Use A Beer Can Kit To Make Home Made Brewed Beer
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BEER CAN KIT
A Beer Can Kit provides all the malt and hops and yeast to make home brewed beer. A beer can kit is readily available and you should be able to get one from a Supermarket or from a Specialty Home Brew Beer Shop. The can contains about 1.5kg/1.7kg of concentrated brewing malt and brewing hops extract to which you add warm water at about 25ºC, plus 1kg of dissolved cane sugar or grain sugar such as Dextrose and a sachet of beer yeast. The beer yeast comes with the beer making kit and you get the sugar and dextrose at a grocery Supermarket or the dextrose at a specialist Home Brew Shop if not on the supermarket shelf.
Fermenter
Brewing takes place in a container called a beer fermenter that typically is made from food grade ‘plastic’ of volume 22 to 25 litres or about 5 imperial gallons. Your fermenter will have a large screwed top or clip down top so that you can get your hand in for cleaning after each brew. The top will have an air lock fitted that contains clean water so that carbon dioxide gas produced as a consequence of the fermentation process can escape the beer fermenter, but outside air cannot get in. The early beer fermenter was called a 'carboy' and held 5 gallons. Why that size? Probably because that was a convenient size for a man to carry when it was full, e.g. the ubiquitous petrol or gasoline 'jerry can'. With modern technology of plastics and moulding techniques, purpose-made fermenters of the same convenient volume (22.5 l/5 gal) were produced using inert or food grade material. Then came the 25 l fermenters that had extra head room to allow for frothing of top fermentation yeasts to expand without coming out of the airlock.
Air Lock
At this stage you’ve got a can kit, sugar, and a fermenter with an air lock. You need more equipment. It is vital you have a beer thermometer to measure the temperature of the wort before pitching the beer yeast. Wort? Yes, that is what the mixture in the fermenter is called and the act of adding the yeast is to ‘pitch the yeast’. Check the instructions that come with the can kit for the temperature range of the yeast and keep within it because if too hot the yeast will be affected and ‘off’ flavours will result. If too cold, fermentation may not start quickly enough and the wort can spoil. Fermentation should start within 24 hours. Use a thermometer every time!
Mixing
Now you’re ready to do it. Open the can of hops and malt concentrate with a can opener or the ring-pull if it is one of those cans. Because the contents are thick and gooey you need to dissolve the contents and sugar with hot water. Hot tap water, about 4 litres, direct into the fermenter is good; or you can do it in a clean stainless steel saucepan or pot on a stove, starting with cold tap water. Use only clean stainless steel or plastic utensils in contact with the mixture. Add cold tap water to make up volume to 22.5 litres ( 5 gal). If necessary, use hot water to raise temperature or ice water to lower it as required (use ice if necessary). At 25ºC (or the recommended temperature shown on the packet of yeast) add the beer yeast, close the top and add water to the air lock. Check effectiveness of the air lock by squeezing the fermenter to force some air out. The water level each side of the air lock should be different and should stay that way. If not, tighten lid until it is airtight.
If you are beginner you will want to do some more serious study into home brewing, I recommend Home Brewing Made Easy.
Fermentation
Within 24 hours the fermentation process should have commenced and gas will be bubbling through the airlock. Fermentation produces carbon dioxide and alcohol. The alcohol is ethanol. Yes please!
 How much alcohol? You can work that out, but you need a hydrometer. The excitement at this stage is to see the gas bubbling through the airlock and know that your home made beer brewing project using a home beer making kit is all happening and it won’t be long before you can drink and enjoy your malty hoppy drop.  Costs cents, tastes a million dollars!
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