Maestro Homebrew Beer Equipment Kit with Auto Siphon

Great starter kit

It came with the primary fermenting bucket w/ grommeted lid & airlock, bottling bucket w/ spigot, auto-siphon, hose for the auto-siphon, capper, bottle brush, bottling wand, fermenter stick on thermometer, a "How to Brew" book, B-Brite cleanser (which according to the web can be used as sanitizer if you soak for 15+ minutes however, the description says it comes with C-Brite not B-Brite. Also from reading on the web, the sanitization can be questionable since you have to rinse B-Brite and unless using sterile water you kind of void the sanitization effect), and a hydrometer. I had to supply my own hydrometer test tube, but I had a graduated cylinder on hand so no worries.UPDATE - just finished fermenting my first batch. All the tools in the kit worked great! Capper worked fine, buckets, auto siphon, all of it. Tasted a brew after 3 days bottle conditioning - while still a bit flat, it is good and this equipment was everything I needed to ferment and bottle. I did all grain, so naturally I had the mash tun and outdoor boil kettle, but if you are doing extract this would work out great as well with just a few kettles on the stove top.

This kit is perfect for those of you who are new to home brewing or thinking about upgrading from a smaller batch size fermenter. It is just as easy to use as some of the smaller size begginer home brew kits, but it has a few more advanced tools that really let you customize and create better home brewed beer. The products that come with the kit all seem to be of high quality and everything arrived packed neatly and in good shape. The instructions are very easy to follow and guide you every step of the way. It really isn't much harder to use than the smaller 2 gallon begginner kits. The instructions teach you the process with an easy basic, but tasty, brew. It then gives you a recipe for most of the major styles of beer. All you will need is an ingredient kit, a big pot to brew in, bottles, and a few utensils to cook with and this kit will have all you need to make great beer. Cheers!

At first, I was reluctant based on the price of this kit compared to similar kits. After buying, however, I have no regrets. Great kit for the price! The fermenter bucket does exactly what it is supposed to. The bottling bucket is very convenient with its valve for bottling. The auto siphon is extremely convenient. For those with no brewing experience or those coming from a standard racking cane, the auto siphon is an awesome time and effort saver, especially if you are brewing on your own. This kit has everything you would need as a beginning brewer! Great kit.

This kit is the perfect starter for those who are new to home brewing or wanting to upgrade from a smaller batch size fermenter. there are other beginner home brewing kits out there, but this has more advanced tools that really help you create better home brewed beer. The products arrived promptly, and were packaged neatly and were in good condition. The instructions were also very easy to follow, which was a plus. The instructions teach you the process with a basic but delicious, brew. it also gives you recipes for other styles of beer. This beer is all you need to make a great customized, home made beer!

Great kit for the novice to intermediate home brewers with MOST of what you'll need. This kit was the most complete I had found, but it lacks a hydrometer test jar and floating thermometer which I think are necessities for home brewing. I considered taking away a star for lacking these essentials, but thought it would be more fair to rate it on what it had, not what it didn't have. The reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because bottle capper was far inferior to one I already owned. I started bottling using the one from the kit, but when compressing the levers the cap often slipped out of place (luckily I sanitized a lot of spares), and in one instance broke the lip of a bottle (oh well, had to drink that one, so not a total loss). After a few ruined caps and a broken bottle I finished bottling with my old capper.On the plus side, the 6.5 gallon fermenting bucket lid had a tight fit and a pre-drilled hole with a grommet for the airlock making it very easy to monitor the fermentation process while maintaining a sanitary environment. I found this much more convenient than fermenting in a 5 gallon glass carboy with a rubber stopper and blow off tube. And the auto siphon worked great for transferring the beer from the fermenting bucket to the bottling bucket without stirring up the yeast and hops sediment at the bottom of the fermenter. Clean up was easy too.I cracked open my first bottle 4 weeks after starting a batch (2 weeks in fermenter, 2 weeks in bottles) using this kit for the first time and it was the best ale I've made so far. No sediment at the bottom of the bottle, and it had a thick, creamy head and carbonation bubbles rising from the bottom of the glass from the first sip to the last,

Not exactly what I had in mind. It certainly helps to have a great kit to get started, and for the most part I was happy with everything. The only problem I have is that the lid on the Fermentation bucket does not make a seal. Having to use plastic wrap and tape to seal it was not what I had in mind, I could have gone down to Lowe's and got a 7 gal bucket that has a great seal for that price. Otherwise, the rest of the equipment is good. Helpful to have a Hydrometer.

I use to homebrew over 10 years ago, and bought this kit to get back into it. This kit was a great value to get me started again, and get a few brews under my belt. Good quality accessories, and I would buy it again if needed. Cheers!