Northern Brewer – Siphonless 1 Gallon Craft Beer Making Starter Kit, Equipment and Beer Recipe Kit (Wheat)

great quality
i am new to this craft beer making thing. the instructions were very easy to follow. this is a great way to start. my first run turned out great. once i get more comfortable i will try new ways.

Excellent!
TL;DR: this kit makes an excellent witbier with subtle notes of clove.Let me start out by saying that I am an avid fan of craft beer, and have brewed a couple Mr. Beer kits, but that is about where my experience ends.When I first received the kit, I was a little disappointed. I thought I would be boiling grains in a grain bag. However, this kit uses a dried malt extract. I had experience with liquid malt extracts with my previous kits. I was never super satisfied with the end results of my previous kits either.I followed the instructions for boiling the extract with the hop pellets. Thankfully I have an induction cooktop, so I had no issues maintaining a boil. I used spring water from the grocery store as I’m not a fan of our municipal water.When it came time to pitch, everything went well until the airlock. As I was affixing the lid and airlock, some of the sanitizer water was sucked into the fermenter. As the days went on, I was worried that this had halted fermentation as I saw no activity. However, 9 days later fermentation kicked into overdrive!Wrapping up fermentation, I already had some glass bottles, bottle capper, and some Mr. Beer plastic bottles on hand. I followed the bottling instructions as written, but I did substitute the table sugar with the sugar drops I had from my previous kit.I followed the bottle conditioning instructions, and then put them in the fridge, eagerly awaiting tasting day. That leads me to today! With temps near 90, it felt like a perfect opportunity to crack a cold one.Upon pouring, I noticed a nice amount of carbonation, but not much in the way of head retention. This doesn’t bother me personally, but some prefer it. The beer has a nice golden color with effervescent bubbles rising, and an enticing scent. The taste is excellent, reminding me of a milder version of Hoegaarden, with a subtle but present clove taste.I have to say, this is the first time I’ve found my self satisfied with the result of a home brew. In the past with my previous kits, the beer was just okay, but this is an excellent brew!In closing, I’d have no problem recommending this kit, even for beginners! Just make sure you have some bottles and a bottle capper on hand, and sanitize sanitize sanitize.Cheers!

Pretty cool
I got this kit and I think it is pretty cool! Now, I am no pro at doing this or anything but this seems like a good starter kit or tester kit to see if this is something you like to do or would like to do. My father in law liked the end result and was surprised at how it turned out. It was easy enough to follow everything and to do what needed to be done. The quality of everything was decent.

Be prepared to make a few additional purchases.
I got the Northern Brewer Beer Making Starter Kit and have mixed feelings about it. Had to buy extra equipment to get everything going. The kit is great for beginners and includes most essentials, but lacks a crucial bottle capping tool, which you have to purchase separately. Unfortunately, my yeast was expired upon arrival, so I had to buy fresh yeast. The plastic components feel a bit flimsy, so handle with care. Despite these issues, the instructions are clear and it’s a fun, affordable way to start brewing at home. Just be prepared to make a few additional purchases.