Beer kit
A beer kit is an accessory for the hobby brewer to simplify the brewing process compared to the classic brewing process. In particular, the laborious process of boiling the wort is not necessary, thanks to the use of finished, industrially produced extract.
Components
A beer kit usually consists of the brewing container, a can with a beer wort mixture consisting of hops and malt extract, supplemented by a serving of dry yeast and brewing instructions with various recipes. The extract is tough and roughly the consistency of honey or molasses. Beer kits can be bought in any supermarket in England, Australia, Scandinavia or New Zealand. In Germany, a large selection of beer kits are offered by home brewing dealers on the Internet.
Brewing process
The brewing process varies slightly between different brewing kits, but the principle is always the same. The extract is mixed with a little hot water, and depending on the recipe, sugar or hops are added. Approx. 20 liters of beer can be made from a can of 1.8 l of extract. After filling up with cold water, the yeast is added. Incidentally, dried yeast serves the same purpose.
The brew now ferments for about 1.5 weeks and can then be bottled. Swing-top bottles , in which a little sugar has been added beforehand, are best suited to support the bottle fermentation. Many beer kits also contain crown corks so that normal glass bottles can also be closed with a suitable device. After a maturation period of 6 to 8 weeks, the beer is ready to drink. More detailed instructions are available on the Internet.