Better Brew Beer Kit Instructions
Better Brew kits follow the standard UK 23L malt-extract process. If your pack has printed instructions that differ from this page, always follow the pack first.
What's Included
- Malt extract can or pouch with yeast sachet
- Instructions printed on the pack
Equipment Needed (not included)
- 23L fermenting bin with lid and airlock
- 1kg brewing sugar
- Long spoon or paddle for stirring
- Hydrometer
- Sanitiser/steriliser
- Bottles or a pressure barrel/keg, plus priming sugar
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Clean and sterilise all of your equipment thoroughly before you start.
- Stand the can or pouch in hot water for around 10–15 minutes to soften the extract.
- Empty the malt extract into your fermenter, then rinse the container out with hot water and add that too.
- Dissolve 1kg of brewing sugar in 2–3 litres of hot water and stir into the fermenter.
- Top up to 23 litres with a mix of hot and cold tap water until the temperature reads 18–25°C. Stir thoroughly, then sprinkle in the yeast.
- Fit a water-filled airlock and leave to ferment at 18–25°C for 7–10 days.
- Check your hydrometer daily once activity slows. When the reading is stable and low (typically 1006–1010, check your pack for the exact figure) for two consecutive days, fermentation is done.
Bottling
Use only well-cleaned, sterilised bottles with a flip-top, crown cap, or screw-cap PET. Add half a teaspoon of sugar per pint (roughly a level teaspoon per 500ml) before sealing. Stand somewhere warm for a few days, then move to a cool spot to clear for at least a week before drinking.
Kegging
Siphon into a sterilised pressure barrel, add up to 85g of sugar dissolved in a little beer, then top up. Stand warm for a few days before moving somewhere cooler to condition.
Troubleshooting
- Gravity won't drop: check your fermenting temperature isn't too low, and give it more time before assuming there's a problem.
- Bottles too gassy or gushing: likely bottled before fermentation was fully finished — always confirm with two stable hydrometer readings, not just visual clearing.
- Flat beer: not enough priming sugar, or not left warm for long enough after bottling.
Allergens: contains cereals with gluten.