Packaging Calculators

Packaging day is when your weeks of careful brewing and fermentation finally come together. Most UK homebrewers start with bottle conditioning — it is low-cost, requires minimal equipment and produces naturally carbonated beer that improves with age. The bottle calculator tells you exactly how many 500ml or 330ml bottles you need for your batch, accounting for losses from trub and transfers. Pair it with the cap calculator to make sure you have enough crown caps plus a few spares for any that crimp badly. Many UK brewers reuse swing-top bottles or save 500ml bottles from craft breweries, which is both economical and environmentally sound.

Kegging has become increasingly accessible for UK homebrewers, with second-hand Cornelius kegs and CO2 setups available from homebrew suppliers across the country. The keg calculator works out how many kegs you need for your batch size and tracks remaining volume, while the growler fill calculator is handy for decanting pints from the keg to share at your local homebrew club or take to a CAMRA event. For anyone entering homebrew competitions, the label size calculator helps you create properly sized labels for different bottle formats — presentation matters.

Sanitation cannot be overstated at the packaging stage. The sanitiser calculator ensures you mix the right concentration of no-rinse sanitiser (such as StarSan or VWP) for your equipment volume, whether you are sanitising a few bottles or an entire kegging setup. The shelf life calculator gives you a realistic estimate of how long your beer will remain at its best — lower-ABV session bitters are best enjoyed within a few months, while strong old ales, barley wines and imperial stouts can improve for years when stored in a cool, dark place. The bottle cage calculator helps you plan storage for larger batches, working out how many crates you will need.