In basic terms, there are two types of home brewing; brewing with malt extract and all grain brewing.  Almost all home brewers start out as extract brewers.  It’s not only easier but you need less equipment so it’s a lot less expensive.  I have only been brewing for a small period of time and I brew with extracts.  In addition to the monetary concerns, I look at it as a great way to perfect the basics and learn the hobby before diving in to all-grain brewing.  For those interested in the nitty gritty details, an extract is basically a syrup that contains all of the starches and flavors from the grain.

My suggestion, if you are looking to get someone a gift who is interested in home brewing, start them out like everyone else starts out, with enough gear to brew beer with malt extracts.   That is what I will focus on in this article.

Not to confuse you, but, within the umbrella of extract home brewing, there are two basic choices.  There are the basic, self-contained extract kits that have the hops and the malt combined into one extract and there are the ones where only the malt is in the extract and the hops are separate.   The first type of kit is the easiest to do and will produce a decent beer.  The second type of kit is a little more work but offers you a lot more flexibility and is easier to grow with than the simpler kits.

I prefer the second type of kit but that’s for the individual to decide.  I am going to give you a few different options that will cover both methods.  They are the best options that I know of for getting someone started.

:: 3 Home Brew Starter Kit Options ::

Mr Beer Homebrew Gift

Mr. Beer Home Brew Kit

Mr. Beer is probably the most well known all-inclusive home brew starter kit.  It’s one of the kits that I mentioned above that have the hops infused in the extract.  Few home brewers that start with Mr. Beer and continue with the hobby will continue to use the Mr. Beer kit but it is a great way to introduce people to the hobby.  You will hear serious hobbyists talk badly about it since you don’t have the flexibility and control that more advanced home brewing gives you.  However, as a new evangelist of this wonderful hobby, I think the Mr. Beer kit is a great introduction to the basics of the hobby, makes a decent beer and is inexpensive.  It’s not a big investment to see if it’s something the gift recipient would want to continue with.

From now thru Christmas, Mr. Beer is offering free shipping on all Pro and Ultimate Kits.  Go to Mr. Beer for more info.

Coopers Home Brew Kit

Coopers Micro Brew Kit

Coopers is another company that puts out a good home brew starter kit.  Their kits come with the malt extract with the hops already added just like Mr. Beer does however, I think the Coopers kit is more flexible than Mr. Beer.  It’s more expensive but I think the added flexibility to grow with the hobby makes it a better buy.  Coopers also sells malt extract without the hops and you can use the gear to make other types of home brew.  You can even get extract kits from other companies and use your Coopers gear to brew it.

Another good selling point is that Coopers is an actual brewery, they make their own beer.  Their home brew kits are a side venture of their own brewery so they certainly know what they are doing.

To check out all of the different home brew kit options that Coopers offers, go to Coopers Home Brew Beer.

Home Brew Starter Kits

Northern Brewer Starter Kits

Northern Brewer is one of many online home brew stores that sell starter kits.  I am using their kit as an example because they are one of my favorite online home brew stores. These kits are equipment only, they usually don’t include the ingredients to make your first batch of beer but you can buy that separately from the same store and include it with your gift.  When I was getting into the hobby, I reviewed all of the options and this is the kit that I went with.  It gave me the most flexibility and will make it much easier for me to grow as a hobbyist.   This equipment allows you to brew 5 gallon batches over and over again.

To read more about what is included in these kits, go to Northern Brewer’s web site.

Please Note: This article is part of our Holiday series highlighting the top 12 gift ideas for beer enthusiasts and homebrewers. Read the original post to get the full list of beer gift ideas.

1. Scott-TheBrewClub Says:
   November 18th, 2009 at 8:10 pm

   Nice writeup. I have a Coopers Kit myself and for starting out I think its fine. I think if you’re going to make home brewing more than a hobby, the kit from Northern Brewer might be the way to go. Main thing is to just do it an have fun though – I think any of these kits would deliver in that regard!

2. Brian Says:
   November 18th, 2009 at 9:13 pm

   Exactly, if you aren’t having fun, don’t do it and whatever kit fits your goals, lifestyle and wallet the best, is the right kit for you. I am enjoying reading your posts on your blog about your experiences with your Coopers kit.