E.C. Kraus Home Wine and Beer Making Supplies

One of the most important pieces of winemaking equipment is the gravity hydrometer.  Without this, you’re making wine blindly, and risk making a wine that’s not very palatable.  If you don’t have one already, I recommend purchasing a gravity hydrometer right now before you forget, as it’ll be a piece of winemaking equipment that will pay for itself over and over again. What is a gravity...

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...

Home winemaking, while it can be hard work at times, is a delightful hobby that for some can turn into something more serious such as a second career.  For most, however, winemaking provides a lot of pleasure and excitement in creating something that can be enjoyed by not only them but also by friends and family.  Before you get to that point, however, you need to start at the beginning and learn...

When you’re relatively new to home winemaking, following each and every step of a wine recipe is critical,  but where do you even begin finding good wine recipes?  There are a lot of resources out there, and hopefully this post will shed some light on where to find them. Wine Making Books There are a large number of wine making books out there that are full of wine recipes.  It is important to...

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...

Home winemaking is an enjoyable hobby that can bring you great joy, but if you’re not prepared, it can be frustrating and near impossible.  It’s important to understand the first steps in winemaking; to get a solid grasp of the basics, as well as an understanding of why it is you are doing what you are doing at any step of the way. One of the first steps in winemaking that you should do is to get...

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...

There are so many more pieces of homemade wine equipment than can be described in 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 home winemaking practice.  Today, you’ll be introduced to three important pieces of equipment: the Copper Tun Heating Pad, the Transfer Pump, and the...

The art and science of winemaking has been around for millennia, though certainly the techniques and procedures have evolved throughout the course of winemaking history.  It takes a lot of time, practice, and patience to become an expert winemaker, and even then, a bad batch can come along despite all your best intentions and efforts.  With all that being said, one thing has always remained true...

Home winemaking can be quite an investment in time and money, therefore it’s very important to be meticulous and careful throughout the entire process.  Of course, home winemaking is also quite a joy and is a wonderful hobby, and following a few important wine making tips will lower your chances of disaster in the bottle! Below you’ll find some of the most crucial wine making tips that you should...

There are many more pieces of homemade wine equipment than can be described in one short post.  It is very important to understand the different types of homemade wine equipment, how they function, and whether or not a particular piece of winemaking equipment is needed in your home.  Therefore it’s important to introduce to you as many pieces of equipment as possible in as many posts as it takes!...

So, your homemade wine is just about ready and you’re preparing to bottle!  All the hard work creating your masterpiece is nearly complete and transitions into a more passive process of waiting for the wine to be ready to be shared and enjoyed! You must be careful at this point to not get too lax about things, as the bottling process is just as important as every step up until now.  That being...

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...

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...

One of the most important ingredients in winemaking is yeast.  Without yeast, the wine must will not undergo fermentation.  During fermentation, wine yeast functions to convert the sugar in the wine must into alcohol and carbon dioxide.  The interaction of the yeast with the wine must creates aromatic byproducts which, depending upon which yeast strain you use, will express different aromatic...

There are many steps to home winemaking, and each individual step is critical in maintaining the quality and acceptability of your homemade wine.  First, you have to prepare the must either from juice or the fruit itself.  Next, the must undergoes fermentation to convert the sugar in the must to alcohol.  Further racking, clarifying, stabilizing, and aging steps help develop the wine to an even...

Another year has passed, and the rearview mirror is full! I always use this time as an opportunity to reflect on what's happened. In doing so I have come up with a list of my top 10 favorite wine making posts. These are wine making post that I feel have been helpful, entertaining and interesting. They are listed in no particular order. You might want to give them a once-over and see if there's...

As a home winemaker, you don’t have to worry about conforming to all the strict rules regarding wine bottle labels that are in place for commercial winemaking.  However, creating labels that will allow you to easily identify your wine in your cellar is highly recommended.  Simply writing a “Cab” for Cabernet Sauvignon or “P” for peach on the top of the cork or side of the bottle isn’t going to cut...

We would like to stop and take time to wish you the very best this holiday season. We sincerely hope that your Christmas holiday is full of joy and excitement, and that the New Year brings you the brightest of days and provides you with all for which you strive.In keeping with the holiday spirit I have listed below an eggnog recipe that I have used for many years. It has 'Breakfast' in its title,...

Making wine from grape juice is relatively straightforward, but maybe now you’ve grown more comfortable with the process, and you’re ready for the next level: making wine from grapes.  Is making wine from wine grapes really all that different from making wine with juice? Most of the process of making wine from grapes and making wine from juice is the same; however, it is in the first steps where...