Brewing Instructions

Just add yeast and let the BrewKit do the work.

Every kit ships with the same plain-English instruction card we walk through here. Six simple steps, two beginner recipes, and a first batch you can be drinking in under a month.

The 6-Step BrewKit Lab Process

Works for any beer, mead, or cider recipe. The yeast does the actual work — you just set the table.

  1. 1

    Sanitize everything

    Mix the included sanitizer packet with water and rinse your fermenter, airlock, stopper, and any tools. Anything that touches your brew has to be clean.

  2. 2

    Mix your batch

    Combine water with your chosen ingredients (honey for mead, malt extract for beer). Stir well so everything dissolves. No boiling required for mead.

  3. 3

    Fill the fermenter

    Pour your liquid into the glass fermenter. Leave about 2 inches of headspace at the top so the yeast has room to do its thing without pushing through the airlock.

  4. 4

    Add the yeast

    Open the yeast packet that came in your kit and sprinkle it directly on top of the liquid. Don't stir — just let it settle.

  5. 5

    Seal and walk away

    Attach the stopper and airlock. Fill the airlock halfway with water. Within 24-48 hours you'll see bubbles — that's fermentation. Put it somewhere room-temperature (65-72°F) and let the BrewKit do the work.

  6. 6

    Bottle when ready

    Once bubbling slows to less than one per minute (usually 2-4 weeks), transfer to bottles with a little priming sugar. Wait another 1-2 weeks for carbonation, then chill and enjoy.

Two Beginner Mead Recipes

Mead is the easiest first brew — no boiling, no hops, no guesswork. Pick one of these and you'll be tasting your first batch within 6 weeks.

Classic Traditional Mead

1 gallon · ~10 bottles · finished in 4-6 weeks

The simplest mead possible. Three ingredients, no boil, hard to mess up. Wildflower honey gives floral notes; orange blossom honey adds citrus brightness.

Ingredients

  • •2.5 lbs raw honey (wildflower or orange blossom)
  • •1 gallon filtered or spring water (about 3.5 liters)
  • •1 packet wine or mead yeast (Lalvin EC-1118 is forgiving)
  • •Optional: 1 tsp yeast nutrient for cleaner fermentation

Steps

  1. 1.Sanitize all equipment.
  2. 2.Warm half the water (don't boil — 110°F max) and dissolve the honey completely.
  3. 3.Add the rest of the water cold to bring the mixture to room temperature.
  4. 4.Pour into your sanitized fermenter, leaving headspace.
  5. 5.Sprinkle yeast on top and seal with airlock.
  6. 6.Ferment for 4-6 weeks. Bottle and age at least 2 more weeks (longer = better).

Cinnamon Apple Mead (Cyser)

1 gallon · ~10 bottles · finished in 5-7 weeks

A cozy fall and winter favorite. Apple cider replaces water for a smoother, fruitier mead. Great as a holiday gift batch.

Ingredients

  • •2 lbs raw honey
  • •1 gallon fresh apple cider or juice (no preservatives, no sorbates)
  • •1 cinnamon stick
  • •1 packet wine yeast (Lalvin 71B works beautifully)
  • •Optional: 1 whole vanilla bean, split lengthwise

Steps

  1. 1.Sanitize all equipment.
  2. 2.Warm the cider slightly (do not boil) and stir in the honey until fully dissolved.
  3. 3.Pour into the sanitized fermenter and drop in the cinnamon stick (and vanilla bean if using).
  4. 4.Add yeast, seal with airlock.
  5. 5.Ferment for 4-6 weeks. Taste a sample — if you want more spice, leave the cinnamon in another week.
  6. 6.Bottle and let condition 1-2 weeks before drinking. Best served slightly chilled.

Don't have a kit yet?

Our 1-gallon brewing kit has everything you need (except the honey). Pair it with one of the recipes above and you're brewing this weekend.

Shop 1-Gallon KitShop 5-Gallon Kit

Want more recipes and guides? Check out our brewing blog or read our 7-step beer brewing guide.