Beer Kit – Festival Father Hooks Best Bitter Kit

1. Read the instructions thoroughly before starting your Festival Ale kit.

2. Clean and sterilise your Fermentation Bin, Lid and Mixing Paddle with proprietary brand of Cleaner Steriliser ensuring you rinse thoroughly
with clean water.

3. Stand the 2x malt pouches in hot water for 15 minutes to soften the extract.

4. Tear open the 2x malt pouches and pour both into your fermentation bin, rinse out any remains using warm water and add to the fermentation bin.

5. Boil 3Ltr of water, add to fermentation bin. Add the dextrose brewing sugar if included (only included and required for the following kits: Pilgrims Hope, Old Suffolk Strong Ale, Pride Of London Porter & Razorback IPA) stir to dissolve.

6. Top up to 23Ltr with cold water and stir well. Take a hydrometer reading and record the number. Check liquid temperature is below 25°C then add the contents of the Beer Yeast sachet and stir gently.

7. Fit an airlock to the lid of the fermentation bin then secure lid to the bin, making sure the seal is air-tight. Half fill the airlock with water to protect the brew during fermentation.

8. Place fermentation bin on a washable surface, it is quite normal for some foaming to occur during the first 2 days. Ensure fermentation bin is kept a constant warm temperature between 20°C – 25°C throughout fermentation.

Good temperature control is important for beer quality and timely fermentation. Below 20°C fermentation time will be much longer below 15°C fermentation will stop altogether. A heat pad or brew belt may be useful in keeping the beer at an appropriate temperature (particularly during the cooler months).

9. After 5 days, add the Hop Pellet sachet but DO NOT STIR (the hops will break up and disperse naturally). Now leave the beer to ferment with the hops for a further 5 days.

Proceed to Keg/Barrel your beer 5 days after the hops were added.

a) Sterilise filter bag, syphon tube, sediment trap (if you have one) and barrel and then rinse thoroughly.

b) Place hop bag over rigid end of syphon tube and sediment trap*, pull tight so top of hop bag is as high up rigid tube as will go then tie firmly. *Sediment-trap although not essential, we advise to use one to help decrease likelihood of a slower syphon flow rate due to build-up of suspended hop matter.

c) Syphon directly into your barrel and then add the contents of the priming sugar sachet (contains the perfect amount of dextrose brewing sugar for each beer style), stir to completely dissolve.

d) Seal Barrel and then leave in a warm place (ideal temperature range of 20°C – 25°C, avoid higher temperatures as this can have significant impact on final beer quality) for secondary fermentation for 14 days. See Serving & Storage below.

These kits use a complex malt extract and a range of different beer yeast strains that can take longer to ferment out, so leave for at least 10 days in total to ferment (obviously longer if below 20°C). Do not bottle until the airlock has stopped bubbling AND the S.G. reading is stable for 48 hours at or below the following readings;

Landlords Finest – 1.009
Father Hooks – 1.009
Pilgrims Hope – 1.011
Golden Stag – 1.009
Suffolk Old Ale – 1.014
POL Porter – 1.009
Razorback IPA – 1.005

IMPORTANT WARNING: The Specific Gravity must be stable for 48 hours before bottling. Never bottle until fermentation is complete, as this may cause beer to be over carbonated thus causing ‘gushing’ beer or in worse cases exploding bottles.

Once you are sure fermentation has finished;

a) Sterilise Hop Bag, syphon tube, a second bucket and your bottles and then rinse thoroughly.

b) Place hop bag over rigid end of syphon tube and sediment trap*, pull tight so top of hop bag is as high up rigid tube as will go then tie firmly. *Sediment-trap although not essential, we advise to use one to help decrease the chance of a slower syphon flow rate due to build-up of suspended hop matter.

c) Syphon as usual into your second bucket, then add the contents of the priming sugar sachet into the second bucket (contains the perfect grams dextrose brewing sugar for each beer style), stir to completely dissolve.

d) Pour or syphon into your bottles, fill bottles leaving 5cm (2 inches) headspace (from the very top of the bottle), seal bottles then leave in a warm place for secondary fermentation for 14 days. Then transfer to a cool place for 3 weeks to clear and fully condition. See Serving & Storage below. Use only proper glass flip top or crown cap beer bottles. Reject any glass bottles which have the slightest chips, cracks or imperfections. PET beer bottles can also be used.

Your beer is ready to drink as soon as it’s clear but will continue to improve for several weeks if left somewhere cool and dark. Serve chilled (12°C ideal). For bottled beers pour very slowly & carefully to avoid bottle sediment being transferred into your glass.