I got this kit for my boyfriend for Christmas. Neither of us has experimented with home-brewing before, and I thought this sounded like the perfect kit for starting out.
When I first got the kit, I inspected everything for damaged or missing parts and discovered that the plastic airlock included in the kit was cracked up the side. I immediately emailed the seller and described my problem. Within just a few days, I received not one replacement airlock, but 5! I know airlocks aren’t that expensive, but I didn’t have time to order one from somewhere else, and the seller definitely went above and beyond to meet my needs.
Since we got it, we’ve made our first batch of beer from a recipe in the book (smells amazing!) and are currently making a batch of mead. We bottled the beer a couple weekends ago, and even though we’re new at this, everything went perfectly. The siphoning hose was great for getting the exact amount in the bottles and the bottle capper worked perfectly.
There were only a couple extra tools we had to purchase for this kit to be exactly the way we like it, but you can certainly make a complete batch of beer with what you get in the kit (minus bottles, bottle caps, and ingredients). We purchased a large plastic spoon with a long handle, a large plastic funnel, a mesh hops bag (used as a cloth filter), and a digital scale for measuring the hops.
We plan on making a batch of hard cider next. The possibilities are endless! I highly recommend getting this kit if you’re interested in home-brewing.
EDIT: Since writing this review, we’ve tried our first brew, a brown ale recipe from the back of the instruction booklet. Despite our mistakes (like forgetting to add the maltodextrose), it turned out wonderfully! It tastes a lot like Newcastle Brown Ale but a little less hoppy and bitter (which I prefer!) I was very surprised at how tasty our first homebrew was – I admit; I was expecting a disaster! But it just goes to show how easy home brewing is, even for a newcomer on the scene. I’ll be surprised if we ever buy beer again 🙂 I recommend this kit even more; I promise you won’t regret it!
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This review is from: Gold Complete Beer Equipment Kit (K7) with 5 Gallon Glass Carboy
Everything came intact and as described. The included cleanser was actually a tub instead of only the packets which was a nice surprise (Though I use and would strongly recommend Star-San/Iodophor) The fill wand is spring loaded (better than gravity fill wand) and the airlock is a three piece (which I prefer) and comes with a bung instead of a stopper which is nice and in my opinion more practical and easier to use. The spigot that came with the primary bucket works well and does not leak** Hydrometer is usable. I recommend buying a test tube as I don’t like to set it in the primary. Also the capper is great, has a magnet to lightly hold cap in place and seals without issue.
YOU *WILL* NEED A LARGE POT.
I recommend at least a 5 gallon stainless steel pot with a glass lid. It is more expensive upfront but you will soon replace the cheaper alternatives like ceramic coated and aluminum so you will end up saving money (which can go towards ingredients!! 😀 ). Both of the alternatives will work just fine however again I would suggest spending a little more on stainless w/ glass lid.
Also I would recommend investing in a cheap digital thermometer. Managing your temperature is important and digital thermometers will chime when temps are correct.
Another item that will make brewing easier for you is a large mesh strainer, I like the ones with the sides that slide out it makes straining much easier if you are brewing solo.
I know it seems like there are a lot of “additional” recommendations that I’m listing here and while most of them are purely optional they will make your brewing experience much more enjoyable. For the price this kit is great and comes with just about everything you need assuming you have some basic kitchen items on hand (strainer, large pot, thermometer).
**BE SURE TO INSTALL, FASTEN, AND CHECK SPIGOT FOR LEAKS BEFORE BREWING.
Clear the drilled hole of any burrs/loose plastic *lightly* with a sharp knife. Be sure to place a stopper inside and outside of the spigot (as common sense would dictate) then tighten nut as much as possible with fingers and CHECK TO MAKE SURE SPIGOT IS IN CLOSED POSITION. Then fill bucket with just about an inch of water. Enough that when tipped toward the spigot water will cover the spigot. Check to see if leaking. GRADUALLY tighten nut with channel locks (preferably plastic/rubber channel locks but metal will work fine) until bucket can be filled without leak. Many assume these steps are common sense however after reading through other reviews it seems this procedure needs to be explained in full.
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Basically has everything you need to get started. Minus the ingredients. The instructions are very vague and not very helpful. I think my first batch is ruined but that won’t stop me from trying again! *** After a couple of uses I had to revise my review. The kit itself is still not bad. It does come with (almost) everything you need to get started. I do have to mention the bucket with spigot is garbage. The spigot does not have a good seal and leaks. The first time it happened I just thought I didn’t tighten it right. For the second batch I made sure it was tightened right and it leaked even more. Lost about 36oz of beer on the floor. Not happy!
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Perfect for brewing just about anything!,
When I first got the kit, I inspected everything for damaged or missing parts and discovered that the plastic airlock included in the kit was cracked up the side. I immediately emailed the seller and described my problem. Within just a few days, I received not one replacement airlock, but 5! I know airlocks aren’t that expensive, but I didn’t have time to order one from somewhere else, and the seller definitely went above and beyond to meet my needs.
Since we got it, we’ve made our first batch of beer from a recipe in the book (smells amazing!) and are currently making a batch of mead. We bottled the beer a couple weekends ago, and even though we’re new at this, everything went perfectly. The siphoning hose was great for getting the exact amount in the bottles and the bottle capper worked perfectly.
There were only a couple extra tools we had to purchase for this kit to be exactly the way we like it, but you can certainly make a complete batch of beer with what you get in the kit (minus bottles, bottle caps, and ingredients). We purchased a large plastic spoon with a long handle, a large plastic funnel, a mesh hops bag (used as a cloth filter), and a digital scale for measuring the hops.
We plan on making a batch of hard cider next. The possibilities are endless! I highly recommend getting this kit if you’re interested in home-brewing.
EDIT: Since writing this review, we’ve tried our first brew, a brown ale recipe from the back of the instruction booklet. Despite our mistakes (like forgetting to add the maltodextrose), it turned out wonderfully! It tastes a lot like Newcastle Brown Ale but a little less hoppy and bitter (which I prefer!) I was very surprised at how tasty our first homebrew was – I admit; I was expecting a disaster! But it just goes to show how easy home brewing is, even for a newcomer on the scene. I’ll be surprised if we ever buy beer again 🙂 I recommend this kit even more; I promise you won’t regret it!
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|Great kit for starting out and beyond.,
YOU *WILL* NEED A LARGE POT.
I recommend at least a 5 gallon stainless steel pot with a glass lid. It is more expensive upfront but you will soon replace the cheaper alternatives like ceramic coated and aluminum so you will end up saving money (which can go towards ingredients!! 😀 ). Both of the alternatives will work just fine however again I would suggest spending a little more on stainless w/ glass lid.
Also I would recommend investing in a cheap digital thermometer. Managing your temperature is important and digital thermometers will chime when temps are correct.
Another item that will make brewing easier for you is a large mesh strainer, I like the ones with the sides that slide out it makes straining much easier if you are brewing solo.
I know it seems like there are a lot of “additional” recommendations that I’m listing here and while most of them are purely optional they will make your brewing experience much more enjoyable. For the price this kit is great and comes with just about everything you need assuming you have some basic kitchen items on hand (strainer, large pot, thermometer).
**BE SURE TO INSTALL, FASTEN, AND CHECK SPIGOT FOR LEAKS BEFORE BREWING.
Clear the drilled hole of any burrs/loose plastic *lightly* with a sharp knife. Be sure to place a stopper inside and outside of the spigot (as common sense would dictate) then tighten nut as much as possible with fingers and CHECK TO MAKE SURE SPIGOT IS IN CLOSED POSITION. Then fill bucket with just about an inch of water. Enough that when tipped toward the spigot water will cover the spigot. Check to see if leaking. GRADUALLY tighten nut with channel locks (preferably plastic/rubber channel locks but metal will work fine) until bucket can be filled without leak. Many assume these steps are common sense however after reading through other reviews it seems this procedure needs to be explained in full.
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|Pretty good kit,
*** After a couple of uses I had to revise my review. The kit itself is still not bad. It does come with (almost) everything you need to get started. I do have to mention the bucket with spigot is garbage. The spigot does not have a good seal and leaks. The first time it happened I just thought I didn’t tighten it right. For the second batch I made sure it was tightened right and it leaked even more. Lost about 36oz of beer on the floor. Not happy!
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