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...

I am a diabetic, but my doctor has suggested 2 glasses of wine a night. Can I substitute artificial sweeteners to bring up the "sweetness level" of my wines after the fermentation has stopped? Will it affect the aging after bottling?Name: FrankState: TX Hello Frank, There is nothing that suggest that artificial sweeteners affect the aging process, or aging-chemistry, of a wine. So from this...

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 have been making wine for years and never had any trouble, but I tried a new wine recipe and made a six gallon batch. I'm afraid the specific gravity of the must was too high-1.1200 + and it has stalled out at about 1.100--too sweet. We will not drink wine that sweet. Is there any way I can salvage the 6 gallons by blending or trying to restart fermentation?Name: John S.State: Kansas Hello John,...

When I do my first racking, there is a lot of carbonation in the wine, and it does not siphon well at all. How should I handle this?Name: Bryan P.State: GA Hello Bryan, Yes, this can be quite a problem. For the readers out there who don' t understand what Bryan is talking about, let me explain a little bit. During a fermentation, CO2 gas is created by the wine yeast. This is the same stuff that...

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...

I just started my first batch of Mead. I followed your recipe to the tee. Now after 4 days my SG is 1.062, when will it drop to 1.030-1.040.?Name: Tony A.State: So.Dakota Hello Tony, What you are experiencing is not all that uncommon when fermenting honey, so don't feel like you've done anything wrong or that the Mead is doomed to failure. This is a simple issue with a simple fix. There is an...

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...

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...

I've started my first batch of wine using the toasted oak chips, added after the primary fermentation. I am wondering if during the racking process about to be done after the secondary fermentation, do I transfer the oak chips too?Name: Debra M.State: Tennessee Hello Debra, Using oak directly to the wine has long been one of the tricks up the home winemaker's sleeve. It allows you to enjoy all the...

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 make wine at home, I do want the wine with more alcohol. But I don't know how to get this done.Name: Ketherina D.State: NY When it comes to controlling the alcohol level of your wines — regardless of how high or how low — it's all about the sugar. Alcohol is made when wine yeast ferments the sugars that are in the wine must. The sugars are converted into both alcohol and carbon dioxide or...

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...

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...

Hi Ed, Could you tell me how I might control my fermentation temperature? I have been making wine for 15 or so years from real grapes. Many times the must temperature starts to get way too warm. What is the best way to control it. Thanks in advance.Name: Al J.State: NY Hello Al, Thanks for the great question. This is something that plagues a lot of home winemakers, so I'm glad you brought this up....

My red wines have been coming out great, but are not clear even after many rackings. Is there anything to add to reds wines to prevent this?Name: Bruce K.State: CA Hello Bruce, Anytime a wine is not clearing the first thing you have to ask yourself is: "has the wine completed its fermentation?" The number one reason a wine does not to clear is because the fermentation is still continuing...