Best 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:
- Dead Ringer IPA Extract Beer Recipe Kit
- Northern Brewer Dark Ale Extract Kit
- Chinook IPA Extract Beer Recipe Kit
- Chocolate Milk Stout Recipe Kit
- Megalodon Imperial Red Ale Kit
#My Favorite
Chinook IPA Extract Beer Recipe Kit
Kit 5 Gallons of Great IPA, ale fermenting type.
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.
| Price | Yield | Time to Make | |
| Dead Ringer IPA Extract Beer Recipe Kit | ~$45 | 5 Gallons | 6 Weeks |
| Northern Brewer Dark Ale Extract Kit | ~$35 | 5 Gallons | 4 Weeks |
| Chinook IPA Extract Beer Recipe Kit | ~$40 | 5 Gallons | 6 Weeks |
| Chocolate Milk Stout Recipe Kit | ~$50 | 5 Gallons | 6 Weeks |
| Megalodon Imperial Red Ale Kit | ~$55 | 5 Gallons | 6 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 Content | Beer Type | Color of Beer | |
| Dead Ringer IPA Extract Beer Recipe Kit | High | Indian Pale Ale | Amber |
| Northern Brewer Dark Ale Extract Kit | Low | Brown Ale | Amber |
| Chinook IPA Extract Beer Recipe Kit | Medium | Indian Pale Ale | Light |
| Chocolate Milk Stout Recipe Kit | Medium to High | Milk Stout | Dark |
| Megalodon Imperial Red Ale Kit | High to Very High | Amber Ale | Amber |
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
Dead Ringer IPA Extract Beer Recipe Kit
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
The beer has a pale-amber color giving it a nice regular beer look.
This kit is by far the most popular beer recipe kit sold by Northern Brewer.
#2 For Fruity Enthusiasts
Northern Brewer Dark Ale Extract Kit
Homebrew Rating: 4.5 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
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.
The kit contains enough ingredients to make 5 gallons of beer, and works with any 5 gallon beer equipment kit.
#3 Great National IPA
Chinook IPA Extract Beer Recipe Kit
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
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 type of Chinook IPA has a generally lighter body and lower gravity than other IPAs. This recipe kit will provide you with 5 Gallons of Chinook IPA.
#4 Top Sweet & Creamy
Chocolate Milk Stout Recipe Kit
Homebrew Rating: 4.5 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
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.
This recipe also includes the use of cacao nibs, to give it a hint of fruity and chocolate tastes.
#5 Top Strongest
Megalodon Imperial Red Ale Kit
Homebrew Rating: 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
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.
This malty, heavily hopped American style Imperial red ale is simply loaded with hops and malt aromas. 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.
