BURTON BRIDGE BEER KIT INSTRUCTIONS
Read these instructions carefully and in full before you start. The preparation process is essentially the same for all beer types, but the amounts of sugar and water are different for the various types. Burton Bridge beer kits are very easy to use. The most important thing is to ensure that everything you use is absolutely clean.
PROCEDURE
1. Immerse the can in hot water for 5 minutes to soften contents prior to opening.
2. Pour the contents of malt can into a clean & sterilised fermenting bin. We advise using a none-rinse steriliser.
3. Boil 8 pints (4.5L) of boiling water & add to fermenting bin.
4. For Summer Ale: Add 1kg of light dried malt, beer enhancer, brewing sugar or granulated sugar. For Bitter & Porter: Add 1kg of medium dried malt, beer enhancer, brewing sugar or sugar. For Porter you will need an extra 200g of sugar and you can also use dark dried malt. For Extra Strong Bitter: Add 1kg of medium or dark dried malt, beer enhancer, brewing sugar or sugar.
5. Once contents have been added mix thoroughly to dissolve all sugars & malts.
6. For Summer Ale, Bitter & Porter: Add 16.5L of cold water to bring the volume up to 5 gallons & stir. For Extra Strong Bitter: Add 10.8L of cold water to bring the volume up to 3.7 gallons & stir.
7. Sprinkle on the yeast sachet & stir well.
FERMENTATION
8. Place the fermentation vessel on & place in a warm area 18-21c is the recommended temperature.
9. Fermentation will be complete when bubbles cease to rise (typically between 4-7 days) & once the gravity is constant at a figure below 1.008.
BOTTLING/KEGGING
10. Syphon the beer directly into your bottles or keg, ensuring they're appropriately sterilised. We advise trying to avoid the sediment on the bottom where possible.
11. We advise using quality glass bottles or brown/green PET bottles with screw caps.
12. Add 1/2 teaspoon of sugar per pint to each bottle (or a maximum of 56gms (2oz) per 5 gallons for pressure barrel. Extra hop extract, finings or creamy top can also be added here. We advise using carbonation drops in place of Brewing Sugar to prime the bottles/keg.
13. Cap & seal the bottles or screw on cap securely on pressure barrel & stand in a warm place (room temperature) for two days.
14. Finally, move the bottles or barrel to a cool place for 14 days, or until the beer is clear, before drinking. Additionally for the Porter we advise adding 2x 500g bags of light hopped spray malt & 200g Brewing Sugar should you wish to increase bitterness.
SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
Observe the following rules to avoid the risk of exploding bottles or kegs:
- Use only pressure-resistant and reusable beer bottles free from scratches and cracks.
- Do not rely solely on a fixed fermentation time or the bubbling of the airlock. Always measure the initial and final density of the beer.
- Never add too much sugar when bottling.
- During the second fermentation, store bottles and kegs in a separate, closed room, with a stable temperature and preferably not in busy areas.
- Never store filled beer bottles or kegs where they are exposed to direct sunlight.