I give this item five stars, not because it is the best homebrewing kit out there, but because it is probably the most economical choice for a person looking for an introduction to homebrewing.

I finished making my first batch of beer, and have the second batch fermenting now. My first batch was the American Blonde Ale that came with the kit. Being a pretty avid beer drinker, I will say it here that the beers that come with this kit are not going to knock your socks off. But I WILL say that it is still decent beer, and just knowing that you made the beer makes it all that much better. You can indeed buy better beer mixes from the Mr. Beer website, although it can be a little costly. Much of them are available here on amazon as well, and if you take advantage of 4-for-3 (buy three and get one free), it's not too expensive. Anyway, I would still prefer to drink the basic beers that came with the kit than buy a pack of Coors/Bud in the store, because the experience of creating and eventually tasting your own homebrew is very enjoyable :)

The good news about this kit is that, if you decide to "graduate" from making basic kits from Mr. Beer, you can still use the supplies (the fermenter, the PET bottles) while customizing your own ingredients, instead of buying Mr. Beer refills. The fermenter is great because it's just 2.5 gallons. It will make about twenty 12-oz. bottles of beer, and quite honestly, this is the best way to go for a lot of people. Most beer kits make 5 gallons of beer (or 45 12-oz. bottles), which is great if you are a hardcore beer drinker or really know what you are doing. But for beginners, making smaller batches is a great way to get your feet wet, and if things go bad (or you don't like a batch for some reason), you are wasting less beer.

My recommendation: If you want to start understanding the basics of brewing beer without forking over a boatload of cash, get this kit. It can always be customized at a later date if you decide to get into more complex brewing. This is a small price to pay to begin learning the homebrew process, and to start enjoying your very own beer.

Also, if you get this kit, take note that although Mr. Beer says its beers are ready to drink within two weeks, you need to give them at least four. They should ferment for two weeks, then transfer to bottles to carbonate/condition for two weeks. It's even recommended to then put them in the fridge for another two weeks before breaking them open.. if you have the self restraint to wait that long :) This is additional conditioning time that allows the flavors to mesh together. You will definitely taste the difference. This is called the 2-2-2 rule (two weeks per stage of brewing).

This is a good starter kit and will make the basic brews that come with it. It can also be used to make more elaborate beers, where you're adding your own hops and grains and shaping the tastes a bit more. It can grow with you.

You will see, reading other reviews, that some people were upset they didn't get the beer varieties they expected. My advice is, if this is critical to you, buy the items individually. You'll spend quite a bit more, though. I got the Mexican Cerveza (which I expected based on the product description at the time) and the American Lager (not what I expected). But it really didn't matter much because I planned to try lots of different kinds.

And yes, the fermenter is a cheap, plastic thing, but so what? It works, and I understand they last a while. My keg/fermenter had a bad seal and was not usable when I got it, like some others. But I got on the phone to Mr. Beer, and within hours they had a new one on the way via UPS. Mr. Beer customer service is as good as any I've experienced.

The directions are pretty simple. The only corrections I'd offer is you will have better beer if you ferment a full three weeks and let it sit in the bottle for at least four weeks. Some versions of the instructions downplay the patience needed and say to ferment just two weeks. A couple years ago, the directions said to ferment a week or two, let it sit in the bottle for two more, then dive in. The folks at Mr. Beer have gotten more realistic since then with an emphasis on quality rather than speed.

Now for the beer. I waited five months between purchasing this kit and reviewing it, because I didn't want to make a snap judgment based on scant info. You really have to go through the process several times and have several batches to judge how good it is. I have made one batch each of the past five months and three are now ready to drink. The first was pretty good, the second was so-so, and the third, a cerveza-based recipe called Noche del Lobo, is spectacular.

People who give one- and two-star reviews here and say it's garbage probably just rushed through the process or had poor sanitation. It's also important to keep the beer in the 65-70 degree range while fermenting. I just use an old Coleman camping cooler I had laying around with some frozen water bottles to keep it from heating up too much and producing off-flavors.

Bonus tip: If you order this, or even if you're just thinking about it, go to the Mr. Beer website and find the forum. There's a great community of helpers there.

So for me the bottom line is: $50 for a couple cases (almost) of beer and a great new hobby is a bargain.

Jim

Bought for a gift , she loved it.

I read a lot of the reviews. i have two of these so I can stagger my beer making. I see a lot complaining about leaks. Well if you get the rubber washer correct it will not leak. Also those complaining about leaks clearly did not follow the cleaning directions if so would have noticed the leaks then and there. All the pictures of the ones leaking had the rubber washer facing the wrong way. I learned when cleaning it and filling it with water oh it is leaking. Went back to see where I messed up and swapped the rubber washer around boom no more leaks. Those saying it is only good for a few times for the keg mine have lasted 3 years with no issues. Now I did get rid of their crappy bottles and got just 12oz glass bottles, bottle caps and capper for them. So much easier plus can always just load up the dishwasher with the glass bottles to clean them. Plus I just dislike plastic bottles.

Got my work team and myself these kits to use as a team event a few years back and have been using them for various brews ever since.