Read Complete Questions & Answers
|
Ask a Question
12/15/2012 -- I'm looking to buy your Deluxe kit for my son for Christmas, and he'll need a brewpot. What's the advantage to having a spigot? I don't want to buy him junk, and none of us has ever brewed our own beer before. Aside from the brewpot and bottles, what else would he need to get started?
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Our Equipment Kits are really quite complete. As you say, a large brewpot is necessay, as well as bottles.
A spigot in the brewpot is a "convenience" type of product. It just make the job easier than lifting up a hot, heavy brewpot. A 5 gallon batch of beer weighs more than 40 lbs. Just opening a drain valve (spigot) makes the job easier . . .
12/4/2012 -- I recently brewed a Diamond Knot brew kit and I am having some problems.I have home brewed a lot.
#1. The primary fermenting went ok but I noticed it had very little action in the air lock and I had no action in the air lock after 3 days. The temp was 67 degrees, the starting gravity was 1.054. I transferred to the car boy for the second . . .
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Everything sounds perfectly normal. A fast fermentation is a GOOD thing. Now just allow it to settle, bottle and enjoy!
10/23/2012 -- While cleaning out the kitchen pantry the other day, I came across a big plastic box holding a long-forgotten beer ingredient kit - I think it's the Diamond Knot IPA. This kit has been sitting in my pantry for maybe three years. All the bags are still sealed, and although the DME is kind of hard and crunchy, there's no obvious sign of spoilage. . . .
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Heck yes, but I would get a replacement for the yeast in it.
5/2/2012 -- I am new to this brewing my own beer soda & wine. Your kits only have the brewing tools & not the mixing ingredients right?
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Welcome to our hobby/obsession!
Yes, we sell the brewing equipment kits (tools) separately from the ingredients for making beer/wine/sodas. The Equipment Kits are a one time purchase, and you can choose the type of beer you like from our Ingredient Kits. We put together about 15 different recipe kits that get you started in the right way. . . .
9/6/2011 -- Are you going to offer the hop goblin kits this year? If so, when will they be available for purchase?
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Absolutely! This popular seasonal kit will be available on October 1st! (to brew in time for Halloween)-NOW AVAILABLE!
4/3/2011 -- I note three packages of hops. What is the weight of each pack? What type of hops?
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Diamond Knot IPA is a commercial beer made in Mukilteo, WA. Recipe, gravities, and IBU are proprietary. We have an agreement with Diamond Knot never to give that information out. It is no secret that the type of hops are Columbus variety, however.
4/3/2011 -- what dry yeast do you supply with this kit
Response From Homebrew Heaven: We provide a package of Nottingham Ale Yeast. Other (liquid) yeast strains are also available as options.
4/3/2011 -- I note your kits use six gallons of water (recommended). Can I just brew one of your kits with 3 gallons of water and then later add three cold gallons of water to the wort before fermenting?
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Using a small brewpot causes a "concentrated boil", if you will. This concentrated, sugary mixture will easily carmelize with heat, causing a darkening of the beer, as well as a poor breakdown of the malt sugars. Without a good breakdown, the yeast will have difficulty fermenting them. The result then is a high ending gravity, sweetness to . . .
3/3/2011 -- Is this considered an All Grain kit? I have been told that unless I'm set up for all grain, I cannot use this kit???
Response From Homebrew Heaven: No, it is not. If you can brew an extract beer you can brew up a delicious Diamond Knot IPA.
This is a (mostly) extract kit that has a fair amount of grain that is steeped in a large grain bag (provided) to supplement the extract. Also called a "partial mash" kit. It requires no special equipment.
2/2/2011 -- I'm a huge hop head and will be brewing my first batch of Diamond Knot IPA as my first batch with your stystem. Can you tell me what I can do to make this more of a double IPA (not Imperial)?
Thanks,
Casey
Response From Homebrew Heaven: You must be. It's a hoppy IPA to begin with!
To take it to a Double, simply add about 1 oz of hops to the boil (Columbus preferred), along with one l lb. of LIGHT dry malt extract to the kit.
Links to those products:
http://store.homebrewheaven.com/columbus-hops-p285.aspx
and
http://store.homebrewheaven.com/hh-dry-malt-extract-dme-1-lb-bag-p424.aspx . . .
1/27/2011 -- what is included with the Diamond Knot IPA kit? i didn't see a list on the website. cheers!
Response From Homebrew Heaven: This Kit Contains:
1 Package of Light, Dry Malt Extract with Bittering hops, already mixed into the dry malt
1 Package containing 2-row, Crystal and Munich malts (Specialty Grains), along with a cheesecloth grain bag
1 Package of Flavor hops with Clarifier Tablet
1 Package of Finishing hops
1 Package of Dry hops
1-2 Package(s) of Ale . . .
12/29/2010 -- I've already made a few of your beers and the best one so far was the Death By Barleywine. My wife got me the Diamond Knot IPA kit for x-mas. If I put 1 to 2 lbs of honey during the boil, will I ruin the taste? I like my beer with a little extra heat but I dont want to ruin the DK recipe. I added 2lbs to the DBBW and it was great.
Response From Homebrew Heaven: No you won't ruin the Diamond Knot IPA. I wouldn't (personally) go any more than that amount, however. It's a really good IPA as it is.
10/7/2010 -- I am in the process of brewing my first batch of Diamond Knot IPA from your kit. I got all my ingredients into the primaty fermenter three days back and my yeast is slowing down Ibeleive it is time to move it to the secondary fermenter. The instructions say get the clear beer but this is very cloudy - you cannot see through it at all. . . .
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Not at all.
Your beer will clear up in the secondary fermenter (carboY) after you transfer it. Just leave as much trub (crud) in the bottom of you primary as possible is all.
You're on the right track!
8/9/2010 -- I am considering modifying the DK IPA kit to make a Cascadian Dark Ale. Can I just add a pound or so of black barley malt or similar with no further modifications?
Response From Homebrew Heaven: I wouldn't do it like that. Try adding perhaps 1/2 lb of chocolate malt, and maybe (at most) 1/4 lb of roasted barley (not black barley). The chocolate malt will darken it quite a bit in itself. These specialty grains should be more than enough!
See below for links to those products.
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
3/20/2010 -- I'm preparing to brew my Diamond Know IPA (pretty excited for it) and am trying to track my recipe in my brew software. Are there any additional details available on what the various hops are that are used (e.g. bittering hops in DME, Arromatic Hops, Finishing Hops, and Dry Hops)?
Response From Homebrew Heaven: We can't give out much on the details, but let's just say that ALL of them are Columbus. I suppose you could weight the aromatic and finishing and dry hops if you wanted to.
The amount of DME is also proprietary, but you could easily brew it up, take a hydrometer reading, and then work backwards to determine how much DME is used...
2/18/2010 -- I have my stout in the primary, just about to transfer to the secondary. I added oats to the boil and am thinking about putting some coffee and a vanilla bean into the secondary. What would be the best way to do this and do you think it would be too much??
Response From Homebrew Heaven: The best way to add coffee is to brew some up, and use that in place of water in your fermenter. If your beer needs a little "topping up" you could still do that.
Vanilla is easily added by throwing the whole bean into the seconday fermenter for about 1-2 weeks.
All these additions sound good, but it's probably best to just go with one . . .
12/21/2009 -- My Diamond Knot IPA has stopped fermenting (my hydrometer readings are just right!) and there is still a little hop residue from the dry hopping. Is this normal? Should I not worry?
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Your brew is totally done and you can bottle now anytime after the sediment drops to the bottom.
Unfortunately, it is quite rare to get ALL of the dry hops will settle out. A little usually stays suspended, but is not a problem.
Just try your best not to suck them up when you are transferring back to the bucket for the addition of . . .
10/16/2009 -- I was wondering why after putting in the dry hops when transfering to the glass carboy 2nd fermentor. that after about 6 days when fermentation was completed. the hops had not fallen to the bottom, creating little bits of hops in my bottled beer? did i do something wrong.
Response From Homebrew Heaven: No,nothing wrong at all. An IPA is all about hops, after all!
It sounds like you had a little dissolved CO2 holding the hop solids up. is all. Not a problem.
Next time can do any of the following:
1) Nothing...just wait longer
2) GENTLY stir the top of your brew only to release their "hold" on the CO2. Not enough to disturb the bottom . . .
10/5/2009 -- I am using the Diamond Knot IPA kit that I got with my starter kit. I placed the wort in my primary fermentor Friday night at 11pm. It is on my counter in my house which is a pretty constant 67-70 degrees. I had a ton of activity after the first 8 hours that continued until monday morning. Averaging one bubble per 5-8 seconds. As of Monday . . .
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Either way will be fine. Not much difference there...
I would do it when it is convenient to ME!
9/3/2009 -- Is it possible to hop a bock beer more to give it a more balanced taste? and if so which hops would give such a end result? P.S. not a computer savvy guy, e-mail address is my wife cut me some slack on the name.
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Yes, it IS possible to add more hops to a bock. Add perhaps 1 oz of a good nobel hop to the boil, such as Hallertaur, Saaz or Tettnanger. Those are traditional "aroma" hops, but will also add some balancing bitterness. Yum!
Hah! Are you sure you want your WIFE learning about your beer brewing? Mine woulld just roll her eyes, but...
8/31/2009 -- I was out on the Diamond Knot Brewery website and noticed they have double IPA and also a triple one. I was wondering if your going to be carrying these kits in the future.
Response From Homebrew Heaven: An interesting idea. We like DK beers, and these are no exception.
It does take a while to introduce a new beer kit, however. When we brought out DK IPA some years ago, we worked with them for some time to get the exact right proportions and for everyone to agree that it was the same beer as what they serve. That's the kind of R&D that . . .
8/3/2009 -- i want to use dme instead of corn sugar for priming. how much dme. do i add and do i dissolve and boil in water like the sugar?
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Use between 1 cup and 1.25 cup for a 5 gallon batch. I like to go on the high side, a ful 1.25 cup myself.
Yes, treat DME exactly like corn sugar. Boil in some water first, then add to the main batch, stir enough to mix, and then bottle immediately.
Carbonation will occur more slowly when using DME to prime. It's a more complex sugar . . .
8/1/2009 -- I just finished my first batch of wheat beer and have transfered it to the primary, it's been about 28 hours and i've only noticed about 1 bubble per minute in the airlock. Is the yeast doing it's job or should I add another packet? Also a solid layer of sludge has formed on the surface of the beer, is this normal? Cheers!
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Yes, it is working.
No, it doesn't need any additional yeast, and yes, the layer on top is entirely normal.
Hang in there and enjoy!
6/11/2009 -- 2 1/2 weeks ago I brewed the Diamond Knot IPA, but realized after going over my notes today that I had not wrote down the name of the dry yeast that came with the kit (tht's what I used). Could you tell me which one it is. I'm trying keep good notes as a beginning brewer. I just brewed and transferred to my primary fermenter the wheat beer . . .
Response From Homebrew Heaven: For dry yeast we use the Nottingham Ale Yeast in that kit. A very good one, by the way.
Yes, the Wyeast #3068 really gets with the program! It is also excellent in wheat beers.
5/27/2009 -- I am new to beer making and just cooked up my first batch of beer (Diamond Knot I.P.A. I realized the day after I started fermenting the beer I had only filled the bucket up to 5 gallons. After reading more on making the beer I should have put an additional 1/2 gallon of water into the fermenter bucket. Is this true and if so can I safely . . .
Response From Homebrew Heaven: A common thing to do, and NO you haven't ruined your beer!
The idea is to yield 5 gallons of beer, so it makes sense to start with a little more to make up for the sediment and such that you leave behind in both the primary (bucket) fermenter, and the glass carboy.
There is no harm in adding that water now. Some people boil that little . . .
5/8/2009 -- Does the Diamond Knott IPA come in an all grain kit?
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Not as a "kit", mostly because aa-grain brewers tend to make larger batches and have dfferent extracion efficiencies. We do have an all-grain recipe for it that we call "Granny Knot" that you can scale up or down as needed. Give us a call and we'll fix you up. 425-355-8865
1/9/2009 -- Like the previous questioner, I brewed the DK IPA on Sunday. My initial SG reading was 1.062. I saw an active fermentation through last night. The bubbles had slowed down to about 1 per min. I saw an SG reading of 1.020. I transferred to the carboy and added finishing hops. The finishing hops have broken up and formed a layer on the top of . . .
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Yes, this is entiriely normal. As long as there is some bubbling going on the hops will stay suspended like that. It is really just out-gassing at this point (CO2 coming out of solution) so bubbling thru the airlock will be minimal.
11/18/2008 -- I brewed up two recipes the diamond knot IPA and the Wizard Wheat.
For the Diamond Knot, I used the 1028 London Ale Yeast.
My starting gravities 1.062 6 days later transferred to a secondary with readings of 1.020. I added about 1/2 a gallon of water and am getting the 1 bubble/3min mark about 6 days later took gravities and am at 1.010 . . .
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Yes, your Diamond Knot is ready to bottle. Time doesn't mean a thing, hydrometer readings do. There is absolutely NO harm, however, in letting it wait a while longer if you like. It's just getting better.
Yes, your Wizard is also ready to bottle if you like. As I say, hydrometers don't lie. If you want additional clarity, then I would say . . .
11/13/2008 -- I am currently brewing my DK kit, and I am just wondering how long it will take for the pelletized hops to settle to the bottom of my secondary fermenter (glass carboy). It has been ten days already, and the hops are all still floating on top. Thank you.
Response From Homebrew Heaven: It sounds like you still have a little dissolved CO2 holding them up. Not a problem.
You can do any of the following:
1) Nothing...just wait longer
2) GENTLY stir the top of your brew only to release their "hold" on the CO2. Not enough to disturb the bottom sediment. You may have to wait a few more days after doing this for it to "settle . . .
11/3/2008 -- I grew my own Cascade hops this year and have about a 1/2 quart ziploc bag of them frozen in my freezer. (I rack dried them prior to freezing.) I would like to use them in the DIamond Knot IPA recipe. Where would you recommend I use them at in the recipe. I haven't weighed them yet but I would say 4-6 oz of dry hops.
Response From Homebrew Heaven: For that nice hop aroma, I would use them in the last few minutes of the boil. Put them in a straining bag, of course, and remove them after the boil.
10/24/2008 -- I am getting ready to brew my IPA, and was wondering if store bought distilled water is ok or not. Another brew site mentioned using store bought water, not distilled though. Should I use the distilled water or drink it and brew with something else????
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Distilled water is just fine for brewing. Usually TAP water is just fine as well, unless your water is particularly bad...(?). Personally, I have never used anything BUT tap water.
10/1/2008 -- I purchased the DK IPA and am eager to brew! Unfortunately I'll have to wait for two weeks before I start. Should I refrigerate the ingredients and yeast or will storing in room temp be ok?
Response From Homebrew Heaven: If you ordered the liquid yeast with the kit, it is a good idea to refrigerate that until the day before you brew. The dry yeast is fine at room temp., as is the rest of the kit.
9/29/2008 -- I am getting ready to brew DK IPA, and I am curious as to what level of alcohol to expect from it. I realize results vary, but could you give me an average alcohol, under normal brewing conditions???
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Approximately 5.1% ABV
9/7/2008 -- I am a big fan of your ingredient kits but have noticed that the selection has been very low lately. Why are some of your best ingredient kits no longer available?
Response From Homebrew Heaven: We are big fans too! We even like selling them...
The real problem is product availability. There is currently a worldwide HOP shortage, believe it or not, and getting the proper varieties in the quantities that we need has been a real challenge. We're hoping the situation will resolve itself by the end of the year, but it may not. Big . . .
6/6/2008 -- I just transfered my dk ipa into the secondary carboy and dry hopped. The majority of the hops sank to the bottom. Isn't it suppose to take a few days for them to settle? Seems like they "treaded" for a few days last time. Just wondered if hops will do their job on the bottom.
Response From Homebrew Heaven: As long as they are in there, they are imparting the desired hop aroma. Settling time is unimportant. You may have had some dissolved co2 last time, causing them to stay up.
4/27/2008 -- what are the pros and cons of the dry yeast included in your ingredient kits vs the optional wet yeast culture? i'm especially interested in whether one produces more alcohol over the other and viability of the yeasts after shipping, and i welcome any other info you care to share.
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Both dry yeasts and liquid yeast cultures are excellent products. Generally speaking, you would use a liquid yeast culture if you are trying to replicate a particular style (or brand) of beer. This is especially so with specialty beers, like hefeweizens, bocks, or lambics for instance. To give all the pro/cons for all styles would be a huge . . .
4/4/2008 -- I just boiled my first wort (diamond knot IPA) last night. I (not paying attention to what I was doing) started steeping the grains while heating the kettle to 160 rather than waiting to steep at 160. I then let them steep for the 30 minutes. Could this cause any issues? Also I plan to dry hop in my keg after secondary fermentation. Do . . .
Response From Homebrew Heaven: The grain thing is no problem. That is the way I do it, and recommend doing it to custmoers. You get a little more nice grain flavor that way.
Dry hopping in the keg using pellet hops can be a problem. The pellets disintegrate into a fine powder, and can leave residue in each glass. If you do this, fine a very VERY fine mesh bag to completely . . .
3/12/2008 -- On the directions to your kits it is stated that the beer will get better with aging. I've brew a few of your kits and I would like to know the proper way to age the beers. I've brewed the west coast blonde Ale, Diamond Knot IPA, Steadfast scottish Ale, and the Kangaroo Tail Ale.
Thank You,
John Newman
Response From Homebrew Heaven: With ALL beers, it is important to age them away from strong sunlight or florescent light.
For ales (like those you brewed), room temperature storage is just fine.
For lagers, it is BEST to let them sit at room temperature for at least 2-3 weeks, and then store them in a cool area, like a basement. 42-55 deg F is ideal for that. If . . .
2/19/2008 -- i purchased the brown ale, followed the directions but it's ben over 10 days and im still not getting any bubbles through the air lock. Beer temp is aprox 68 to70 degrees,what do you think?
Response From Homebrew Heaven: I think you should take a hydrometer reading.
A hydrometer reading of your specific gravity will tell you what the condition of your beer is (done, still fermenting, not done etc), so you can THEN decide what the next step is. Time does not do this. Specific gravity reading do. Bubbling is an indicator, but a hydrometer reading tells . . .
2/19/2008 -- I transferred my Diamond Knot IPA from primary to secondary fermenter last Friday, adding the dry hops. All bubbling has ceased. Is that OK? Specific gravities looked on target. Everything else looks good. Hops are nestled on top, just waiting for them to drop to the bottom before bottling.
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Yes, that's OK.
Once the bubbling ends, the hops will begin to fall to the bottom. It just takes time, is all.
Patience...
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 . . .
1/16/2008 -- I cooked up the Diamond Knot I.P.A Saturday night. Everything went according to plan. It took a long time to cool below 80 deg. After about an hour I put the primary fermenter in an ice bath, & it cooled more quickly. At about 75 deg I pitched the dry Ale yeast. I sprinkeled it on top, then put in the basement. In the morning the room temp . . .
Response From Homebrew Heaven: If your beer is in a bucket type fermenter, you could be losing some CO2 out the seal or around the stopper. I would check that first.
Next, I would open up the lid and see if there are sign of active fermentation (foam residue etc). While you are in there, take a sample for your hydrometer reading.
Take that hydrometer reading! It . . .
8/1/2007 -- I just transfered the Diamond knot IPA to the carboy I noticed that the level on it looks a little lower than previous patches. We had a few homebrews during the boil so I think I didnt keep it topped of with water during the boil . It looks to be about 4.25 gallons . Can I add water to the carboy boiled and cooled prior? or should I just . . .
Response From Homebrew Heaven: I would go ahead and add the water.
6/25/2007 -- I am eager to bounce into the world of Home Brewing. What type of beer should I attempt to brew first, if I am a rookie at this? Should I attempt bottling first, then move onto kegging? Thanks, and Happy Brewing!
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Welcome to our world!
The best of type of beer to make is the kind you like to DRINK! All beers are made in a similar manner, so there is really no such thing as a "starter" beer. We encourage people to select a favorite beer style kit from our lineup in the Beer Ingredients (Recipe) section. Here is a link to that category:
http://store.homebrewheaven.com . . .
6/6/2007 -- Just brewed my first batch - diamond knot ipa, everything went well, except The next morning I realized I did not add the finishing hops at the end of the boil. I'm kegging so I'm putting the dry hops in the keg. Any suggestions on how to get the finishing hops in there
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Easy. Just boil them in about 2 cups (or so) of water, for about 2 minutes, and add the whole thing to the fermenter. No worries!
5/12/2007 -- I want to make the DK IPA but don't own any home brewing equipment. What starter kit would you reccomend that has everything I would need to make the DK IPA?
Response From Homebrew Heaven: The Diamond Knot IPA is a nice choice.
As far as equipment, either the Intermediate Homebrew Equipment Kit, or the DeLuxe Brewing Equipment Kit is a good choice. The DeLuxe just has more "handy" items, like a bench capper, as opposed to a wing capper, a wort chiller and such. If it was me, I would go with the DeLuxe version.
3/6/2007 -- I know I should not worry and everything is probably fine with my brew. I made the Knothead IPA and had an ideal 1.050 reading after I splashed the wort into the primary fermenter. I had the wyeast 1028 ready to be pitched. Upon reflection, I noticed my wort was around 80-83 at the time I pitched. I read that the yeast may be shocked by . . .
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Correct. Worrying never improved a beer.
Your yeast may have been a little shocked, but I have heard of much worse. I'm betting it will take off just fine. Patience is often a virtue. Give it a couple of days, 48 hours at least before doing anything. Check the seal on your bucket, too. It can have a tiny leak, so it just APPEARS to be fermenting . . .
1/25/2007 -- My first brew! First fermentation took 3 days. Been in carboy now for 4 days - no more activity - so I took a hydrometer reading - now at 1.010 original was at 1.042. Could it be ready for kegging? Seems crazy fast. This is the American Pilsner by the way. Great site!
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Why worry? Hydrometers don't lie. It may seem crazy fast to you, but it happens all the time. Fermentation time doesn't mean diddly. Hydrometer readings do. Lots of commercial breweries are on a 7 day brew-to-keg schedule.
It's ready to keg!
1/24/2007 -- Ok...here is a question for you. I use the Airlock (Red Cap) in my carboys for the fermentation process. Now the IPA recipe says I should make sure there is at least 3 minutes between bubbles before bottling. But with the Airlock, the time is different depending on where the water level is on the "escaping gas" side of the Airlock. If . . .
Response From Homebrew Heaven: The "bubbles per minute" concept is based on an airlock that is 1/2 filled with water, and is ONLY an approximation. There is nothing magical about it. We only include that in the instructions because we recognize that people often fail to take hydrometer readings. A hydrometer reading is the BEST way to determine if your beer is ready to . . .
1/15/2007 -- I just brewed your St. Pete's Pilsner, needless to say, I'm getting impatient waiting to try it. But my question is as follows: I would like to know the weights of the malts, grains, hops, irish moss, and yeast used to make batch. Could you inform on that? I am trying to keep a record and I failed to do that myself. Thanks.
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Sorry. That is something that we do not do.
Our kits are proprietary recipes of Homebrew Heaven. We are justifiably proud of them, having won many awards and honors. Even commercial breweries have asked us for our recipes, and we've given the same answer.
1/8/2007 -- I just brewed my first batch (St. Peter's Pilsner) and I think my impatience got the best of me. I placed the primary fermentor in my basement with a room temp at 55 degrees (approx. 6 days). I misread the directions as to when to switch the beer into the secondary fermentor. There was one bubble every 40 seconds, I didn't wait for the . . .
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Absolutely NO reason for concern here.
We give time guidelines like "one bubble per minute" reluctantly, and the only reason we do it is because people insist on using a clock as a measure of how "done" their beer or wine is. They hate using a hydrometer. Clocks are more familiar, I guess. It is completely an artificial yardstick. Yeast . . .
1/6/2007 -- My batch of Vanilla Wiezen has been in the secondary fermenter for about a week now and I have not seen any bubbling. Is it possible that all the fermentation took place in the primary? What kind of reading am I looking for in the Wiezen prior to bottling? My first reading was 1.042. Thanks for the help.
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Yes, it is entirely possible.
This is the time to take an "ending gravity" reading, using your hydrometer and test jar. This reading should be (approx. 1.008 -1.014), according to your instructions for this kit.
1/3/2007 -- I see you get questions refering to this quite a bit. After 3 days we haven't seen any bubbling, and I made sure my seal was good again after reading, and it seems to be. I still ask because we had to alter the procedure a little to accommodate our indoor equipment. I could only use 2 gallons of water initially, but other than that followed . . .
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Yes, we do get these kind of questions. People are anxious about their new hobby, and usually just want some assurance that they haven't screwed it up. That is SELDOM the case.
I will assume that the yeast was added after all the water was in there, AND that you ruptured the inner pouch on the yeast pack, and allowed it to swell up. If . . .
12/30/2006 -- I have started brewing a batch of Shamrock Irish stout, it has been 72 hours and I have seen minimal productivity in the primary fermenter (1 major bubble from the air lock). The temp in the area of fermantation is approx. 68 degrees, my starting SG was 1.046, i am worried that nothing is occurring. should I transfer to carboy or take a reading . . .
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Worrying never improved a beer.
My guesses at this point (in order):
1) The fermentation already occured, you just missed it
2) The lid on your primary fermenter is not sealed 100%
A hydrometer reading will tell you what is up.
There is no harm in opening up your bucket, and siphoning off a sample into your hydrometer test jar. . . .
12/8/2006 -- I just brewed the Diamond Knot and I have two concerns.
The starting gravity was low 1.044
There is also at least three inches of trub in the bottom of the primary fermentor even before fermintation has started.
When I pitched the yeast, there was a lot of foam.
(I have an electric stove and have difficulty getting six gallons . . .
Response From Homebrew Heaven: A low starting gravity means either:
1) Volume is off. You have more than 5 gallons
2) You boiled less than 5 gallons, and then added water to the batch, which makes your hydrometer reading inaccurate. No worries, your beer will be fine.
It sounds like the "trub" is actually malt that hasn't been mixed in. That would make sense considering . . .
11/5/2006 -- I live in Seattle, can I come and pick up the bottles in Everett? Do you have a "brick and mortar" store?
Response From Homebrew Heaven: You sure can. It is literally made of bricks and mortar, in South Everett. Our address is:
Homebrew Heaven
9109 Evergreen Way
Everett, WA 98204
425-355-8865
Hours are 10-6:30 M-F
and 9:30-5 on Saturdays
Here is a video of the place:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1a5fKvv8XI
Take a look around!
9/15/2006 -- first time brewer, everything went fine with the ipa so far. sat in primary for 3 days, racked to secondary 4 days ago and fermentation is pretty much done.(temp 74) 1 bubble every 5 minutes or so. there is still a lot of stuff floating around and some hop residue on top although a lot has settled on the bottom. should i keep waiting for this . . .
Response From Homebrew Heaven: There is no harm in waiting, so I would do that.
9/12/2006 -- DO I NEED A FALSE BOTTOM IN MY BREWPOT TO MAKE Diamond Knot I.P.A.?
Response From Homebrew Heaven: No. Not necessary. We supply a muslin grain bag for steeping the grains.
9/12/2006 -- ok, I may be an impatient first timer but my first batch (ever) has been sitting in the secondary fermenter for 3 weeks. There are still some of the finishing hops floating on top. Is this normal? If I just can't wait could I filter out what is still sitting on top? Could I run it through say a coffee filter on it's way into the botteling . . .
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Yes, this is fairly normal, and does not constitute a problem with your beer.
You can usually just siphon out from below that bit of residue, but if you want to use a coffee filter, that would be fine too.
8/23/2006 -- This is my first batch ever so I am kind of fumbling through this. I boiled my wort. Cooled it, transfered it into my primary fermenter, pitched the yeast and sealed it up (sunday). Bubbling started almost immediately and went crazy until tuesday morning when it had almost stopped. Wednesday (this morning) we transfered it into the secondary . . .
Response From Homebrew Heaven: It sounds like you've even learned the terms, like "pitch the yeast". Very good. We won't mark you down for spelling.
Everything sounds entirely normal to me. Fermentation time is NOT something worth worrying over. Sometimes you see little or nothing in the secondary fermenter. That's ok. It is clarifying and mellowing. After it clears . . .
8/10/2006 -- After bottleing I wait the 10 days for the beer to be ready and then I should refridgerate the beer, but how long can it age at room temp with out going bad?
Response From Homebrew Heaven: I have never known beer to GO bad, actually. Certainly not at MY house! Seriously, however, it will last a long long time. Years, probably, if you follow reasonable storage conditions (cool and away from light). Alcohol and hops are excellent anti-bacterial agents.
7/13/2006 -- I purchased your IPA kit over a month ago. I was in the middle of a move and wasn't able to brew the kit when I wanted to. My question is...Is it still worth brewing even though the ingredients have been sitting around for a good month or should I get a new kit?
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Absolutely! A month is not a problem. Brew away!
5/16/2006 -- Hello. Today is two weeks since I added in the "dry" hops to the second fermentation and there is still a lot of hops sitting on the top. Of the hops added should I expect close to everything to settle to the bottom? What’s left on the top is only a thin layer. Thanks.
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Yes, most will eventually settle out. If you are in a big hurry, you can either scape off the stuff on the top, or simply siphon off the good stuff (from underneath the hops). Personally, I would wait a while longer.
4/9/2006 -- With your recipe kits, what would happen if i added the hopped extract to the water in the at the same time i added the specialty grains and started heating? I don't really like moving 6 gallons of boiling water off a cooker to prevent scorching the extract and thought adding the extract right at the start would help.
Response From Homebrew Heaven: You can do that, however the dry malt extract will take a while to fully dissolve in the cold water.
You will find that dry malt extract tends to float on the top of the water until it dissolves, therefor scorching is less of a problem than with liquid (syrup) malt extracts that fall to the bottom.
3/30/2006 -- Dang! I just asked a question and forgot to include this one:
If I buy 2 of the IPA's with the intent on brewing the second within surely the next 6 months, but perhaps sooner, what do I need to do as far as storage goes (if anything) with it?
I'm down to like the last 12 of the last batch and I don't want that to happen again, plus . . .
Response From Homebrew Heaven: 6 months is fine with the dry yeast option. If you go with the liquid, it is better to order that separately when you need it.
3/30/2006 -- Hi there! My BF and I have gotten into brewing since I got him a kit from you guys this past Christmas. We've brewed the Scuttlebutt, the Sham Stout, and most recently the IPA. He really really really loved both the Scuttlebutt and the Stout, but the IPA is by far the best bear either of us has every had in our entire lives. I say that . . .
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Thank YOU, Hunter. We enjoy what we do, and hearing from customers like you!
Liquid yeast are really good...high quality stuff, but not really necessary unless you are trying to duplicate a particular commercial beer, or if it's one of the real "distictive" yeasts, like the hefeweizen or a Belgian yeast. If you're a purist, and like the . . .
3/26/2006 -- I brewed Procrastinator Bock at the end of last year, and I'm really enjoying the fruits of my labor. I'm down to about 12 bottles... :(
Anyway, I want to brew another batch, but I'm ready to try a little bit of manipulation of the original recipe in order to tweak it. Do you have the original recipe quantities so I can modify it slightly? . . .
Response From Homebrew Heaven: That's one thing we don't do (give out our recipes). Sorry.
We have put a lot of development "work" (fun actually) into our kits, and many people, other brewshops and even commercial breweries have tried to copy them. It doesn't make business sense to release that information. They are tried and true, they are our products, and we're proud . . .
3/26/2006 -- Delayed fermenting question...For three days, my IPA was happily bubbling along when we got a cold snap.. Then there was a decrease in fermenting for a good 2 days or so, even though I moved the primary fermenter inside from the garage. Will this affect taste adversely? Should I rack it into the secondary fermenter earlier/later or anything? . . .
Response From Homebrew Heaven: The most common question we get is:
"My beer/wine is not fermenting (according to the schedule) like I think is should...is it ruined?" People think it is either fermenting too slow or too fast, or has stopped prematurely or won't quit fermenting (again,... according to their schedule). This question falls into the same category.
My . . .
3/18/2006 -- It looks like my IPA, which i just transferred to my carboy, is under 5 gallons. In the carboy I don't know where the 5 gallon mark is. Can I wait until I bottle it, using my brewpot (which has a 20 quart marker), and add the additional water before I bottle?
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Yes, you could do that, but it might be better to add it now.
In a 5 gallon carboy, the 5 gallon mark is right at the "shoulder" of the carboy...where the body starts to curve up toward the neck. If you added water to that mark, or just perhaps 1" above it (to accomodate the sediment that you will be leaving behind) it will be very close . . .
2/20/2006 -- I just finished the ESB kit. When I put the wort into the primary I had to add water in order to bring the level up to 5 gallons. So I added the water and took a SG reading and only got about a 1030 reading. Do you think that I grabbed some of the water in my sample and that is why the reading is low?
Is there anything I should do now? . . .
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Absoutely. Even if you stir it well, it will not completely mix, and will give you low readings.
It does not affect your beer, however. No need to do anything.
1/17/2006 -- Hello. I am a beginning brewer. I have a few questions, and I appreciate your response.
I have a very common entry level brewing kit which is 2.5 gallons, rather than the traditional 5. Of course, virtually every recipe I’ve come across is for five gallons. Be that as it may, due to severe space limitations (small nyc apartment) I can’t . . .
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Making Diamond Knot kit into a 1/2 batch can be done, but it takes some measuring. The bittering hops, particularly, are a problem because they are mixed into the dry malt. You would have to get roughly half of them into each batch. The hops will keep for a LONG time in the freezer. No worries.
Yes, I think that your approach of siphoning . . .
11/20/2005 -- I am making the diamond knot ipa right know, but for a little less hopness i am not going to dry hop this batch. Do i still need to do a second fermentation?
Response From Homebrew Heaven: I would, yes. You will end up with a clearer beer that way.
Remember, too, that the dry hopping only adds aroma, not bitterness. If you want to decrease the bitterness, you need to take out some of the hop pellets in the malt extract.
9/22/2005 -- I brewed the Diamond Knot IPA. I took a hydrometer reading after the cooling the wort. I sampled what was in the hydrometer tube. Tasted like the perfect IPA. I placed the ingredients in a sanitized 1st fermentor, pitched the yeast sealed it. Once fermentation was done, put in secondary fermentor. Took a hydrometer reading. Drank the sample. . . .
Response From Homebrew Heaven: I wish I could help. Trying to diagnose a beer described as "yeasty" is a difficult thing to do. Flavors are difficult to describe, and often mean something different to the one hearing it. Coincidentily, we received another review of that kit just before I read your question. Here it is:
------
1142 9/22/2005 This stuff is "the bomb"! 5 . . .
8/7/2005 -- I just started and this is the first beer I have brewed. Being a beginner, I of course made a mistake. I didn't put in the Irish Moss, but everything else I did according to the directions. What kind of effect will this have on the beer?
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Very minor; not to worry.
Irish moss is a natural clarifier. It aids clearing by causing proteins to settle out prior to bottling.
The worst you may notice is that when you chill your beer, you get a slight haziness (called chill haze), but it will not affect the flavor of your beer at all.
Read Complete Questions & Answers
|
Ask a Question
