Bedsit lager: brew beer in the space of a bucket | Brewshop

Q: Is it legal?

Yes. In Norway you can brew beer, cider, wine and mead for your own use from the age of 18. It is distilling that is not allowed. You cannot sell what you brew.

Q: Does it actually taste good?

The wort is brewed by professional brewers at a proper brewery, with equipment you will never have at home. What you are responsible for is fermentation, and that takes care of itself as long as you have sanitised properly and kept the temperature reasonably steady. The difference between a successful and a failed brew almost always comes down to cleanliness.

Q: Does it smell?

A little, in the first days of fermentation, like fresh bread or yeasted baking. It disappears when fermentation calms down. It doesn't smell through a closed door.

Q: How long does it really take?

Around four weeks from opening the bag to drinking, split into about 20 minutes of brew day, 14 days of fermentation without you doing anything, an hour of bottling, and two weeks of carbonation without you doing anything.

Q: Do I need a hydrometer?

No, but it gives you more confidence. Without a hydrometer you bottle based on time and gut feeling, and if you bottle too early, fermentation continues in the bottle. The pressure can then get high. PET bottles handle this better than glass, but it is better to wait a few extra days.

Q: Can I use regular beer bottles?

Yes, if they are the crown cap type and you have a capper. The PET bottles with screw caps are easier for most beginners: they weigh nothing, they don't break, and you can feel the pressure with your fingers to check whether carbonation is under way.

Hybelpils: brygg ditt eget øl på plassen til en bøtte

Homebrewing has a reputation for needing space: a brewing system, kegs, hoses and a room in the basement that smells of malt. With a Fresh Wort Kit there is only one thing you need that you don't already have, a fermenting bucket measuring 38 × 39 cm. It fits in a wardrobe, under the desk or in a corner of your room.

BEDSIT LAGER WITH A FRESH WORT KIT

20 litres of beer in the space of one bucket

Wort brewed and finished at the brewery. You empty the bag into the bucket, sprinkle on the yeast and wait. No brewing system, no boiling.

10–20 minbrew day

< 40 cmfermenting bucket

40half-litre bottles per kit

See the starter pack Choose your beer

What is a Fresh Wort Kit?

A Fresh Wort Kit is 20 litres of fully brewed, water-adjusted wort from Austmann Bryggeri or Amundsen Bryggeri. The brewery has done the mashing, boiling and hopping. You do the fermenting. Yeast and instructions are in the box.

The wort is not meant to be diluted with water. Many other kits contain 15 litres that you top up with tap water, and then it is your tap water that decides how the beer turns out. With ours, the water is adjusted at the brewery, in all 20 litres.

What do you need to get started?

The easiest option is a starter pack with all the equipment. You choose the beer separately.

Recommended for beginners

Contents of the Easy Brew starter pack: fermenting bucket, airlock, hydrometer, sanitiser and PET bottles

Easy Brew – Startpakke for hjemmebrygging✓ 33 litre fermenting bucket with tap✓ Airlock, hydrometer and Chemipro San✓ Carbonation drops and 48 PET bottlesView Easy Brew → Easy with a keg

The Simply Brew starter set with Bohemian Pilsner Fresh Wort Kit, Cornelius keg and CO₂ equipment

Simply Brew – Komplett startsett med Bohemian Pilsner✓ Bohemian Pilsner 20L Fresh Wort Kit✓ 20 litre Cornelius keg and CO₂ regulator✓ Beer line set, so you pour straight from the kegView Simply Brew →

Or buy the parts separately

White 33 litre fermenting bucket with lid and tap

Fermenting bucket 33L

Hydrometer with test jar

Chemipro San is the most important of them. Poor sanitation is the most common reason a brew turns sour.

How to do it

Day 1Brew day10–20 minutes: sanitise, empty the bag and sprinkle on the yeast.

Days 1–14FermentationLeave the bucket alone. The airlock starts bubbling after half a day to a day.

Day 14BottlingTwo carbonation drops in each bottle, fill and screw on the cap.

Days 14–28CarbonationTwo weeks at room temperature, then a day in the fridge.

Take hydrometer readings two days in a row before you bottle. If the number stays the same, fermentation is finished.

How much beer do you get, and how much space does it take?

20litres of finished beer

40bottles of 0.5 L

60bottles of 0.33 L

Fits in

The wardrobeUnder the deskA corner of your room

38 cm in diameter · 45 cm tall with the airlock

The most important thing is a stable temperature. Bohemian Pilsner and Match Pilsen are fermented with LalBrew NovaLager, which gives a clean pilsner at up to 20°C. If your room stays at 19–20°C, you need neither a fridge nor temperature control.

Which beer should you start with?

Best seller

Match PilsenPale, clean and easy-drinkingView beer →

Box of Bohemian Pilsner 20L Fresh Wort Kit

Bohemian PilsnerCzech pilsner, 5.3%View beer →

Blanc WheatFrench wheat beer, 4.6%View beer →

If you want something other than pilsner and wheat beer, we have around 45 Fresh Wort Kits, from IPA and pale ale to Mexican lager and Christmas beer.

Get started

Ready for your first brew?

Pick a starter kit and a Fresh Wort Kit, and you will have beer in a month.

See starter kits All Fresh Wort Kits

Unsure what goes together? Send an email to kundeservice@brewshop.no.

Frequently asked questions

Is it legal?

Yes. In Norway you can brew beer, cider, wine and mead for your own use from the age of 18. It is distilling that is not allowed. You cannot sell what you brew.

Does it actually taste good?

The wort is brewed by professional brewers at a proper brewery, with equipment you will never have at home. What you are responsible for is fermentation, and that takes care of itself as long as you have sanitised properly and kept the temperature reasonably steady. The difference between a successful and a failed brew almost always comes down to cleanliness.

Does it smell?

A little, in the first days of fermentation, like fresh bread or yeasted baking. It disappears when fermentation calms down. It doesn't smell through a closed door.

How long does it really take?

Around four weeks from opening the bag to drinking, split into about 20 minutes of brew day, 14 days of fermentation without you doing anything, an hour of bottling, and two weeks of carbonation without you doing anything.

Do I need a hydrometer?

No, but it gives you more confidence. Without a hydrometer you bottle based on time and gut feeling, and if you bottle too early, fermentation continues in the bottle. The pressure can then get high. PET bottles handle this better than glass, but it is better to wait a few extra days.

Can I use regular beer bottles?

Yes, if they are the crown cap type and you have a capper. The PET bottles with screw caps are easier for most beginners: they weigh nothing, they don't break, and you can feel the pressure with your fingers to check whether carbonation is under way.

Tags: Fresh wort kit, Kom i gang