- A 1 gallon beer kit makes about 10 twelve-ounce bottles and boils in an ordinary stockpot on a kitchen stove.
- Craft A Brew's kits are the classic glass-jug start; the Deluxe version adds a capper and caps.
- Northern Brewer's siphonless kits skip the racking cane, and the Irish Red listing includes a capper and caps.
- Most 1-gallon kits leave out bottles; plan on about 10 pry-off bottles per batch.
The best 1 gallon beer kit lets you learn every step of brewing (steeping, boiling, fermenting and bottling) with a pot you already own and a jug that fits in a cupboard. We compared ten picks from six brands: complete kits, a stackable conical, two ingredient refills, a PET fermenter for building your own setup, and a bottling kit that fills the usual gap.
Small batches suit apartments and anyone who wants to try several recipes quickly. If you know you want more beer per brew day, compare our beginner kits, which run up to 5 gallons (19 L).
Our picks
Craft A Brew 1 Gal Beer Making Kit, American Pale Ale
Craft A Brew
- Batch size
- 1 gal
- Type
- Extract recipe kit + equipment
- Still need
- Bottles and caps
- Includes
- American Pale Ale recipe and brewing equipment
Craft A Brew's kit is built around a 1-gallon (3.8 L) glass fermenter with the small parts a first batch needs; our research notes list a funnel, racking cane, stopper, tubing with clamp, airlock, thermometer, sanitizer, the maker's guide and the American Pale Ale recipe. The product data says bottles and caps are not included.
Best for: A first batch on the stove, or a gift for a beer fan who is 21+
Skip if: You don't want to collect bottles
- Refillable with Craft A Brew recipe kits
- Pale ale is a forgiving style
- Sanitizer included
- Bottles and caps not included
- Glass jug needs careful handling
Craft A Brew Deluxe 1 Gal Beer Brewing Kit, Light Lager
Craft A Brew
- Batch size
- 1 gal
- Type
- Extract recipe kit + equipment
- Includes
- Recipe kit, capper and caps
The Deluxe bundle adds a capper and 30+ caps to the 1-gallon equipment, so the only thing left is bottles. The light lager recipe uses pilsner-style malts and a cold-fermenting yeast.
Best for: Brewers who want bottling covered in the same box
Skip if: Your only fermenting spot stays warm all year
- Capper and 30+ caps included
- Crisp lager recipe
- Reusable gear
- Bottles not included
- Lager yeast needs a cool spot
Northern Brewer Siphonless 1 Gal Starter Kit, Irish Red Ale
Northern Brewer
- Batch size
- 1 gal
- Type
- Extract recipe kit + equipment
- Fermenter
- Glass Little Big Mouth Bubbler (siphonless)
- Includes
- Irish Red Ale recipe kit
Northern Brewer's Irish Red kit uses a glass Little Big Mouth Bubbler made siphonless, so you skip the racking cane. The listing includes step-by-step instructions, a bottle capper and caps, and personalizable bottle labels.
Best for: Beginners who find siphoning fiddly
Skip if: You prefer a plastic fermenter
- No siphon needed
- Capper and caps listed
- Labels for gifting
- Glass fermenter
- Bottles not listed
Northern Brewer 1 Gal Gift Set Starter Kit, Kama Citra IPA
Northern Brewer
- Batch size
- 1 gal
- Type
- Extract recipe kit + equipment
- Includes
- Kama Citra IPA recipe kit
The 1-gallon gift set pairs Northern Brewer's equipment with the Kama Citra session IPA, a recipe that sits between an American pale ale and a West Coast IPA. The listing stresses fresh ingredients rather than a canned extract refill.
Best for: Gifting to a hop fan who is 21 or over
Skip if: The recipient wants a malty or dark beer
- Gift-ready set
- Fresh recipe kit, not a can
- Citra-hopped session ale
- Component list is not itemized on the listing
- Bottles not listed
Northern Brewer 1 Gal Beer Starter Kit, Brown Ale
Northern Brewer
- Batch size
- 1 gal
- Type
- Extract recipe kit + equipment
- Includes
- Brown Ale ingredients
This Essential 1-gallon kit includes a siphonless fermenter designed for 1-gallon batches, a lid and airlock, and a brown ale recipe with dry malt extract and steeping grains. Brown ale is forgiving of small temperature swings.
Best for: A malt-forward first batch
Skip if: You want a capper in the box
- Siphonless fermenter
- Steeping grains teach a real technique
- Forgiving style
- Capper not listed
- Bottles not listed
BrewDemon Little Demon 1 Gal Conical Beer Kit
BrewDemon
- Batch size
- 1 gal
- Type
- Extract kit + equipment
- Fermenter
- 1 gal stackable conical
- Includes
- Pilsner recipe
BrewDemon's Little Demon is a 1-gallon conical that traps sediment at the bottom and vents through a plug instead of an airlock. Several units stack to save counter space. The listing says no bottles are included and explains how to reuse bottles.
Best for: Running two or three small recipes side by side
Skip if: You want glass you can see through
- Stackable footprint
- No siphon or airlock needed, per the maker
- Pilsner recipe included
- No bottles
- BrewDemon-specific shape
FastRack 1 Gal Wide Mouth Fermonster PET Carboy
FerMonster
- Volume
- 1 gal
- Material
- PET plastic
- Outputs
- Screw-on lid, #10 drilled stopper, twin bubble airlock
FastRack's 1-gallon Fermonster is a wide-mouth PET carboy with an airtight screw-on lid, a #10 drilled stopper and a twin-bubble airlock. Pair it with any 1-gallon recipe kit and a stockpot for a setup with no glass.
Best for: Building a 1-gallon setup without glass
Skip if: You want everything, recipe included, in one box
- PET won't shatter
- Wide mouth is easy to clean
- Airlock and stopper included
- Fermenter only
- PET scratches if scrubbed hard
HomeBrewStuff 1 Gal Nut Brown Ale Partial Mash Recipe Kit
HomeBrewStuff
- Batch size
- 1 gal
- Type
- Partial mash recipe kit
- Still need
- 1 gal brewing equipment
HomeBrewStuff's Nut Brown Ale kit has liquid malt, grains, hops, ale yeast and a straining bag, plus no-rinse sanitizer, priming sugar and caps. The maker says it fills 9–10 twelve-ounce bottles and takes 3–4 weeks start to finish.
Best for: Your second 1-gallon batch, with a small mash step
Skip if: You don't own 1-gallon equipment yet
- Partial mash teaches grain technique
- Caps and priming sugar included
- Sanitizer included
- Needs 1-gallon equipment
- Ingredients only
Brewer’s Best Hazy IPA 1 Gal Ingredient Kit
Brewer's Best
- Batch size
- 1 gal
- Type
- Ingredient kit
- Still need
- 1 gal brewing equipment
Brewer's Best Hazy IPA is a 1-gallon ingredient kit sized for limited space; the maker says it makes about 10–12 glasses. Use it in any 1-gallon jug or conical you already own.
Best for: Refilling a 1-gallon setup with a hoppy style
Skip if: You need equipment too
- Small-batch hazy IPA
- Works with any 1-gallon gear
- Minimal space
- Ingredients only
- Contents not itemized on the listing
Craft A Brew Deluxe Bottling Kit for 1 Gal Batches
Craft A Brew
- Type
- Bottles + capper + caps
- Count
- 10 × 12 oz amber bottles, 30+ caps
- Size
- For 1 gal kits
Craft A Brew's Deluxe Bottling Kit has ten 12 oz amber bottles, a capper and 30+ caps, enough caps for three 1-gallon batches per the maker. It closes the most common gap in 1-gallon kits.
Best for: Completing a kit that lists bottles as not included
Skip if: You already save pry-off bottles
- 10 amber bottles
- Capper included
- Caps for three batches
- Sized for 1-gallon batches
- Bottles take storage space
What's in a 1 gallon beer kit (and what isn't)?
Complete 1-gallon kits share a pattern: a 1-gallon fermenter, an airlock or vent, a recipe with malt extract, hops and yeast, and sanitizer. Bottles and caps are the usual gap. The table shows each pick as listed.
1-gallon picks: what each listing includes
| Pick | Type | Fermenter | Capper | Bottles | You still need |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Craft A Brew APA | Complete kit | 1 gal glass jug | ✗ | ✗ | About 10 bottles, caps, capper |
| Craft A Brew Deluxe Light Lager | Kit + capper | 1 gal glass jug | ✓ | ✗ | About 10 bottles |
| Northern Brewer Irish Red | Complete kit | Glass, siphonless | ✓ | ~ not listed | Bottles |
| Northern Brewer Kama Citra gift set | Complete kit | ~ not listed | ~ not listed | ~ not listed | Check listing |
| Northern Brewer Brown Ale | Complete kit | Siphonless, lid and airlock | ~ not listed | ~ not listed | Bottles; check for a capper |
| BrewDemon Little Demon | Complete kit | 1 gal conical | ~ not listed | ✗ | Bottles |
| FastRack Fermonster 1 gal | Fermenter | PET carboy | ✗ | ✗ | Recipe kit, pot, bottling gear |
| HomeBrewStuff Nut Brown | Ingredients | ✗ | ✗ (caps ✓) | ✗ | 1-gallon equipment |
| Brewer's Best Hazy IPA | Ingredients | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | 1-gallon equipment |
| Craft A Brew Bottling Kit | Bottling | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ 10 × 12 oz | A batch to bottle |
Source: Current product listings and research notes, November 2026
A data note: our research found one Craft A Brew listing that names the wrong recipe in its text. Check the flavor in the title before you buy a specific style.
How many bottles does a 1 gallon batch make?
A US gallon is 128 fl oz, which is 10.7 twelve-ounce bottles before losses. After trub and yeast stay behind, makers quote 9–10 bottles. The chart compares that with bigger kits.
12 oz bottles per batch
1 gal from the HomeBrewStuff listing; 5 gal from the Northern Brewer listing; 2 gal estimated at 10 per gallon
How to brew a 1 gallon batch on the stove
- Sanitize everything that touches cooled wort
Mix sanitizer at the label dilution and coat the jug, funnel, airlock and thermometer.
- Steep and boil in a stockpot
A 1-gallon batch usually starts with about 1.5 gallons (5.7 L) of water to allow for boil-off. A 2–3 gallon stockpot is enough.
- Chill the pot in an ice bath
Set the covered pot in a sink of ice water until the wort reaches the yeast's range, usually around 65–70°F (18–21°C) for ales.
- Fill the jug and pitch
Pour through the sanitized funnel, top up to the gallon line, add yeast and fit the airlock. Leave the shoulder of the jug as headspace.
- Ferment, then bottle at stable gravity
Wait the time the recipe gives, then bottle only when readings hold steady for 2–3 days.
Mistakes to avoid with small batches
- Using a full 5-gallon dose of priming sugar logic. One gallon needs roughly a fifth of the sugar; measure in grams.
- Filling the jug to the neck. Krausen can push into the airlock. Leave headspace, or fit a blow-off tube for the first days.
- Pouring hot wort into glass. Thermal shock can crack a jug. Chill first.
- Skipping the hydrometer. Small batches lose little beer to a sample; a test jar keeps the reading clean.
- Fermenting on a sunny counter. Light and heat swings hurt flavor. A dark closet is better.
Which 1 gallon kit should you choose?
- Classic first batch: Craft A Brew APA plus the Craft A Brew bottling kit.
- One box with a capper: Craft A Brew Deluxe Light Lager, if you have a cool spot.
- No siphoning: Northern Brewer Irish Red or Brown Ale.
- A gift for someone 21 or over: Northern Brewer Kama Citra gift set.
- Several recipes at once: two or three BrewDemon Little Demons stacked.
- No glass in the house: FastRack Fermonster 1 gal with a HomeBrewStuff or Brewer's Best refill.
For recipe ideas beyond kit refills, the Brooklyn Brew Shop book is written for small batches.
Brooklyn Brew Shop's Beer Making Book
- Type
- Book
- Includes
- 52 seasonal small-batch recipes
- Publisher
- Clarkson Potter
Best for Apartment brewers
When you're ready for bigger batches, a 5–8 gallon kettle and a 6.5-gallon fermenter are the usual next buys.
Craft A Brew's 1-gallon kit is the classic small-batch start, and its bottling kit fills the bottle gap. Choose Northern Brewer's siphonless kits if siphoning worries you, the BrewDemon Little Demon to run several recipes in little space, and a Fermonster 1 gal plus a refill if you'd rather avoid glass.
Before you buy, read how to brew beer at home (extract, step by step) and how to bottle homebrew (and avoid bottle bombs). For a closer look, see Craft A Brew 1 gallon kit review and Mr. Beer 2 gallon kit review.
We compared kit contents, fermenter type, bottling gear and you-still-need lines on current listings, maker figures for bottles per batch and timelines, and brewing references (Palmer's How to Brew, the AHA, BYO's priming chart). Bottle counts per gallon are arithmetic from 128 fl oz. We did not brew with these kits, and we don't show scores, star ratings or prices.