E.C. Kraus Home Wine and Beer Making Supplies

There are many pieces of homemade wine equipment than can be described in just one post.  It’s important to understand each piece of homemade wine equipment, how it functions, and whether or not a particular piece of equipment is needed in your own home winemaking practice.  Today’s post features three more important pieces of equipment: the Three Spout Bottle Filler, the Wine Thief, and the Brew...

Before hops were a common ingredient, beer was flavored with all kinds of herbs, spices, vegetables, flowers, and roots. One such ingredient was ginger, the intensely flavored root frequently used in cooking Indian food and ginger bread cakes. In one of my favorite new brewing books, Sacred and Herbal Healing Beers, Stephen Buhner notes that ginger was used by the ancients for its medicinal...

I purchased three cans of Alexander's Pinot Noir concentrate and the recipe on the label calls for 4 tsp. Bentonite and the other ingredients to be put in the fermenter before the wine yeast. The people at our local brewing store said to use Super Kleer instead and that it was better than Bentonite. I understood that both Bentonite and Super Kleer to be for clarifying befoEditre you bottle and not...

... I was looking for different ways to sweeten my wine and came across this [corn sugar] in your beer section of your catalog. That is some sweeten there beer with corn sugar instead of cane sugar. The article said it would give the beer a crisper taste. How do you think this would affect the wine? Thanks PatrickName: Patrick DavisState: GA Hello Patrick, It is true that most beermakers...

We are going to go off topic a little bit here and talk about something that I find very fascinating. In any industry or business where there is a lot invested, there can be a lot of superstition revolving around those involved.  Maybe a soccer player wears dirty socks throughout the season for good luck, or someone else carries around a rabbit’s foot for “protection”.  Even still, some people may...

I have decided to get in to the mysterious world of wine making and beer brewing. I have gotten my hands on carboys, yeast, corks, airlocks, etc. My only problem is that I can't find any preservative free, unpasteurized apple juice, or any juice, to use in my first batch. Is preservative free pasteurized juice an acceptable substitute? I've been told that the pasteurization process takes away from...

Hi, I bought your wine making starter kit and am up to the point where you add the wine yeast. I added the yeast about 12 hours ago and nothing has happened yet at all. Is this normal? The reason I ask is because I have made wine before in just a gallon milk jugs and added brewers yeast and instantly it foams. Can you please let me know......... Thank-You, Harley ----- Hello Harley, Thank you for...

Hello Kraus, I started a batch of blueberry wine. When I added my yeast it did not get foamy but you could hear it working and see it bubbling. I'm wondering what could cause this or if you think there might be a problem with it. Thanks Rick, Holly Springs, MS ----- Hello Rick, The lack of foam could be an indication that your fermentation has an issue. It never hurts to look over our...

A friend had given me a wine-making recipe that I have used for several years. It doesn't call for special yeast's, but one regular pack of bread yeast. One quart of Cranberry Juice; two cans of Concentrated Grape Juice; One pound of white cane sugar. Plus one gallon glass jug, rubber cork & economy-lock.I dissolved the yeast first, place in the jug first. Then I semi-dissolve the sugar in the...

Dear Kraus,I have a batch of peach wine and a batch of pear wine in 5 gallon glass jugs ready to bottle.  Both need to be sweetened at bottling time to bring out more of the fruit flavor.  Please explain to this rookie exactly how you sweeten the wine as you bottle it.  Do you add the sugar/water solutions to each bottle or do you add to the 5 gallon glass jugs, stir, and then bottle??  Same...

Hi: Today is day 8 and I just transferred my wine from the plastic fermenter to a glass carboy like the homemade wine instructions say to do. I do not see the wine brewing at all. Shouldn't the wine still be fermenting? Do I have a problem? Please help! Robert ----- Hello Robert. I am going to assume that you are making your wine from a wine ingredient kit such as our European Select or...

  Customer Service: One of my wine making kits seem to be slow in starting & after a few days, we added another yeast pkg. to the wine......which finally begin activity. With 2 wine yeast pkg. in the wine, will it effect the taste or final product.  Is there anything else we should add in this case to get the wine brewing? Thank you Chris D.----- Hello Chris, Whether you use one, two or even three...

Oh OH, Mr.” wineproblemsolver”,I have a stuck ferment in my wild grape wine at 1.012. I tried adding a fresh yeast culture and yeast nutrient and it has not responded. My guess is I had the sugar to high. I was reading about 1.090 at the start but realized there was undissolved sugar in the bottom of the fermenter. I am not sure how much. The fermentation went well to SG 1.015 and then stalled....

Hello Kraus: Is there a wine making kit for dummies that is both easy and cheaper than buying at the store (dry wine)? Thanks ---------- Hello Anthony,   Yes, we have just that! Our SunCal Wine Making Kit is a beginner wine making kit that was designed to allow you to make wine less expensively than what you can buy it at the store. It includes all the wine making materials and ingredients you...

  Good Morning: Most of my "fresh fruit" wines are dry. I was talking with a gentleman who also makes his own wines. He told me to double up on the sugar to sweeten my batches. Right now I have a batch of grape wine (brewing since mid-August). It needs to be racked again. If I add sugar to this batch now, will it start fermentation all over?  Thanks, Marlene---------- Hello Marlene,The short...

Hello Kraus, I'm hoping you can help me. Do you know where I can get a stone crock? I just broke the one I was going to use. We have a lot of elderberries this year and I don't want to see them go to waste. I need to get my wine brewing. Thank You Very Much Tim B.---------- Hello Tim, I'm very sorry, but we do not have a source for stone crocks.I would like to point out that a stone crock is not...

Quick question, If you have frozen fruit (like I do) for months do you need to use Sodium Metabisulfite when you start the wine brewing process or does the freezing kill all the bad stuff. Thanks, Steven ---------- Hello Steven,Unfortunately, freezing does not destroy mold, bacteria or other "bad stuff". It simply puts its growth into suspension, or hibernation if you like. Freezing will damage...

The Wine Institute, a California based organization representing over 1,000 wineries throughout the state of California, stated in it's recent report that the U.S. has now surpassed France in the amount of wine it consumes. In 2010, we Americans consumed some 330 million cases of wine, topping France's 320 million cases for the same year. This makes the U.S. the largest consumer of wine in the...

Dear Kraus -- I have started 5 gals. of wine using your SunCal concentrate along with 6 ½ lbs. of sugar and one pack of wine yeast. It has been fermenting for 3 weeks. I have racked it and checked it with a hydrometer. It had a reading of about .995 SG. When It started it was at 1.075. That is enough sugar to make 10% alcohol. I then added 2 lbs more of sugar and another pack of yeast. Now it has...

Hi Kraus People - How is the best way to tell when your wine is ready to bottle? Thank You, Rick ---------- Hello Rick, Great question, and an important one too. The last thing anyone wants to do is bottle their wine too soon. This is especially important if you plan on handing any of it out as wine making gifts. A significant amount of sediment could eventually form in the wine bottle, or corks...