Homebrewing & Winemaking Kits

Best Homebrewing & Winemaking Kits in the UK: Top Picks, Tips and Where to Buy

Why a Homebrewing or Winemaking Kit Is a Great Starting Point

If you’ve ever wanted to make your own beer or wine but felt overwhelmed by jargon and gear, a kit is a brilliant shortcut. Kits bundle ingredients and basic instructions so you can focus on the fun parts—tasting and tweaking—rather than sourcing obscure items. Think of them as a recipe box for booze: everything measured and ready so you don’t spend weeks hunting for the right malt or yeast. For a first-timer, a good kit can turn a nervous experiment into a consistent pint or bottle within a few weeks.

Popular Homebrewing Kits Available in the UK

The UK market has grown fast, with kits aimed at every type of brewer—from complete novices to tinkerers who want to upgrade equipment. Some kits focus on famous commercial recipes (so you can try a craft-style IPA at home), while others teach the basics with flexible ingredients. Below I cover well-known options you’ll find from specialist sellers and high-street names.

Menkind: Fun, Branded and Gift-Friendly Kits

Menkind is known for novelty and branded kits that make great gifts for fans of pop culture and craft beer. Their range includes themed sets like the Stormtrooper Beer Congrats Thirst Aid Kit and Stormtrooper Imperial Thirst Aid Kit, which blend playful packaging with basic brewing components. They also stock beer-making kits inspired by breweries, such as Brewdog's Elvis Juice Beer Making Kit and Brewdog Punk IPA Beer Making Kit. If you like the idea of brewing something with a story or a fandom spin, Menkind often has exclusive themed bundles that are easy to use and attractive to display.

The Home Brew Shop: Specialist Supplies and Range

The Home Brew Shop is a cornerstone for UK brewers who want variety. Their kits range from beginner extract kits to full all-grain setups for when you’re ready to graduate. Expect clear instructions, measured ingredients, and add-on options like hop packs or yeast upgrades. They also sell individual parts—fermenters, hydrometers, bottling gear—so you can expand at your own pace. If you see “homebrew shop” in the name, chances are they’ll support you with online guides and national delivery.

Brew2Bottle and BrewUK: Online Specialists

Brew2Bottle and BrewUK are online-first retailers that focus on value and choice. They frequently offer multipacks, seasonal beer kits, and winemaking kits for fruit wines and cider. Their strength is selection—if you want a specific yeast strain, unusual hop variety, or a fruit wine kit that uses local apples and pears, these sites usually have it. They’re also great places to compare kit sizes and upgrade to better bottles or kegging options later on.

Hobbycraft and Amazon UK: Convenience and Accessibility

If convenience ranks high, mainstream retailers like Hobbycraft and Amazon UK stock a range of basic kits. You might not get the specialist advice you’d find at a dedicated shop, but these outlets are ideal for impulse purchases or last-minute gifts. They often carry simple, no-fuss kits that help you crank out a first batch without breaking the bank.

Menkind’s Unique Beer Kits — What Makes Them Stand Out

Menkind’s kits are designed with personality: bold packaging and licensed themes that appeal to collectors and pop-culture fans. Kits named in their range—Stormtrooper Beerthday Thirst Aid Kit, Stormtrooper Victory Thirst Aid Kit, and Stormtrooper Christmas Thirst Aid Beer Kit—are examples of seasonal or celebratory releases. These kits usually include concentrated wort, a sachet of yeast, a bottle-conditioning sugar pack, and basic instructions. The focus is on ease and novelty rather than advanced brewing technique, so they’re perfect for someone who wants a fun project rather than a steep learning curve.

Brewdog Partnerships — Familiar Flavours at Home

Collaborations with brewery names like Brewdog let you try versions of well-loved beers at home. The Brewdog Elvis Juice and Punk IPA kits aim to capture the hop-forward character that made those beers popular. While home versions won’t be identical to a professionally brewed keg, they create a satisfying approximation and teach you about hop timing, bitterness, and aroma in an approachable way.

How to Choose the Right Kit for Your Goals

Choosing a kit depends on what you want to learn and how much effort you’re willing to put in. Are you after instant gratification—a delicious bottle in a few weeks? Or do you want to master mash temperatures and grains? Pick an extract kit if you want fast results with minimal equipment. Choose an all-grain kit or ingredient packs if your aim is to learn technique and have maximum control over flavour. For wine, fruit kits offer a gentle route into fermentation without needing a huge amount of extra gear.

Beginners: Look for Simple, Clear Instructions

Beginner kits should have step-by-step instructions, a list of simple tools, and recommendations for safe fermentation temperatures in Fahrenheit. Ideally the kit will produce a batch size you’re comfortable storing—common kit sizes in the UK produce between one and five gallons, with a typical beginner batch being around one to two gallons so you don’t overwhelm your apartment or kitchen.

Experienced Brewers: Seek Modular and Upgradable Kits

If you’ve made a few batches, look for kits that allow ingredient swaps—extra hops, different yeasts, or higher-quality malts. Some specialist stores sell “recipe kits” that expect you to provide your own equipment, giving you freedom to experiment without paying for basics you already own.

Essential Equipment and Smart Upgrades

A basic kit usually covers ingredients, but you’ll still need some equipment. A fermenter (with airlock), sanitizer, siphon, bottles, and a capper are the essentials. For wine kits you’ll want a demijohn or carboy that can hold a gallon or more. Upgrades that make a big difference include a better thermometer (precision matters—aim for accuracy in the range of 65–72°F for ales), a quality hydrometer to check specific gravity, and a temperature-controlled fermentation space if you live somewhere with seasonal swings.

Bottles, Kegs and Carbonation

Bottle-conditioned beer is ready-to-drink after a week or two at room temperature if properly primed. Typical bottle sizes include 12-ounce and 22-ounce options; many UK brewers also use 1-pint bottles for traditional styles. If you prefer kegging, invest in a small keg system and CO2 regulator—this speeds up serving and keeps carbonation consistent. For wine, corks or screw-top bottles work; screw-tops give you easy access without a corker.

Step-by-Step Basics: Turning a Kit into Your First Batch

Most extract beer kits follow three big steps: prepare the wort, ferment, and bottle. Prepare the wort by mixing the concentrate with boiling water, cool it, then pitch the yeast at the recommended temperature. Fermentation typically takes a week to two weeks for primary fermentation, followed by a conditioning period. For wine kits, primary fermentation can last a similar time, followed by racking into a carboy and additional conditioning for several weeks to months depending on the style.

Timing and Patience

Patience is one of brewing’s essential virtues. Primary fermentation may finish in 3–7 days for a vigorous ale, but there’s often a period of clarification and conditioning where flavours mellow and solids settle out. Rushing to bottle or drink too soon can lead to off-flavours or overly yeasty beer. A simple rule: if the hydrometer reading is stable over two days, you’re usually safe to bottle.

Common Mistakes New Brewers Make

Mistakes are part of learning, but a few common ones are easy to avoid. Under-sanitising is a fast way to spoil a batch—bacteria and wild yeast are sneaky. Also, don’t skimp on cooling; hot wort left to sit can pick up off-flavours. Over-priming at bottling can cause extreme carbonation or bottle bombs, so follow priming sugar recommendations carefully. Finally, don’t be discouraged if your first batch is “good” rather than “stunning”—honing technique and recipes comes with time.

Where to Buy Kits and Supplies in the UK

UK buyers have lots of choices. Menkind offers novelty and branded kits that make fun gifts. Specialist retailers like The Home Brew Shop, Brew2Bottle, BrewUK, and The Homebrew Company provide deeper ranges and advice. Mainstream stores—Hobbycraft and Amazon UK—offer convenience. If you want personal support and the chance to smell hops or malt before you buy, seek out local brewing clubs or independent shops; they often sell small-batch kits and friendly guidance.

Local Clubs and Community Resources

Don’t overlook local homebrew clubs. They’re great for swapping bottles, learning practical tips, and sometimes borrowing equipment before you invest. Many clubs run brew days where newcomers can watch and help, which is a fast-track way to gain confidence.

Cost and Value: How Much Should You Expect to Spend?

Entry-level kits can start at a modest price, while premium or branded kits cost more because of licensing and packaging. Expect beginner beer kits to range from a reasonable price up to a mid-range amount depending on batch size. Specialist kits with licensed flavours or extras will be at the higher end. Factor in the cost of bottles, sanitizer, and a capper if you don’t already own them—these are one-time purchases that pay off after a few batches.

Sustainability and Recycling in Homebrewing

One nice side-effect of brewing at home is reduced packaging waste if you re-use bottles and kegs. Many brewers wash and reuse sturdy glass bottles dozens of times. Spent grain from beer brewing is a superb garden amendment or animal feed—if you have a garden or a friendly neighbour with chickens, it’s a win-win. For wine kits, compost fruit pulp where possible and recycle glass where re-use isn’t practical.

Final Tips: Make It Fun and Keep Experimenting

Homebrewing and winemaking are part science and part art. Start with a simple kit, follow the instructions, and taste along the way. Keep a brewing log so you remember what worked and what didn’t—small changes to temperature, timing, or yeast strain can have big flavour consequences. Above all, enjoy the process. Brewing is a hobby that rewards curiosity, patience, and a willingness to try new things—think of it like gardening for your taste buds.

Ready to pick your first kit? If you want novelty and easy-to-follow kits, stores like Menkind are a cheerful starting point. If you want depth, specialist shops and online suppliers will serve you better as you progress. No matter where you start, the first successful bottle is worth the learning curve—cheers to that.