Today I ordered the Mr. Beer Premium Edition Kit (which sells for $50 plus shipping) off of Woot, where I got it for $20 + $5! I read some reviews from Woot and various homebrew forums, concluding that a Mr. Beer Kit was the best place to start this venture (especially at more than 50% off, this deal was impossible to pass up).
Based on reviews, here are the reasons I went with a Mr. Beer Kit :
Size: The fermenter is 2.5 gallons and about 14" deep X 9" wide X 10" high. Some other kits I looked came with 5 gallon buckets and larger. With a smaller fermenter, you will get smaller batches of beer. I liked this because I would be able to try more recipes at a cheaper cost. I could experiment in different ways at half the cost of the bigger kits.
Customer Service: Every review I read that involved Mr. Beer customer service was excellent.
Simplicity: I read the directions on Mr. Beer recipes verses some other kits, and it seemed like the easiest way to learn about the brewing process. Some kits start with grains, hops, etc. The kit I ordered comes with just one can of extract, and there are many refill packs that just involve the extracts as well.
Price: This one is obvious. I couldn't pass up the deal that Woot had.
Here is a run down of what is included in the kit. Everything can be seen in the picture to the top right:
1 Fermentation keg
1 Standard Refill pack
8 Reusable Plastic 1-Liter Bottles
8 Labels with MR.BEER® Logo
1 Brewing with MR.BEER® -- Brewer's Guide
1 Instructions
