St Peter's Beer Kit Brewing Instructions
Use this guide alongside the instructions supplied with your St Peter's beer kit. Batch sizes and strengths differ across the range, so check your box before adding water. These are ingredient kits; brewing and bottling equipment is separate.
Choose the Correct Batch Size
| Kit | Approx. finished batch | Approx. ABV |
|---|---|---|
| IPA | 18 litres / 32 UK pints | 5.5% |
| Golden Ale | 20.5 litres / 36 UK pints | 4.7% |
| Ruby Red Ale | 23 litres / 40 UK pints | 4.3% |
| Cream Stout | 20.5 litres / 36 UK pints | 5.0% |
| Plum Porter | 20 litres / 35 UK pints | 5.0% |
Use the final fill volume on your kit's instructions. This is the total volume in the fermenter, including the malt extract. The ABV figures are estimates and depend on the batch volume and fermentation.
What You Need
Have a suitable fermenter, stirring spoon, hydrometer, thermometer, syphon, cleaner and sanitiser, and pressure-rated beer bottles with closures or a suitable pressure barrel ready before starting.
The standard two-can recipes include the malt needed for fermentation. Extra sugar or beer enhancer is not required at this stage. Buy a small priming addition separately: brewing sugar, Mangrove Jack's Carbonation Drops or Coopers Carbonation Drops.
Mixing the Kit
- Clean and sanitise the fermenter, spoon and any equipment that will touch the beer, following the cleaning product's directions.
- Stand the unopened malt cans in hot water to soften the extract, then open and empty both into the fermenter. Use both cans of Golden Ale together: they contain different extracts needed for its recipe.
- Add the hot water specified by the kit, mix thoroughly to dissolve the malt, and top up with cold water to the correct final volume for that beer. Mix well.
- Check the liquid temperature before adding yeast. Follow the box instructions; the St Peter's range instructions specify fermentation at 18–20°C. Record an original gravity reading before pitching.
- Add any supplied hop addition at the point stated in the instructions. St Peter's advises adding its hop sachet just before the yeast. Follow any separate directions for other flavour additions supplied with your particular kit.
Fermentation
Keep the beer at the recommended steady temperature. Fermentation time varies, so do not bottle or barrel simply because the airlock stops or a set number of days has passed.
Confirm completion with hydrometer readings that remain unchanged over at least two days and meet the final-gravity guidance supplied with your kit. The general St Peter's instruction sheet specifies a stable gravity below 1.014; follow any different target supplied with your particular box. Our hydrometer guide explains how to take a reading.
Bottling or Barrelling
Once fermentation is complete, clean and sanitise your packaging equipment. Syphon gently off the sediment into pressure-rated beer bottles or a suitable pressure barrel. Measure the priming addition using the directions for the kit, actual packaged volume and container size. Fermentation sugar and priming sugar are different stages; do not use a whole bag of sugar for priming.
Allow the sealed beer to carbonate at the recommended conditioning temperature, then move it to cool storage as directed. Follow your kit's timing and allow longer if carbonation or clearing is incomplete. Our bottle guide covers suitable bottles and care.
Time and Strength
Allow roughly 3–4 weeks for fermentation and initial conditioning, with further maturation if needed. There is no single ABV for the whole range.
For an estimate from decimal hydrometer readings, use (original gravity − final gravity) × 131.25. For example, (1.044 − 1.013) × 131.25 = approximately 4.1% ABV before allowing for any priming contribution. This is an example calculation, not the strength of every St Peter's kit.
For a full first-brew walkthrough, read our beginner's beer brewing guide. Compare the beers in our St Peter's beer kit range.