E.C. Kraus Home Wine and Beer Making Supplies

Every time I brew, I dig through all kinds of odds and ends to find what I’m looking for. I basically have a couple small boxes stuffed with fining agents, water additives, bottle caps, airlocks, rubber stoppers, and more, all just piled in on top of each other. I’m an apartment brewer right now, so I don’t have a lot of space, but there’s got to be a better way. Can you relate? In a search...

1. Are the mushroom caps easy to install, or do you need special equipment. Do they seal as well as regular corks, (over time). 2. Wine bottles that have a screw top, can you reuse them with a cork.Name: Tom H.State: Davison, Mi Hello Tom, The Mushroom corks are very easy to install. This is the biggest advantage to using them over traditional wine bottle corks. You do not need a wine bottle...

Extract brewing is the easiest way to brew your own beer. Many homebrewers begin as extract brewers and later progress to all-grain brewing. Some even go back to extract brewing because it's easier and much less time consuming than all-grain brewing. So what is extract brewing? Professional brewers extract fermentable sugars from barley malt through a process called mashing. Homebrewers can skip...

I've heard that Pot Met [potassium metabisulfite] does not need to touch the carboy or bottles to sanitize, but the fumes are what actually does the sanitizing. Can you tell me which is correct? Thanks, BobName: BobState: NY Hello Bob, What you have stated above is correct. The SO2 gas that releases from a solution of water and potassium metabisulfite will sanitize the inside of your...

Whether you are just starting to get involved in home winemaking or you have been making wine at home for some time, it’s a good idea to have a good understanding of the different types of homemade wine equipment, how they function, and whether or not a particular piece of equipment is needed in your home. Of course, there are many more pieces of homemade wine equipment than can be described in...

Keeping your home brew stuff clean at all times and sanitizing it is essential for creating clean and fresh tasting beer. The beer brewing process encourages the growth of microbes to accommodate a yeast fermentation. Unwanted bacteria will have a chance to grow as well, so it is best to eliminate it up-front through sanitation. Your home brewing equipment will come into contact with sugars, malt...

Hello Winemakers:I am getting ready to start my first batch of wine from concentrate. I am a little confused about the sanitizing process for large pieces of equipment. The directions say to dissolve so much sanitizing stuff to one gallon of water. Does this mean a gallon will do the job? With a 6 gallon tuft tank or a 6 gallon glass carboy, for example, do you pour the gallon in the container and...

Hi: I have always made my wine in a humongous stone crock.  What is an airlock thing that is mentioned?   My wine is really good, and I've never gotten sick from it.  Nobody else has either.  So would that airlock thing make my wine better???  By the way, I make Elderberry and Choke Cherry wine.Thanks, Lois ----- Hello Lois, I'm glad you brought this up. Many people misunderstand the role airlocks...

Hello  E. C. Kraus: I’ve read a lot of the articles on your site concerning wine making. The one titled “Wine Making With Grapes” mentions that there is a different method of processing red grapes than there is for white grapes, but I’m not sure I completely understand the process for red grapes. What does it mean when it says that they are to be “crushed and fermented with the skin and pulp for...

Hello: I have been having problems with residue in my bottles of rhubarb, choke cherry, pear and plum wine but have never had a problem with my wild grape, plum or even choke cherry before. Bottled three weeks ago and the only one with no residue is my wild grape. Will unbottle and redo if you think it's warranted. Thank you in Advance Mike---------- Hello Mike, It sounds like there is one of two...

Hi. Can you give me any information on how barometric pressure would affect the fluid level in an air lock. Some days they show negative pressure and a day or two later they are making bubbles again. I can't tell if fermentation is done or not. Thank you Jerry ---------- Hello Jerry, An air-lock is what seals the outside world from your wine during and after fermentation. It is a barrier that...

At the very center of wine making is the process of fermentation. Fermentation occurs because the yeast want to consume the sugars in a wine must. As a result the sugars are converted into both alcohol and CO2 gas by the fermentation. Normally as winemakers, we are concerned about the alcohol, but in this post we are going to change directions and talk a little about the gas.Almost all of the CO2...

One of the long, ongoing discussions in the world of home wine making is, "should I age my wine in bulk or in bottles?"What Exactly Is Bulk Aging?Bulk aging refers to storing the wine in something similar to a glass water bottle. Home wine makers refer to them as carboys or demijohns. It's important to have a container with a neck of some sort so that the head-space, or air gap, can be mitigated...

As 2010 draws to a close, and a new year comes into view, I thought it would be nice to take another look at the blog entries that have proved to be most helpful to home winemakers this years. These are the blog entries that everyone here has gotten the most response from, or has been able to utilize the most when helping a customer. As I result here is the list of the top 10 most helpful posts of...

Hello:I am getting ready to start my first batch of wine from concentrate. I am a little confused about the sanitizing process for large pieces of equipment. The directions say to dissolve so much sanitizing stuff to one gallon of water. Does this mean a gallon will do the job? With a 6 gallon tuft tank or a 6 gallon glass carboy, for example, do you pour the gallon in the container and slosh it...

Dear EC Kraus, I hope you can help me out. I am having a problem with my 5 gallon glass carboy fermenter. I started a wine from raspberries a few days ago in my bucket fermenter. Now its time to put the wine in the carboy but the rubber stopper will not stay in the opening. It keeps coming out/coming loose. I ordered the size your company suggest. Any ideas? Seth A. ---------- Dear Seth, This...

Please help: I recently noticed that a partially full carboy of apple cider wine had developed mother of vinegar proteins.  What is the likelihood that I will be able to use that carboy again for wine making?  I am currently using a sodium metabisulfite solution in an attempt to sanitize it.  Will this be sufficient? Thank you. Robin M. ---------- Hello Robin M. Sorry to hear about your apple...

Help, I'm getting together some homemade wine equipment. Question: does the secondary fermenter have to be (6) gal. for making (5)gal.of wine???  Thanks  James T. ----------  Hello James T., The primary fermenter needs to be about 6 gallons for 5 gallons batch of wine. This is to allow room for the foaming, otherwise you have a potential for foam to come through the rubber stopper, out the...

Hi Wine Helpers, On the second rack it seems like the fermenting has stopped!(about 10 days) no bubbles in the air lock that I have on my gallon glass carboy, then last night I looked at the air lock and it looks like the wine is pulling a vacuum the water is on the wrong side. What do you think? Justin ---------- Dear Justin,Glad to hear that your fermentation appears to be finished after 10...

Dear Sirs: I just read a portion of your monthly newsletter on wine making and found out that I may have done something wrong. I have been putting the air lock on immediately after adding the yeast-I see now that I should have covered my wine brewings with a cloth after adding the yeast. What can I do if I need to start over. It seems to be fermenting but very slowly. Can I add yeast nutrient or...