Day 1
Choose which variety of the ibrew system you would like to try. There are three home brew kits available in the ibrew range; bitter, lager or stout. Order on-line at www.ibrew-uk.com. ibrew-uk and The Thrifty Brewer are offering Free Shippingon all ibrew orders.
Day 3
Unwrap your your ibrew system and familiarise yourself with the various components. Your kits should contain 2 x 20 pint home brew beer kits, a home brew fermentation vessel, 2 x 10 pint dispensers, a home brew stirrer, and a carbonator / tap.
Remove the label from one of the ibrew cans and place in a bowl of warm water and leave to soften contents. The second can is for your next 20 pint brew.
Pour 20 pints of cold tap water into your home brew fermenter (the ibrew outer packet) and stir in 2 teaspoonfuls of the steriliser/cleaner powder using the plastic stirrer supplied. Place the stirrer and lid in the water to sterilise and leave for 15 minutes.
While the fermenter and stirrer are sterilising, bring to the boil a full kettle. After 15 minutes, empty the water from the fermenter and rinse the lid, stirrer and fermenter with cold tap water. Remove the can from the warm water and dry with kitchen roll. Open the can and pour the contents into the sterile fermenter. Half fill the empty can with hot water from the kettle and stir with the sterilised stirrer until all of the remaining can contents are dissolved and pour into the fermenter. Take care the can will be hot!
Add the rest of the hot water from the kettle and give the fermenter contents a good stir. Then top up with cold tap water to the 20 pint mark printed on the home brew fermenter, DO NOT FILL TO THE TOP!
Cut open one of the yeast sachets and sprinkle this onto the surface of the liquid. If brewing bitter, add the contents of the hops sachet. Then loosely replace the fermentor lid and leave to ferment for 7 days at room temperature.
Day 10
Your home brew will be ready to transfer to transfer to the dispenser bottles. Put one teaspoon full of the cleaner powder into each of the 2 dispenser bottles and fill with cold water. Insert the siphon tube into one of the bottles, leaving about 2cm protruding from the bottle and leave to sterilise for 15 minutes. Rinse the bottles and tube with
clean cold water.
Carefully lift the fermenter onto the kitchen worktop and remove the lid. Place the sterilised dispenser bottles on the floor near the home brew fermenter and siphon the home brew from the fermenter into the first one then the other bottle, leaving about 3cm head-space.
To do this place the siphon tube into the beer in the home brew fermenter and hold in place while you suck the other end to fill the tube with home brew. Then quickly place into the empty bottle. Pinch-bend the end of the tube to stop the flow when you transfer to the second bottle - this may take some practice! Then screw the caps in place. Store bottles upright in an area where they will not be disturbed for 14 days.
Day 24
Remove the cap from one bottle and insert the carbonator/tap unit into the bottle and hand tighten. Check that the tap is closed. Gently tilt the bottle so that the gas bulb holders are upright (tap on top), undo one of the two gas bulb holders, insert a gas bulb and replace the holder, tighten gently into place until a hissing sound is heard. Insert the base plate onto the carbonator/tap unit and gently slide into the fridge to chill.
Now you are ready to enjoy your home brew beer!
Simply open the tap fully to dispense. If your home brew needs extra carbonation, or stops flowing, insert the second gas bulb into the empty bulb holder and tighten until a hissing sound is heard.
Once the bottle is empty, open tap to release any residual gas then gently undo the carbonator/tap unit and insert into your second bottle using the same method as described above.
It’s now time to start your next brew, using your free 20 pint home brew kit.
Remember that refills are available from The Thrifty Brewer.
Enjoy and drink responsibly.
