Brewing is a four-stage process: make a wort, allow fermentation, bottle, then let your beer mature. Follow these instructions to get the best from your Geordie beer kit.
Geordie Beer Kits
These instructions apply to all Geordie beer kits, including:
- Geordie Bitter Beer Kit
- Geordie Yorkshire Bitter Beer Kit
- Geordie Scottish Export Beer Kit
- Geordie Mild Beer Kit
- Geordie Lager Beer Kit
- Geordie Winter Warmer Beer Kit
Equipment Required
It is essential that all equipment is clean — use a sterilising solution throughout. You will need:
- A 5 gallon (23 litre) plastic fermenting container. See our Young's 25L Plastic Brew Bucket & Tap.
- A plastic syphon tube with a ‘U’ bend to help avoid disturbing sediment.
- Strong bottles or a pressure barrel. See our 330ml Amber Glass Crown Cap Beer Bottles, Bottle Crown Caps (Pack of 100), and 25L Pressure Barrel with Pin Cap.
- 1kg Brewing Sugar (Dextrose/Glucose)
- A sterilising solution — we recommend VWP Cleaner Steriliser 400g or VWP Cleaner Steriliser 100g.
- A Hydrometer (Wine & Beer) to confirm when fermentation has stopped.
Stage 1 — The Wort
The wort is the mix of natural ingredients from which you brew.
- Empty the contents of the can into your sterilised plastic container and add 1kg of sugar.
- Stir in 4 pints of boiling water until the mixture has dissolved.
- Add the rest of the water cold — 36 pints for a 40 pint kit, or 26 pints for a 30 pint kit — to achieve a lukewarm solution of 18–24°C (65–75°F).
Stage 2 — Fermentation
- Sprinkle the contents of the yeast sachet onto the brew and stir in.
- Cover and allow to ferment at room temperature (18–24°C / 65–75°F).
- Take hydrometer readings every day. Bottle once the specific gravity has been at or below 1.005 for two consecutive days.
Note: Fermentation takes approximately one week but will be longer in cold weather.
Stage 3 — Bottling
Bottles
- Put ½ a level teaspoon of sugar per pint into each bottle.
- Without disturbing the sediment, syphon the beer into bottles, leaving 1½ inches of space at the neck.
- Screw or press caps on tightly and shake to dissolve the sugar.
Note: Non-reusable bottles are not suitable.
Pressure Barrel
- 40 pint kit: Dissolve 2½oz of sugar in about a pint of your beer, then syphon in the remainder.
- 30 pint kit: Use 2oz of sugar only.
See our 25L Pressure Barrel with Pin Cap and Homebrew Starter Kit with Pressure Barrel (40 Pints).
Stage 4 — Maturing
- Store at room temperature for 4 days.
- Move to a cool place for at least 10 days to mature and clear (allow 3–4 weeks for barrels).
- The beer will continue to improve beyond this initial 10 days — further patience will be rewarded.
Serving
Secondary fermentation in the bottle causes a small deposit to form. Remove caps quickly and smoothly, then pour carefully into a large jug, leaving the sediment undisturbed in the bottle. In hot weather, chill your beer for up to two hours before serving for best results.