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Homebrew Den
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Welcome to the Homebrew Den, Tallahassee's only full service, online, homebrew beer, mead & wine supply center
At HomeBrew Den, we want to help you make excellent beer, wine AND mead. For the beermaker, we stock a full line of domestic AND imported malts, specialty grains AND hops. We also carry liquid yeast cultures from White Labs, AS well AS a full selection of dried yeast. We have the specialty equipment you need to brew wonderful, flavorful beer.
If you're a winemaker we've got you covered AS well. We stock all the equipment you need to make wine from whatever fruit is growing in your garden, orchard or vineyard. We also stock a full range of excellent wine concentrates made from the grape varietals that you know AND love, such AS Chardonnay, Cabernet, Merlot, etc . These concentrates make wonderful wines.
If you've discovered or are curious about the magic of mead, you're in the right place. We have all the appropriate equipment AND we stock honey from local apiaries. The pride of our honey selection is Tupelo honey.
You will find our prices to be competitive, AND our service to be superior. The Homebrew Den has been serving AND helping homebrewers for over 10 years. We hope that we can add you to our long list of satisfied customers.
Whether you are putting together your first extract beer, or brewing another 10 gallons of that all grain award winner, HomeBrew Den is the source for your home brew needs. Call or email us today.
Beer and Mead Ingredients
Please choose from our line of high-quality beer-making ingredients. Not only do we offer products to make your brews interesting and tasty, we also offer products from some of the brewing industry's most reputable malters. Many of the malts offered here are the same malts that you enjoy in your micro-brewed beers and beers from your local brewpub. Fresh, tasty. and versatile.We also offer fresh, local honey varieties that are sure to be part of your next yummy mead, or honey beer.
HomeBrew Den Recipe Kits
All Homebrew Den recipe kits come with malt extract, crushed specialty grains, hops, yeast and complete instructions. If there are any special ingredients required, those are included also. Note that you have the option of selecting a recipe with dry yeast or liquid yeast. The dry yeasts are less expensive and will make a fine beer. The liquid yeasts, since there are so many available strains, provide much greater ability to create the desired flavor profile for your chosen recipe. Note that the recipe kits do not include priming sugar, bottle caps or straining bag. Many of our customers use kegs, or buy these items in other quantities, so they do not need the sugar or the caps. If you are bottling, you should order these items separately. Some homebrew shops include a muslin bag for steeping the specialty grains. We do not. Instead, we recommend that you purchase a nylon straining bag (item #4062) for that purpose. The nylon bag is durable and reusable - reducing disposable waste. Also, the nylon bag has a finer mesh than the muslin bag, so fewer grain particles end up in your boil kettle, resulting in a cleaner flavored beer. Please note any requests for substitutions or packaging in the comments section of your order. For example, we will assume that you want your grains crushed unless you tell us otherwise. Thank you for trying these recipes!
Belgian Beers
High Gravity Beers
Honey Beers
Lagers and Hybrid Beers
Light Ales, Milds, Session Beers
Pale Ales, IPA's, and Bitters
Porters and Stouts
Reds, Ambers, and Brown Ales
Scottish and Scotch Ales
Specialty Beers
Wheat Beers
Malt Extracts and Kits
HomeBrew Den offers both plain, unhopped malt extract as well as a full line of hopped extract ingredients kits.
Hopped Extract
These "Kits" consist of a can of malt extract (with a packet of yeast) which has been hopped and flavored for the beer style mentioned. As a general rule, you will need approximately 6-7 pounds of fermentable material to make a 5 gallon batch of beer. Therefore, most of these kits will require additional fermentables. While you may use either corn sugar or malt extract, we STRONGLY recommend the use of malt extract. It is more expensive than corn sugar, but it provides much fuller beer flavor and body. See the Unhopped Malt Extract section of the catalog for the appropriate items. We also strongly recommend that you discard the yeast that comes with the kit and purchase a fresh, new yeast. See the list of available yeasts on a subsequent page. The yeasts that come with the kits tend to be older and/or inferior quality. We will also send you a short instruction sheet for brewing with hopped kits. We highly recommend that you disregard the instructions on the can of hopped extract.
Brewferm
Brewferm Products of Beverlo-Beringen, Belgium, produces a line of malt extract kits that pay tribute to some of Belgium's unique brewing traditions. Each kit contains a selection of Belgian and European two-row malted barley blended with whole hops (no hop extract). Available in 3.3-lb (1.5-kg) cans. For best results, we recommend using two cans for 5 gallons.
Cooper's Brewing Kits
Coopers brewing kits contain only the best ingredients- pure malt, water, hops,as well as a special strain of dried yeast, developed to produce a vigorous fermentation under the prescribed conditions. The result? a beer guaranteed to taste as good as- if not better than your favourite commercial beer.
Edme
Edme's range of malt syrup beer kits for home brewers, Microbrewery Series, are derived from UK-grown two-row barley and/or wheat.
Iron Master
Ironmaster kits are made from the finest Scottish Quality Assured malting barley, yeast and hops. The results are flavorful and aromatic beers. Packed with yeast and instructions.
Munton's
One of the first maltsters to import to the USA and the first to design a range of kits specifically for our market. One of the best selling malt extracts.
Muntons Premium Range
Each Beer kit contains 1.8kg of 100% hopped malt extract - and in common with all Muntons beer kits, no cheap barley syrup is used in their manufacture.The Connoisseurs range offers the home beer-maker the chance to make premium strength beers. Excellent value!
Muntons Gold Range
These kits contain two 3.3# cans of malt extract, so there is no need to add aditional sugar or extract. Easy to make and delicious to drink!
Mountmellick
An Irish malt extract manufacturer. These folks make great beer kits!
Unhopped Malt Extracts
Unhopped Malt Extract
We sell Liquid Malt Extract by the pound in the quantities you want, not just in 3.3 pound increments. It is poured into a heavy-duty (6 mil thick) plastic bag which is then sealed shut with an industrial heat sealer. We have this high-quality malt extract in light, amber, dark and wheat varieties.
Bulk Liquid Malt Extract
These malt extracts are made from the finest malts. Malt extract provides the base from which a brewer can make a wide variety of beers. We sell the light and wheat extracts in any pound increments,(i.e., 1#, 2#, 3#, ....25#,...). The amber and dark extracts are sold in 2# and 3# increments only. Since you can create almost any whole-pound quantity from 2# and 3# increments, the only limitation this places on you is that we will not be able to supply you with a 1# size of amber or dark extract..
Dry Malt Extract
Muntons Dry Malt Extract?will improve the quality of any beer kit when used in place of sugar. It will brew beers which are less 'dry', with more richness, body and improved head formation and retention.Munton Dry Malt Extract?is available in 3 pound packs. Whichever recipe you follow, you can be sure of producing better beer than any standard kit, easily and economically.
Grains
The base malts are for all grain brewing and/or mini mashes. Many of the specialty malts and all of the Crystal malts and roasted malts/grains can be used in extract brewing. The color of malt is measured in° Lovibond(L). That rating is given when known. 1lb quantities are the minimum order.
Base Malts (Mashing)
These are malts to use in all-grain or partial mashes. Mashing is a process of "controlled steeping". The temperature of the mash should be between 148-156F and the pH in the range of 5.2 -5.7. When done properly, the enzymes in the malt break down the malt's starches into sugars.This category includes Pale Ale, Pilsner, Vienna, and Munich Malts.
American Pale Malt
Pale Ale Malt
Pilsner Malt
Kilned Malts
Wheat Malt
Specialty Malts
These are malts that do not require mashing. All you need to do is steep them in hot water 140F-170F to pull the colors and flavors out.This category includes crytal malts, roated malts and toasted malts.
Cara-Pils
Crystal malts
Crystal malts are a common ingredient in most beer recipes. In general, they provide color (ranging from light gold to dark brown), flavor (ranging from a light caramel sweetness to a pronounced caramel character), body, and improved head retention. Higher Lovibond ratings denote darker color and more intense flavor.Crystal malts are easy to use. Steep the crushed malts in hot water to extract the color and flavor.
Toasted Malts
Roasted Malts
Other Malts
Hops
We sell hops in three forms - pellets, whole (sometimes called "leaf") and plugs. Due to the hop shortage, we have temporarily removed plugs from our web site.Also due to the worldwide hop shortage and current fluctuations in hop supply, we do not fill hop-only orders, or orders that are placed with a disproportionate level of hops for the order total. Most orders are limited to 4-6 ounces of hops.Pellet hops are formed by pulverized hop flowers into granules that are then compressed into small cylindrical pellets. Pelletizing makes hops easier to store and helps to keep hops fresher by reducing exposure to oxygen. Pellet hops are very easy to work with as the hops disintegrate when added to wort, and settle out in the kettle or fermenter. Whole hops are unadulterated whole hop cones (flowers). Whole hops are more susceptible to oxidation, and hence harder to store than pellets. They also need to be strained out of the wort before fermentation. Whole hops absorb a lot of liquid, and may negatively impact yield. However, nothing imparts a fine, fresh hop aroma like good-quality whole hops. Because the processing for whole hops is minimal compared to that for pellets, most of the flowers' delicate glands containing the aromatic oils and resins are intact.Hop plugs attain the best of both worlds. The whole hops are compressed, without being pulverized, into disks. Thus, as with whole hops, the aromatic oils and resins are not affected. The compression into disks reduces the exposure of the hop to air, reducing the effects of oxidation.
Hop Pellets
Due to the worldwide hop shortage and current fluctuations in hop supply, prices and availability will vary. We do not fill hop only orders, or orders placed with a disproportionate level of hops for the order total. Most orders are limited to 4-6 ounces of hops. Hop Pellets are loose hops which have been ground to a fine powder and then pressed into rabbit-food-sized pellets. Advantages: Convenient to measure and better protection from air than whole hops. They reportedly contribute 10% more alpha acids to the wort because of maximized surface area, so are a more efficient use of this relatively expensive ingredient. They are generally available in more varieties. Disadvantages: They sink and are powdered, so it is difficult to avoid them when siphoning. The extra processing of chopping and compressing destroys the strucures that contain the delicate oils that contribute flavor and aroma, so those oils may be negatively affected.
Hop Plugs
Hop plugs are compressed whole hops. Each plug is 1/2 ounce of fresh hops compressed into a disk about the diameter of a silver dollar and approximately 3/4" thick. They have all of the desirable attributes of whole hops - the plant structures, especially those containing the wonderful aromatic oils, are left intact. The more compact form, though, results in less surface area exposed to air so that the hops retain their bittering, flavor and aromatic properties much longer than whole hops.These new hop plugs are made from American hops and are plugged in the United States. They are fresh and vibrant with flavors and aromas that will knock your socks off (if you're wearing any) and make you say "Wow! So that's what fresh hops can do to a beer!"Due to the current fluctuations in hop supply, prices and availability may vary.
Whole Hops
Due to the worldwide hop shortage and current fluctuations in hop supply, prices and availability will vary. We do not fill hop- only orders, or orders placed with a disproportionate level of hops for the order total. Most orders are limited to 4-6 ounces of hops. Whole Hops are just that: loose cones which have been dried after picking. Advantages: They are the most natural form of the ingredient. In your brew kettle, they form a natural filter bed to help in trub separation. When they are fresh, they beat all other forms in delivering the original hop compounds to the beer (processing hops alters the volatile hop compounds in many ways). Disadvantages: Since they are loose, exposure to air (oxygen) will be greater which could cause them to lose quality more quickly than the other forms of hops. When stored in vacuum- sealed or CO2 or nitrogen purged Oxygen-barrier bags or jars, this potential problem can be avoided. They are bulkier than other forms.
Yeast
Yeast is the organism that drives the fermentation process. In a sugar solution, yeast ingests the sugar and then breaks it down to alcohol, carbon dioxide and small amounts of a range of organic compounds. Yeast are a wonderful thing!! Brewer's yeast comes in two forms - dry and liquid. Liquid yeast refers to a culture of yeast cells in a liquid medium, while in dry yeast, the liquid medium has been removed . Dry yeast is typically cheaper and easier to use ~ just re-hydrate for a few minutes in warm water and then add to the wort. Unfortunately, many yeast strains cannot survive the drying process, so the variety of strains available in dry form is limited. Liquid cultures, on the other hand, are available in a wide range of yeast strains, each of which has its own flavor characteristics. Thus, with liquid cultures, the brewer can choose a yeast strain that will match well with the type of beer being brewed. The liquid cultures are also packaged under laboratory conditions resulting in a greatly reduced risk of contamination compared to the dry yeasts. Although the liquid cultures are a little more expensive, we believe that the higher quality and increased selection makes them worth the investment.
Dry Beer Yeast
Dried yeast should be considered for economy and ease-of-use. The primary disadvantage of dried yeast is that since not all types of yeast can withstand the drying process (lager yeast, wheat beer yeast, special ale yeast), there is a limited variety of strains available. Dried yeast should be re-hydrated in about one cup of 90-110° F sterile (boiled) water for 15-30 minutes.
Liquid Beer Yeast
Each vial of White Labs brewer's yeast is designed to be pitched directly into five gallons of beer - roughly equivalent to making a one-pint starter of the "other brand". With 30-60 billion yeast cells per vial, fermentation will normally start in 5-15 hours at 70° F. Making a yeast starter is still recommended under the following conditions: Faster fermentation is desired. O.G. is over 1.070. Fermentations will be started cold; i.e., pitching lager yeast directly into 50° F wort. Hot shipping conditions.
White Labs Platinum Strains
White Labs Platinum Yeast Strains are new yeast strains that are released every two months. New strains will replace the last ones. The goal of this program is to get new, interesting yeast strains for homebrewers to use, and to match seasonal brewing with particular yeast strains. Each vial of White Labs brewer's yeast is designed to be pitched directly into five gallons of beer - roughly equivalent to making a one-pint starter of the "other brand". With 30-60 billion yeast cells per vial, fermentation will normally start in 5-15 hours at 70° F. Making a yeast starter is still recommended under the following conditions: Faster fermentation is desired. O.G. is over 1.070. Fermentations will be started cold; i.e., pitching lager yeast directly into 50° F wort. Hot shipping conditions.
Mead & Cider Yeast
Both dry yeasts and liquid yeasts are available for making mead and cider. Some of the yeasts that appear in these sections are also used for wine-making. Some beer yeasts can also be used for making mead and cider. Brewing specifics such as volume of honey or apples, desired sweetness, and batch size may affect your yeast selection. Please call us or e-mail us if you have questions about which yeast strain to use.
Dry Yeast
Red Star Dry Yeast
Lalvin Dry Yeast
Starter Materials
Adjuncts & Sugars
Adjuncts are grain-based products other than barley malt or wheat malt. Most of these adjuncts are in flaked form, so that their starches will readily dissolve in the mash. Since they are starchy, they should be mashed in conjunction with enzyme-containing grains, so that the enzymes will reduce the starches to sugars. Sugars provide easily accessible fermentable material.
Adjuncts
Sugars
Beers made with excessive amounts of table sugar or corn sugar are winey, thin, and bland. This is the problem with many instructions with canned extracts. However, these sugars can contribute character to some, particulary high gravity, beers. Because these sugars are nearly entirely fermentable, they contribute alcohol while not contributing body. A couple examples are Russian Imperial Stout, Trappist Ale, and Barleywine. A good rule of thumb is to use sugar only in beers with OG>1.060 and keep total sugar below 15%.
Honey
Honey
All of our honey comes from local apiaries so it's fresh and delicious!
Brewing Spices
Fruit Flavors
These 4oz. bottles of natural fruit flavorings contain no sugars or pectins. Add one bottle to a 5 gallon batch just prior to bottling for great flavor and aroma. Incredibly easy to use!
Fruit Purees
Oregon Fruit Products have taken the hassle out of making fruit based wine and beer. Their new line of fruit purees provide you with all of the fresh fruit flavor and character without the seeds, skins or crushing of solid packed fruit. Oregon Fruit Purees have been sterilized and are ready to use. The convienent 46 oz. tins are easily converted into any batch size. There is more fruit by weight with the purees since the seeds have been removed. This is real fruit. If you have any left over, use it on ice cream or yogurt, in cereal, bake with it, use in sauces. Always use the fruit purees in the primary or secondary fermenter. Never boil the purees.
Beer Additives
Wine Ingredients
You can make wine from fresh fruit, fruit packed in juice, and wine concentrates. Choose from a wide variety of high-quality ingredients from around the world.
Vintners Reserve
These wine kits are formulated with 7.5 liters of 100% varietal grape juice and concentrates. Each kit yields six gallons of wine. These wine kits offer high quality at an extremely affordable price.
RJ Spagnol's Grand Cru
The RJ Spagnol's Grand Cru wine kits bring together the advantages of varietal grape juice with the convenience and value of a 10 litre, 4 week wine kit that makes 6 US gallons. From the first swirl to the final sip, you will truly appreciate the enhanced bouquet and aromas that Grand Cru wine kits offer. Whether you seek-full bodied and hearty or light and refreshing wines, you'll surely discover a style to suit you individual taste. All of the Grand Cru wine kits are made with exactly the right amount of the best varietal grape juices and grape concentrates from around the globe. In just 28 days, you will have a wonderful, ready to enjoy wine of character and distinction that will gain in stature with further aging.
Selection Premium
The world's first 15 liter premium wine making kit. Selection is designed to meet all of the expectations of the serious and patient winemaker. Containing 15 liters of 100% pure variety grape juice and variety grape concentrate, with perfectly balanced pH, acid and tannin levels, this superb product combines simplicity and predictable results in a kit which yields wine of great flavor, aroma and complexity.
Selection Speciale Premium
The Selection Spéciale line of products showcases a variety of specialty wines, which are nothing short of remarkable. Brew King's innovative F-packs give our Port & Sherry styles the long, full fruit finishes that are expected of these styles. The Selection Spéciale kits are packaging in 7.5 litre format, with a finished yield of 11.5 litres.
Island Mist
An entirely new and distinctive beverage line of kits that combines the crisp freshness of varietal table wines with the full fruit flavors. The result is a refreshing alternative that's unlike anything else. These kits are made with pure fruit and grapes. No artificial flavorings. For those who enjoy a light fruity wine with light alcohol (6.5% abv) with less sweetness than wine coolers and more fruit body than table wines, Island Mist is for you. Each kit makes 5 to 6 gallons depending on the strength you desire. A complete package. All additives and instructions are included and requires no additional sugar. These kits produce wines of great character, with superlative color, flavor and aroma characteristics.
Fruit Bases
Fruit bases are solid pack fruit in their natural juices. Making wine with them is much like processing fresh fruit in that the winemaker needs to crush and press.
Wine Yeast
The majority of wine yeast strains available are dry yeast strains. This means that the yeast is in dry form (as opposed to liquid form). It does not neccessarily mean that the wine it produces is dry in taste. Each wine strain has its own specifications.
Lalvin Dry Wine Yeast
The term "dry yeast" refers to the yeast being in dry form as opposed to liquid form. Please refer to each strain's specifications.
Red Star Dry Wine Yeast
The term "dry yeast" refers to the yeast being in dry form as opposed to liquid form. Please see each strain's specifications for information about whether the strain produces sweet or dry wine.
Wine Additives
All-Purpose Equipment
Most of the equipment that appears in this section can be used for beer-making, wine-making and mead-making. It includes the equipment needed for fermenting and racking (transferring) fermenting (or fermented) liquids.
Digital Scales
Carboys & Accessories
These new carboys make great fermentors. The 6 gallon carboy is big enough so that "blow-off" systems are unnecessary for primary fermentation of 5 gallon batches.
Buckets
Brushes
Straining Bags
Fermentation Locks
Drilled Stoppers
Funnels
Solid Stoppers
Stirring Spoons
Racking Equipment
Racking canes
Siphon Starters
Siphon Tubing
Tubing Clamps
Beer-Specific Equipment
Most of the equipment featured in these sections is used primarily for beer making. If you have questions about whether these products can be used in wine making, please e-mail us at info@homebrewden.com
Beer Starter Equipment Kits
Starter Equipment KitsAny of these kits contains all the equipment you need to brew and bottle 5 gallon batches of beer, except for bottles and a 4 to 5 gallon stockpot. Ingredients are also sold separately.Note that, unlike other kits, our kits all include a great instruction book, The New Complete Joy of Homebrewing , 3rd edition, by Charlie Papazian. This book provides complete instructions, many delicious recipes, and a wealth of information about brewing and beer. You'll use it constantly.
Advanced Brewing Equipment
Equipment for full boils, wort-chilling, mashing, grain-grinding, lagering and more!
Zymico Products
These innovative products facilitate the conversion of coolers ("Kewlers") into mash/lauter tuns. There are also products for converting beer kegs into mash/lauter tuns or brew kettles, without having to weld ("Weld Be Gone "). In the pictures below, the Bazooka screen looks a lot bigger than the Bazooka T. In fact, they are both approximately 12" long.
Grain Mills
Stainless Steel Pots
Wort Chillers
Lagering Equipment
For those adventuresome souls who yearn to make a true lager. If you are living in the Southeast, like we are, you know how difficult it is to control fermenation temperatures in order to make a lager. You really need a spare brewing refrigerator. If you have one, you're halfway there! The next step is to get an external thermostat override. A refrigerator's natural temperature range typically goes only up into the low 40's (F). This a bit lower than you want, so get the following easy-to-use thermostat to adjust your fridge's operating range.
Wine-Specific Equipment
Most of the items that appear in these sections are used primarily for wine making. If you have questions about whether the equipment can be used in beer or mead making, please e-mail us at info@homebrewden.com.
Crushers/Presses
Wine Equipment Kits
These equipment kits contain all the equipment you need to make a delicious batch of wine. You can make wine from two different ingredient sources - fresh fruit or kits made from pressed juice concentrates. If you wish to make fruit wines, we recommend the five gallon kit below. The kit contains an excellent instruction book and a straining bag to manage your fruit. The oversized (7.8 gallon) primary fermenter is large enough to easily contain the fruit you need for the 5 gallon finished batch size.There are many excellent juice-concentrates kits available today. With these, the kit manufacturer has gathered the wine grapes (Chardonnay, Cabernet, Pinot Noir, Merlot...), pressed the juice from them and concentrated the juice so that the home winemaker is freed from those tedious tasks. The resulting concentrates are easy to use and produce excellent wines. These concentrate kits are all geared to making 6 gallon batches, so the natural choice would be the 6 gallon equipment kit shown below.
Filters
Clean, Sanitize, Test, Clarify
Here you'll find a variety of high-quality cleaners, sanitizers and testing equipment. Most can be used for both beer and wine-making.
Sanitizers
Cleaners
Fining Agents
Test Equipment
Bottling
Bottle Caps
Bottle Fillers
Cappers
Bottle Trees (Drying racks)
Bottles
We strongly urge our customers to collect used bottles for re-use if possible. Glass is expensive to the customer to ship via mail order.Due to the rising costs of glass and the packaging required for glass to arrive in tact, additional charges may be applied to bottle and other glass purchases.
Corkers
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