Best Home Brew Kit 2024 – EVERYTHING Included – Full Systems Only!
Starting home brewing your own beer from scratch with a home brew kit has never been more exciting or easier. Gone are the days of the sorry plastic bucket from Wilko (RIP).
You won’t need to assemble a bunch of expensive gear, either.
Today’s starter home brew kits contain all the essential equipment you need, not just the malt extract and other beer ingredients.
I’ve tried many kits over the years…
Back in the day, you had to make do with a big (food-grade) plastic bucket and lid.
(yep, from Wilko)
The good news is modern beer kits are much more innovative, inspiring and fun.
My 3 Absolute Best, Full System, Home Brew Kits
Welcome to THE list of my personal favourite home brew kits for brewers starting from scratch.
Not only do these home brew kits contain absolutely everything you need to brew, except for good clean water, all of them are enormous fun.
Each kit offers a unique brewing experience. I own and continue to use all 3, but you will hugely enjoy brewing your first beer with any of them.
Oh, and “from scratch” means exactly that:
you won’t need to buy any additional equipment with these home brew kits:
The Pinter 3
The Pinter beer kit is now in its third incarnation, and they have finally gotten everything right.
They tell me the Pinter 2 was a vast improvement over the original Pinter (I got on board at that second edition), but I still had serious issues with the tap.
Also, your beer would go flat if you didn’t drink all 10 pints in the first three days.
Not Anymore…
The good people at Pinter have finally cracked it with their so-called Active Pour Tap, which gives you a proper, controlled pour right down to the last pint.
There’s no bottling or transferring necessary with this beer kit.
Thanks to the unique “brew dock”, you pull pints directly from the fermenting vessel, which parks neatly in your fridge or looks proper natty on a makeshift bar, as I did in my shed
It’s actually a really fun pour.
Your mates will all want to have a go!
Pros
- Reliable results
- Beer tastes great
- Fun and easy to use
- Adjustable carbonation
- Lighter than the Pinter 2
- You can actually fit it in a fridge
Cons
The downside to all this sleekness and ease is that the Pinter only makes 10 pints, and they are not the cheapest.
Another issue is that, although you can fit it in your fridge, be warned: your wife will find it. Joking aside, it’s not massive until you see it in the fridge.
If the Pinter 3 is your first beer brewing experience, it will likely be an utter joy.
Read my full review.
Brewery In A Box
The “Brewery In A Box” beer kit is an incredible innovation from a couple of self-styled “Brew Bros” from my favourite county (Dorset), and it’s for those who want a taste of the full brewing process from scratch!
You’ll need access to a stove, a couple of large saucepans and some additional equipment you will likely have to hand, like a funnel and a big spoon.
(btw, you will need a couple of large bags of ice!)
The instructions are more involved than the Pinter, but that is the whole point!
Do You Want To Be
A Brew Master
Or Not?
As you malt your own mash (you expert you), your kitchen will be filled with that unmistakable brewery-y aroma in no time.
The kit includes all the ingredients for each step – grain, hops, yeast, dextrose, etc.
It’s amazing that you can:
- malt and sparge your own mash
- cold crash your own wort
- and brew!
…all in your kitchen, and it’s thanks to this brilliant kit.
Well done, Brew Bros!
Massive fun.
Pros
Provides an authentic brewing experience – no other home brew kit even comes close!
Cons
It’s a faff – time-consuming – and you need to prep and plan.
Youngs Micro Brewery Complete Beer Kit
The Youngs Micro Brewery is a step up from the classic plastic bucket beer kit offering.
It does come with a fermenting vessel, but it also arrives with a separate pressurisable beer barrel, which is great for propping on a makeshift bar for folks to help themselves without having to tip it over, chasing the last couple of pints.
The kit comes with a hydrometer and thermometer and even includes the CO2 cartridges and converter you’ll need for the barrel. It really does have everything you need except good, clean water and glasses, and you’ll need plenty of both!
This beer kit brews a massive 40 pints!
The range is available in Pale Ale, India Pale Ale (IPA), and Amber Ale variations, but you can use this kit with almost any ingredient kit, from budget-friendly to premium kits.
This home brew kit is super reliable and has stood the test of time, but also has a magic USP over other home brew kits: You will LOVE serving beer with the CO2 attached, actively pumping out the pints to the last drop.
“Sorry, gentlemen, I just need to change the barrel.”
You are such a pro!
Pros
- Huge volume of beer – 40 pints
- Enormous choice of ingredient packs
- CO2-powered pour
Cons
- Some would say, not very exciting to brew
- Bulky – storage can be an issue
Cheap beer or premium beer?
The choice is yours, but either way, it will be coming out of your ears!
Summary
There are many more beer kits out there, but most require an ingredients kit as a separate purchase. I have deliberately limited myself to beer kits that include everything you’ll need except good clean water and drinking glasses.
If you are starting from scratch, one of the kits on this page will do for you.
But which one?
Check out my handy buyer’s guide…
Buyers Guide
There are many factors to consider when purchasing an all-in-one home brew beer kit to get the best out of it and enjoy your chosen brewing path!
Batch size
I mean, how much beer is enough? The Pinter 3 is an awesome unit, but it only makes 10 pints at a time (that’s why I have two – one for drinking while the other brews). If you need more, the Youngs Micro Brewery Complete is perfect for a larger party, brewing 40 pints at a time.
Ease Of Use
The Pinter 3 wins hands down here. One vessel, follow the instructions, and 5-to-7 days later – BOOM – you’re pulling your own pints. The Brewery in a Box is the most involved, but some argue it’s the most satisfying, as you really are brewing from scratch.
Beer Styles
With the Pinter 3 and Brewery In A Box, you are limited to the recipes and ingredient kits they offer. However, with the Youngs kit, you can use any one of a thousand different ingredient kits. The Brewery in a Box is a kind of jumping-off point into the whole world of beer brewing, so you could probably use it to experiment before splashing out on an expensive programmable semi-pro beer kettle.
Brewing Time
Exactly how desperate are you? The Pinter 3 is amazing; some of their beer kits are ready in 5 days. The Brewery In A Box is the most authentic brewing experience and takes around a month. With the Young’s beer kit, pretty much the longer you leave it, the better – if you can wait two months, great, but I’ve found it’s perfectly drinkable much sooner. Check the instructions in the ingredients kit.
Which Of My Kids
Do I Like Best !?
FAQ
Q1: Is there any equipment I should take special care of?
A1: Your hydrometer. I’ve broken so many of these and finally learned my lesson. It’s made of glass and is very delicate. If your kit had one, it probably came in a plastic sheath. Make sure you store it safely in there when your hydrometer is not in use.
Q2: Please Don’t Tell Anyone, But I don’t know anything about Beer!
A2: Technically, that’s not a question, but I’m so glad you asked, because as luck would have it, I have written a post addressing your heartfelt cry
Q3: I’m a complete beginner. What mistakes am I likely to make?
A3: The biggest mistake you are likely to make is not sterilising your equipment correctly. It is no good to proudly sterilise your fermenting vessel and then stirring your fermentate with a dirty spoon, for example. Do pay special attention at this stage.
Q4 Now that Wilkos has gone The Journey, do you think my old fermenting bin will become a collectors piece?
A4: Not even on Bargain Hunt.
Q5: Which kit is your favourite?
A5: Oh, come on, you can’t ask me that! You might as well ask which of my kids I like best?
OK…
- The Pinter 3 is just too cool for school and I love that it fits in the fridge after brewing.
- However, I still enjoy getting my Brewery In A Box out whenever I find a quiet afternoon to myself. It’s a lot of work but eminently satisfying.
- But, if there’s a party coming up and I don’t have the time, my trusty Youngs has never betrayed me yet – it just works, I can brew anything in it, and lots of it!
I hope that wasn’t too diplomatic, but I chose these three kits for a reason: they’re the best for me.
It just depends on what you want.
Hope that helps, and happy brewing!
Until next time… namárië,
BrewBlog out.
