Young's Harvest Beer Kit Instructions

Gather Your Equipment

Before you begin, you'll need to gather some basic home brewing equipment.

You'll need a fermenting vessel, such as a plastic fermenter or glass carboy, along with a stopper and airlock.

You'll also need a thermometer, hydrometer, and siphoning equipment.

For an all-in-one, bundle check out our home brew starter kit which includes all the essential items mentioned above.

Once you have your equipment, you can choose from a variety of Young's Harvest Beer Kits to find the perfect flavour for your taste.

Step-by-step Instructions

1. Stand the unopened can in hot water for 10 minutes - this is particularly helpful in cold weather as it makes pouring the contents much easier.
   
   
2. Empty the contents of the can into a sterilised brewing vessel you should also rinse out the can with hot water to ensure all the contents are used.
   
   
3. Bitter, Lager, Mild - Dissolve 1kg of sugar into 3 litres of hot water and pour into a brewing vessel - top up to 23 litres (40 pints) with cold water.
   
   For a stronger Ale - follow the instructions above but only top up the water level to 17 litres (30 pints)
   
   Stout - Dissolve 1kg of sugar into 4.5 litres of hot water and pour into a brewing vessel - top up to 17 litres (30 pints) with cold water.
   
   Yorkshire Bitter, Scottish Heavy, Pilsner Lager - Dissolve 1.5kg of sugar into 4.5 litres of hot water and pour into a brewing vessel - top up to 5 gallons (40 pints) with cold water.
   
   
4. Sprinkle the brewing yeast provided onto the prepared mixture (the temperature of the mixture should be 20-25°C) - fit the lid of the brewing vessel.
   
   
5. Stand the container in a warm place where an even temperature can be maintained (18-24°C) and leave until fermentation is complete.
   
   This will take between 5-10 days.
   
   
6. It is important to check that fermentation has finished to avoid the risk of your bottles bursting under pressure.
   
   - Bubbles have stopped rising to the surface
   - The beer has lost its sweetness
   - The specific gravity (when tested using a hydrometer) is between 1.000-1.006
   
   
7. Bottling - put a 1/2 level teaspoon of sugar into each sterile pint bottle and syphon the beer into bottles leaving a 2-inch space at the top.
   
   Be careful not to disturb the sediment at the bottom of the container - do not exceed the recommended amount of sugar.
   
   Caution - Use only bottles with pressure-type closure Barreling - when using a pressure barrel, add only 75g of sugar to the full 40 pints
   
   
8. Seal and store the bottles/barrel at room temperature for about seven days and then remove them to a cool place for storage.
   
   Your beer will be ready to drink when clear, remember, however, the taste of the beer improves with maturity.

Homebrewing Hints

Always sterilise all equipment before use. (We recommend VWP steriliser)

In the colder months of the year, the use of a heat pad or immersion heater will help to keep an even temperature.

Ensure that the fermentation has finished before bottling - you don't want any Molotov cocktails in the kitchen.

It is good practice to take hydrometer readings as this will clarify if there is a stuck fermentation or not. 

Only use pressure bottles, we recommend plastic beer bottles for beginners or you can go for beer bottles/swing tops.

When serving your beer, be careful not to disturb the sediment at the bottom of the bottle.

Your beer will take longer to clear in a pressure barrel you can speed this process up using beer finings.

Shop for Youngs Harvest Beer Kits and the cheapest homebrew kits

We have popular beer making kits from brands such as Geordie and Coopers