Choosing The Best At Home Beer Brewing Kit

So you’ve decided you’re ready to brew your very first beer. Or maybe you’ve been brewing for a while but are new around here. If you are interested in choosing the best at home beer brewing kit, we’ve got the answer!

At Craft a Brew, our mission is to turn craft beer lovers into craft beer brewers. Every one of our kits is designed to be easy enough for the first time homebrewer, while delivering a finished product that tastes like you’ve been brewing your own beer for years.

Before we dive into the differences between our variety of beer making kits, there are a few things to consider when choosing the best at home beer brewing kit for your needs.

• • Are you looking to brew 1 or 5 gallons of beer at a time?
  • Do you have room for just a small fermenter or a larger fermenter? 
  • Do you need a homebrew fermenter or do you already have your own equipment? 
  • Do you need a complete beer making kit for beginners or are you only looking for beer ingredients? 
  • Are you purchasing for yourself or are you researching beer making gifts?

No matter where you are on your homebrewing journey, we have a beer making kit that’s right for you. We’ll walk you through our variety of beer making kits and how to choose the best home beer brewing kit to jumpstart your new hobby, including our:

If you’ve never brewed your own beer before, you’ll need beer brewing supplies and beer ingredients. Our 1 Gallon Home Beer Brewing Kit includes both & yields about 10 bottles of beer. Available in 20+ different beer styles, the 1 gallon beer making kit comes with just about everything you need to brew and ferment your first gallon of craft beer. Each of these 1 gallon beer brewing kits includes:

• • 1 gallon Glass Carboy – also called a demijohn or just a jug, this is your fermenter. It’s small enough to fit on your kitchen counter & is perfect for small spaces.

• • Funnel – helps you fill your carboy without spilling.

• • Racking Cane – used to transfer your beer without disturbing  sediment that collects during the fermentation process.

• • Rubber Stopper – ensures an airtight seal to keep oxygen out of your carboy.

• • Transfer tubing – used with the racking cane to siphon & transfer your beer.

• • Tubing clamp – starts and stops the flow of beer during transfers.

• • Airlock – a device that keeps oxygen out of your carboy, but lets CO2 – a natural byproduct of beer fermentation – release from the carboy.

• • Thermometer – used on brew day to ensure temperatures are precise. Temperatures on brew day are crucial and must be properly monitored and maintained to ensure the best tasting brew.

• • Guide to Craft Brewing – our comprehensive instructional guide teaches you about the building blocks of beer and the homebrewing process.

• • Sanitizer – our powdered sanitizer is used to prepare your equipment for fermentation.

• • Beer ingredients kit includes dry malt extract, hops, specialty grains, yeast, sanitizer & any applicable special ingredients to brew 1 gallon of craft beer.

There are a few beer brewing supplies that are NOT included in our beer brewing kit, but you may likely already have some of these beer brewing accessories in your own kitchen. Additional beer brewing supplies needed for brew day & beyond include:

• • A large brew kettle or pot – any large stock pot will work as long as you can fill it with as close to 1 gallon of water as possible without it spilling over. It is important to leave some headspace for the boil. Not much of a chef? That’s okay, we have a 2 gallon brew kettle that’s perfect for the new brewer.

• • A large spoon – you’ll need to stir your beer on brew day to properly incorporate your ingredients. You can use a large spoon or you can buy your very own brew paddle like a real brew master!

• • Bottles – bottling is a crucial and necessary step in home craft beer brewing. Bottling your beer is how you will achieve fizzy carbonation and how you will store your beer until you are ready to drink it. Let’s discuss the different types of bottles and techniques for bottling your homebrew.

KITS FOR BOTTLING & CARBONATING YOUR HOMEBREW

Some of the most important beer brewing accessories are plain old bottles and caps. After beer has finished the fermentation process with the ingredients and equipment in our 1 Gallon Home Beer Brewing Kit, it will need to be carbonated. 

Beer will not carbonate in the glass carboy and will need to be bottled to create the perfect fizzy pint. When it is time to bottle your homebrew, we have 2 different beer bottling kits to choose from based on your needs. 

You can also use swing-top style bottles, which don’t require caps or any additional equipment on bottling day.

PRO TIP: Pick up a few packs of Grolsch beer, which contain 4 swing top bottles. Once you’ve enjoyed the beer, save these bottles for carbonating your homebrew!

The Deluxe Bottling Kit

Some of the most important beer brewing accessories are bottles and caps. Our Deluxe Bottling Kit comes with everything you need for a smooth bottling day:

• • Ten 12 oz amber beer bottles – these bottles are designed to withstand the pressure as your homemade beer carbonates inside.

• • 30+ crown bottle caps – these caps are designed to keep an airtight seal and keep your homebrewed beer fresh until you’re ready to crack one open.

• • Handheld capper – this tool clamps the bottle cap into place on your bottles and is compact enough to store in your kitchen drawer.

The Capping Kit

Hold on to your empties! If you’re a craft beer lover, chances are you already have a few (or a lot of) beer bottles at home. Pry-off beer bottles can be sanitized, filled and capped using our Capping Kit. Different from our Deluxe Bottling Kit, our Capping Kit only includes:

• • Your choice of 24 OR 100 crown bottle caps – 24 caps will bottle about two or three 1 gallon batches of beer, while a pack of 100 caps will bottle two 5 gallon batches of beer or about ten 1 gallon batches of beer. 

• • Handheld capper – this tool clamps the bottle cap into place on your bottles and is compact enough to store in your kitchen drawer.

When using our Capping Kit, just be sure that you only use PRY-OFF beer bottles. The threading on twist-off bottles will damage the capper tool and won’t give you an airtight seal.

ALREADY HAVE EQUIPMENT? JUST NEED BEER INGREDIENTS?

THE 1 GALLON BEER RECIPE KIT

Maybe you already have our 1 gallon beer making kit at home or maybe you inherited a friend’s beer brewing supplies and are looking for where to buy beer ingredients.

If you already have fermenting equipment or our 1 Gallon Home Beer Brewing Kit then our 1 Gallon Beer Recipe Kit is perfect for you. According to an old homebrewer superstition, an empty carboy is bad luck. So fill up your fermenter with one of our 20+ different beer styles, including IPAs, stouts, hazy brews & Belgian beers! Each 1 Gallon Beer Recipe Kit includes:

• • Dry Malt Extract – dry malt extract is the foundation of your homebrewed beer. We use dry malted barley extract, which is high-quality and fresh, instead of liquid malt extract. 

• • Hops – each of our beer recipes features a unique blend of hops or features a single hop. Each 1 gallon beer recipe may include a single packet of hops or up to five!

• • Specialty Grains – these give your homebrew its color and flavors. Grains may also help with your beer’s head retention or body. Each beer recipe will include a blend of pre-milled (crushed) grains or may feature a single type of grain.

• • Grain Steeping Bag – grains are steeped in this cheesecloth-like bag (kind of like tea) to extract the character of the grains. This cloth bag keeps the grain husks out of your beer and makes it easy to remove the grains when you’re finished with them.

• • Yeast – each beer recipe kit will feature a unique yeast strain per the style. Yeast is responsible for fermentation. It converts the starches & sugars from grains & malt into alcohol. Yeast also convert sugars into carbonation (CO2) during bottling & can contribute fruity esters, like Hefeweizen yeast’s signature banana & clove flavor.

• • Sanitizer Packet – sanitation is regarded as the most important step of the home craft beer brewing process. Our powdered sanitizer is included in each 1 gallon beer recipe kit & is used to clean your equipment and bottles before they come in contact with beer. You don’t want any bacteria – other than yeast – interacting with your beer or else your batch of brew could be contaminated.

• • Additional special ingredients (per the recipe) – some of our beer recipes include special ingredients, like toasted oak chips, sweet orange peel, Belgian candi sugar, cacao nibs or lactose. If you are interested in learning how to customize your brew with special ingredients, we’d suggest brewing any of the following beer recipes:

• • • Oak Aged IPA Beer Recipe Kit – includes toasted oak chips for barrel aged flavor.

• • • Belgian Abbey Dubbel Beer Recipe Kit – includes Belgian Candi Sugar for increased ABV (“alcohol by volume”) and signature Belgian character.

• • • Chocolate Milk Stout Beer Recipe Kit – includes lactose, or “milk sugar,” and cacao nibs for sweetness & rich body.

• • • Fool’s Gold Golden Stout Beer Recipe Kit – includes whole coffee beans and cacao nibs for sweet & roasty stout flavor.

• • • Gluten Free Ale Beer Recipe Kit – uses specialty gluten free sorghum extract and Belgian Candi Sugar.

• • • O.G. Orange Golden Ale Beer Recipe Kit – includes sweet orange peel for citrus zing.

• • • Sixpoint Resin IIPA Beer Recipe Kit – includes dextrose, or “corn sugar,” to boost ABV.

• • • Funky Buddha Chant IPA Beer Recipe Kit – uses amylase enzyme and dextrose, or “corn sugar,” to reduce the ABV and reduce calories.

A (BIG) BEER MAKING KIT FOR BEGINNERS:

The 5 Gallon Beer Kit 

If you’ve never brewed your own beer before, but are looking to kick things off in a BIG way, our 5 gallon homebrew starter kit is right for you. If you’re currently a 1 gallon beer brewer, but are looking to step up your homebrew game, this 5 gallon brewing kit will take you there.

Our 5 gallon home brew kit yields about 50 bottles of beer. Available in 20+ different beer styles, the 5 gallon beer brewing kit comes with just about everything you need to brew and ferment 5 gallons of craft beer. Each 5 gallon beer making kit includes:

• • The Catalyst Fermentation System – The Catalyst is our proprietary homebrew conical fermenter. A conical fermenter eliminates the need for transfers by funneling all the sediment into a removable mason jar instead. Learn more about the Catalyst Fermentation System and how it streamlines the fermentation process HERE.

• • Capping Kit – with pry-off beer bottles that you collect at home you will bottle your beer with a compact, handheld capper tool and 100 bottle caps. When using this Capping Kit, just be sure that you only use PRY-OFF beer bottles. The threading on twist-off bottles will damage the capper tool and won’t give you an airtight seal.

• • Thermometer – used on brew day to ensure temperatures are precise. Temperatures on brew day are crucial and must be properly monitored and maintained to ensure the best tasting brew.

• • Sanitizer Packet – sanitation is regarded as the most important step of the home craft beer brewing process. Our powdered sanitizer is included in the 5 Gallon Beer Kit & is used to clean your equipment and bottles before they come in contact with beer. You don’t want any bacteria – other than yeast – interacting with your beer or else your batch of brew could be contaminated.

• • Guide to Brewing and Fermenting – our comprehensive & illustrated instructional guide teaches you about the building blocks of beer and the homebrewing process, all while teaching you how to use a conical fermenter.

• • 5 Gallon Beer Recipe Kit of your choice. Each 5 gallon beer recipe kit includes dry malt extract, hops, specialty grains, yeast & any applicable special ingredients to brew 5 gallons of craft beer.

There are a few beer brewing supplies that are NOT included in our 5 gallon homebrew starter kit, but you may likely already have some of these beer brewing accessories in your own kitchen. Additional beer brewing supplies needed for brew day & beyond include:

• • A large brew kettle or pot – you’ll need a pretty big stock pot when brewing a 5 gallon batch of craft beer. We suggest using a pot that will fit at least 2.5 gallons of water with ample headspace to prevent messy boil overs.

• • A large spoon – you’ll need to stir your beer on brew day to properly incorporate your ingredients. You can use a large, long spoon or you can buy your very own brew paddle like a regular brew master!

• • Bottles – bottling is a crucial and necessary step in home craft beer brewing. Your beer will not become fizzy in its own in the Catalyst Fermentation System. Bottling your beer is how you will achieve fizzy carbonation and how you will store your beer until you are ready to drink it. A 5 gallon batch of homebrew will yield roughly fifty 12 oz bottles of beer, so hold on to your empties! Or, ask your local bar or your drinking buddies for pry-off beer bottles. 

ALREADY HAVE EQUIPMENT? JUST NEED BEER INGREDIENTS?

The 5 Gallon Beer Recipe Kit

If you already have The Catalyst conical fermenter or any other 5 gallon fermenter look no further than our 5 Gallon Beer Recipe Kit. A full fermenter is a happy fermenter, so fill it up with one of our 20+ distinct beer styles! Each 5 Gallon Beer Recipe Kit includes:

• • Dry Malt Extract – dry malt extract is the foundation of your homebrewed beer. We use dry malted barley extract, which is high-quality and fresh, instead of liquid malt extract.  

• • Hops – each of our beer recipes features a unique blend of hops or features a single hop. Each 1 gallon beer recipe may include a single packet of hops or up to five!

• • Specialty Grains – specialty grains give your homebrew its color and flavors. Grains may also help with your beer’s head retention or mouthfeel. Each beer recipe will include a blend of pre-milled (crushed) grains or may feature a single type of grain.

• • Grain Steeping Bag – grains are steeped in this cheesecloth-like bag (kind of like tea) to extract the character of the grains. This cloth bag keeps the grain husks out of your beer and makes it easy to remove the grains when you’re finished with them.

• • Yeast – each beer recipe kit will feature a unique yeast strain per the style. Yeast is responsible for fermentation. It converts the starches & sugars from grains & malt into alcohol. Yeast also convert sugars into carbonation (CO2) during bottling & can contribute fruity esters, like Hefeweizen yeast’s signature banana & clove flavor.

• • Additional special ingredients (per the recipe) – some of our beer recipes include special ingredients, like toasted oak chips, sweet orange peel, Belgian candi sugar, cacao nibs or lactose. If you are interested in learning how to customize your brew with special ingredients, we’d suggest brewing any of the following beer recipes:

• • • Oak Aged IPA 5 Gallon Beer Recipe Kit – includes toasted oak chips for barrel aged flavor.

• • • Belgian Abbey 5 Gallon  Dubbel Beer Recipe Kit – includes Belgian Candi Sugar for increased ABV (“alcohol by volume”) and signature Belgian character.

• • • Chocolate Milk Stout  5 Gallon Beer Recipe Kit – includes whole coffee beans and cacao nibs for sweet & roasty stout flavor.

• • • Fool’s Gold Golden Stout 5 Gallon Beer Recipe Kit – includes whole coffee beans and cacao nibs for sweet & roasty stout flavor.

• • • O.G. Orange Golden Ale 5 Gallon Beer Recipe Kit – includes sweet orange peel for citrus zing.

• • • Sixpoint Resin IIPA 5 Gallon  Beer Recipe Kit – includes dextrose, or “corn sugar,” to boost ABV.

• • • Funky Buddha Chant IPA 5 Gallon  Beer Recipe Kit – uses amylase enzyme and dextrose, or “corn sugar,” to reduce the ABV and reduce calories.

Let’s recap:

Whether you’re just getting started or you’re a seasoned homebrewer, we have a beer making kit to help you on your homebrewing journey. Here’s a cheat sheet for choosing the best home brewing kit for your needs:

Best beer kits for brand new brewers:

• • 1 Gallon Home Beer Brewing Kit (includes ingredients, a fermenter & equipment)
  • 5 Gallon Beer Kit (includes ingredients, a fermenter, a Capping Kit & other accessories) 

Best beer kits for brewers who already have a fermenter:

• • 1 Gallon Beer Recipe Kit (ingredients only)
  • 5 Gallon Beer Recipe Kit (ingredients only)

Don’t forget about bottles:

• • Try our all-in-one Deluxe Bottling Kit (includes bottles, a capper & bottle caps)

• • Save your empties & use our Capping Kit (includes a capper & bottle caps)

How many bottles do I need?

• • 1 gallon batch = 10 bottles (included in the Deluxe Bottling Kit)
  • 5 gallon batch = 50 bottles (ask your local bar or drinking buddies)

If you have questions about our kits or need help picking out the best gifts for beer making, shoot us an email at support@craftabrew.com.