How Many Bottles or Pints Does a Home Brew Kit Make?
Quick answer: A standard 40-pint beer kit makes 23 litres, which is about 40 pints or 46 bottles of 500ml. After leaving the sediment behind, plan on roughly 40 to 46 bottles and the same number of crown caps. A 6-bottle wine kit makes 4.5 litres (six 750ml bottles), and a 30-bottle wine kit makes about 22.5 to 23 litres.
Before brew day it helps to know how many bottles, caps and corks to have ready. Here are the numbers for the most common kit sizes, and what you need to bottle each one.
Beer kits: 40 pints from 23 litres
Most standard beer kits, including Coopers kits, make 23 litres. A UK pint is 568ml, so 23 litres works out at just over 40 pints. That's why you'll see them sold as "40-pint" kits.
You won't bottle every drop. A little beer stays behind with the yeast sediment at the bottom of the fermenter, so your real yield will be slightly lower.
How many 500ml bottles do I need?
23 litres fills 46 bottles of 500ml at most. Once you allow for the sediment, most brewers fill somewhere around 40 to 46. Having 48 clean bottles ready means you won't run short halfway through bottling.
| Batch size | Pints (568ml) | 500ml bottles (maximum) | Caps or carbonation drops |
|---|---|---|---|
| 23 litres (standard 40-pint kit) | About 40 | 46 | 1 per bottle, so up to 46 |
| 11.5 litres (half batch) | About 20 | 23 | Up to 23 |
| 4.5 litres (1 gallon) | About 8 | 9 | Up to 9 |
Crown caps and priming
Each glass bottle needs one crown cap. Caps come in packs such as 40 and 100, so a 100-pack covers two full batches. You'll also need a capper to fit them. If you prime with carbonation drops, it's one drop per 500ml bottle.
Plastic PET bottles have screw caps instead, so you don't need a capper. The Simply Starter Kit with 48 PET bottles includes enough bottles for a full batch.
Wine kits: 6 bottles or 30 bottles
Wine bottles hold 750ml, so the maths works differently:
- 6-bottle kits, such as WineBuddy 6 and Beaverdale 6, make 4.5 litres. That's one demijohn and six 750ml bottles.
- 30-bottle kits, such as WineBuddy 30, make about 22.5 litres. Cellar 7 and Beaverdale 30 make 23 litres, about 30 bottles.
- 28-bottle kits, such as Cantina, make 21 litres.
- Winexpert kits make 23 litres, which the kit pages describe as 28 to 30 bottles.
Each wine bottle needs one cork. A 30-pack of corks matches a 30-bottle kit.
Bottling checklist
- Count your bottles before brew day. For 23 litres of beer, have 48 ready.
- Clean them, then sanitise just before filling.
- Have a cap or cork for every bottle, plus a few spares.
- Prime each beer bottle evenly. For 500ml bottles that's one carbonation drop each.
Need more bottles? Browse our home brew bottles, from 500ml amber glass to swing-tops.
Frequently asked questions
How many pints is a 23 litre beer kit?
Just over 40 UK pints, which is why most 23-litre kits are sold as 40-pint kits. Expect slightly less once the sediment is left behind.
How many 500ml bottles do I need for a 40-pint kit?
Up to 46. Having 48 clean bottles ready gives you a little spare.
How many crown caps do I need?
One per glass bottle, so up to 46 for a 23-litre batch. A 100-pack covers two batches.
How many bottles does a 6-bottle wine kit make?
Six 750ml bottles, which is 4.5 litres or one demijohn.
Is a 30-bottle wine kit exactly 30 bottles?
Roughly. 30-bottle kits make about 22.5 to 23 litres, which fills around 30 standard 750ml bottles.