Help - Small batch all grain starter kits

The Northern Brewer Plinian Legacy kit is not all-grain, it contains both malt extract syrup and dry malt extract. As far as I can tell, the other kits are all-grain.

I haven't used any of these kits. My personal prejudice (and I admit it is little more than that) is that Brooklyn Brew Shop is not a good way to start out. It is not a proper homebrew store, in the sense of selling ingredients that allow the brewer to design his own beer. Their kits are self-contained and stand-alone. So it's kind of sterile... your first batch is probably similar to what you would get with any other supplier, but then going forward you don't have options to customize and experiment, at least not if you stick to Brooklyn. And that mindset affects their products. They are really selling kits for non-homebrewers, not starter kits for homebrewers. (So they're probably great for, like, gifts for groomsmen at a wedding or something. But not so much for aspiring homebrewers.) All of that said, I know that people have had pretty bad experiences with Midwest/Northern Brewer (which by the way are under common ownership at this point, so it's really the same store in some ways). But at least those are proper homebrew stores. Just make sure the kit really has everything you need (for instance, as we learned a little while ago, the Midwest kit doesn't come with sanitizer, which is pretty appalling). Feel free to follow up with questions about whether a kit is really adequate. If you go with the Midwest kit, add some StarSan to your shopping cart.

Does your boyfriend live in the New York City area? If so, I recommend checking out Bitters & Esters, which is located in Prospect Heights not too far from the Clinton/Washington stop on the C line. (It's also not a terribly long walk from Atlantic.) They have 2.5-gallon kits that are probably doable in an NYC apartment. (I don't think they have 1-gallon kits, but you could essentially assemble your own with the products they sell.) I believe they also teach classes in which customers can brew on the premises, which is a good way to get some hands-on experience without buying any equipment. If that location is doable for your boyfriend, I think it is the best option—a hands-on class will give him a lot of experience, and he may find that a bigger kit makes more sense than a 1-gallon one. By the way, if your boyfriend intends to make it a long-term hobby, getting him a membership to the American Homebrewers Association might be worthwhile as well. I know that Bitters & Esters gives a discount for AHA members. [Just to be clear, I have no affiliation with Bitters & Esters, other than shopping there.]

 

Happy to help. I only mentioned Bitters & Esters because your avatar indicates you are from New York State and you mentioned a small apartment, so I thought your boyfriend might live in NYC. There is no particular reason to go to Bitters & Esters if you live in Syracuse and your boyfriend lives in Boston. It's a good shop, but you'd probably be better off finding a homebrew store in Boston or Syracuse.

You are absolutely right to include How to Brew. It is very helpful to understand what is going on, and that book is the best place to start. Whatever else you do, definitely include that book.

The Midwest Supplies kit includes the following:

• 1 gallon glass jug, cap, and airlock
• thermometer
• mini auto-siphon and tubing
• bottle filler and tubing
• bottle capper and caps
• "brewery cleaner" (by which they mean Easy Clean, which is not a sanitizer)
• 2.5 lbs Rahr 2-row
• 0.25 lbs Briess caramel 20°L
• 0.5 oz US Fuggles hops
• 1.0 oz Cascade hops
• Muntons Ale Yeast
• Muslin Bag

Things that aren't included, but that your boyfriend will want/need, include:

• sanitizer - this is a must-have (StarSan is a good choice, and he won't need very much at first - 8 oz would last for several batches)
• a hydrometer - this is not necessary for the first brew, but will come in handy soon - this one looks good (nice to have the built-in thermometer, plus a wide range of gravities), and you will probably want one of these to go with it
• bottles - but you don't need to buy them, your boyfriend just needs to save some pry-off (as opposed to twist-off) beer bottles, which can be rinsed and de-labeled and then, on bottling day, sanitized prior to use
• a large pot, at least 8 quarts
• a stirring spoon

Hoppy beers aren't my thing, so I don't have much to say about the recipe. I hope other people will weigh in if there are better one-gallon kits out there.

Now, here's one alternative suggestion. What if you got your boyfriend How to Brew, along with a gift certificate to a local (Boston) homebrew store worth the same amount as the price of a 1-gallon kit? (I think he might need a car to get to the homebrew stores easily, so if he doesn't have a car, then maybe consider an online store.) That wouldn't have the immediacy of a kit, but it would give him the flexibility to plan his first brew. How to Brew includes several recipes, and also, once he's read it he will have no problem picking good recipes from sites like this one. That said, I can see the advantage of having a kit that is ready to brew right away. Getting into it quickly is part of the fun of being a new homebrewer. So it's just a suggestion, do whatever makes sense to you.

Anyway, good luck, and feel free to ask any questions that come up along the way.

 

It's not that complicated.
Extract is the best way to break into the sport of home brewing.
In any event ... any of the kits on your list will be just fine.

 

All of those kits would be fine. All grain, extract, both would be good. I'd suggest a 5 gallon kit, but if you are wanting to go small time to get your feet wet, that's fine too

 

I know Midwest had their "platinum kit" on sale for 99 bucks that inclued a kettle as well as a recipe for 5 gallons, with 2 carboys and sanitizer a couple of weeks back. they might still have it up.

 

May I also suggest a local homebrew shop. There is a place called The Homebrew Emporium in Cambridge, which is just a short ride on the "T" from Boston. Very knowledgeable staff, and a large selection of kits. It might help to stop in there and talk to someone!

 

Local is the best choice as it gives you somewhere to ask questions and source (shop in person) ingredients. Almost any beer is a good starter. IPA's will hide some brewing mistakes, probably why they are in the kits mentioned. "How to Brew" by John Palmer is a must, will take the brewer from a basic know nothing about brewing through all grain and is highly recommended.

So, in reality; any of the above kits that include the equipment enumerated by @minderbender will be sufficient. Beware, home brewing is an addiction.

 

5G kits are not the best introduction to home brewing.
Others may disagree but it's true.

 

I don't think you can really go wrong with any of the kits.
I like the idea of starting with a tried and true recipe, and going from there.
Someone above thumbs-downed the Brooklyn kit because of that - I don't see it as a problem.
You buy the kit and you have the equipment, and one set of ingredients. There's nothing at all linking the equipment to the ingredients, so once that first batch is made, then you (your BF) can go to an HB shop (in Boston, I also recommend Homebrew Emporium, outside there are other shops) and buy whatever he wants for an existing recipe found here or elsewhere on line or books or whatever, or design his own.
I did get a Brooklyn kit a ways back as a way to get my feet wet with all-grain without having to build or buy the mash tun first for my preferred 5 - 5.5 gallon batches.
It worked out perfectly, the equipment included was just about everything needed, anything missing can usually be ffound in an average kitchen - of course I was able to raid my existing stuff for anything missing. A 12-quart pot and big colander is all that's really needed.