| Hello, welcome to the simple way to make beer, with a beer kit. |
| First of all choose the beer kit that you want to make, whether it be a Bitter, Stout, Lager or something special like a Belgium beer. |  |
 | After choosing your beer kit you need to sterilize all the equipment that you intend to use. First make sure that all is clean and then use a sterilizer like 'VWP' or sodium metabisulphite (campden tablets) I find that 'VWP' works the best. Do this by quite simply filling your bucket up with water and dissolving the 'VWP' powder or campden tablets in it, add your spoon which you will also need and leave. After about five minutes rinse everything with clean cold water twice. |
| Now use a tin opener to open the tin or tins of malt/hop extract in your kit. Pour the contents into your fermentation bin. Use about six pints of hot water from a kettle or saucepan to rinse them out ensuring that all the concentrate is removed. If your kit requires spraymalt or sugar add now and give a good stir making sure that everything is dissolved. Now add cold water to the mark on your bucket that your beer kit makes (e.g. 5 gal for a 40 pt kit, or 3 gal for a 24 pt kit). |  |
 | If you have a thermometer then use it to check the temperature. It should be between 18-20°C, 65-70°F. If you do not have a thermometer then use you hand, it should feel neither hot nor cold, somewhere in between, if in doubt go on the slightly cool side. |
| Once your wort is around the right temperature open the yeast sachet and sprinkle the yeast on top. If you have time after 15 minutes stir, otherwise just stir straight away. |
| Cover your fermenter with a cloth, loose fitting lid or bubbler (Airlock) and leave for 5 - 7 days, the higher the temperature the shorter the time, the lower the temperature the longer the time, but try to keep it between 18-20°C, 65-70°. |
 | After the primary fermentation is complete (After the 5 - 7 days) sterilize your syphon pipe, spoon and barrel / bottles depending on what you intend to use. If you want to use bottles make sure that they are able to take the pressure, glass bottles that have already had beer in them are perfect. There are three main types of bottles: Crown cap or Crown cork bottles, Grolsch or swing top bottles and Cider bottles. Syphon the beer into the barrel / bottles being careful not to disturb the sediment as you do it. Add a half teaspoon per pint of light spraymalt or sugar, if using a barrel then stir until dissolved or swirl if using bottles. At this point you can use finings to speed up the clearing process, but you do not have to, it will clear with time anyway. |
| Now either screw on the barrel cap or seal your bottles, for crown cap bottles you will need a crown capper. Now before you start cracking them opening you will need to let then mature. The general rule is 'the longer the better', your beer should taste OK by the end of two weeks but if you wait a month you will be the better for it. To start with put your beer in a warmish environment for about two days and then the ideal conditions to store it is in a cool, dry, dark place, try to get as close to this as you can. Now there's only two things left to do: Drink and Enjoy. Good luck and happy brewing. |
