MAKING YOUR OWN BEER
HOW EASY IS IT TO MAKE BEER AT HOME?

It's really easy & what's more, you will discover that the beer you make is very good quality. Here is some information about what you need to make beer & also a description of the process which shows you how very easy it is. It takes 1 to 3 weeks to make a batch & during that time you will spend a couple of hours of your time on the brew.

THIS IS HOW YOU MAKE BEER FROM A BEER KIT IN A CAN

Once you have your Home Brewery or Starter Kit, you are ready to make your first batch. You will be using a canned beer ingredient kit which is easier than making a packet cake.
However, don't think the quality of the beer you make will be poor. You will make great beers this way as long as you remember that it is important to use really good quality ingredients.

• Stage 1 - Preparation Stage
• Stage 2 - Fermentation
• Stage 3 - Bottling
• Stage 4 - Maturation
• What You Need

Stage 1 - Preparation

1. Clean & sterilise your equipment. Instructions are provided.
2. Put the yeast aside for the fermentation stage.
3. Dissolve the contents of the can in 2 to 4 litres of very hot water in a sterilised bucket. Use less hot water in hot weather & more in cold weather. Add 1kg of glucose or dextrose and stir to dissolve. DO NOT USE SUGAR.
4. Add about 10 litres of cold water to your fermenter, transfer the hot mixture from the bucket to your fermenter & mix thoroughly. Top up with cold water to the 22.5 litre mark.

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Stage 2 - Fermentation

1. Sprinkle the yeast onto the surface.
2. Seal the fermenter, fit the airlock and half fill it with cool boiled water.
3. Allow the brew to ferment. Try to keep the temperature in the fermenter reasonably constant in the low 20's and try to avoid it falling below about 18șC. Typically this takes about a week. 
4. Fermentation is finished when the airlock stops bubbling and the brew itself begins to clear. Allow a further 48 hours for it to clear thoroughly.

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Stage 3 - Bottling

1. Sterilise the bottles & rinse with cool boiled water.
2. Use your priming scoop to put a measured amount of sugar into each bottle.
3. Fill each bottle to within 50mm of the top.
4. Close each bottle with a crown cap and seal it firmly with a capping tool.
5. Shake thoroughly then stand the bottles in a warm spot (say around 20 to 22șC.) for about a week then store for at least another 2 weeks before sampling.
6. Or as an alternative to bottling, download our KEG STARTER KIT INSTRUCTIONS - to see just how easy it is to set up a keg system in your home.

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Stage 4 - Maturation

Homebrew improves greatly with bottle ageing and will not go off in the bottle at all. A six month old beer will be very much better than a one month old beer. So, try to age your beers, you will enjoy them much more. In fact, you will be amazed at how much your aged beers have improved. Don't forget to label and date each batch. Keep samples to try at 3, 6 and 12 months old. Take notes about how they taste then you will see for yourself how this amazing improvement works.

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What You Need

By far the easiest & most inexpensive way to start your brewing hobby is to buy a HOME BREWERY or Starter Kit which includes all the essentials you need to make your first batch of beer. There are several good ones that you can choose from and they include most of these basics. 
                             

FERMENTER	This is the container in which the beer is allowed to ferment
BEER INGREDIENT KIT	The ingredients for your first batch come in a can & are supplied with yeast. All you have to do is add dextrose (NOT SUGAR) & water
THERMOMETER	To monitor the temperature of your fermenting beer
DEXTROSE	This is a much better quality brewing ingredient than the white sugar that is so widely used
AIRLOCK	To allow gas out of the fermenter & stop air getting in
HYDROMETER	For testing your beer to see if fermentation is finished & for measuring alcohol
TAP & BOTTLING VALVE	For getting beer into the bottles
BOTTLE BRUSH	A great help for cleaning bottles
STERILIZER	To prevent contamination
CARBONATION DROPS	To prime the bottles
PLASTIC SPOON OR PADDLE	For mixing your brewing ingredients
CAPPER & CROWN SEALS	To seal each bottle (if you are using glass bottles)

These are the essentials that you will need to get going. As long as you have some bottles, sugar & water at home, you're on your way to making your first batch of about 28 bottles of fine beer without spending an extra cent.

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