Brew Day Starter Kit Instructions

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Thanks for buying the Brew Day Starter Kit. The kit Includes:

Attach the tap to the hole in the fermenter and tighten. Test with water for leaks.

Attach one end of the silicone tube to the tap, and the other to the bottling wand.

Pour some water into the bucket and practice filling a bottle. Better to familiarise yourself with this now, rather than waste good beer! The bottling stick has a sprung loaded tip which opens when it’s pressed against the bottom of the bottle.

Stick your thermometer halfway up the outside of the bucket, and insert the rubber grommet and airlock into the small hole in the lid of the bucket.

Clean and sterilise your fermenter, spoon and Hydrometer. Mix your sterilising solution according to the instructions on the pack. It is usual to place all your equipment in the fermenter with the solution and sterilise it all at the same time.

After 10 to 15 minutes in the solution, empty the solution and thoroughly rinse the equipment to remove all traces of sterilising solution.

The can(s) or pouches in the kit contains a concentrated solution of malt extract which can be quite thick, so place the can in warm water for 10 minutes to loosen the contents and make it easier to pour.

Open the can(s), and then empty the contents into your clean fermenting vessel and add between 1 and 3 litres of boiling water (check the instructions in the malt extract kit) . Remember to rinse out the can and add this to the fermenter as well.

If the extract kit requires extra sugar or DME/LME, add it now. Please note, this is NOT the carbonation drops (save these for the bottling stage) . Stir the mix using
the spoon, to ensure the sugar is completely dissolved.

Top up the fermenter with cold water to the amount recommended by the beer kit (most are 23 litres in total, but some are less) and stir to ensure an even mix.
Check the temperature to ensure it is between 18°c and 25°c and using the sterilised hydrometer, take a reading and note the Specific Gravity (SG).

Open the yeast sachet and sprinkle the yeast directly across the top of the beer, without stirring it in.

Put the lid on the bucket, add a small amount of water to the airlock and place it in a room with a reasonably constant temperature, ideally between 20°c and 25°c. If you are unable to keep the temperature above 20°c, please purchase a heat belt or pad here

Ideally, you would position the fermenter off the ground, so that you do not have to move it when bottling. This will avoid disturbing the sediment. Fermentation will get under way within 24 hours, and you will see bubbles flowing through the airlock.

A brewing heater can be used to maintain temperature (sold separately). After initial fermentation has ceased (when the bubbles have stopped) or a further hydrometer reading showing the final gravity (recommended by the beer kit) has been reached, you can put your beer into bottles for its secondary fermentation.

 You need to clean and sterilise your silicone tube, bottling wand and your 500ml beer bottles.

 Secondary fermentation – this is to create fizz in your beer. This can be done in one of two ways:

Transfer your beer to another (clean and sanitized) bucket, add the correct amount of brewing sugar, stir until dissolves, and the begin bottling. For the exact amount to use for your style of beer, use a beer priming calculator, e.g. https://www.brewersfriend.com/beer-priming-calculator/
Prime each bottle with two carbonation drops. Alternatively, use 1 heaped tsp of dextrose sugar.

If required, lift the fermenter carefully above the level of the bottling area and ensuring you do not draw any sediment through the silicone tube, fill each bottle to leave a space of approx. 25mm (1 inch) at the top. Cap each bottle firmly.
Shake to dissolve the sugar and place back in the warm room for two days before storing in a cool dark place until the beer has cleared which should take between 10 and 14 days.
NB – When drinking bottle conditioned beer such as this, be careful not to disturb the sediment when pouring. You may find it helpful to hold the bottle up to the light and pour steadily whilst watching for the sediment to reach the neck.

Cheers!