E.C. Kraus Home Wine and Beer Making Supplies

I'm still learning this process but haven't had this happen. Got 3 gallons of Muscadine wine I was gonna bottle up. When opened up it has a very strong "yeasty" smell and taste. Made this a couple times and never had this happen. Only thing I did different was use a different wine yeast. (Montrachet instead of lavlin 71b 1122.) I may have forgotten to rack the wine after it had been placed in...

I'm making your Blueberry wine and my question is this. Can I add boiling water to the winemaking ingredients or should I wait for the water to cool first? Thank youName: Bill D.State: Maine Hello Bill, The only winemaking ingredients I can think of that should ever touch boiling or hot water are: botanicals and sugar.  Botanicals: Whenever making wines from herb, flowers, roots, it is normal to...

Hello Ed, I've been making homemade wine for over 20 years. Good friend of mine got me started and he introduced me to E. C. Kraus. I purchased a starter kit from you guys in 1992. Best move that I ever made. That brings me to my story. I make cranberry wine every year and it usually comes out great. Last years batch went cloudy on me. The taste is great, it's just cloudy (what's left of it). I'm...

I racked and filtered my Pinot Grigio and it was crystal clear when I bottled it. Now, some bottles (but not all) have a white almost milky sediment in the bottom of the bottles and it has a slightly "dirty sock" aftertaste. I've been told it was a protein and I might be able to remove it with Sparkolloid but have not tried it yet. Any suggestions?Name: Neal C.State: CA Hello Neal, Normally, when...

Hi, I was told by a local winemaker, that if you add vanilla bean to a racking of chardonnay, it gives it a subtle nice flavor. Well, we put just half a vanilla bean in and racked it for a month. We just racked again and took the vanilla bean out. The wine has a weird plastic-like taste and smell to it that is rather unpleasant. We are so disappointed because we were so looking forward to...

There appears to be plenty of information on equipment and supplies, cleaning/sanitation/sterilization, yet I"m having a difficult time of locating a protocol specifically related to maintaining a production area for a home winemaker (counters, floor, fixtures, sinks, drains, walls, etc.). I currently clean up splashes as they occur and monthly I do a fairly thorough wipe down of all surfaces with...

We bottled Lambrusco wine in January. We tasted 2 months later and decided it was just not going to be sweet enough. Is it ok to remove the corks-put back into clean container and sweeten more with the wine conditioner and then re-bottle?Name: BarbaraState: Kentucky Hello Barbara, Unfortunately, we get asked this question quite often. I'll start off by giving you the short answer, "yes". What you...

I bottled some blackberry 5/2012. When I opened a bottle this morning it fizzed over and kept bubbling for a while. What did I do wrong, I followed a recipe?Name: Ed W.State: FL Hello Ed, Sorry to hear that your wine has gotten a little out of control. Let's see if we can figure out what's going on. There are basically two ways a wine can end up with gas in it. I'll go over them...

My Cabernet Franc and Carmenere, made from juice, both need to have their acid levels increased. Both went through malolactic fermentation. What type of acid is best to use? I have acid blend but it contains malic acid. Would using malic acid defeat the purpose of malolactic fermentation?Name: Dennis D.State: Ohio Hello Dennis, There are three main reasons for wanting a malolactic fermentation...

I have purchased 2 of your 9 gallon Tuff-Tanks and planned to use as both the primary and secondary fermenters. I read your article re: vinegar issues and you indicated air exposure can be an issue. Is using the 9 gallon tuff tank an issue for secondary fermentation? I find the tuff tanks an easy apparatus to use for transferring and racking as gravity flow works well and sediment separation is...

Sodium metabisulfite is a very important part of winemaking, and is used commonly in both commercial winemaking and home winemaking.  Basically, sodium metabisulfite wears many hats, making it an extremely versatile and thus valuable item in winemaking.  It acts as a sanitizer in both the wine and in the equipment used, as well as a protector against the damaging effects of too much oxygen. Very...

Before you use water straight from the tap for homebrewing, it’s important to understand exactly what you’re putting into your precious brew. After all, water makes up more than 90% of beer by weight. Water chemistry can get a bit technical, but don’t worry -- you don’t need a degree in chemistry to make good beer. In the famous words of Charlie Papazian, “Relax, don’t worry, have a home brew.” In...

Generally speaking, Brown Ales are relatively mild and malt-forward beers that pair well with many different foods. Sometimes they’re nutty, either from the character of the malt being used or from actual nuts or nut extract added to the brew. Whether you prefer the classic English version or the slightly more hoppy and robust American style, Brown Ales make for good drinking, and brewing,...

I am making a Cab Sauvignon from the California Connoisseur wine kit. I also plan on making a Merlot next and would like to blend some of the two wines before bottling. I would like to save half of the Cab in a 3 gal carboy and bottle the other half. However, at what step in the process is it best to store the bulk Cab while I am making the Merlot? After Stabilization and...

I’ve been making wine using wine ingredient kits such as KenRidge for several years. These kits seem quite complete with all the ingredients needed – but reading many of the posts on your site causes me to wonder. Should I, could I, must I supplement the ingredients provided in these kits with other ingredient such as Yeast Nutrients, Acids, Tannins, Potassium Sorbate, Wine Conditioner? Should I...

I will be bottling my first batch in the next week or so. Planning it out, I would find it much easier to dispense the wine via the spout on the large fermentation container. However the wine is finishing up its process in the 6 gal carboy. The question is, is it safe to move the wine from the carboy to the fermentation container at the moment I am ready to bottle? I would certainly be sure I...

For the first time ever I ordered juice concentrate, your merlot and blackberry, to try making a large batch of my favorite flavors. Well, I followed the directions to the letter and it all fermented nicely in the primary. After 5 days racked it to the secondary, a glass 5 gallon carboy but for the first time left a little head space of a couple inches figuring that it would be ok since it it was...

I think I'm obtaining an off-taste with my Muscadine wine because it needs additional degassing. I degas the wine once after the 7 day initial fermentation. Can I also degas again after 30 days and right before the first rack? I understand that the degassing technique may place unwanted oxygen into the wine.....what do you recommend? ThanksName: HermanatorState: Missouri Hello Hermanator, I would...

I took the stopper out of the carboy briefly to clean.  I noticed a vinegar smell!  Is the 6 gallons of wine junk?  Or should I sample to confirm?  Help!  Air lock may have gotten low !!!!!Name: Danny VState: WI Hello Danny, I guess my question to you is, does it really smell like actual "vinegar" or is it just an odd odor? I ask this because many times a person will smell something unusual in...

I made an apple cider and a apple/blueberry cider. Both are in the aging process  (4 months before bottling). I have the apple cider in a 5 gal. oak keg and the blueberry on in a 5 gal. carboy. When I want to bottle, should I be adding a sodium metabisulfite prior to bottling?Name: Mike in NYState: NY Hello Mike, If you are aging your wine in bulk, such as a carboy or oak wine barrel, we recommend...