Best Beer Recipe Kits » Reviewing 5 Delicious Beer Recipe Kits!

To go along with your new equipment kit, you can choose to buy a beer recipe kit to make the exact beer you want.

There are hundreds of different beer recipe kits, with different tastes. Below I have gone over a few of them, which may help you get some inspiration as to which beer recipe kit you should buy.

When scouring the internet for beer recipe kits, Northern Brewer is quite dominant, which is why most beer recipe kits on this list is from this manufacturer.

Here’s a list of beer recipe kits reviewed further down this blog post:

  1. Dead Ringer IPA Extract Beer Recipe Kit
  2. Northern Brewer Dark Ale Extract Kit
  3. Chinook IPA Extract Beer Recipe Kit
  4. Chocolate Milk Stout Recipe Kit
  5. Megalodon Imperial Red Ale Kit

My Favorite Beer Recipe Kit

Northern Brewer - Chinook IPA India Pale Ale Extract Beer Recipe Kit - Makes 5 Gallons
  • This American IPA recipe kit has a relatively modest gravity and an immodest hop character derived entirely from a single hop variety.
  • It shows up in the glass with a reddish-gold color and a thick, resinous Chinook aroma.
  • Just follow the simple instructions, and within just a few weeks, you’ll yield 5 gallons of homemade, handcrafted beer.

Last update on 2024-12-08 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Read Also: What Is The Best Home Brewing Kit For Beginners?

Comparing Price, Yield & Time to Make

Like the equipment kits, to get a quick overview I made a table showcasing the price, yield and how long it takes to make each beer in the kits below.

 PriceYieldTime to Make
Dead Ringer IPA Extract Beer Recipe Kit~$455 Gallons6 Weeks
Northern Brewer Dark Ale Extract Kit~$355 Gallons4 Weeks
Chinook IPA Extract Beer Recipe Kit~$405 Gallons6 Weeks
Chocolate Milk Stout Recipe Kit~$505 Gallons6 Weeks
Megalodon Imperial Red Ale Kit~$555 Gallons6 Weeks

IMPORTANT NOTE: Prices shown might not correspond with current price. Please take it as an estimation.

This should give you a nice overview of the various price ranges in the different beer types.

Comparing Alcohol Content, Type of Beer & Color

Here is another table comparing the alcohol content of each beer as well as what type of beer it is and the color it has.

 Alcohol ContentBeer TypeColor of Beer
Dead Ringer IPA Extract Beer Recipe KitHighIndian Pale AleAmber
Northern Brewer Dark Ale Extract KitLowBrown AleAmber
Chinook IPA Extract Beer Recipe KitMediumIndian Pale AleLight
Chocolate Milk Stout Recipe KitMedium to HighMilk StoutDark
Megalodon Imperial Red Ale KitHigh to Very HighAmber AleAmber

Continue reading as I go into more detail about each recipe kit below.

Reviewing 5 Delicious Beer Recipe Kits

I’ve chosen an arrangement of 5 different beer recipe kits to review in this post. These kits were some of the most heavily customer-reviewed kits, with a very positive rating on each one.

At the end of the post I will reveal why I chose my favorite beer recipe kit. I hope this list can be helpful. Cheers!

#1 Top Popularity

Northern Brewer - Dead Ringer IPA India Pale Ale Extract Beer Recipe Kit - Makes 5 Gallons
  • Dead Ringer is an homage to a benchmark of the American IPA style that’s brewed in Michigan
  • This IPA recipe kit has been a customer favorite for over a decade.
  • Just follow the simple instructions, and within just a few weeks, you’ll yield delicious homemade, handcrafted beer

Last update on 2024-12-08 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Homebrew Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Stars

Main specifications:

  • 5 Gallon yield
  • Amber color
  • 1064 Gravity
  • High Alcohol content
  • IPA Beer style
  • Ale fermentation type
  • USA Origin
  • 6 weeks estimated brewing time
PROSCONS
Great tasteStrong hops
Quality of ingredients 

The Dead Ringer is an American IPA beer recipe kit with a powerful hop aroma. The beer is made from base and crystal malt creating a great body for the beer. The hops used creates a dominant citrus flavor and aroma.

The beer has a pale-amber color giving it a nice regular beer look.
#2 For Fruity Enthusiasts

#2 Great Dark Ale Kit

Northern Brewer - Nut Brown Dark Ale Extract Beer Recipe Kit Makes 5 Gallons
  • Styled after traditional southern English brown ales, our Nut Brown Ale recipe kit is a great all-around beer.
  • Complete with all the fresh ingredients you need, this beer recipe kit crafts an ale with a deep copper hue, fruity/caramelly flavor...
  • Original Gravity 1.044, Total Time to Make: 4 Weeks, Yields 5 Gallons

Last update on 2024-12-08 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Homebrew Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Main specifications:

  • 5 Gallon yield
  • Amber color
  • 1044 Gravity
  • Low Alcohol content
  • Brown Ale Beer style
  • Ale fermentation type
  • British Origin
  • Brewing time is 4 weeks
PROSCONS
Extra ingredientsHarder to make right
Price 

The beer made with this kit is styled after traditional southern English brown ale recipes. It is specifically a “Nut Brown Ale” which is clearly seen in its color.

Comes with all the fresh ingredients you need to craft a fruity/caramel flavor with a great aroma of toasty chocolate notes.

#3 Great National IPA

Northern Brewer - Chinook IPA India Pale Ale Extract Beer Recipe Kit - Makes 5 Gallons
  • This American IPA recipe kit has a relatively modest gravity and an immodest hop character derived entirely from a single hop variety.
  • It shows up in the glass with a reddish-gold color and a thick, resinous Chinook aroma.
  • Just follow the simple instructions, and within just a few weeks, you’ll yield 5 gallons of homemade, handcrafted beer.

Last update on 2024-12-08 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Homebrew Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Stars

Specifications:

  • 5 Gallon yield
  • Light color
  • 1053 Gravity
  • Medium Alcohol content
  • IPA Beer style
  • Ale fermentation type
  • American origin
  • Brewing time is 6 weeks
PROSCONS
Simple instructionsAvailability
Great value for money 
Great taste 

Yet another northern brewer recipe kit this time one of my personal favourites beer styles, the IPA. 

This is an American type IPA with a modest gravity with a great hop aroma and flavor made using a single hop variety called Chinook. This recipe kit will provide you with 5 Gallons of Chinook IPA.

#4 Top Sweet & Creamy

Northern Brewer - Chocolate Milk Stout Dark Ale Extract Beer Recipe Kit Makes 5 Gallons
  • Packed with the best ingredients, our Chocolate Milk Stout recipe kit delivers a milk stout brewed with lactose sugar for body and...
  • To make it even more irresistible, we load it with exotic cacao nibs, the seeds that give us chocolate. Unrefined as they are, cacao...
  • Original Gravity 1.051, Total Time to Make: 6 Weeks, Yields 5 Gallons

Last update on 2024-12-08 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Homebrew Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Main specifications:

  • 5 Gallon yield
  • Dark color
  • 1051 Gravity
  • Medium to High alcohol content
  • Milk Stout beer type
  • Ale fermentation type
  • British origin
  • Time to make is 6 weeks
PROSCONS
Mouth feelToo sweet for some
Easy to use kit 

To no surprise, we have yet another Northernbrewer recipe kit. This kit will provide you with 5 gallons of a tasty Chocolate Milk Stout.

Milk was and still is one of the most popular beer choices in the UK and to no surprise. This beer is packed with the best ingredients using lactose sugar for a great body and sweetness. Since lactose is unfermentable it adds a creamy sweetness and delicious mouthfeel to the beer.

TIP: If you like sweet notes on a beer, this is an excellent option. However, if you are not a fan of sweetness, this option might not be for you.

#5 Top Strongest 

Last update on 2024-12-08 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Homebrew Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Stars

Main specifications:

  • 5 Gallon yield
  • Amber color
  • 1090 Gravity
  • High to Very high alcohol content
  • Amber ale beer style
  • Ale fermentation type
  • American origin
  • Time to make is 6 weeks
PROSCONS
Excellent colorHigh ABV
Tasteful 

Now we’re getting serious with this Northern brewer Megalodon Imperial red ale kit. This kit makes an Imperial Red Ale, which is an amber ale with a very high alcohol content.

The ale you make with this beer can have anywhere between 9-12% ABV, which is very high in terms of beer in general.

 The recipe uses a blend of crystal malts, which gives off delicious toffee and caramel flavors with a hint of raisin and toast in the finish.

The beer has a very high gravity, so the manufacturer recommends you pitch multiple packs of yeast for the best results.

NOTE: Alcohol content on this beer can be significantly high, drink responsibly.

My Choice of Beer Recipe Kit

It’s important to emphasize that the choice of beer recipe kit is entirely up to personal taste and preference.

My own favourite type of beer in general, are IPA’s. That’s why I’d most likely go for the Chinook IPA Recipe kit or the Dead Ringer IPA Extract Kit. Every now and then I like trying other variants of beers, so I might choose any of the ones listed here, or even a completely different one.

There are hundreds, if not thousands of different beer variants, so it can be hard to find one that suits you. You may have to experiment with different beer recipe kits, and check out what other people say about them to make sure you buy a good quality kit.

TIP: If you want to research beer recipe kits yourself, you can either check Amazon or Northernbrewer, both places have a large variety of beer recipe kits, and more than likely has one that fits your own personal taste.

Read Also: What Is The Easiest Type Of Beer To Brew?

About HomeBrewAdvice

Hello, my name is Simon. Together with a group of writers I write about brewing beer and making wine. We all share a passion for the great things in life, such as making stuff from scratch.

The business of HomeBrewAdvice is to bring you great information, stories and product reviews from brewing at home, and making wine


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