Returning to brewing - best kits?

[Cozzyb]

What are the best kits available? The mangrove jack ones have taken my fancy by not being tinned extract, having a good yeast and dry hops but not seen many reviews out there. What's the general consensus?

[Fil]

as a general rule of thumb, the more you pay the better the kit

However saying that the market is also flooded with hipster bait, so be wary of anything really expensive, you should still price your pints in penies not pounds..

Even the cheapest kits will provide you with a reasonable pint if nurtured correctly. And that is the key, your first few kits brews will be your learning experience to correct cleanliness and sanitation procedures.. ( time to get oh so slightly OCD..) As well as temperature management , yeast population cultivation, not forgetting your skills with maintaining a sterile siphon tube

And btw there is nothing wrong with tinned extract or LME (Liquid Malt Extract ) based kits, DME (Dry Malt Extract) is not superior, just a different packaging method.

End of the day tho your gut feelings will probably steer you in the right direction..

[Fil]

whoops 400 odd posts, not a newbie?? err ????

[Cozzyb]

I did say returning

[Fil]

I did say returning

My bad, must have been on auto-pilot with the same old chestnuts for a newbie.. (i was shooting wide on the LME too Foil packed lme , not Tinned dme,, DOH!!)

As your just 'coming out of brewing retirement', and not new to the brewface i would suggest you can afford to take a punt on the Mangrove Jack Kit,
as you unlikely to cock up the actual brewing, and the results should reflect the kits quality more than anything else..

The brand has made a mark down under and is establishing a good foothold over here too so either they are throwing cash at marketing or they are doing something right??

[Fil]

I did say returning

My bad, must have been on auto-pilot with the same old chestnuts for a newbie.. (i was shooting wide on the LME too Foil packed lme , not Tinned dme,, DOH!!)

As your just 'coming out of brewing retirement', and not new to the brewface i would suggest you can afford to take a punt on the Mangrove Jack Kit,
as you unlikely to cock up the actual brewing, and the results should reflect the kits quality more than anything else..

The brand has made a mark down under and is establishing a good foothold over here too so either they are throwing cash at marketing or they are doing something right??

[Secla]

take a look at themaltmillers partial mash kits. little bit more to do than a regular kit but id imagine they will come out infinitely better. also if you have the ability to temp control the fermentation you will definitely notice the difference

[cwrw gwent]

Agree entirely with what Fil says about sanitation and temperature control. To that I would add patience - don't make the mistake of drinking your beer before it's had a chance to mature.