Follow these instructions to brew your St. Peter's beer kit. The standard recipe brews 40 UK pints. Please pay special attention to Step 2 if brewing Ruby Red Ale or India Pale Ale, as the water volumes differ.
St. Peter's Beer Kits
- St. Peter's Golden Ale Kit
- St. Peter's Ruby Red Ale Kit
- St. Peter's Cream Stout Beer Kit
- St. Peter's IPA Beer Kit
Equipment Required
- A cleaned and sterilised fermenter large enough to hold 23 litres (40 pints). See our Young's 25L Plastic Brew Bucket & Tap.
- A syphon tube to transfer beer into bottles or a barrel.
- Strong, reusable bottles or a pressure barrel. See our 500ml Amber Glass Beer Bottles (20 Pack), Bottle Crown Caps (Pack of 100), and 25L Pressure Barrel with Pin Cap.
- A sterilising solution — we recommend VWP Cleaner Steriliser 400g or VWP Cleaner Steriliser 100g.
- A Hydrometer (Wine & Beer) to confirm fermentation is complete and to calculate ABV.
Brewing Instructions
- Clean and sterilise all beer making equipment. Stand the can(s) in hot water for 5 minutes. Pour the can contents into the sterilised fermenter.
- Add 3.5 litres (6 pints) of boiling water, then top up with cold water and thoroughly mix to ensure all contents are fully dissolved.
- Golden Ale & Cream Stout: top up to 20.5 litres (36 pints)
- Ruby Red Ale: top up to 23 litres (40 pints)
- India Pale Ale: top up to 19 litres (32 pints)
- Add the hop sachet, then the yeast. Cover the fermenter and leave to stand for 4–6 days in a warm place (18–20°C / 65–70°F). Fermentation will be complete when bubbles cease to rise — or when your hydrometer gravity remains constant below 1014.
- Transfer the beer into bottles or a pressure barrel with a little sugar (½ teaspoon per pint, up to a maximum of 85g for a pressure barrel) to help condition the beer. Stand bottles or barrel in a warm place for two days, then allow 14 days in a cool place, or until the beer has cleared.
Calculating ABV
By following these instructions, your beer should have an alcohol strength of about 4% ABV. To check this, take two hydrometer readings:
- Starting Gravity (SG): taken before adding the yeast.
- Finishing Gravity (FG): taken once the beer is ready to bottle.
Calculate ABV using the following formula:
(SG − FG) × 0.129 = ABV%
For example: 1044 − 1013 = 31 × 0.129 = 4.0% ABV