More and more suds sippers ire learning that it's possible to make top-quality beer for less with ...

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Great Fermentations, Continental Products, and Specialty Products use the twostage method to good effect . . . although we did find the first-listed concern's glass jug secondary fermentor easier to keep tabs on during siphoning than were the more commonly used plastic containers. Our seventh candidate, Duane Imports, provides only a single-stage unsealed fermentor. We admit to having been a little concerned about the possibility of contamination entering the unsealed container, but the beer fared well in its cheesecloth-covered bucket, and its taste was untainted.

Once a brew has reached fruition, the solution must be transferred to crownrannable bottles and sealed. All of the kits come with siphons, but four of the items were not particularly effective ... because of a restrictive tubing junction that made it difficult to establish and maintain flow. The siphons offered by Duane Imports, Great Fermentations, and Wine and Brew Hobby worked best.

Five of the companies supply a doublelever capper and a gross (144) of crown caps, which should be a sufficient number of lids for at least three batches. The Bierhaus kit contains 60 caps but no capper, and Specialty Products offers a doublelever capper and 150 caps for an additional $11.95 over the kit's base price.

ADDED AMENITIES

The outfits from Duane, Specialty, and The Brick Store include a hydrometer . . . a device that measures specific gravity and helps the brewer accurately pinpoint the proper time for bottling. The same three companies-as well as Great Fermentationsprovide bottle brushes, too . . . but only the Great Fermentations scrubber has the proper bristles to reach into the nooks and crannies of a container's bottom. (Duane Imports also supplies a thermometer to determine the correct temperature for yeast inoculation ... which is really necessary only when one attempts advanced mashing techniques.)

All of the beermaking setups include easyto-follow instructions that should allow anyone with basic cooking experience to prepare beer successfully. Some kitssuch as those of Bierhaus, Continental, and Duanealso furnish slightly more ambitious manuals. The Great Fermentations kit is equipped with a Look written by one of the company's co-owners, Byron Burch, who is among the more successful and better known homebrewers in the United States. And The Brick Store slipped in two books on brewing in lieu of a recipe .. . one by Leigh P. Beadle and the other by Fred Eckhardt, both highly renowned home brewmasters.

Other useful small items are provided with some of the packages . . . including a special cleanser, disinfectants, and a funnel for priming. (Please consult the accompanying chart for details.)

INGREDIENTS

Beer can be brewed from an amazing variety of fermentable organic matter, and many commercial American offerings contain high percentages of rice and/or corn. However, the beverage traditionally has been (and still is, in Europe) made predominantly from malted barley. Each of the seven kits we examined is supplied with at least one can of malted barley extract . . . a gooey substance which is processed from grain to allow for the easier extraction of starches.

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