Best Kit You Ever Purchased

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
stylus1274

stylus1274

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 16, 2013
Messages
339
Reaction score
64
Location
Tampa
Hello -

I have been all grain brewing for about 3 years now.

But as of late I have been doing extract. The reason being is time. I have 3 kids and I prefer to have as much time with the family as possible.

I know I can dial in my own AG recipes into extract but I'm looking for some quick buy kits.

What is the best kit you've made?

Side question. Has anyone made any of the those Palmer extract kit? AIH has a $20 sale going on.
 
flars said:
I have more than a few best ones that I've brewed. What beer style do you prefer?
Click to expand...

Hmmmm.....IPAs (of course right), Brown ales, Pales, Hefes, reds, ambers, ummm.....how about any beer made lol.

I can't lager so those are out.
 
Brewed these many times. All of these recipes are from Northern Brewer. The recipes are available for downloading.
Chinook IPA - Crisp and light, around 6.04%
Dead Ringer - fuller bodied IPA, around 7.35%
Midnight Beatdown Wheaten Porter - fantastic taste and body. around 6.7%. This is a partial mash recipe. Only 4.5 pounds of grain. I do a BIAB mash in a hot beverage server at the kitchen sink.
American Amber Ale - Crisp without over the top maltiness, around 5.25%.
Petite Saison Dète - light and spicy, around 4.99%
 
I had a bad string of luck starting out last year with NB kit beers. Most of the time, I got bad flavors either from pitching S-05 too low, extract twang, or oxidation. The best kit I tried from them was the Karma Citra session IPA.
 
I am in love with the last few batches I've made from NB.

Dead Ringer, and Sierra Madre have been big hits and 2 of my favorites, my GF's favorite has been the Belgian Tripel. I also just purchased the Kama Citra due to it's great reviews, but haven't tasted it yet
 
For me it's hands down Caribou Slobber Brown Ale from NB. I also like White House Honey Porter. Not a fan of high IBU beers like IPA's.
 
All of the kits I made were very good. Northern Brewer's Irish Red Ale, Patersbier, Extra Pale Ale, and Nut Brown Ale. All 4 brewed in July and August 2011. I have never bought a kit since.....

I do use their website for inspiration then work up my own ingredients and recipe with Beersmith.
 
NB Bourbon Barrel Porter extract is pretty good. Give it time to age, though. I've got one left that just turned 3 years old. Looking for a good reason to open it...
 
philly224 said:
The Pliny the elder clone on more beer is my favorite. It was so good.
Click to expand...

I did the AG of this clone. I really enjoyed it. I may look into the extract version just not sure I want to spend that amount on a kit.
 
Brownalemikie said:
For me it's hands down Caribou Slobber Brown Ale from NB. I also like White House Honey Porter. Not a fan of high IBU beers like IPA's.
Click to expand...


I think I made 5 or 6 extract kits (all NB) prior to going to all grain. Even though my extract experience is somewhat limited, Caribou Slobber stands out as the best kit beer I made.

Another nice beer as a kit was a Hefe...very easy drinking.
 
kh54s10 said:
All of the kits I made were very good. Northern Brewer's Irish Red Ale, Patersbier, Extra Pale Ale, and Nut Brown Ale. All 4 brewed in July and August 2011. I have never bought a kit since.....

I do use their website for inspiration then work up my own ingredients and recipe with Beersmith.
Click to expand...

I used to wonder why they posted the recipe's grain and hop bill for all to see. I'd look at their recipes and get recipe ideas, then put together my recipe similar to theirs. So I thought they were giving something away and I felt I was "poaching" their recipes.

BUT, each time I went to their website, I was exposed to brewing equipment or supplies I needed and ended up buying. So I suppose they figure by giving a little....they gain a lot. My credit card statement will agree.
 
The majority of my extract beers has come from NB. Recently I tried Jasper's Homebrew in Nashua, NH. Their extract kit, ***** on Wheels (ABV of 9), is outstanding. Of the 25+ brews I have done so far, everybody that has tasted it says it is the best by far, Hands down.
 
Morrey said:
I used to wonder why they posted the recipe's grain and hop bill for all to see. I'd look at their recipes and get recipe ideas, then put together my recipe similar to theirs. So I thought they were giving something away and I felt I was "poaching" their recipes.

BUT, each time I went to their website, I was exposed to brewing equipment or supplies I needed and ended up buying. So I suppose they figure by giving a little....they gain a lot. My credit card statement will agree.
Click to expand...

I did the same at first. But since then I have found many other online stores, NB's prices have risen etc. So I find better deals elsewhere almost all the time. I get a list of what I need, use a few online stores, put the items in the cart, then compare prices. NB hasn't won in years.... But I had great experiences when I bought there.
 
kh54s10 said:
I did the same at first. But since then I have found many other online stores, NB's prices have risen etc. So I find better deals elsewhere almost all the time. I get a list of what I need, use a few online stores, put the items in the cart, then compare prices. NB hasn't won in years.... But I had great experiences when I bought there.
Click to expand...

Oh yes, absolutely agree. With some years of brewing experiences under our belts, we have probably scoped out the places with the best deals. Shipping is often a hidden cost, and while an order looks reasonably priced, the real bottom line is when the company adds shipping which can be very high. A good deal may not be such a good deal after all.

Grains are often the biggest offender when shipping costs are added. I have a friend who owns a small commercial brewery and he allows me to jot down a list of the base grains I need which he includes in his shipments. Small amounts of specialty grains present a problem since I'd never use 55# of anything but base malts. Liquid yeast is a second concern since shipping in the warmer months is risky.
 
kh54s10 said:
I did the same at first. But since then I have found many other online stores, NB's prices have risen etc. So I find better deals elsewhere almost all the time. I get a list of what I need, use a few online stores, put the items in the cart, then compare prices. NB hasn't won in years.... But I had great experiences when I bought there.
Click to expand...


I agree. ....and I would add that NB flat rate shipping takes forever until they put the order together and ship. Other online retailers ship very quickly with flat rate shipping.
 
I'm an AG brewer as well, but I've been so busy with work and kids that I just don't have time to do AG brews very often. I've had good luck with Midwest's Liberty Cream Ale extract kit and I had decent luck with Brewer's Best kits if you can find some that haven't been sitting for a long time.

I didn't hear anyone chime in about the Palmer's kits. I noticed they were on sale at AIH for $20 and it peaked my interest as well. Some of them sound pretty good but I'm very wary of buying kits since old extract definitely causes to the "twang" flavor. though AIH has been great to work with in the past so I can't imagine that'd be the case with these. I'd still like to hear of other's experience with these.
 
Last edited:
goodsuds said:
I didn't hear anyone chime in about the Palmer's kits. I noticed they were on sale at AIH for $20 and it peaked my interest as well. Some of them sound pretty good but I'm very wary of buying kits since old extract definitely causes to the "twang" flavor. though AIH has been great to work with in the past so I can't imagine that'd be the case with these. I'd still like to hear of other's experience with these.
Click to expand...

I recently brewed the Beer Simply Beer kits from Midwest and the brown ale has a twang. It was all liquid extract so I sort of expected it. You get way less twang from DME based kits or kits with little LME.

You are right, they are $20 for a reason.
 
Honestly the kit I've probably had the best success (and reviews from peers from) is NB's Nut Brown Ale. I add another pound of light DME and a pound of honey at flameout and it is always a real fan favorite during football season. I use WYeast 1098 with it.
 
I've bought and brewed all of the Midwest Supplies Simply.Beer recipes, some of them multiple times. They worked out fine for me and people I've shared them with thought so as well. I've also bought quite a few recipes from Jaspers Homebrew Supplies, the recipes and their customer support are great too, plus their recipe descriptions are quite humorous!
 
TonyKZ1 said:
I've bought and brewed all of the Midwest Supplies Simply.Beer recipes, some of them multiple times. They worked out fine for me and people I've shared them with thought so as well. I've also bought quite a few recipes from Jaspers Homebrew Supplies, the recipes and their customer support are great too, plus their recipe descriptions are quite humorous!
Click to expand...

I just brewed the Simply Beer Brown Ale from Midwest. It has the extract twang. So not super excited about that. I also bought their cream ale. We will see how that turns out.

The Jim Palmer kits were recently released and I picked up the IPA and Hefe. These kits are interesting because they use the idea of boiling a small portion of the extract with the hops for the full 60 minutes and then adding the remaining extract post-boil and simply stirring it in.
 
The last two summers I've done a Brewers Best Summer Ale kit. As simple as it is, it's usually one of the favorites in the neighborhood.
 
One of the best kits I've ever purchased is Adventures In Homebrewing's take on Kolsch beer. It has the smoothness of a good lager but it's brewed as an ale. It's a good compromise for those brewers who want a lager but lack the means to do the cooler fermentation required for lager yeasts.
 
buckinin said:
I'm a big fan of Amarillo Face (Gumballhead clone) from Great Fermentations. I've made it three or four times. Always has come out great.
Click to expand...

That is a great kit. I'll add two more from Great Fermentations that are excellent - Brain Eater Pale Ale (Zombie Dust clone), and Heady Nugs...not sure if its intended to clone anything but it is delicious. They have good prices too.
 
I just ordered the bohemian pilsner and helles lager Palmer kits from AHS. It may be a few months before I report back. It was like 43 total for both kits and they were extra to my original order so didn't cost more shipping.

Best kits I recall making were Williams brewing California pilsner and their kolsch. Nothing special but both were great and fast!
 

Similar threads

Gytaryst
First Brew in 5 years - I Have Questions
Replies
14
Views
975
Gytaryst
Gytaryst
boolean
Best Beginner Starter Kit?
2 3
Replies
84
Views
4K
redrocker652002
R
M
Cider Kit Shelf Life
Replies
1
Views
359
JohnSand
JohnSand
B
Moving from Primary to Secondary?
Replies
10
Views
613
mac_1103
mac_1103
S
Why didn't anyone ever tell me to buy a grain mill sooner
Replies
38
Views
1K
BrewZer
BrewZer
SSBrew 300

Latest posts

Back
Top