Well, I will probably get laughed at by the "real home brewers" out there but I got a Mr. Beer kit a few years ago and have made a few batches that came out pretty well. I have heard good things about other kits but in my limited space, Mr. Beer is about all I can handle. There is a really good store in Columbia that sells the "real kits" as well as bottling supplies. I don't remember the name but it is something like Maryland Homebrew.

Oddly enough, I was going to ask this same question. I have done some research into the subject, and will say that Maryland Homebrew site is a solid choice (www.mdhb.com).

I would also reccommend downloading the free podcasts of basic brewing radio hosted by James Spencer. There are a couple of podcasts that address this subject (one good one is from 5-18-06 on the "equipment you can't do without in brewing good beer.") In these podcasts, they also address where you can buy homebrew equipment.

Also, when you get more into it, i hear Sam Calagione's (from the Dogfish Head Brewery) book "Extreme Brewing: An Enthusiast's Guide to Brewing Craft Beer at Home" is an excellent resource on brewing recipes and techniques.

Hope this helps!

I wont laugh at the previous poster, but I will offer this: Do not buy Mr. Beer! What that kit makes is not beer. I consider it to be a fermented hop-shake. If this person is serious about homebrewing, the best idea is to head to a homebrew shop as the previous poster suggested. For a more "northern" MD store, check out The Thirsty Brewer in Baldwin. Tom (the owner and 20 year home brewer), is very helpful and knows a ton about home brewing. He can set someone up with a decent kit (hardware-wise) and ingredients to start brewing. I hope this helps!

Thanks, Rob, for posting this. I'm very interested in this question.

Seems that there's America's Best, Brewers' Best and Mr. Beer kit. The Mr. Beer's kit seems to be half the price of the other kits. Aside from the "you get what you pay for" argument, what's the difference between the 3 kits? Thanks to all who's willing to post.

Oh, god. Oh, my god. Where to begin.....

First, examine the contents of said kit. Is it ingredients only, or hardware-inclusive? It's possible to assemble the necessary hardware for brewing from stuff lying around and from thrift stores without buying the $100-250 "kits" including all the bottles, brewing kettles, etc. I've done it many times for others, primarily by getting stuff from homebrewers upgrading their equipment. Got a stock pot or crab pot lying around? It'll do for the first batch or two. Can you get a plastic water cooler bottle from work? You can save two cases worth of bottles. What you can't escape: the cost of ingredients and maybe bottle caps, maybe such stuff as airlocks and hoses.

Go get Charlie Papazian's "The Complete Joy of Home Brewing" from a bookstore or Maryland Homebrew, or maybe the library. Read it and understand what's going on. THEN go and get the kit. (Note: Some kits include the book as part of the kit.)

If you know for certain that you're going to be brewing frequently (say, once a season or more), then the investment in better equipment is absolutely worth it. The important point is to start small, find out if you care for the work and the reward, and then upgrade as love and money allow.

Homebrewers are all over the Internet. WWW.mdhomebrewers.org will list all the local homebrewing clubs, all full of enthusiasts eager to share their knowledge and help the novice.

And, yes, I second calling Chris at Maryland Homebrew. Charming and helpful lass. Makes me guilty that I don't brew more myself, to be honest.

I have been homebrewing for 15 years and working in homebrew shop for 4 years (holidays almost fulltime and mostly part-time the rest of the year).

It all depends on the person, if he has a friend who homebrews and has been around the process I have one answer, if not I have another.

If they have been around it and are interested many homebrew shops have the whole soup to nuts kit, including equipment, first batch of beer, carboy and even brewpot. Having all the equipment dedicated in full sweep is a great way to go.

That said if the person hasn't been around the process before then go more conservative. Buy him the basic beginner kit with the first batch of beer. Use a home pot for the first few batches to see if he enjoys the process. While I love it, it is not for everyone. No need to invest in a kettle and other equipment that may sit and gather dust a few months later.

I would definitely suggest support local Maryland shops if you have one your area. If not I used to work at Homebrewers Outpost www.homebrewers.com and they have great full setups (I currently work for another shop in NC that doesn't specialize on online orders).

Last regarding Mr. Beer the people who make it are great, if you have no space it's a viable option. That said it generally leaves people dissatisfied and going to a homebrew shop a few months later to spend more money for a full kit.

Annapolis Homebrew located in Severna Park. Is good place to get a starter kit.

I agree with the above, Charlie Papazian's book is priceless for the novice.

I'm currently on my 5th or 6th batch of beer, but before I bought a kit I did a "Brew on Premise" class at the Flying Barrel in Frederick. They basically hold your hand while you make your first 5 gallons of homebrew.

It really helps you to see if you want to do this, and it also gives you some frame of reference when you go to do it on your own.

I tried a Mr. Beer about ten years ago and it didn't work out very well. Recently, I decided to give homebrewing another try and bought a kit from a My Local Home Brewers shop in Falls Church, VA. I have made two batches and they've both turned out all right. I think that having the full kit made a bit of a difference and as one of the previous posters mentioned, having space helps as well (at least for me).

I have been with Maryland Homebrew for 9 years now. We have everything here in stock and can talk you through everything you need to know. From time to time we have classes sponsored by a local homebrew club so get on our email list to find out when they are. The hardest part is sanitizing. That is where your biggest mistake is going to be. Sanitizer comes in all our equipment kits and are no rinse so they are really easy to use. The difference between our America's Best and Brewers's Best are mostly that America's Best is geared to be an 'easier' kit. No siphoning since both buckets have spigots on them. As for the ingredients they are pre hopped malt extract so all you have to do is dissolve it in some boiling water, cool down add yeast and let it ferment. For the Brewer's Best there is a little more cooking involved which makes a fuller bodied beer since it has grains in the process. You steep grains in water for about 20-30 mins at 150-155 degrees take them out, add extracts and bring to a boil. You then add hops throughout the hour long boil according to the recipe. These of course very abbreviated instructions but call us if you have any questions. Cheers!

Just call or go to Maryland Homebrew in Columbia and tell them you want to get started. http://www.mdhb.com/

You don't need much to get started and they'll set you up with some beginner recipes and ingredients. They do mail order. There used to be a couple of homebrew stores in the City, but they're gone as far as I know.

For first time homebrewers, I highly recommend taking the beginner brewing class at Maryland Homebrew. Not only is it very informative for future homebrewers, but you get to taste a lot of very fine homebrews while brewing the test batch of beer :)

northernbrewer.com is about all you need