Mike and I have now completed and tasted a brew using the Brooklyn Brew Shop Homebrewing Kit.
The Kit includes a 1 gallon fermentation carboy, an airlock and cap, a length of tube and a tube crimper as well as the necessary ingredients for a 1 gallon batch of beer. The instructions are a pdf on their website but not included in the actual box and they list some items that are necessary but not included. These items are fairly common items in most households: 6 quart Stock Pot (a second pot is handy), Fine Mesh Strainer, Funnel, 2 Weeks After Your Brew Day: 10 Empty Non-Twistoff Bottles (Swingtops such as Grolsch work great if you do not have the capper). It also asks for 3 tablespoons of honey for the carbonation stage. In the RyePA instructions it only asks for a strainer, in others it specifies a 10″ strainer. It would be nice if all of the instructions were updated to mention a minimum diameter for the strainer, Mike and I used a smaller one not realizing how much mash would be produced and it got pretty awkward.
That aside this is a solid kit. Every specialty item necessary is included and the instructions are easy to follow. Mike and I were clear on exactly what needed to happen at every step and with the instructions being brief it is easy to be prepared for the next step well ahead.
With everything pre-measured and packaged it is very easy to get through the brewing process and feel reasonably confident that everything is going to come out well. It's a really great way to get into the process of brewing without also having to worry about building a recipe on your first go as well. Mike and I plan to try a few more of the packaged recipes before working on our own recipes.
About steveeh
I am a thorough geek: comics, board games, video games, anime, historical swordplay and beer, I love learning about anything. Beyond that I climb and train in mixed martial arts and run a few triathlons a year to keep the beer belly down. I have earned my Certified Beer Server from the Cicerone program. 2016 marks the beginning of my Home Brewing Adventure.
