How to Use a Home Brew Beer Kit — Step by Step Guide
Share
How do you use a home brew beer kit?
Using a beer kit is a six-step process: sterilise your equipment, prepare the wort (dissolve the kit extract in water), pitch the yeast, monitor fermentation for 7–14 days, confirm completion with a hydrometer, then bottle with Carbonation Drops and condition for two weeks. Full details below.
Step 1: Gather your equipment
You'll need a 25-litre fermentation bucket with tap, a bubbler airlock, a hydrometer, a thermometer, a long-handled spoon, and either bottles and a capper or a pressure barrel. See our full home brew equipment range.
Step 2: Sterilise everything
This is the most important step — contamination ruins more home brews than any other cause. Dissolve Young's Steriliser in water and thoroughly coat every surface that will touch your beer. Rinse and drain. Read our complete sanitation guide for more detail.
Step 3: Prepare the wort
Stand your kit can in warm water for a few minutes to soften the extract. Pour into the fermenter, add 1.5 litres of boiling water and stir well. Add Brew Enhancer 2 (much better than plain sugar — see our Brew Enhancer guide) and stir again. Top up to 23 litres with cold water and check the temperature is 18–24°C.
Step 4: Pitch the yeast and ferment
Sprinkle the yeast over the wort surface, fit the lid and airlock (half-filled with water), and place somewhere stable at 18–24°C. Fermentation begins within 24–48 hours. Leave undisturbed for 7–14 days. Want to upgrade the aroma? Read our dry hopping guide.
Step 5: Confirm fermentation is complete
Fermentation is complete when two hydrometer readings taken 24 hours apart are identical. Most kits finish around 1.006–1.010 SG. Never rush this — see our FAQ for what happens if you bottle too early.
Step 6: Bottle and condition
Siphon your beer into sterilised bottles, add one Carbonation Drop per 500ml bottle for natural carbonation, cap with Crown Caps using your Beer Capper, and store at room temperature for at least two weeks. See our conditioning guide for exactly how long each style needs. Browse all beer kits and equipment at BrewCo UK.