Top 5 Extract kits and who makes them?

[TsunamiMike]

So i am looking for opinions on my next brew, I have done 2 Brewers Best batches and am wondering WHAT else is out there that is amazing and others need to try?

With that being said, list your top 5 extract kits and who makes them........I will sit here and think about having a craft brew while I mash away at my keyboard "attempting" to work today....

 

[Immocles]

Nearly every online brew store has their own line of extract kits. I was gifted a few brewers best ones and I really, really enjoyed the lime cerveza one. That beer was frequently requested from company, actually. Otherwise most of my kit experience came from Northern Brewer. I loved their dead ringer IPA, basic kolsch, basic Irish red ale, and a friend gave me a few bottles of Kama Citra from them as well. All quite tasty, but they tend to be pretty expensive. In a pre pandemic world, they often had regular kit sales along with a free shipping option.

I've also bought a few all grain kits off morebeer because their packaging allowed me to split the kit in half and brew it as its written, and use the other half of ingredients in my own recipes. From those experiences, I would be confident in them having great tasting extract kits as well.

 

[davidabcd]

I don't have a top five since I only ever bought a handful of BB kits (they're very good). I'd imagine there aren't any bad kits from a reputable place but there could be out of date ones.
Since the age of a kit was my only concern I began using the recipes and instructions from either BB or NB and buying my ingredients separately. Where a kit rated overwhelmingly high with customers was how I picked which recipes and instructions to use.

 

[hout17]

I have a top three. Northern Brewer: Caribou Slobber (think Moose Drool), Fresh Squished IPA (just bottled a batch). Austin Home Brew Supply: AHS Oatmeal Stout (will be brewing this again in a couple days).

 

[pc_trott]

I've only done six five-gallon batches, five from Northern Brewers and one from Mainbrew in Portland. The batch from Mainbrew is still bottle conditioning, but while all of the NB brews have been good, their Ace of Spades Black IPA is by far the best. I'm planning to start a second batch of it tomorrow so I don't run out.

 

[Saunassa]

Northern Brewer Hefeweisen but use Munich Classic yeast and not wb-06.
Steve's Brew Shop 15 minute Pale Ale.
Steve's Brew Shop Crooked Creek Cream Ale which is a partial mash.

I have brewed both the Hefeweisen and the pale ale even though I have gone biab.

 

[devilssoninlaw]

Off the top of my head, the few that really stand out for me are NB's Sweet Stout and Cream Ale.

I recently did an Octoberfest from Craft a Brew that turned out awesome, I will definitely brew that one again.

 

[TonyKZ1]

Hmm, don't really have a top 5 recipes. I order 5G Extract recipe kits from Jasper's HomeBrewing Supply, Northern Brewer, Midwest Supplies, Adventures in HomeBrewing, Austin HomeBrew Supply among others. Jasper's recipe descriptions are usually pretty interesting/funny.

 

[Dgallo]

When I was brewing extract I really enjoyed the Brewers Best Kits. Their double ipa kit is great, I would always add 2 oz of Citra to the dryhop.

 

[Carolina_Matt]

The best I've had is Dead Ringer by Northern Brewer. It's supposed to be similar to Bells Two Hearted. After moving to BIAB, I've been replicating their all-grain version every few months and it always turns out great.

They used to have consistent deals (every 2-3 months) where you can get 3 kits for about $22-23 each, but I don't think I've seen that one in a while.

 

[UncleD]

I'd start by picking what style you want to brew. There are a ton of kits out there. I was really impressed by this Porter I brewed around the holidays last year.

https://www.morebeer.com/products/chocolate-hazelnut-porter-jamil-zainasheff-malt-extract-kit.html