How to Make up a Beer Kit

Kits require very little equipment to make up, all that is required is a fermenter (25L food grade bucket) preferably with tap and transfer tubing, a mixing paddle/spoon, a hydrometer, a thermometer and a regular kettle.

Left hand picture.Back:Fermenter with tap and transfer tubing.
Back Left: Siphon Tubing (not required if fermenter has a tap).
Middle: Stirring Paddle.Front Center. Thermometer and Hydrometer.
Right Hand Picture: Thermometer and Hydrometer.

Clean and Sanitise. Everything that comes into contact with the ingredients should be cleaned and sanitised as wort is an ideal breeding ground for bacteria which if it takes hold, will make your beer taste of vinegar . The equipment can be cleaned using a soda crystals solution (found in supermarkets and hardware stores), it should then be sanitised using bleach (use thin unscented cheap supermarket bleach only). The bleach is diluted in cold water at a rate of 3ml per Litre and the equipment soaked for 20 mins. It should be rinsed thoroughly in cold water.
Alternatively a proprietary homebrew combination cleaner/sanitizer like VWP can be used. 
In both cases a rinse in a sodium metabisulphite solution (available from homebrew shops) is also useful as this neutralises the chlorine found in bleach and proprietary cleaners. It  prevents growth of bacteria and kills wild yeasts meaning your equipment will stay sanitised for longer. 1 tsp of sodium metabisulphite should be dissolved in 1 pint of hot water and swilled round the equipment. The solution can be kept in an old 500ml fizzy pop bottle which is also useful for keeping your hydrometer in.

Firstly its worth rehydrating the yeast which will come in a dried granular form, this is done by sprinkling the yeast into a third of a cup of pre-boiled water that has been allowed to cool to about 30 degrees C. A plate can be placed over the rehydrating yeast to keep airbourne debris out and the mixture left for around 30 mins.

Meanwhile wipe the can(s) off with a cloth soaked in your sanitizing solution and place it (them) in a container of boiling water to soften up the contents making it easier to pour. Leave them to warm through for 5 mins, open with a sanitised can opener and pour the contents into your fermenter. Rinse out the tin(s) with boiling water and add this to the fermenter also, mix well. 
(Take care when handling the tin(s), use oven gloves as they will be very hot).

If DME is being used alongside a one can kit, dissolve it in a couple of litres of luke warm water in a saucepan first and bring it to the boil to dissolve, this ensures it is sanitised and mixes well, add to the fermeneter. 

Now all you have to do is top up to the appropriate volume (stated on the kit) using cold water and stir. Stir vigorously for a good 5 mins to introduce oxygen into the wort, this will help the yeast get off to a good start and work well when fermenting your beer.

Once you have aerated your wort check its below 30 deg c and add your rehydrated yeast which should look like this.

Rehydrated yeast.

If it doesn't there is a good chance it wont do its job properly, in this case its useful to have a spare pack handy in the store cupboard, prepare it as before. 
If the wort is above 30 deg c, snap on the lid and allow to cool, putting the fermenter in a sink of cold water will speed the process. Once the yeast has been pitched, stir in well and snap on the lid. Crack it open again slightly to allow it to breathe. 

After 12-24hrs it should look something like the picture below. Once fermentation has started the beer must not be disturbed, any splashing could cause oxidation which results in an unpleasant off flavour. The temperature of the room should be within the range of 18-26 deg c, too cold and the yeast could become dormant, too hot and harsh unpleasant alcoholic flavours can develop.

Yeast Head

After around 3-5 days this yeast head will have subsided and fermentation will have slowed. The gravity of the beer can now be checked, once you get two readings the same within a 24hr period it can be transfered to a keg or to bottles. Alternatively this can be left for around 10 days (total), this has the advantage of allowing the beer to clear a little reducing sediment in the keg or bottle.

Before transferring to a homebrew barrel, dissolve 80grams of brewers sugar or DME in around 100mls of boiling water and then zap in the microwave to bring back to the boil, wait a few moments before removing and take great care as disturbing may cause a boil over due to uneven heating, Pyrex jugs are useful for doing this purpose. Add this sugar solution to the homebrew barrel before transferring the beer. The sugars will ferment in the homebrew barrel (or bottle) giving your beer sparkle. These sugars are known as priming sugars.

The transfer of the beer must be done as smoothly as possible, transfer tubing attached to the tap or siphon tubing must be used. The outlet of the tubing should be directed to the bottom of the homebrew barrel and once the liquid level is high enough the outlet should remain submerged. The Fermenter can be gently tipped to get as much of the wort out as possible but the sediment or slurry at the bottom should be left behind (don't worry too much though if a little gets through, it will settle out).

When bottling, ideally a bottling bucket should be used, this is a fermenter with a tap fitted with tubing long enough to reach the bottom of the bottle. Priming sugars are added to the bucket before transferring the beer, this allows thorough mixing and allows the bottles to be filled with minimal disturbance to the beer.

Whether homebrew barrels or bottles have been used to store the beer they must be left in a warm place for a week to allow them to condition or carbonate. They should then be left for a minimum of two but ideally four weeks to mature. They longer it is left the better the finished product will be.

This article courtesy of Chris at http://www.18000feet.com/