best beer kit supplier?

[jgbrown83]

northern brewer, Midwest supply, brewers best, etc?

 

[RM-MN]

Most of us don't have the time or inclination to try all the suppliers. I'd go with one that has fresh malt extract which means high turnover. The Brewers Best Kits I've seen are on a shelf with no indication of their age.

 

[mrgrimm101]

AIH (www.homebrewing.org/Beer-Recipe-Kits_c_135.html) carries lots of different brands of kits. Some of their own as well. Good recipes from what I've heard. I don't brew from kits, so I can't really say HOW good they end up, but the selection looks good.

 

[unionrdr]

I really like the PM ESB kit from Morebeer. Great balance, color & clarity. Midwest has some good kits, depending on what you're looking for with high turnover. Their cascade pale ale was a really good one that even my craft beer drinking son liked a lot. They have clone-style kits as well. You really have to look around the various sites for kits to make the sort of beers you're familiar with and like/might like to try.

 

[GCPHomebrew]

Morebeer

 

[jrcrilly]

For partial extract kits, AIH (mentioned above) offers a very full lineup of their own packages at the best prices I've seen (and the lowest shipping charges to my area). I brewed many of them with good results. Their all-grain kits are also offered in good variety and pricing and have done well for me. The other good source I have found for all-grain recipe kits is Grape and Granary (local to me). Most of my all-grain brews have come from there.

 

[mm1473]

Midwest has the best kits I have used. I have never gotten one I didn't like from them. Their shipping prices are terrible though. I have used Brewers best and they were ok--you just don't know how old the kit is when you get it from a smaller local store. Now that I have gone all-grain I get all my stuff from Austin homebrew but every one of their kits I have tried I hated--actually the last kit if theirs I got I hated so much I just use it for cooking. Love them for everything else though.

 

[DromJohn]

I have bought kits from Austin Homebrew, Maltose Express, Northern Brewer and Xtreme Brewing.
For clones I'd rank Maltose as excellent, AHS and NB as very good and Xtreme as good (and probably better since it was my second brew).
For non-clones: AHS is very good, particularly when trying styles, with NB almost as good.

Caveats: I have not ordered from AHS since they were taken over by AIH. NB waited six days to process my last order, a NB non-clone kit, making me miss my first brew day.

 

[Sammy86]

I have bought kits from Austin Homebrew, Maltose Express, Northern Brewer and Xtreme Brewing.
For clones I'd rank Maltose as excellent, AHS and NB as very good and Xtreme as good (and probably better since it was my second brew).
For non-clones: AHS is very good, particularly when trying styles, with NB almost as good.

Caveats: I have not ordered from AHS since they were taken over by AIH. NB waited six days to process my last order, a NB non-clone kit, making me miss my first brew day.

Maltose Express in CT? If so, I can second that! Their kits are AWESOME! A little on the expensive side for my liking but quality brews and they are my local HBS so big ups to them as well!

 

[Aristotelian]

I just placed an order at morebeer.com. Seem to have similar selection with a lower price point for free shipping. Can't vouch for their kits, but they look comparable to other suppliers. If you have a style you want to brew, I am sure someone here can make a recipe and put together an ingredient list.