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I very recently received a Muntons wheat beer kit as a gift. The instructions say to add 2.2 pounds of table sugar in order to reach 4.6% ABV. If I leave the 2.2 pounds of table sugar out and use LME or DME instead, how much of either one of those two much better ingredient would it take me to...

I recently did what I thought to be nearly impossible. I successfully brewed a six gallon batch of English pale ale from ingredients that were several years out of date. I found the unused ingredients in an old cardboard storage box that I had put away back in late 2015. The yeast had a best...

I added a single cup of sugar to a five gallon batch of cream ale in an attempt to ever so slightly raise the ABV. The included recipe did not call for this addition. However, the end result was not how I would have liked. I just poured the sugar on top of the fermenting wort, I didn't...

Brandy is one of the few alcoholic beverages that I've never gotten to sample. I've had whiskey, tequila, vodka, run and gin. I know that brandy is simply distilled wine, but I imagine that since it's aged in barrels for long periods of time similar to whiskey that the taste would be quite a...

I got a new beer kit for Christmas: Summer Cream Ale. It's a 6-gallon kit that produces an estimated ABV of 4.4%. I would like to increase it to somewhere between 5 and 6%, I don't have any added malt available, but I do have some table sugar. How much can I safely add without drastically...

I went to check on my beer today. I was planning on bottling it on Friday, as it's already been fermenting for over four weeks now. I planned to have it ready in time for Halloween, but I noticed that the surface area has quite a few white spots, which I fear is white mold. I saw a small...

I've successfully made mead, cider, sake, wine, cyser and three Mr. Beer kits in the past. The only thing that went down the tubes was some blackberry wine which started to grow white mold and had to be poured out. There's several 5-gallon beer kits that I'd really like to try and make pretty...

Has anyone ever tried to make sake by this kit before? I've never made sake myself and wanted to give it a try. This kit claims that you can add your own rice to make a bigger batch. I have a 5 pound bag of rice that I can add. The kit says that the koji and lactic acid are already mixed in...

I have to bottle some wine tomorrow. I have a Portuguese Floor Corker, but last time when I used it, the cork went way too far down into the bottle. So does anyone have any tips or suggestions on how to use it better, so that I can actually get the cork out of the bottle this time? Last time...

Does Fermax contain urea? I accidentally added twice the amount of yeast nutrient to my mead that I was supposed to, and I'm worried about increased Ethyl Carbamate exposure. I added 2-tablespoons to a 3-gallon batch of mead. I later read online that I was only supposed to add one.

I have a few empty liquor bottles saved under the cabinet from a few years ago. Are they usable for mead or wine or should I just stick to using wine bottles and toss the liquor bottles out? I know the liquor bottles wouldn't work for beer or cider, as they would most likely break due to C02...

I made a 2.5 gallon batch of hard apple-pear cider tonight. I was in a hurry to go have a few Saturday night beers, so I think I added way too much yeast. After pitching it, I noticed that the label says it's for 5-gallons, so I should have only added half a pack. Is my cider going to be...

Is there any way to test the specific gravity of beer without a beer thief and test jar? I have the hydrometer, just not the beer thief or test jar that usually goes along with it. Putting the hydrometer down into the beer fermenter just causes it to sink to the bottom.

I've made 3 batches of beer, 2 batches of wine and 1 batch of hard cider so far. Now I'm journeying into making mead for the very first time. If I add 3-pounds of clover honey per gallon of water in a 2-gallon batch, about what ABV can I expect to achieve?

I brewed my 3rd batch of beer last Saturday. Unfortunately it came with this C-Brite cleanser that I've never used before. It had all kinds of scary warnings on the label. I went ahead and used it anyway, but I quickly began to regret it as it filled my kitchen with the nasty smell of...