Top 3 kits

[kearnage]

Right then folks it's time for a bit of a poll. It's been discussed several times before but it's time for an up to date version.

My local brew shop is only small so my best source of kits is online. I'm about to make a bulk purchase to save on the postage so before I do lets hear everybody's top 3 kit recommendations.

I await your selections with anticipation.

[Hoppkins]

Only done 3 so i can only recommend 2 (since one of them was a budget kit)

1) Woodfordes Wherry
2) Brupacks Fixby Gold (Gorgeous)

[louthepoo]

Woodfords Wherry is class, I also like Nelsons Revenge,

you could also try a john Bull bitter kit using honey and golden syrup instead of sugar, i'm still making that (the girlfriend prefers it!) between my full mash brews.

[kearnage]

Cheers louthepoo and Hoppkins

Looks like it's a short shooping list at the moment

[davidson]

Although i have only done a couple of lager brews. I found the brewferm pils very good. Have a look at this site for a review of some brews.

http://www.yobrew.co.uk/reviews.php

[oxford brewer]

Woodfordes Wherry,Almondsbury Old(brupaks) and the John Bull IPA(3kg kit)

[sparky Paul]

Have a look at this site for a review of some brews.

http://www.yobrew.co.uk/reviews.php

Thanks for that link, an interesting read!

[chopperswookie]

when can you say you know your top three? i have only been brewing for about six months and have only done budget kits with various malts and sugars. to me the best lager i have had is a geordie kit with brewing sugar and the best kit. i do have a coopers stout but not touching that till march 17th. but ease of kit, defo the geordie. go to wilkos, about ten mins down the road, use whatever brewing sugar i have left over, leave it for ten days, bottle it, in popp bottle me mam always save for us, give it a month, brill!!!

what i can say is avoid youngs at all costs, done their lager and bitter, 5hite.

[SteveD]

I did a Munton's Smugglers Gold a few years back when I had no time to mash. I remeber thinking how the kits of old used to be crap, and being pleasantly surprised at the quality improvement with the MSG.

[james_m_r]

I agree with you there chopperswookie, Youngs certainly are a load of crap.

[lancealot]

well i have only been using kits for 2 years -- muntons smuglers gold is my favourite rich and tasty, Fixby gold is delicious (light and will turn any fhhlager drinker). the other one which i love is belgian whitbier - Brupacks beers of the world, very strange we have nicknamed it happy beer as it does the trick and tastes of orange juice and coriander ....hope this helps

[lancealot]

thanks enjoy your evening, i will be with some fixby gold

[Glug]

Haven't been on the forum for a while, but I've been busy working my way through the Woodfordes and Brupaks kits and yet to find a bad one. So I could pick any three. But notably Almonbury, Fixby and Birkby.
Just brough a Brupaks Scammonden Dark to try next.

[subsub]

My favorite three kits go way back.

Boots Strong Irish Stout
Boots Strong Ale
Boots Strong Lager

I know there seems to be a lot of 70's kit bashing on the forum, and even though you had to put in lbs of sugar, they tasted great. Especially the Stout which reminded me of Cork which I left for England at the tender age of 17.

[prodigal2]

kearnage

Check out this page, its homebrew beerkit review site, its based in Austrailia but covers most of the kits availible in the UK:

http://www.hbkitreviews.com/

Oh for what its worth Wherry kit is great(if you can leave it for 6 weeks it will be really worth it), and dont forget to get a seperate yeast.