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. John Bull beer kits are very easy to use. The most important thing is to ensure that everything you use is absolutely clean.
1. All equipment should be sanitised & cleaned prior to use, we advise using a none rinse steriliser. 2. Empty the contents of the malt extract can into a sterilised fermentation vessel & add 1kg of Brewing Sugar. Boil 2.25L (4 Pints) of water, use a little boiled water to rinse can, allow to cool slightly, then stir into the mix until the sugar is dissolved. 3. Add the balance of cold water to make up the total to 23L (40 Pints) or 18L for Stout. Stir thoroughly. The final temperature of the mixture should be 18/24c. 4. Sprinkle the contents of the sachet of yeast onto the brew, stir & replace the lid.
5. Stand the container in a warm place in a room with a constant temperature of anywhere between 18/24c (we recommend the use of a heater belt or tray for optimum temperature control) & leave to ferment for between 4 & 8 days. 6. Check that fermentation has completely finished before proceeding. This can be confirmed when no bubbles are rising to the surface or through the Airlock & the brew begins to clear slightly. A Hydrometer reading of below 1.006 on two consecutive days will confirm that fermentation is complete.
7. Put a maximum of 1 level teaspoon of Brewing Sugar or two Carbonation Drops into each of your 1 pint or 1/2L (sterilised) bottles. Do not exceed the recommended dosage or the beer will become to lively to serve & could result in burst bottles. Syphon the beer from the fermentation vessel into the bottles (we advise using an Auto-Syphon to avoid disrupting the sediment) leaving a head space of 5cm (2 inches) between the top of the liquid & bottle rim. 8. Once beer has been successfully siphoned seal the caps on your bottles & transfer to a warm place at room temperature (20c preferably) & leave for roughly 4 days to allow secondary fermentation to take place. Do not store in direct sunlight. 9. After 4 days move the bottles to a cool place to allow the beer to clear. Clearing will take about one week or 10 days maximum. Once the beer is perfectly clear it is ready to drink, but will improve if left to mature for at least a minimum of two weeks. 10. When serving the beer be careful not to disturb the yeast sediment which will have collected at the bottom of the bottle during the secondary stage of fermentation. We advise pouring slightly to control the dispensation of sediment. 11. If transferring to a pressure barrel we recommend dissolving 60g (1/4 cup) of priming sugar into a cupful of hot water, add this solution to the barrel & stir well. 12. Ensure the barrel is capped tightly & store in a warm place (20c preferably) for a minimum of 4 days, then leave to clear in a cool, dry place. Note that beer takes longer to clear in a barrel than in bottles & should be left for a minimum of 3 to 4 weeks in order to successfully clarify & mature. 13. Once cleared your barrel can then be injected with Co2 & dispensed.