Upcoming Events

*Free Wine Classes*
While you're sitting there sipping on your Summer wines, it's time to think about what you'd like for the Fall.
Stop in to see John (Farmington) or Mike (Farmingdale) and check out the new upcoming seasonal and limited edition wines. Come on over, have a sample and learn how you can make your own great wines.
The Farmington store
will be closed from
Aug 28 - Sept 6.


More details on all this and more at the news page.


 
662 Maine Avenue
Farmingdale, ME 04344
(207) 623-3368

235 Farmington Falls Road
Farmington, ME 04938
(207) 778-5276

email:
kennebechbrew@msn.com



Frequently Asked Questions


1. What equipment do I need to start making beer or wine?
We carry equipment kits that run somewhere in the ballpark of $60-$90 and ingredient kits that average around $30 for beer and range from $60-$120 for wine. Here's a quick list of essentials for brewing/vinting, if you're planning on buying them individually (we also have full equipment kits available):
    -6.5gal primary fermenting bucket w/ drilled and grommeted lid, and airlock
    -5gal secondary glass carboy w/ airlock and stopper (or another fermenting bucket)
    -Plastic syphon transfer tubing, spoon, and hydrometer

2. How long does it take before I can drink it, and how many bottles will I get?
Beer takes about an hour on the stovetop, 7-14 days in fermentation, and at least 2 weeks in bottles to carbonate. Wine takes less than an hour to make up, 9 weeks in fermentation, and then a good long time in bottles to age. Both beer and wine benefit from longer bottle aging times. Home-brewed beer should be consumed within a year; wine varies, but some within 2-3 years depending on the style. For beer you'll get about 48 12oz bottles of fantastic beer, and for wine you'll get roughly 27 750ml bottles of incredible wine.

3. Hey, my grandmother says I will go to jail if I make this stuff. Is that true?
Tell grandma she won't be visiting you in the big house. By law, an individual is allowed to brew up to 200 gallons of home brew per year -- you just can't sell it. (Though we doubt you'll have any problems sharing it.) You can thank Jimmy Carter for legalizing home brewing!

4. Can I get sick if I mess it up? Who can I call for help in the process?
No, there are no harmful pathogens that can survive in fully fermented beer or wine, so don't stress out. You can call John in Farmington or Zeth in Farmingdale if you need help at any time. You can also have them walk you through the process, or take a class at one of the shops -- just ask for an appointment. We also have instructional videos for both beer- and winemaking here.

5. What is secondary fermentation, and why doesn't my book recommend it?
After your beer or wine has fermented in its primary bucket for 7-10 days (for beer) or 4 weeks (for wine), we recommend transfering it via siphon to another bucket or carboy, which serves as your secondary fermenter. This process is called 'racking' -- see our videos page for an instructional video. Lots of folks (pros and newbies alike) don't do it, and we'd say that their beer or wine reflects that. Secondary fermentation removes the beer/wine from the yeast sediment (slurry) on the bottom of the primary fermenter. It also helps prevent off-flavors from contact with the aging slurry, reduces sediment in the bottles, and allows for clarification and further maturation than is possible without racking to a secondary. In many cases, the yeast, when it has exhausted the food supply, actually turns around and breaks down natural defects in the beer or wine like 'diactyl' (an undesirable butterscotch-like flavor). Secondary fermentation is one easy way to significantly improve the quality of your home brew.

6. So would you please break the down the brewing/vinting process for me?
We have detailed instructions available on our beer and wine pages. Also check out our videos for more info.

7. Can I add boiling water to my carboy?
No! We hear from so many people who describe their last bittersweet moment with their beloved carboy, and it usually involves boiling water and a blown-out bottom. Sanitize your carboy all you want, but please be mindful of water temperature.

8. I added the yeast like you told me, but nothing seems to be happening: there's no action in my airlock. What happened?
Yeast activity usually begins within 24-48 hours of pitching, if the following criteria are met:

-Pitch temperature is between 70-90ºF. If your wort or must is too hot, you may have killed your yeast. In that case, you can try re-pitching, but prepare for some possible off-flavors. If you pitched at a cold temperature, you may have shocked the yeast. A viable solution for this scenario is to warm your fermenter up -- stick it in a warm room, or even draw a warm bath and set the fermenter in the bathtub to get yeast activity started again.

-Adequate aeration. Gently-yet-firmly splashing/sloshing the wort/must to add oxygen before pitching your yeast can often help stimulate the yeast. However, do NOT add oxygen at any other stage of fermentation or you'll end up with cardboard-ish flavors.

9. Can I use bleach to sanitize my equipment?
Sure. Just make sure you rinse it out thoroughly with hot water. Unscented bleach can be used to sanitize just about everything save stainless steel. We carry a number of non-bleach sanitizers as well, such as sodium metabisulfite (a no-rinse rinse), B-Brite, C-Brite, and Iodophor.

10. Do you do classes?
Yes! At both stores. Just make an appointment. Bring family and friends, and have fun while you learn. Call us for details. We also do Adult Ed classes.

REMEMBER, WE AIM TO PLEASE AND HELP YOU BREW!