Kit Beer

So I figure I'll start off the technique portion of this with the easiest one: Kit Beer. This is basically exactly what the name says, beer in a kit. They are available at most Wine and Beer Making stores and supply shops, and have everything you need all in one canister. You simply open it up to find some hop-infused malt extract, and some yeast. All you have to do is fill your fermenter (pail or carboy) with water and I think some sugar, and add the ingredients from the kit. In about a week or so's time the beer is ready to bottle and you're done. It's that simple, that's all there basically is to it.

Bottling is a process unto itself and is typically the same no matter what technique of brewing you use. Once the beer is done fermenting, you rack the beer into another pail or carboy with a measured amount of dextrose mixed with a cup of boiled water in it. This adds a little more sugar to your beer, allowing further carbonation to occur in the bottles. Once racked, you siphon the beer into individual bottles and seal the bottles to keep the carbonation in. From here it's good to wait another week to allow the carbonation to fully occur.

Kit beers are the cheapest, easiest, least time consuming beer making method... and they're also the worst. The flavor of these beers tends to be extremely low-quality, often with that classic "homebrew flavor" that many homebrewers go to great lengths to eliminate. If you're looking for cheap beer and don't care so much about the taste or the finer methods of brewing, then this is the beer for you.

As I'm sure you can clearly sense, I'm very much anti-kit brewing, but only because I've tasted what can be made by learning about beer making and applying more authentic technique to your brewing, and the difference in flavor quality is drastically different. I will say this however, kit beers are a great way to start the beer making process, and provides an easy entry into the world of brewing. However, I would only ever suggest making a kit once, and then move on to the next step in homebrewing. I would even go as far as to recommend skipping the kit beer altogether and starting with an "Extract Beer" instead. Cheers.