.

If it was me I would go with one of the small batch kits, that should produce a better product than the Mr Beer with just slightly more work.

DrummerBoySeth said:

Mr. Beer is a cheaper, slightly easier beginner kit, but the variety and quality the recipe kits is not that good. Personally, I think that the Norther Brewer kit is much more versatile. Many brewers start with Mr. Beer, but I bet the majority of us here still use a kit that is not too much different than a mid-grade Northern Brewer equipment kits.

If I was choosing between the two, I would get him the Northern Brewer kit because of the versatility, and the vast selection of recipes available. His brewing options are nearly limitless with a 5 gallon kit. There are also numerous websites with ingredient kits for 5 gallon batches.

Another, low-cost option for beginners can be found at www.smallbatchhomebrew.com This is a relatively new company, but their kit is extremely affordable. It is a one-gallon kit, and he offers ingredients and pre-packaged recipes on the website. I have tasted one of their recipes at a recent grand opening for a local bottle shop. It was very good beer (a spiced porter, I believe).

Any of these kits could be used to make hard cider, mead, wine, sake, or any other fermented beverage.

Hope that helps.

Click to expand...

+1
I would go with the Northern Brewer small batch kit. The kit is basically all you need to jump into brewing with all the components of a good 5 gallon batch kit scaled down. Some of the components you'll continue to use if you scale up and other components can be repurposed or continue to use for test batches.

I'll add that many people have brewed their kits and have been very happy with the beer. Start with something you like to drink. APAs and IPAs are pretty straight forward and easy to brew

I don't necessarily think 1 gallon would necessarily be easier than 5 gallon.

Now I have never done 1 gallon batches, but, the steps are the same I am sure, just a smaller scale. So the downside of the 5 gallon kit is initial cost....versus the cost of 1 gallon kit. (Only a $30 difference between the 1- gallon starter kit and the $80 essential kit).

You will also need a brew pot...which can of course be smaller for the 1 gallon kit.....but...if he wants to step up to 5 gallon he will need much bigger pot.

The upside to 5 gallon is...well...more beer

Actually I am making an assumption here on this....and the 1 gallon brewers can chime in and correct me if I am wrong...but it seems to me that your brewing skill may need to be a bit more refined on 1 gallon batches because mistakes tend to have more effect (amplified) on smaller batch? If this is true, since he is a beginner, he may be better off with larger 5 gallon brews to start. Again, conjecture on my part.

Also, not sure how you bottle from the 1 gallon jug....1 gallon brewers little help here.....do you bottle right from jug??? Will he need a bottling bucket per se?

If spending a little extra money is not an issue and if he has the room to do it.....i.e. garage, patio, and he loves beer....I would go for the 5 gallon Kit.

Please be sure to ask follow up questions once you decide.....so you can make sure you have everything covered so he can brew Xmas day!!!!

Thanks everyone. I think I'll go with the Northern Brewer Small Batch Kit and get him a 2 or 3 gallon stainless steel stock pot and a couple extra recipe kits and some bottles. Money is not the issue. I think the smaller kit is less intimidating for someone who has never done it before.
With a 1 gallon kit, he can give a shot right away. With a 5 gallon kit, he would probably plan it for a party, bury it some place and maybe forget about it.
If he enjoys it, I'll get him a bigger set-up for his birthday.

***bottles filled with a bottle filler and mini auto-siphon and tubing.

Two items which are relatively inexpensive but really helpful - and can be carried directly to larger batches; Thermometer, and hydrometer.

Anyone care to recommend a Thermometer and Hydrometer?

Thanks

The gear for a 5 gallon batch is going to be pretty much the same as a small batch kit except the bucket and pot will be bigger. The gear won't need to be be replaced if he decides to stick with it.

I will add that none of the kits come with sanitizer. They come with a cleaner, but not a sanitizer.
Using a good sanitizer is one of the big keys to making good beer and not having issues like off flavor.
Order some Sanstar when you get any kit for him.

Starsan sanitizer (small bottle will be fine...it goes a long way), a basic hydrometer (probably $10 or so for hydrometor).

I use a digital thermometer .....seems to be more accurate and consistent than the dial types...and responds quicker.....it is just a $10-$15 cooking/food one for checking internal meat temps.

I would recommend AGAINST a glass thermometer.....too easy to break and you dont want mercury in your beer.

unionrdr said:

A 1 gallon batch takes the same amount of time & work as a 5 gallon batch. % gallons makes about 2 cases of good beer. 1 gallon about 12/12oz bottles. Not at all a good return on invested time. http://www.midwestsupplies.com/ has a basic brewing kit for $65,with options that can be added to the order. There kits & ingredients are fresh & good quality. They also have Fed-Ex home delivery which always comes very quickly & in good condition for me.

Click to expand...

Union, this is the stuff that really ticks off us one gallon brewers. Homebrewing is work? What? I think one gallon brewing is great because you can get tons of variety and brew every week if you'd like. If you consider homebrewing work, then you may need a new hobby.

OP, I use a six quart stock pot I already owned to brew 5 L (1.3 gallon) batches. A equipment kit is the way to go, I use an old vinegar jug as a fermenter and roughneck it, but each to his own. Your son will love it! I'd do recommend the smallbatchbrewing recipe kits

bellmtbbq said:

Union, this is the stuff that really ticks off us one gallon brewers. Homebrewing is work? What? I think one gallon brewing is great because you can get tons of variety and brew every week if you'd like. If you consider homebrewing work, then you may need a new hobby.

OP, I use a six quart stock pot I already owned to brew 5 L (1.3 gallon) batches. A equipment kit is the way to go, I use an old vinegar jug as a fermenter and roughneck it, but each to his own. Your son will love it! I'd do recommend the smallbatchbrewing recipe kits

Click to expand...

You're too thin skinned! No one is against you micro batch brewers. To each their own and why would anyone care if you brew a gallon or 50 gallons at a time?

"Work" is what you do when you are making beer. Enjoyable work is work. When I work on one of my older cars I'm working, even though it's work I want to do and enjoy.
The point is that it takes pretty close to brew a very small batch as it does a typical small batch of 5 gallons. Fermenting takes the same amount of time also. Clean up doesn't save much time. Bottling is one place where the batch size makes a huge difference in work though!

For the purposes of this thread, the OP was obviously thinking his son would prefer several gallon batches to one five gallon batch. I love making five gallon batches but a nice one gallon setup to get your feet wet is a nice present. I would also invest in a book for him. Specifically "How to Brew" by Palmer. It will provide the know how and the reasons why which can be a big help when starting out.

I'm not getting butt hurt about it, just we've gotten a lot of people writing on the one gallon thread that it's not worth the effort. The OP specifically asked for one gallon kits, not five. Union, I didn't mean to insult you and I wasn't doubting your work ethic at all. Don't know where you got that from

I got "The Complete Joy of Homebrewing" as a gift and it is possibly the most beneficial piece of "equipment" I have. A good how to book on Homebrewing will explain not only techniques, but the processes going on in the beer. A good base of knowledge is a great tool for any homebrewer

Also reading about all the awesome recipes and the great beers I was about to make got me really excited to brew

DrummerBoySeth said:

Another, low-cost option for beginners can be found at www.smallbatchhomebrew.com This is a relatively new company, but their kit is extremely affordable. It is a one-gallon kit, and he offers ingredients and pre-packaged recipes on the website. I have tasted one of their recipes at a recent grand opening for a local bottle shop. It was very good beer (a spiced porter, I believe).

Click to expand...

I will second this, I bought their kit for my first batch and made an IPA and it was great!!!
The only problem with it is it only makes 12 beers, and if the beer is really good than it is gone real quick.

I think a 5 gallon kit is the way to go personally.

I picked up this kit for my daughter
http://www.homebrewers.com/product/SK500/2-Gallon-Beer-Making-Kit-with-Ingredients.html

She likes the ability to do small batches of just what she likes & if she wants to a 5 gallon one, she come over & helps me.

It also works really well, as we can split a 5 gallon batch (I've got some 3 gal BetterBottles)
And it's easy to break a standard recipie down to size

If I want to experiment and make a small batch of beer that I don't like as much as my IPA's I'll use my small batch kit, otherwise I'll stick to 5gal from now on.

I brew only one gallon batches, and I can tell you from experience don't get a pot less than 3 gallons.

I use a two gallon pot, and get within an eyelash of boil over nearly every time, and have to be incredibly careful.