I'm thinking about going with
http://http://www.midwestsupplies.com/everything-a-carboy-complete-brewing-package-equipment-kit-2.html this kit any opinions or suggestions for upgrades? I might actually be willing to splurge a little and get
http://http://www.midwestsupplies.com/master-brewers-kit-with-kegging-setup.html this one but again I just want to make sure that its not missing something essential and if it is I want to be sure what so I can order it as well so that my husband has everything he needs to get started the second he unwraps his gift :rockin:
I started with the Northern Brewer kit that was posted in the first reply to your OP. It's a fine kit. You should add an autosiphon if you go that route. I like the two midwest kits you linked to (you need to fix your links to remove the extra http at the beginning) a bit better though, especially the first one. It has pretty much everything, including a beer ingredient kit and some bottles. You'll need more bottles, but the easiest and cheapest way to get those is to save the ones from store bought beer.
The reason I Iike the first kit over the second one with the kegging setup is that bottling is actually fun, at least until you're producing a large quantity of beer on a regular basis. You get to learn about natural carbonation (something you can do with kegs, but most people don't). There is just something truly satisfying about stacking up cases of homebrew.
There are a few other reasons. The kegging setup costs a lot more money. You have to consider whether it is wise to spend that much before you know if he is really going to get serious about brewing. Kegging also adds considerably to the initial complexity of the hobby. There is already so much to learn about brewing without having to deal with kegging. Another thing is that you have to have refrigerator capacity for kegging. Usually this means buying a dedicated mini-refrigerator, full size refrigerator, or chest freezer, to be converted to use as a kegerator. There are several ways you can go when building a kegging setup, and it might be better to let him figure out his preferences before committing to it.
There are also a number of other things most brewers would consider more important than a kegging system when first starting out. Having a brew pot large enough to do either extract brews (maybe 20 quart capacity) or full boils (40 quarts) for a 5 gallon batch is essential. The first kit comes with a 20 quart pot, which is perfect for extract brewing. The minimum entry for full boils is a turkey fryer burner or banjo burner or similar type LP gas burner and stand and a 40 quart pot for outdoor use. That can be acquired later on, and the 20 quart pot that comes with the kit will still be useful around the house.
A copper immersion wort chiller would also likely top most people's list of essential gear before a kegging setup.
Just my .02, if you were willing to spend what the kegging kit would cost, I'd suggest buying the other less expensive bottling kit, add an immersion wort chiller, and put the remainder in a gift certificate that he can use to buy a couple of additional extract brew kits of his choice. That would be a nice gift, in my opinion.
By the way, there are different types of immersion wort chillers. Some are intended to hook up to a kitchen sink, some have garden hose fittings. Be sure to get the appropriate type. If he'll be brewing extract kits in the kitchen, which is what most people do to start, then the type that hooks up to the kitchen sink faucet would be better.
