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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 and safer than muscling it around.
No other items (aside from our Kit) are really necessary. We design it that way.
Don't forget the BEER ingredients though! We make that convenient as well. Simply figure out what kind of beer you like to drink, and choose an Ingredient Kit from that category (link provided below). They are all brewed in a similar way, so just pick a favorite style of brew and get with it!
http://store.homebrewheaven.com/beer-ingredient-recipe-kits-c33.aspx
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.
It's a good way to start, and many people "graduate" from using our kits to finding/formulating their own recipes. We feature a huge variety of malts, grains, yeasts, hops etc so the possibilities are endless. Fun stuff!
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!
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
3/15/2010 -- I just brewed Wizard Wheat. The yeast took right off... about 3 hours after pitching. (That is a record for my homebrews.) My question is this: Do I need to put the wheat beer in a secondary fermentor? I want the beer to be cloudy and I usually don't put my ales or lagers in the secondary fermentor. Is a wheat beer any different? Is the trub different from an ale or lager? What is your advise?
Thanks!
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Wheat beers are no different to ales or lagers in that respect. You WILL however, have more cloudiness due to the proteins in the wheat. In time that can settle to the bottom of your bottles. If you prefer a more clear beer, carefully pour off your beer. If you prefer a cloudy wheat beer, gently swirl your beer to pick up that sediment, and enjoy!
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, or at most two, in order to judge the effect for following batches.
1/8/2010 -- I am currently brewing my first batch of beer --wizard's wheat- and I have a question about adding honey. I see that it's OK to add during the boil and in the primary fermentor, but I'm ready to move it to the secondary because it's been about 3 days and the bubbles are few and far between. Is it still OK to add honey at this stage? If so how much?
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Yes, you can still add honey BUT remember...you are adding more fermentable sugars (in the honey) and they will require more time to ferment out. This causes more bubbling and sediment as well, and prolongs the time before you can drink your beer.
12/9/2009 -- I saw this question asked somewhere on your site but after searching for it again, I cannot find it.
In the suggestions for the St Peters Pilsner, you say adding a lb. of honey to the last 2 minutes of the boil will add flavor and increase alcohol content. Can you do this with any of the kits (specifically the Wizards Wheat), or just the St Peters? Also, approx. how much will it increase the alcohol content?
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Yes, you can do this with any of the kits. The Wizard's Wheat would be especially good.
1 lb of honey in a 5 gallon batch will raise the alcohol content by about 1% by volume. Don't expect sweetness, the honey will (slowly) be converted to alcohol. We don't recommend adding more than 1.5 to 2 lbs, or it starts to detract from the beer.
Many people like to wait until the fermentation has actually begun before adding the honey. It seems to leave a bit more flavor/aroma doing it that way.
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...
8/20/2009 -- I just got back from a trip to Evensville, where my brother in law took to me to a brewery. He got me to try a Hefeweizen. While i am more of a liquor man,i can now say i love a beer.I would like to come as close to this as i can.It was a very cloudy "unfiltered" spicy and slightly fruity beer.I am going to purchase the Wizards Wheat with the wyeast 3068.
My questions are 1) is it ok to force carb this or is bottling better. 2) i want to retain the Unfiltered cloudiness so do i need the secondary fermentation.Thank you for your time...
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Good! As we say, there is a beer for everyone. A tasty Hefeweisen is truly one of summer's pleasures.
1) Force carbonating a hefe is just fine. No different that bottling as far as taste is concerned. If some yeast falls out of suspension, it is easy to invert the keg (or bottle) to put more yeast flavor (and cloudiness) into your beer.
2) Yes, I would still do the secondary fermentation. The assures that all malt has been fermented, and allows some of the other stuff to settle out. No worries, there will still be suspended yeast, especially with the Wyeast #3068 yeast culture. Try to ferment that at about 62-68 deg F for a nice mixture of clove/banana/spice flavors. Yum!
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!
7/5/2009 -- I just put my Wizard Wheat in the primary fermentor. I really like the cloudy/unfilterd type Hefe's, will the original procedures make it this way or is there anything type modification I can do to make it more like a unfiltered style?
Response From Homebrew Heaven: It will be somewhat cloudy...wheat does that to a beer. If you did NOT use the irish moss clarifier, that would add a little more.
Some yeasts "attenuate" more than others as well. If you use the Wyeast #3068, that typically leaves a beer more cloudy.
5/28/2009 -- I am wondering which of the yeasts to use in order make a Hefeweizen similar to Widmer or one of the other NW Hefs
Response From Homebrew Heaven: For a true German style, I would go with the Wyeast #3068. For an American style hefe (like Widmer), either the #3056 or #1010 would work well.
11/19/2008 -- I'm interested in buying the Wizard Wheat but I have a question being that it will be only my 3rd batch ever made. It is suggested to get the 3068 yeast for a more german style taste. My question is do i add the 3068 yeast in addition to the yeast that comes with the kit or do i substitute it in place of?
Response From Homebrew Heaven: All of our Homebrew Heaven recipe kits are sent with a packet of dry yeast. If you order the #3068 liquid yeast with the kit, I would use just that. Save the dry yeast for another batch! Why not?
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 (with 2 days or unchanging readings). Could this be ready for bottling so soon? Or should I wait a while longer?
Also I purchased the Wizard Wheat with 3056 Bavarian Yeast. I added 2 pounds of honey 15 minutes prior to cease-ing boiling. (to ensure sanitization of some sort to the honey ---> found instructions on your site somewhere for this). Starting gravities we 1.061 I just transferred to a secondary today (7 days after brew) and I have readings of 1.010. Could this be ready to be bottled after a primary? I wanted to go into the secondary at this point to ensure some level of clarity.
THEY BOTH TASTE AWESOME AT THIS STAGE THOUGH
Thanks for your advice
Your loyal customer
Matthew J
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 go ahead and move it to the secondary until you are happy with how it looks. Remember, wheat beers like this are usually a little cloudy.
As you can see, fermentation times can vary a great deal. With good fresh yeast and ideal fermentation conditions (temperature etc) your be ready quite quickly. This is a GOOD thing. As we like to say, "More Beer, Sooner"!
Enjoy. What you are tasting now will only be better after carbonation and served in a frosty mug!
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 breweries, microbrews and home brew supply places are scrambling to buy whatever they can right now. We have been fortunate, actually. Many places cannot (and do not) sell hops at all now. Often they limit quantities to very small amounts.
We have chosen to limit the supplies of our ingredient kits and still offer some hops to home brewers out there. When we CAN offer more, we certainly will!
7/13/2008 -- I recently brewed a batch of Wizard's Wheat. Now I have 2 questions. 1) When I did the yeast (Wyeast 3068), i broke the inner pouch, but didn't wait at all to add. Is this ok? The ending specific gravity is 1.010. 2) I've been super busy and left the batch in the secondary fermenter for almost 2 months now. It appears to have white dots all on the top. Is that mold and is it safe? Should I bottle or not bother? Thanks!
Response From Homebrew Heaven: 1) Yes, it obviously did work, because your beer fermented out all the way. Your ending specific gravity tells me this.
2) The white dots are likely harmless. When you go to bottle your beer, simply siphon from the bottom into another container, carefully avoiding those "dots". Then add the priming sugar and bottle away. I'm betting it will be a great beer!
5/13/2008 -- i have try three batchs of extact they didnt come out so good. i would like to use all dme. i plan on makeing a wheat ale. i saw the wheat and barey mix dme you have. can i brew just that dme with sp grains and hops to make a 5 gallon batch? i believe that they didnt come out so good because of old self life and bad yeast (from another shop). i dont think that its becuse of bad san but could be. do you have any ideas why this might be happing?
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Yes, you can use our wheat/barley mix DME to make a nice batch of wheat ale.
We have no idea why you have had problems in the past. I will say, however, that it takes quality ingredients to make a quality beer. Old, expired ingredients are sometimes sold my other shops. Not us.
I'd like to recommend out Wizard's Wheat (recipe) Kit. It has all DME, specialy grains, FRESH yeast and good instructions for getting you off to a GOOD start. Here is a link to that product:
http://store.homebrewheaven.com/Product793
Wizard's Wheat is known to make a great, even prize winning beer.
4/29/2008 -- I would like to make a blueberry beer for this summer and was thinking I would use to West Coast Blonde kit to do so. Do you recommend any other kit to use? I have been researching the best way to make a blueberry beer and have come across a couple different variations as to when to add the blueberries during the process. Do you have any advice on making blueberry beer? Thanks.
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Yes, our West Coast Blonde Kit would be an excellent base for a fruit beer. If you like wheat beers, our Wizard's Wheat is also a nice choice.
As far as fruit flavors, there are really two options for making a fruit beer: artificial flavorings and natural fruit.
Using artificial flavorings is actually a pretty good way to go. They are easy to use, and you can get the amount of fruit flavor you want because you add it (to taste) just prior to bottling. Here is a link to that product:
http://store.homebrewheaven.com/Product133
Using real fruit takes a little more care, and you are never sure if you have enough/too much fruit in the recipe until you taste the final product.
If you do use natural fruit, you have to be sure that the sugars in the fruit are completely fermented before bottling, and it takes additional time for pulp etc to settle out.
As far as HOW to add the fruit (and fruit juice), I like to first wash and freeze the fruit. When thawed, it is usually more "squishy" and breaks down better. Mashing it up a bit helps too. NEVER boil the fruit. After freezing, thawing and mashing the fruit, I like to put it into a nylon straining bag to contain as much pulp as possible. Add this bag, and any juice, directly to the primary fermenter. I believe the best time to add it is just after you see signs of active fermentation. Leave the bag in the primary fermenter for perhaps 2-3 days and then remove it for the rest of the brewing process.
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 task.
A good source of information on liquid yeast cultures is the Wyeast website. It gives a rundown of all their cultures and viability information. Here is a link to their product selection section. For more alcohol, you would select one with a high attenuation value. That means it is capable of consuming more malt sugars (the yeast has a higher alcohol tolerance).
http://www.wyeastlab.com/hb_yeaststrain.cfm
Liquid yeast cultures are fresh, and normal shipping is not a problem for them. If the shipping route crosses a very HOT area, it may make sense to add a frozen gel pack to your order to keep the liquid yeast cool for the trip. After it arrives you should put it into the refrigerator until the day before you brew.
3/18/2008 -- Looking to brew a couple batches of homebrew towards the end of the month and we have some questions for you. First - we have 2 carboys and 2 airlocks and wondering if that is all we would need to brew 2 batches. Second- if we use the wizard wheat to create a hefeweizen and we wanted it to be either lemony like a summer shandy from leinemkugels or a blue moon with an orange...what would be the best way to go about getting our desired results.
thank you
Ryan Elliott Brewmaster of Boundmonk Brew
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Not sure on the first question...that isn't much to go on. What ELSE do you have in the way of equipmment? Fermenter(s)? A Brewpot? Capper? Caps? Hydrometer? Siphon hose? Bottle filler? etc etc...
Haven't had a leinemkugels, but have had Blue Moon. Blue Moon is a Belgian style wit beer made with a little dried curacao bitter orange peel (we have it) and a little coriander seed, crushed and added in the last minute of the boil.
With either beer, you can either add a little lemon/orange juice to the wort prior to fermentation (not too much) OR simply do what many do, add a slice of fresh orange/lemon to your beer when you serve it.
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 you can't find a place like that, no worries. Your lagers will be just fine at room temperature storage also.
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 the real story.
For me to tell you what to do at this point would be shooting in the dark.
1/29/2008 -- hey guys short question for you. Looking to make a real light "cherry" beer. Something very summer and very refreshing. wanting to have a cherry flavor to it similar to sam adams cherrywheat and wondering what kit i should buy from you . Yours in brewing Ryan
Response From Homebrew Heaven: A good way to go is to buy the Wizard's Wheat Kit as a "base". To that, you can either add real cherries, or use out fruit flavorings when you bottle. This is REAL easy, and makes a nice cherry beer.
Here are links to those products:
http://store.homebrewheaven.com/Product793
and
http://store.homebrewheaven.com/Product133
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 actually answer as long as it's business hours!
9/23/2007 -- I ordered your Wizard wheat kit with the Wyeast 3068 yeast culture. I didnt really seem to find alot of info on useing the culture in the instructions. And this is my first time useing a culture. I am looking for the basic steps, Starting the culture 24 hours in advance? Does it need to be at room temp or cool when started?
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Alright.
Take the liquid yeast pack, and feel around inside a bit. You will find there is a smaller, inner pouch inside of the larger one. The idea is to rupture that inner pouch. I do it by place the pack on a table, and the whacking it with the bottom of my fist. Other people do it differently, but the key is to just feel around afterwards, to make sure the pouch is ruptured.
After rupturing the inner pouch, just leave the pack at room temperature, and it will swell up. This can take 12-24 hours or so. The idea is to use the yeast when the pack has swelled to at least an inch thick. At that point, just cut off a corner of the pack, and add it to your wort.
Enjoy!
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/Category33
These kits make great beer, and most importantly, they get you brewing the RIGHT way. Each has complete instructions that walk you right thru the process.
Yes, I would recommend bottling your beer at first. Kegging is a great way to go, but it's not for everyone. Even seasoned "keggers" make use of the bottling equipment in our kits every now and then.
Enjoy!
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!
1/15/2007 -- 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 one bubble/minute or less. Is it ruined or is there something that I can do about it?
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 cells don't wear watches, and if they did, they certainly wouldn't care about our "bubbles per minute".
In other words, your beer will be just fine! No need to do anything at this point except wait for fermentation to finish. When THAT occurs, well, it's up to the yeast cells...they do the work, we just take the credit!
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 everything else exactly. We also used the Wyeast Scottish Ale Yeast. After transfering into the primary fermentor we added enough cold water to bring it up to 5 gallons then took a reading, which came out to 1.037(I noticed you said this would come out low if you added water). So after reading, I sterilized the hydrometer again, took another sample, and now the reading is 1.040. Does it seem things are going ok? How do I wait for it to drop, and at that point, what do I do?
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 all that was done, you should have no problem. I also assume there is water in the airlock.
There may be a delay of a day or three, due to adding cold water to it. The yeast likes room temperature, not cold. Keep your primary fermenter up off of cold floors, and you should see activity soon.
After the reading drops to about 1.022 or so, siphon off the good stuff into your carboy and allow it to finish. Follow the directions from there...
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 first and then transfer? also, what's the best procedure for taking a reading from the primary without contamination?
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. A little air is not going to ruin a batch of beer. Just keep things clean, is all.
If your hydrometer reading is less than your starting reading, then fermentation HAS been occuring. Now it's a matter of how much has occured, and whether/not to transfer to your carboy. As a guide, transfer when the reading is about 1/3 to 1/2 of your original reading. In this case, the reading should be about 1.020 before transfering. This is NOT hard and fast number, as I say, it's just a guideline.
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!
7/21/2006 -- I am a first time brewer and pretty new to all of this. I have ordered the wizard wheat recipe and have this question. When do I add the honey and does that change my intial readings because of the change in alcohol content?
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Honey can be added at the very end of the boil, or even directly to the primary fermenter after fermentation starts. Both will work just fine.
Adding it to the boil, of course, sanitizes the honey which is good, if your honey is "raw" or unpasteurized. If it is pasteurized, I like to add it to the fermenter after fermentation starts. The advantage here is that you get more of the flavor and aromatics from the honey because they aren't boiled away.
Remember, initial hydrometer readings are a measure of sugar, not alcohol... You will notice an increase in your initial specific gravity if you add honey to the boil. If you add it to the fermenter you will not see this increase because it is already fermenting. In BOTH cases, however, you will end up with more alcohol from the honey being fermented.
Make sense? Sometimes simple things are hard to explain!
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.
4/8/2006 -- What type of yeast do you recommend for the wizard wheat kit? What yeast option do i get if I order the deluxe brewing kit with the wizard wheat?
Response From Homebrew Heaven: It really depends on your tastes. The dry yeast that comes with the kit makes an excellent beer. I would call this an American style wheat beer. If you want the more pronounced banana-clove flavor or a true German style hefeweizen, then go for the Wyeast #3068 liquid yeast culture.
If you order the Wizard's Wheat with the Deluxe Brewing Equipment Kit, you will get the dry yeast. You could easilly order the #3068 from the yeast category, however, if that is what you prefer...or just tell us that in the Customer Comments box at checkout, and we'll make it happen.
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 of them! We have no problem with customers altering our kits to their tastes, and we encourage brewers to do that. We just don't make the recipes available outside of Homebrew Heaven.
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? Or toss the whole batch and start fresh?
Thanks and LOVE the seaturtle bottle caps!
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 answer to these questions is always:
1) Yeast cells don't care about your schedule. They don't have brains or wristwatches. They respond to other things, like sugar levels, competition from other yeast, temperature, nutrient levels and LOTS of other things instead. Trying to get them to adhere to your schedule is futile. Sometime they just behave differently than expected.
2) Given the above, recipes that say things like "ferment for 10 days and bottle" make no sense. What does? Hydrometer readings. Without beginning and current hydrometer readings you are guessing based on the calender. At LEAST 95% of the time, there is no real problem with the brew. Without taking a reading, you don't know if your beer is done fermenting. It may very well be...I can't say without that reading. It is almost NEVER a good solution to toss out a batch based on a what it is/is not doing with regards to your schedule.
Will a few days of cool fermentation ruin your brew? Not very likely. Extended fermenation of a ale at very low temps is not good, but most of your fermentation (maybe all of it?) took place at the correct temps.
If it was me, I would go ahead and trasfer to your carboy now, and get a hydrometer reading to see where you are.
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? The batch seems to be bubbling away nicely.
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.
9/6/2005 -- I have read a few recipes that mention adding honey to the end of the boil.
Aside from flavor and increase alcohol content can honey be added to most recipes???
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Yes. I wouldn't exceed about 2-3 lbs in 5 gallons, however.
8/31/2005 -- will the liquid yeast survive shipping cross-country? when i've shopped at a local store, they've always given me my liquid yeast on ice. just curious...
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Yes, it will make it. If you are concerned, you can order a frozen gel pack to go with it. Our (Wyeast) XL cultures are much more stable than some other brands.
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.
5/21/2005 -- I am brewing Wizards Wheat and it is currently in the primary fermentation phase. I tested w/a hydrometer roughly 11 hours into fermentation to check progress and it has reached finishing gravity. I have watched the temperature closely. Is this unusual? Can I start secondary fermentation? Love the site, ya'll are runnin a great business.
Response From Homebrew Heaven: It's a little unusual, but it happens. You must have provided a friendly enviroment for the yeast. Finishing quickly is a GOOD thing!
If the specific gravity is down below about 1.013, I would go ahead and put it into the secondary fermenter. You can expect some more "crud" to fall out, and that too is good. I would let it sit for 4-10 days, and bottle.
Thanks for your kind words about our business. We work hard at it!
5/16/2005 -- i just asked a question but forgot to ask about your kits. Do the kits come with all the ingredients that i need or do i need to buy other ingredents to make my beer? and thanx again,i noticed that you don't try to sell people needless products when they ask you questions about home brewing. you just want to help people make better beer at home.
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Homebrew Heaven Ingredient Kits come with everything you need except water; they are pre-measured, and ready to go with complete instructions.
Thank you for your comment; we try to be helpful. In the long run, that is best for home brewers, and best for our business as well.
2/9/2005 -- I am about to brew some wizards wheat with the liquid yeast. I use a 5 gal carboy with a blow off tube as my primary fermenter. From past experience, I will lose about a quart or more of beer from the blow off process. Should I top off when I rack to the secondary? Will this water down the beer? I have read the blow off takes out some of the bitterness and yeilds the best tasting beer? Would a six gallon carboy with a blow off tube give the same benefits with less loss of brew?
Response From Homebrew Heaven: If you are using Wyeast 3068 strain, my experience is that you will lose a lot more than a quart. It is a VERY active fermenter!
There is no problem with toping off with water when racking to the secondary, but yes, it does water it down slightly. Yes, a 6 gallon carboy would be better.
2/4/2005 -- I am making wizard's wheat with the liquid yeast and the wort/young beer has been in the primary fermenter for 6 days now. As I stated in an earlier post, during the first 24 hours the fermentation was incredibly explosive and left a very dense head of foam on top of my "young beer". Ever since then, the bubbling began to subside from once every few seconds to once every twenty seconds or so. However, during this time I have noticed tiny little yeast clumps gathering at the still fairly dense head of foam. Yesterday, I lightly rocked my fermenter back and forth in order to aid in the dissolution of the foam. As I expected, the clumps either began dispersing throughout the young beer or just falling to the bottom of my carboy. However, after gently rocking the fermenter a few times I noticed that the bubbling rate increased from every 20 seconds to around every 8 or so. Now, why are these clumps forming? Is there something wrong with my fermentation? Regretfully, I do not have a thermometer in/on my carboy so I have not been able to get an actual reading of the fermentation temperature. However, my carboy has been in a room where the temperature has been fairly constant at 65-70 degrees. Should I either keep gently rocking my fermenter or lightly stir the young beer with a sanitized racking tube/cane in order to invigorate the coagulated yeast and dissolve the foam? Your help is greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Again, this sounds normal enough. Those clumps will eventually settle out themselves, either in the primary fermenter or in the secondary. It's almost like they are "social", grouping together into colonies. When they is no more sugar to consume, they will die off and fall to the bottom.
2/1/2005 -- Me and some friends cooked up a batch of your wizards wheat. About 24 hours later( after we put it in the primary) it started to foam out of the air lock and all over the place, it even blew off the top two peices of the air lock. Every time I put the airlock back on, it would just blow off from all the foam. The only thing I could think of doing was sanitizing a small mason jar and puting that over the air lock(without the 2 other peices). Do you think that the beer will be ok? What do you think caused that to happen? How can this be prevented in the future?
Response From Homebrew Heaven: This is the result of good fresh healthy yeast, and an ideal fermentation environment (a GOOD thing!). Your beer will finish sooner, and it will ferment more completely. You did the right thing. This happens quite a bit when using the Wyeast 3068 strain of yeast. It is very active indeed!
The idea is to either use a large enough primary to accomodate this kind of activity, or to attach a "blowoff hose". To do this, just run some of your siphon tubing thru the rubber stopper, and put the other end into a container of water. This creates a large airlock that allows the excess foam to be blown into the container for removal.
1/31/2005 -- On Saturday afternoon I brewed my first batch of beer using the Wizard's Wheat kit. I have a question regarding Wyeast's 3068 yeast fermenting behavior. After I cooled the wort down to below 80 degrees by using a wort chiller, I oxygenated the wort using a pure 02 oxygenation system for 60 seconds or so. I pitched the yeast (which is less than a month old) and then placed my 5-gallon carboy in a dark room with temperatures ranging from 66-70. Because I was feeling rather cautious, I decided to affix a 1 inch blow-off hose to the top of my carboy and put the other end into a little cooking pot with water. Nothing happened for 5-6 hours before I went to my friend's house for the night. Anyway, the next morning I get a call from my parents saying that my setup made a huge mess. Apparently the fermentation became so violent that the exiting foam displaced all the water from my cooking pot and then spilled around the area of my fermentor. They weren't happy but hey, this is my very first time. There is still some foam in my carboy, but the bubbling has subsided from multiple bubbles per second to about 1 every 5+ seconds or so in about 24 hours. There still is activity in my fermentor, but just not nearly as violent. Anyway, given my preparation of the wort and the fermentation environment, is the fermentation behavior for this yeast strain normal?
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Absolutely normal. This is the most active strain of yeast I know of. It is EXTEMELY aggressive.
11/2/2004 -- My friend and I have recently purchased your Belgian Ale kit. We followed all the proper steps to ensure a good brew, things were going well until the onset of Hurricane Ivan. Our brew was in the first stage primary fermentation. It has been there for a little over a month and a half. Can we proceed normally from here and actually produce a good product or should we consider this batch- botched and start again?
Response From Homebrew Heaven: A Hurricane is no match for BEER! Really, it should be fine.
As long as the airlock remained in place, I would pick up and go with it. Now you know what to name it: Ivan's Belgian Ale.
8/19/2004 -- I have just moved my wizard's wheat from the primary after 36 hours. The bubbles were just over a minute apart before I moved it. Now 4 hours later they are almost 3 minutes apart. Should I expect more activity than that? If not would it be too soon to bottle only a day or so after moving to the secondary...?
This is my first attempt at homebrewing and I'm really trying not to be concerned...after all I want this to be a fun hobby...!
Also...when it was time to pitch the yeast I guess I got too excited and just ripped open the envelope and dumped it in....THEN i read that i should follow the directions on the package, which say to mix with warm water and then add some wort slowly to gt it to tempature then put it in the wort. I did seem to have a very rigorous fermentation as after 24 hours it was bubbling constantly...
Not sure if my haste in pitching the yeast would lead to any other problems...
Your website is excellent and I was amazed at the promptness with which my order was deliverd.
If I enjoy this as much as I expect to you can expect some future questions regarding kegging equipment!
Thanks a bunch!!
Andy
Response From Homebrew Heaven: It sounds like you are right on track. No need to worry!
The idea is to make sure your fermentation is completely done, it doesn't matter if it's 3 days or 3 weeks. Yeast cell don't wear watches.
When the specific gravity is approximately 1.016 (or lower) THEN it is time to bottle.
You are correct, home brewing is FUN, and it's easy to become anxious if something does (or does not) happen as you expected. 99.9% of the time it is just fine. The idea is to enjoy it!
Yeast cells are funny fellas. The one thing they love to do is to consume sugars and make alcohol (as well as CO2). Whether you properly re-hydrate them or not, I assure you, they will do their job. The active fermentation you saw is evidence of that.
Bring on the questons..we don't mind a bit. Sometimes we get rushed, and can't answer immediately, but we try to respond as promptly as we can.
7/16/2004 -- I have heard you need to age beers depending on the type you brew before you drink them. Is there any standard for this?
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Generally speaking, it takes about 10 days to 2 weeks for carbonation to develop in the bottles. After that, many beers are ready to drink (especially light ales, wheat beers, etc).
Some, especially darker, heavier and well hopped beers benefit by aging. Barleywine (a beer style) should really age at least 6 months to be at it's best. Some lagers should also be cold aged (lagered) for at least a month or so to be at their peak.
5/16/2004 -- I noticed in the recipes from "Capturing Beer" that the author recommends using less bittering hops when brewing up a full 5 gallons (instead of boiling 2-3 gallons and adding water to the primary). Do you recommend tinkering with the bittering hops of your kits (St. Pete's, etc) when boiling up a full 5 gallons of wort in the brewpot?
Response From Homebrew Heaven: No. Our kits are designed for a full 5 gallon boil (or more). That is the best way to make beer, and that the way we recommend doing it.
Using a concentrated wort (partial boil volume) doesn't properly utilize the hops (or malt) in the kit. It will still make good beer, but it is better to boil it all. Actually, I like to start with 6 gallons, to allow for evaporation during the boil, thus yeilding 5 gallons.
If you DO boil less than 5 gallons, it is possible to compensate for hop bitterness levels by adding slightly MORE hops, but that still doesn't address the poor breakdown of the malt, or the carmelization (darkening) that occurs from a concentrated boil. As I say, in general it's a bad idea. Get a bigger brewpot, and make better beer!
4/9/2004 -- I have your St Peter's Pilsner kit but desire some info not found in kit. Two questions....
Is there a full 5 lbs of the dry malt in the package ??
What bitterness rating may I expect using your recipe exactly to the best of my ability ?? I've 8 years brew experience.
Response From Homebrew Heaven: The expected bitterness is 16 IBU's, but we don't give out the actual ingredients, weights etc for our Homebrew Heaven Ingredient Kits.
3/26/2004 -- I would like to buy your Wizard Wheat kit. I already have some fresh yeast at home in my fridge. My friend bought a kit at a local brew shop, and inadvertantly bought two containers of yeast He gave one to me (lucky me). Can I buy this kit with out the yeast?
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Nope; sorry. They are all pre-assembled with everything, including yeast. There is no harm in adding both packets, however, or saving one for your next batch. When someone orders a liquid yeast with this kit, we leave the dry yeast in anyway.
3/25/2004 -- I am returning to home brewing after about 10 years off - don't ask! I made several batches of a kit called something like "Irish Ale" which was suggested by the retailer where I bought my original supplies. It was amber colored and well received by all. My understanding was that pilzners and ales could be made without cooling, lagers and stouts required cooler temps. (50 deg or so). Could you please give a breakdown as to pilzners, ales, stouts, porters and lagers as far as special temperature requirements during fermentation. Also, could you suggest a full bodied, strong dark beer.
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Welcome back!
There are two primary types of beer, ales and lagers, based on the type of yeast used to ferment them.
Typically, lagers are the following styles:
pilsners
bocks
marzen/oktoberfest/vienna beers
Ales have many different styles:
stouts
porters
weizens
pale ales
IPA's
belgian ales
The above listing are generalities, of course, and there are a few "crossovers". There is nothing saying you can't make a bock using an ale yeast, for example.
Lagers are best fermented and stored at cool temperatures, in the range of about 40-50 deg F. They can be done warmer, but generally they become smoother with lagering.
Ales are typically fermented at about room temperature.
There are MANY full bodied, strong dark beers. For a lager, my favorite is our Procrastinator Bock. For an ale, try the Scuttlebutt Porter or Belgian Ale.
3/23/2004 -- I am a beginning homebrewer and I am trying to determine the Alcohol by Volume of your beer kits. How you you go about using the specific gravities (starting/ending) to determine the alcohol by volume?
Response From Homebrew Heaven: You can approximate the % alcohol by taking the starting gravity and subtracting the ending gravity. You then divide this value by 8.
For Example:
Start Gravity (OG) = 1.050
Ending Gravity (FG) = 1.012
Difference in gravity "points" = 38
38 divided by 8 = 4.75% alcohol by volume
This is a handy (easy) way to do it. There are other, more accurate ways but for most purposes this is close enough.
3/14/2004 -- This is my first beer brew. I have all of the items in the kit in order to brew. How much and when should I add fruit such as blackberries or cranberries in order to liven up the brew?
Response From Homebrew Heaven: A good time is during the primary fermentation. Just wait for it to start bubbling, and add the fruit. This ensures that it has enough time to ferment out all the sugars from the fruit.
How much?? That's a tough question, and a matter of personal taste as well. It also depends on the fruit itself. For blackberries, I would start with maybe 1.5-2 lbs. That shouldn't overpower your brew. Some people use as much as 3.5 quarts, however.
Not sure about cranberries...sorry!
3/13/2004 -- 1. For a first time home brewer, is there a recipe that is cheap and easy, like only one thing to mix with the water? I want to have a test run to make sure I have the steps and the sterilization right, even if it makes a run of the Mill(er) style beer. I do not want to waste $30 on a good ale kit and turn it to vinegar as a learning experiment when I could just waste $5 of malt syrup!
I have a plastic-glass set-up and scotch ale ingredients that someone gave me, that is why I ask.
2. What is the success rate for first time brewers, and if I do make vinegar, should I run away crying?
3. Should I be trying to filter out the Irish Moss when I put the wort in the primary fermentor?
4. A comment: you have the only site on this subject that is both user friendly for shopping, and informative on the process!
Response From Homebrew Heaven: 1. We try to make really, really EASY, and the first time success rate is 100%, as far as I can tell. I'd recommend our Back to Basics Ale Kit, tho, if you want to be cautious. It is only $22.50 and makes a very good beer. The instructions are good...they walk you thru step-by-step.
Here is a link to it:
http://www.nexternal.com/hombre/?Target=products.asp&ProductID=956
2. See above. Success is expected. If, for some reason, you make something undrinkable, we'll refund your $$ on that batch. End of problem.
3. No, the irish moss should be left in. It helps proteins and other stuff settle out later. You will see it happen after the fermentation stops.
4. Thank YOU, Gill. We work hard on our website, and it just keeps getting bigger and better. We hear that people appreciate the variety of products and the advice. People keep coming back, too.... sneeky aren't we?
2/29/2004 -- We are preparing to start our Wizard's Wheat. We'd like to give it a citrus flare. How can we introduce citrus to the batch?
Response From Homebrew Heaven: I would just add the juice of a lemon or lime, maybe two?, to the wort after the boil, and after the wort has cooled to room temperature.
Sounds good to me!
2/24/2004 -- What is the length of the bazooka and what type of connection fitting does it have?
My order arrived in 5 days (Oklahoma). I was really impressed with the packaging and instructions included with the Wizard Wheat kit. It's still fermenting!
Response From Homebrew Heaven: It is 12" in length, 1" in diameter. It has 1/2" NPT (male) threads that screw directly into our Thru-Wall Fittings.
Glad to hear you like the looks and delivery of our Wizard's Wheat. It's an excellent beer!
2/20/2004 -- what ingredient kit do i have to buy thats
close to the taste of coors light or bud light?
Response From Homebrew Heaven: That would be the American Pilsner Kit.
Here is a link to it:
http://www.nexternal.com/hombre/?Target=products.asp&ProductID=992
2/14/2004 -- I brewed wizards wheat 2 weeks ago today. Move it from the primary on day 5 and when I checked for air bubble through the airlock its just under 1 minute 30 seconds. I've had out of the sunlight at around 65 -65 degrees. I was thinking it was ready to bottle but seems like I have a way to go. Is this typical for this beer? This is my first attempt at brewing so I'm not exactly sure what to expect.
Response From Homebrew Heaven: This sounds very normal, and like it is almost ready to bottle. The way to know for SURE, however, is by taking a hydrometer reading. When it is appoximately 1.014, it is ready to bottle.
1/4/2004 -- I have started a batch of this beer (St Peter's Pilsner) and have the primary fermatation going in a cool place, but at what temparture should the secondary take place.
Response From Homebrew Heaven: The temperature difference between the primary phase and the lager phase should be roughly 10°F. I guess I'd say the ideal temperature would be 45 deg F., but remember, nothing is absolute. Brewing is both a science and an art! Lower temperatures will extend the time required to finish, but will result in a clean, soft finish that is characteristic of true lagers.
12/27/2003 -- A while back you answered a question about adding blackberries to make a blackberry wheat. How about adding cranberries for a cranberry wheat?
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Heck yes. I've found that the only thing limiting you is fear and common sense. Thankfully, I have little of either. About the only advice I can give is add too little, rather that too much. Sneak up on the amount you use.
FWIW, we plan to introduce a vanilla wheat beer kit soon. So much for common sense.
11/30/2003 -- Is it possible to modify this or any other recipe as to gain a higher gravity or alcohol content in a lighter ale?
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Yes, by adding more fermentable sugars to the boil. This is often done with corn sugar or malt extract. Corn sugar is ok within limits, but using too much will add a "cider-like" taste. Malt extract is a better choice, but it will add some color as well. With Belgian ales, it is common to use clear candi sugar (rock candi). This keeps the color light, and adds alcohol.
11/26/2003 -- I recently bought Shamrock Stout. The bubbles were down to under a minute within 2 days, which is when I transferred to the secondary carboy. The bubbles aren't apparent now... which leads me to believe I should add more yeast. The temperature was 78 f at initial yeast introduction, yet now I am concerned that the yeast was not good... Should I add another packet now, or am I thinking too much about this? Thanks HBH!!!
Response From Homebrew Heaven: It sounds just fine to me. A fast, vigorous fermentation is a good thing! It indicates good, fresh yeast and ideal fermentation conditions. This kind of thing is more common in summer months, but it sounds like you have it in a warm place.
I assure you that even if you don't see them, plenty of yeast are still in there. I would just let it completely stop, and for the "crud" to settle out before bottling. It is a good idea to take a hydrometer reading to make sure, but it sounds like you could be bottling soon.
Not to worry...our motto is "More Beer, Sooner!"
11/9/2003 -- What is the life span of the beer (period of expiration)
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Not very long at MY house! Seriously, tho, if you store your homebrew properly, it should last for at least a year. Some, like the heavier, darker beers just get better with age. I have had some that was over 4 years old and it was excellent!
10/12/2003 -- I FELT LIKE THE BREW KITS I'VE BOUGHT IN THE PAST LACKED A PUNCH (ALCOHOL CONTENT). WILL USING DME INSTEAD OF SUGAR LOWER THE ALCOHOL CONTENT? HOW STRONG SHOULD I EXPECT MY BEER TO BE BREWING YOUR KITS, I.P.A.AND ST.PETERS PILSNER, ALSO APPROXiMATELY HOW MUCH LONGER TILL DRINKABILITY OR CARBONATION THAN CORN SUGAR? THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR HELP TODAY PLANNING ON ORDERING MY EQUIMENT AND BEER KITS AFTER YOUR RESPONSE.
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Using DME in place of corn sugar will lower the alcohol content slightly, but I doubt if you could measure it. It is more a matter of finer bubbles, and additional flavor from the DME.
Each of our Homebrew Heaven Ingredient Kits is designed to make a beer that is true to the style...in other words, it varies kit by kit. For example, the St. Peter's Pilsner will be very much like a pilsner style beer, and lower in alcohol (St. Pete is approximately 4% alcohol by volume). The Diamond Knot IPA is over 5.5% ABV. Others, like Procrastinator Bock are higher (6.9% ABV).
In other words, there is no single "correct" alcohol level for the many different styles of beer.
10/9/2003 -- Are the hops left in or are they removed prior to fermentation? Should they be placed in a mesh bag as the grain is?
Thanks-Great site!
Response From Homebrew Heaven: With this kit, some of the hop pellets are actually in the dry malt extract and are added with the malt (no bag). The hops that are added later in the boil are also just thrown in and allowed to boil. Don't worry, the little bit of hop residue just falls to the bottom of the fermenter later on.
Only the grains are put into a bag, because they need to be removed when the water reaches 170 deg F.
Thanks for the kind words about our site. We work hard at it!
9/20/2003 -- I ordered some of this with the liquid yeast here recently. When in the initial brewing stage, I mixed in the liquid yeast as per instuctions, and 24 hours into the brew, I saw no action at all in the check valve, so I removed the check valve, and added the dry yeast I had that also came with the package. Upon entering the secondary fermentation stage, there seems to be a slightly different odor than my first batch, slightly less sweet....reminescent of a German lager.
Did I mess up my beer by adding the dry yeast? IS there anything I should worry about? I did a taste test, and so far, it seems ok, but until the first bottle is opened, you truly never know.
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Nothing to worry about at all! I'm certain it will turn out just fine. Many people, when using liquid yeasts are unaccustomed to the longer "lag" time they experience comparded to dry yeasts. This is entirely normal.
For your next batch, however, I would wait for the liquid yeast to kick in. It will, it just takes longer.
You can avoid this longer lag time by building a "starter culture" prior to adding to your wort. Very easy to do, and makes sense especially with lagers and high gravity beers.
8/2/2003 -- What is the approx. amount of alcohol content in these beers? Just so I know what to expect when I brew it.
Response From Homebrew Heaven: The alcohol content varies with the beer kit. For the Golden Eagle, it runs about 4.5% ABV. Other beers, like the Procrastinator Bock, are higher; some, like the American Pilsner are lower. We try to keep the alcohol level appropriate to the style of beer.
7/17/2003 -- Can blackberry's be added to this kit to make a blackberry wheat alternative? cups of juice or berries? Do I need to eliminate some of the sugars?
Response From Homebrew Heaven: You bet! I would go with about a pound or so (maybe 1.5 lbs)of crushed juicy berries. Add them to the primary fermenter, not the brewpot.
There is some sugar in the berries, but it will just get converted to alcohol/CO2, so no need to worry about sweetness.
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