Response From Homebrew Heaven: The opening is approximately 1.5". It accepts either a #6.5 stopper, or a universal stopper. Links to those products are shown below:

7/27/2010 -- I want to buy a kit that would enable me to do both beer and wine. A friend argues I should go with the wine kit and add the beer brewing stuff. Please let me know exactly what I need to purchase.

Also, I intend to use ceramic top beer bottles for my beer. What's the best way to clean them? Do you sell the rubber piece (gaskets) they . . .

Response From Homebrew Heaven: In general, I would say your friend is on the right track, assuming you have a lot of flip-top bottles around. Those bottles are pretty handy.

If you are thinking of making wine from your own juice, fresh fruit etc, then the 5 gallon wine making kit is a good choice. If you want to make wine from our varietal wine kits (an excellent way . . .

5/17/2010 -- what is your phone number?

Response From Homebrew Heaven: We can be reached at (425) 355-8865

Our toll free order is (800) 850-2739

11/17/2009 -- I have been looking at a lot of different home brewery kits on the internet. What is the difference in the performance between plastic and glass (carboy) fermenters?

Response From Homebrew Heaven: The selection of fermenters is entirely a personal choice. Some like to make larger batches, some smaller. Usually a home brewer or winemaker ends up owning several carboys, fermenters etc in order to properly age his brew.

Plastic has the advantage of being rugged and light weight. It CAN become scratched, however, and doesn't seem to . . .

9/12/2009 -- If I was to order this Deluxe Kit (bottling version), how long from the time I start, until I am drinking my first home brew (scottish ale)? What do you recommend getting in addition to this kit, to brew maybe 3 different beers at once, or is that an option with 1 kit?

Response From Homebrew Heaven: A reasonable estimate for that is 3 to 4 weeks from cooking to drinking.

In order to brew 3 beers simultaneously, you would need more equipment, primarily fermenters and airlocks/stoppers. A good way to this at a reasonable cost is to start a new batch about every 10 days. As the first batch comes out of the primary fermenter (it gets transferred . . .

7/17/2009 -- Is a 5 gallon carboy big enough to secondary ferment a 5 gallon batch of beer?

Response From Homebrew Heaven: As a secondary fermenter, yes. This assume that the bubbling has slowed down considerably by the time you transfer into the carboy.

I would not use it as a PRIMARY fermenter, however if you hope to yield 5 gallons.

11/22/2008 -- When I was brewing this batch my hydrometer BROKE. So I could not take a first reading. My wort has been ferminting for 6 days(COOPERS EUROPEAN LAGER)I had a bubble every 40 seconds.then I put a space heater by the fermintation bucket, now I get a bubble every 15 to 20 seconds.How do I know when to bottle the beer without the hydrometer?

Response From Homebrew Heaven: The BEST way is with a hydrometer. When your readings are quite low (compared to the original readings), and stable for 2 or 3 days, then you can assume that the malt sugars have been consumed, and converted into alcohol and CO2.

You could replace your hydrometer, and then you will know. To me, this is the best option. Anything else is . . .

8/30/2008 -- I am new to homebrewing so I need some help. I want to be able to brew enough at one time to accomodate a large group, 30-50 gallons. What equipment will I need to make this happen (brewing, storage, etc.) and how would I go about the ingredients.....all grain brewing or using the extracts? If you could suggest a good reference manual and . . .

Response From Homebrew Heaven: There are many different ways to approach this. One SINGLE batch vs multiple smaller ones, all-grain vs malt extracts, single large fermenter vs multiple smaller, cost vs low cost, bottling vs kegging etc etc.

I'll address how I would do this. Please recognize that you may have other preferences.

First off, I would prefer to serve 2 . . .

7/14/2008 -- what are the advantages to using a glass carboy as opposed to a plastic bucket?

Response From Homebrew Heaven: You will find that brewers have different preferences. Personally, I like the plastic bucket for a primary. It's inexpensive, and easy to clean. For the secondary, I like glass carboys. Glass seems to cause the beer/wine to clear better.

1/26/2008 -- I live about an hour (if traffic is good) from the address on your website. Do you have an actual store or is everything here based solely online?

Response From Homebrew Heaven: Yes, we have an actual brick-and-mortar store in Everett, WA. People actually walk in and buy stuff!

Our address is:

Homebrew Heaven
9109 Evergreen Way
Everett, WA 98204

Here is a video of our shop:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1a5fKvv8XI

Heck, you can actually call us on the phone, too! It's 425-355-8865. A person will . . .

8/18/2007 -- Would a plastic 5 gallon water bottle from a water company work as a secondary fermenter? Thank you for your great website and always responding quickly to my questions.

Response From Homebrew Heaven: The will WORK but they are not ideal.

We like to use a plastic "bucket" type fermenter for the primary fermentation, and then after the activity subsides, then siphon it to a glass carboy. This allows much of the sediment and such to remain in the bucket, but for the secondary fermentation to take place in glass. Glass is a better material . . .

7/5/2007 -- I am told the using a blow off valve during the primary fermenting stage produces a smoother beer. Is this true and how do I set it up?

Response From Homebrew Heaven: It may be true, depending on the the beer, how active the fermentation is and lots of other factors.

The easiest way to set it up is to simply run about 3 feet of 5/16" ID tubing thru a rubber stopper and then put the stopper into your fermenter. The other end of the tubing goes into a container of water (like a coffee can, or bowl). This . . .

3/15/2007 -- I just bought the Wizard wheat kit and brewed it in a 5 1/2 gallon (full capacity) carboy. The fermenting process bubbled and popped the airlock and plug out. I re capped it and it continued to ferment?? Is my container to small or did I do something wrong? This has never happened in a 6 gallon bucket i have been using?

Response From Homebrew Heaven: You have two things going here:

1) You are now using a smaller fermenter, which doesn't leave much room for an active fermentation. If it was one of our buckets, it is actually more like 6.5 gallon capacity. You now have about a gallon less room.

2) You HAVE an active fermentation caused by GOOD factors (lots of fresh happy yeast, favorable . . .

4/19/2006 -- I have run out of bottles and need to bottle ten more gallons of beer. Can I add priming sugar to a carboy and seal it? or will it explode from the pressure?

Response From Homebrew Heaven: That is a terrible idea.

Carbonation is produced under pressure, and carboys are not designed to hold that internal pressure. It will explode. Never mind the obvious safety issues, think of the loss of your beer! And it's SO hard to lick your beer of those shards of glass!!

It sounds like you need to look at kegs; or at least more bottles. . . .

1/31/2006 -- I read that you said that its not good to carbonate the beer in a carboy, but is it O.K. to age a beer in it without carbonating it in the carboy?

Response From Homebrew Heaven: Certainly. That is not a problem.

The problem with carbonating in a carboy (if you seal it up) is the internal pressure from the carbonation. It will break the glass.

5/16/2005 -- i am new to this, and i have seen and heard of people using plastic buckets for final fermentation, their purpose for doing this is so they can attach a spigot to the bucket for bottling, is this ok to do or is glass the better choice? thanx again and i find that you question and answer part of the site to be very helpful

Response From Homebrew Heaven: Yes, that can be done, but we prefer to use the plastic "bucket" type fermenter for the primary fermenter, and using glass for the secondary. We like the bucket for ease of cleaning, and besides, your beer is only in there for a few days to a week or so. We find glass to be better for clarifing your beer, however. This is not to say you CAN'T . . .

4/17/2005 -- i ferment my beer in a six gallon carboy and rack in five. is this the right size for a five gallon batch? ive also noticed some scrathes on the inside of the carboys from using the carboy brush. do i need to replace my carboys?

Response From Homebrew Heaven: Yes, that will certainly work well for a 5 gallon batch.

I doubt if the carboy scratches will cause you any harm. Just be sure to sanitize before using.

3/13/2005 -- I'm just getting started brewing and I had a question. As a primary fermenter which is better, plastic bucket, plastic carboy or glass carboy. Then for secondary fermentation, plastic carboy or glass carboy?

11/15/2004 -- I am in the process of brewing a pale ale. It is now fermenting in a 5 gallon carboy and has been for about 3 days. I peeked in on it earlier and noticed some white specks across the surface of the beer. I'm hoping it is maybe yeast that has risen to the top or maybe some excess "sludge" from the primary fermenter. Would this be your guess . . .

Response From Homebrew Heaven: It sounds entirely normal to me. Ales are top-cropping, and produce lots of foam on the top surface of the beer. It will settle out later.

10/16/2004 -- While I was making my first batch of beer(eagle golden ale)I read that I could use a plastic 6.5 gallon bucket for"secondary fementation" and that Homebrew Heaven prefers the glass carboy. After my first batch of beer I noticed a small crack in the bottom of my carboy. The crack isn't large enough to allow any leakage nor does it even go half . . .

Response From Homebrew Heaven: We like to use a 6.5 plastic bucket as the primary fermenter, and a 5 gallon glass carboy as the secondary fermenter. The additional capacity of the bucket is needed for the active part of the fermentation, and it is easy to clean.

For the secondary, we feel that you get more sediment to fall out in glass than you do in plastic. It just . . .

8/17/2004 -- I am looking for a glass water container. Will these carboys work as a water container for a standard sized water cooler?

Response From Homebrew Heaven: That's what they were originally designed for. I don't know if there is a "standard" water cooler size, however, and can't say if they would fit your opening. Need dimensions.

5/14/2004 -- I bought 2- 5 gal carboys. what do I do if the amount of juice I have don`t fill the carboy to the top? will it be ok if when I rack the juice won't fill to the top, or does it matter if it fills to the top of the carboy?

Response From Homebrew Heaven: For the primary fermentation, that shouldn't be a problem. Some headspace is actually desirable in the early stages to accomodate the foaming that takes place.

As your wine is "racked" (siphoned) to a secondary, it becomes more important. If you are bulk aging in the carboy (for a long time), it is best to "top off" your carboy with a . . .

2/28/2004 -- Being new to the home brew scene, I had a question about glass carboys. During the fermentation process, due to it being clear glass, do I need to keep it somewhere void of light?

Response From Homebrew Heaven: It takes quite a LOT of light to harm beer or wine. Flourescent light and direct sunlight are the worst, and regular (incandescent) room light is much less harmful, so usually this is not an issue.

There is certainly no harm in covering up your carboy, however. Many people do; using old t-shirts, and even specially designed carboy covers. . . .

12/19/2003 -- I am having trouble keeping the temp in the room I am making wine between 70 and 75 degrees as specified in the wine kit I have. I live in Colorado and often the temp at night dips way down, and in the day it can get quite warm. I am not around at all times to adjust the thermastat. Could I solve this problem by wrapping the carboy with . . .

Response From Homebrew Heaven: Sure. We have a Brew Heat Pad that works very nicely. It's basically a hard plastic heating pad for carboys. If it's too warm during the day, just get a cheap lamp timer, and have it turn on only at night.

Here is a link:
http://www.nexternal.com/hombre/?Target=products.asp&ProductID=1129

10/23/2003 -- I noticed most of the malt extract brew kits are 5 gallon batches. Will a 5 gallon carboy be sufficient for fermentation, or will I need a 6 gallon carboy to allow for foaming? Thanks, I'm new to this.

Response From Homebrew Heaven: We recommend going larger for the primary. That's why we put 6.5 gallon plastic fermenters in our equipment kits. You can use a larger carboy of course, but the 6.5 gallon "bucket" type fermenter allows for the foaming, doesn't break, cleans up easier, and is less weight for shipping. Hey...we were all new to this at one time. No shame in . . .

10/9/2003 -- Do you put anything in the airlock stoppers and do you use them right after the wine is pressed? The wine is still fermenting in the demi johns.

Response From Homebrew Heaven: Well, the airlock fits into the stopper, and you add water to the airlock. Is that what you mean?

Everyone has a different way of making wine, and different equipment is favored by some. Typically, the wine is started in a large bucket (primary fermenter), and then later transferred to carboys (secondary fermenter). It sounds like you are . . .

Read Complete Questions & Answers | Ask a Question

RELATED PRODUCTS

Fermenters & Carboys