Beer Starter Kits

Basic Starter Kit

ADVANTAGES:

• Economical
• Simple single-stage fermentations
• Great for experimenting with the hobby

If you're interested in trying your hand at homebrewing, this kit is an affordable introduction to the hobby that starts you off with user-friendly equipment that doesn't take up a lot of space.

The primary fermenter in our Basic Kit is a 6 gallon food-grade plastic bucket with a tight-fitting lid; buckets are easy to fill, clean and carry, and they can be stacked for storage. The main drawbacks to plastic fermenters are that they are not completely airtight and you cannot see inside them, making it harder to monitor fermentation. The Basic Kit does a single-stage fermentation, where the beer is fermented in one vessel and then bottled after minimal aging.

CONTAINS:

• Six gallon fermenting bucket with lid
• Six gallon bottling bucket with spigot
• Fermentation lock
• Siphon tubing
• Bottle filler
• Bottle brush
• AutoSiphon
• Bottle capper
• 144 bottle caps
• Hydrometer
• 8 oz. One-Step Sanitizer
• Complete instructions

NEEDED BUT NOT INCLUDED:

• Ingredients - try one of our beer kits
• A Brew Kettle - any pot 2.5 gallons or greater
• Empty Bottles - 48 to 52 pry-off 12-ounce beer bottles.

#7601

Basic Starter Kit

$73.99 EACH

Glass Starter Kit

ADVANTAGES:

• Glass fermenter: superior to plastic
• Easier to use
• Simple single-stage fermentations
• Highly expandable

Our Glass Starter Kit is perfect for beer enthusiasts who really like to watch. Using a six gallon glass carboy instead of a bucket lets you observe in great detail every phase of your beer's fermentation, at the same time taking a lot of guesswork out of the process. It also has the added benefits of being much more airtight and easier to sanitize than plastic fermenters. Unlike plastic buckets, which should be replaced when they become stained or scratched, glass carboys will last a lifetime (barring mishaps).

In addition to the same siphoning, bottling and cleaning equipment that comes with the Basic Kit, the Glass Kit includes some extra gadgets to effectively ferment beer in a carboy. The Glass Kit is also designed for single-stage fermentations, but one of the best things about this kit is its expandability — just add a five gallon carboy at any time to upgrade to two-stage fermentations.

CONTAINS:

• Six gallon glass carboy
• Six gallon bottling bucket with spigot
• Funnel
• Blowoff hose
• Fermentation lock and bung
• Siphon tubing
• AutoSiphon
• Bottle filler
• Bottle brush
• Carboy brush
• Bottle capper
• 144 bottle caps
• Beer thief
• Thermometer
• Hydrometer
• 8 oz One-Step Sanitizer
• Complete instructions

NEEDED BUT NOT INCLUDED:

• Ingredients - try one of our beer kits
• A Brew Kettle - any pot 2.5 gallons or greater
• Empty Bottles - 48 to 52 pry-off 12-ounce beer bottles.

#7602

Glass Starter Kit

$108.99 EACH

Deluxe Starter Kit

ADVANTAGES:

• Two-stage fermentation means better beer
• More flexibility — make strong beer, lagers, etc.
• All-glass fermenters
• More gadgets to make life easier and beer better
• Expandable — grows with your homebrewery

The big difference with this kit is the two-stage fermentation. The active, or primary, fermentation takes place in a six gallon glass carboy; the young beer is then transferred to a five gallon carboy, where it quietly sits for a few weeks to several months, depending on the beer being brewed. By separating it from the solids in the primary and allowing it time to condition, the finished beer is clearer in appearance and smoother in flavor and aroma. Although many kinds of ale can be successfully brewed using a single-stage system, any beer can be improved by a two-stage fermentation. Some beers, like strong ales and lagers, as well as even stronger beverages like mead, require extended aging that can only be accomplished with a two-stage fermentation.

The Deluxe Kit features more equipment to make brewing easier and more fun: a large test jar makes hydrometer readings more accurate and easier to read, two "Fermometers" stick to your carboys for constant temperature readings, and a laboratory thermometer eliminates imprecision when steeping specialty grains or cooling wort. A sturdy carboy dryer makes for hands-off draining and storage of your fermenters, and we upgrade the capper to the red "Emily" style, which is easier on the wrists and can be converted to cap larger Belgian and Champagne bottles.

CONTAINS:

• Everything in the Glass Kit plus the following:
• Five gallon glass carboy
• 2 x Fermometer
• Extra fermentation lock
• Carboy dryer
• Bottle capper (upgrade to red "Emily" capper)
• Test jar

NEEDED BUT NOT INCLUDED:

• Ingredients - try one of our beer kits
• A Brew Kettle - any pot 2.5 gallons or greater
• Empty Bottles - 48 to 52 pry-off 12-ounce beer bottles.

#7603

Deluxe Starter Kit

$148.99 EACH

Ultimate Starter Kit

ADVANTAGES:

• Five gallon keg system — no more bottling!
• All the stuff from the Deluxe Kit and then some
• Spend more time enjoying your beer
• Bragging rights

The Ultimate Starter Kit has the same gear and advantages of the Deluxe Kit with one tiny little addition — a ready-to-go five gallon keg system with a new keg and CO2 cylinder.

For many homebrewers, a keg system is the ultimate way to package and serve their beer: instead of cleaning, filling, and capping up to fifty bottles for every single batch you brew, just clean, fill and seal one big keg. We've found that, on average, it takes about 20 minutes from sanitizing to cleanup to keg a batch of beer. Even better, by force-carbonating the beer with CO2, you can be enjoying the fruits of your labor after one or two days, versus an average of ten to fourteen days for bottle conditioned beer. What this all really means is that you get to spend less time working and more time appreciating your brewing prowess and acceptimg compliments.

You still get the same fermenting, siphoning, and cleaning equipment as with the Deluxe Kit, but without the bottling equipment... you won't even notice it's gone.

CONTAINS:

• Everything in the Deluxe Kit minus bottling equipment plus the following:
• Five gallon keg system
• Five pound CO2 cylinder

NEEDED BUT NOT INCLUDED:

• Ingredients - try one of our beer kits
• A Brew Kettle - any pot 2.5 gallons or greater

#7604

Ultimate Starter Kit

$399.99 EACH