Help - should I buy this starter kit?

[barbeerian]

I am getting my boyfriend a starter kit for his birthday, I have a budget of around $300 and I want to get him the best I can. I found this one at More Beer.com:

http://morebeer.com/view_product/15912/102142

too much? Too little? Birthaday is tomorrow so I need to get it ASAP

 

[Arneba28]

This is pretty much the best most comprehensive one you can buy...however if he has never brewed before this much stuff is just alot more then he needs or will know what to do with...look for something around the 70-120$ range. those kits are goods for first time brewers and they are good and have everything he will need to get started.

 

[Moonpile]

If you're pretty sure he's definitely going to get into brewing beer and stick with it, and since it's right around your budget point, this looks like a pretty good kit.

If you're less sure of his commitment level, you could "make do" with a less expensive kit to see if he's really going to stick with it.

 

[web250]

I think it might be a bit of overkill. And that huge pot (8 gallons!) might be tough to use easily on a standard kitchen stove.
You can't go wrong with a simple brewer's best kit for about $70, and then throwing in some add-ons for him: bottles, first ingredient kit, etc.

 

[NWernBrewer]

Unless he's brewed before I would suggest to keep it kind of simple. Get a basic kit - 1 bucket, carboy (or 2 buckets), other misc. (wing-capper, caps, racking cane, hose, bottle filler) and Palmer's How to Brew and a kit for a style that he likes. If he enjoys it, he can add equipment that matches his commitment, style and ability; if he doesn't then you aren't out much.

Or on second hand, get the most complex unit you can and if it overwhelms him - you can ship it to me - I can always use the extra parts

 

[Liquidicem]

I started with a very similar kit. I knew that I would enjoy brewing and would stick with it so it was a very worth while investment for me. If you think that it is a hobby he will stick with I would go for it. If your not sure he will enjoy it I would go with something similar to this kit:http://morebeer.com/view_product/15910/102142

 

[html034]

You should get this one from midwest, and if you want some of the other stuff like immersion chillers, they have package add-ons

That is to say +1 on the go with simpler kit trend of the previous posts

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/products/ProdByID.aspx?ProdID=6874

 

[html034]

Wait forget what i said before, don't buy your boyfriend any kit, if you ever want him to have time and money to do anything with you ever again, because if the brewing bug takes hold, you can say goodbye to that.

 

[DUCCCC]

That's one super kit, and by all means get it if money's no object, and it's going to get used. If your total budget is $300 then get a cheaper kit and a few extract ingredient kits and some bottles to put his brew in.

Check out Austin Homebrew and Northern Brewer as well, as you might save a bit with their flat rate shipping.

 

[farmbrewernw]

+1 on a simpler kit, I started out much much smaller than that. Believe me starting out big on a hobby your not even sure you will like is a big mistake, I should know. That being said I wish someone had bought me a kit like that, it's taken me many years to acquire all that stuff (course I now have way more than that ) I should think that if he is serious about it he would be really happy to get something like that if he's not he may be overwhelmed.

 

[barbeerian]

Thanks for all the advice! I went ahead and bought it, I know there was a lot of warning about it being to extensive, but as far as commitment goes... I think he will stick with it! His family owns a winery, he studied viticulture in school, and he has always said he wants to brew beer for a living or retirement. Also, one of his best friends is way into home brewing, belongs to clubs, the whole bit, so i figure he can help him figure out how to work it all. As far as what I have done to "me and him" time.... at least I'll have plenty of beer to keep me company!

 

[Beerthoven]

You made a good choice.

I started with a kit like that. It made it very easy to go from extract to AG brewing, which was my intention from the beginning.

I've made a few additions since then, but the items I got with the kit get used nearly every brew session.

 

[BierMuncher]

Good choice.

Now get his @ss on here so he can share his brewing stories.

PS - If the brewing thing doesn't work out...that equipment won't last an hour on Craigslist.

Oh yeah... you're officially nominated as girlfriend of the year.

 

[DUCCCC]

You're some girlfriend! I would have sh!t if my wife got me that setup to start with, but with his background it's probably the right choice.

 

[pdxhophead]

You should get this one from midwest, and if you want some of the other stuff like immersion chillers, they have package add-ons

That is to say +1 on the go with simpler kit trend of the previous posts

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/produ...px?ProdID=6874

+1 on the kit fromm Midwest. I started with it and I am still using it. It's the most bang for your buck that I've found and I looked at a lot of different kits before deciding on that one. As everyone has said the $300 kit is overkill for a beginner.