The wilko guide to home brew

A home brewing kit is a must-have for your garden bar or any kind of social gathering, letting you easily create a batch of your own delicious beer or wine for your friends & family – as long as they’re old enough!

How to use home brew kits

Every brew is different, but this will see you right for most drinks:

Essential home brew equipment

• Home brew kit – choose from lager, stout, ale, or wine!
• Fermentation bucket
• Thermometer
• Siphon
• Mixing paddle
• Dextrose sugar (depending on the recipe)
• Sanitation supplies
• Bottles

Sanitation

The most important part of brewing at home is sanitation. If any other bacteria is introduced during the brewing process, it can greatly affect the success and quality of your alcohol, turning it to vinegar. Though great for cleaning, it’s pretty unpleasant to drink!

Make sure your bucket and all other equipment is properly sanitised before you start brewing by using a specialist sanitation kit.

Get brewing!

Our home brew kits are designed to be as easy to use as possible, so you can get brewing right away!

All brewing kits will vary, so it’s important to follow the instructions on your wine and beer brewing kits to the letter.

Your kit will include sachets of ingredients which you’ll add at different times of the brewing process. Beer kits will usually include malt extract, brewer’s yeast, and hops, while wine kits are a little more involved with stabilisers and finings to remove bubbles and clarify the liquid before bottling.

What's the perfect temperature?

Finding somewhere with a consistent temperature is important for home brewing. An outbuilding such as a garage is good, as long as it doesn’t get too cold; anything below 20 degrees will slow the fermentation of your brew. Similarly, don’t put your home brew in hot places or rooms which fluctuate in temperature, as the quality will suffer if it goes above 25 degrees.

What happens during the brewing process?

Making your own alcohol involves a bit of science. Thankfully, with a home brewing kit, everything is already measured out for the most part, so all you need to do is follow the instructions and wait!

During the fermentation process, the sugar is eaten by the yeast which in turn creates alcohol. It also starts producing carbon dioxide, which is what gives your beer its bubbles.

How do I know when my home brew is ready?

Once you’ve left your beer or wine to ferment for the recommended number of days, it’s time for the all-important taste test.

If the liquid tastes too sweet, it usually means it needs to ferment further. Pop the lid back on and keep checking daily until you’re happy with the result. If in doubt, go a little longer – if there’s still excess sugar once it’s bottled, you’ll end up with some very lively beer and potential explosions – these aren’t great at the best of times.

How to bottle your home brew

Once your beer or wine is ready, it’s time to pop it into bottles!

Fully sanitise your glass bottles before using a siphon to fill them up with beer or wine. Leave a little bit of headspace, around 5cm, before closing the top. A flip-top bottle is a great reusable solution, or you can use a bottle capper for a traditional look.

Top tips for home brewing

• Place your fermentation bucket on a washable surface in case of spillages
• Make sure there’s no waste by rinsing out your sachets with a little warm water, making sure every drop gets into the bucket
• Don’t seal the lid completely during the initial fermentation process to allow some gas to escape. This isn’t necessary if you’re using something like an airlock

Ideas for your home brew

Congratulations – you now have a few bottles of your very own homemade hooch! You’re more than welcome to store yours in a cool, dry place and drink them yourself, or share them with friends and family if you’re feeling generous!

Gorgeous gifts

Home brew makes for a fantastic gift with a personal touch, ideal for any beer or wine drinkers in your life. Surprising them with something homemade is a special gift for any time of year!

Label your home brew for a personalised touch, and get the kids involved with designing the labels and thinking up a clever name!

A Summer BBQ to remember

This BBQ season, why not greet your guests with a glass of some home brew to get the party started? Grab a cooler box and fill it with lagers, IPAs, or wine for a refreshing way to kickstart your al fresco entertaining!

Winter warmers

We love getting cosy indoors when it’s cold outside, and is there anything more comforting than a glass of creamy stout or a rich red wine that you’ve lovingly made yourself?

Cosy up with a home brew to enjoy with warming dishes from the slow cooker, or for when you’re warming up under a blanket for a family movie night.