spkguitar

4 of 5 | November 15, 2012 at 02:47 PM Almost perfect.

Price: $80.00

Pros: Almost everything you need to start brewing, including first extract kit.

Cons: Missing just a few essential items to really be an "out of the box" brew kit.

Recommended? Yes

This kit isn't really an "out of the box" solution without a brew kettle and thermometer. Many people might already have these items, which might be why they aren't included. I had a thermometer, but I had to borrow a kettle for my first batch, and buy one for my second.

Bottles are not included either, but those are rather fun to collect on your own.

They offer the kettle and enough bottles for the batch as an upgrade for $80, but I think that's a tad expensive and inconvenient. I think it would be a better value as a full package for 1/2 or even 3/4 of that price included with the original kit.

No real complaints about the quality of the hardware itself.

I also opted for the "Up your game" glass carboy secondary fermenter add-on for $34, which was pretty reasonable, but definitely not the best price for one. Just handy to get it all at one place.

The extract kit was easy to brew and came with fairly detailed written instructions, as well as a pictorial instruction sheet.

Overall: a little pricey, but easy and convenient.