Whats the difference?

Hey all, I’m really interested in getting into brewing my own beer and I’m having a hard time really figuring out what the differences are in the kits. What exactly is the difference between the micro bru, the small batch starter, and the go pro small batch starter? Or is the only difference a few pieces of equipment?

Differences are mainly the Micro Bru all grain or the two extract brewing kits. The two extract kits are supplied with different styles of fermentors. Either a one gallon glass jug or the the plastic wide mouth fermentor.

All are missing the hydrometer.

I’ll take a stab at it. The micro bru is an all grain starter. This involves mashing crushed barley. Normally a step up in brewing from extract which is dry or syrup made from barley by someone else. Might want to save that for down the road.

The small batch starter looks like a good kit with two exceptions. A one gallon jug is not big enough for a one gallon batch. Second none of them have a hydrometer. Do a search here for hydrometer here on the forum. BTW I believe the Plinian Legacy version is a clone of Pliny the elder barley wine. This is a high alcohol, very bitter beer. The extra price would be for the extra malt extract to make it that big. Probably not a good first kit.

The go pro has the little mouth bubbler. it’s 1.4 gallon, a better size for a one gallon batch. The bottles and pint glasses are nice but you don’t need them. Buy a couple of six packs of a good micro brew without screw off tops, drink, clean and sanitize according to the instructions.

If you plan to brew just for the hobby aspect and not to have beer on hand to drink and share much, this is a good start. If you want to have a bunch on hand to watch the game with friends, you may want to start off with a five gallon kit. Many of us here brew ten or twenty (me) gallon batches.

Be prepared to really get wrapped up in this hobby. It’s easy to do. Feel free to ask questions here. We love to talk brewing.

EDIT: I would call NB and see if you can somehow substitute the little mouth bubbler for the gallon jug in the small batch kit. Either that or price out buying all of it separately.

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Those small batch recipes are nice, but only produce 9-10 bottles. When it takes a month to make a batch, I like to get a bit more. The 5 gallon kits produce 2 cases worth.

Either way it’s a fun ride.

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