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Englewood, Colorado
4393 South Broadway
(303) 789-3676‎

Tuesday-Friday 10-6 PM
Saturday 10-5 PM
Sunday 12-5 PM

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Westminster, Colorado
1325 W. 121st Ave
720-872-9463

Tuesday-Friday 10-6 PM
Saturday 10-5 PM
Sunday 12-5 PM

  • Bottling is hard, can you explain the exact process?
    Basically, the process we recommend is to bring the ¾ cup of corn sugar to a flash boil in a cup of water; just enough for the water to start bubbling at the bottom of the pot and for the sugar to dissolve. Then, add the sugar to the bottom of the bottling bucket and rack the beer on top. Once all the beer is in the bucket, very gently stir from the bottom to the top while avoiding splashing, to ensure a good mix of sugar throughout. A helpful trick to ensure even carbonation throughout the batch is to gently stir the sugar/beer solution every 6-8 bottles, again avoiding any splashing. Fill bottles and cap. Viola!
  • Do I need to sanitize caps?
    Yes, anything that comes or could come in contact with your beer should be sanitized. There are two ways to accomplish this with chemicals- Star San, or with temperature. For the chemical route just have a small tub of sanitizing solution (diluted as directed)-dip em and stick em. To use heat just boil a small amount of water , drop in the caps and hold above 160 f for 10 minutes. Remove the water, remove the caps and attach same to bottles.

    If there are extra caps that you have prepared using either method, they must be dry before bagging or you will have rusty caps next time. However, once you boil the caps you cannot use them for the next batch.
  • What is secondary fermentation and should I be doing it?
    Secondary fermentation is pretty much a misnomer, there is no added fermentation going on. The process of secondary fermentation is racking the beer from the primary fermentor to a second one after at least a week. This will aid in clarity, ages the beer a touch and you will notice the first time you do it, makes the beer very pretty in the second fermentor. While it is not entirely necessary to go to secondary, we often recommend it because it results in a better product more often than not. A secondary fermentaion is very highly recommended for high gravity beers, highly hopped/dry hopped beers and lagers.
  • What’s that bag of white stuff in the kit?
    It’s corn sugar but if the cops ask where you got it, you didn’t get it here.
  • How long after I bottle does it take for carbonation to appear?
    Usually about 2 weeks. Temperature matters here, be sure to keep the bottled beer somewhere between 65 and 75 degrees to ensure proper carbonation.
  • What are your hours?
    Well... depends on the time of year.
    Summer hours are 10-6 Tuesday thru Friday 10-6.
    Winter Hours we are open 10-7 Tuesday through Friday.
    We are open weekends 10-5 on Saturday and Noon-5 Sunday.
    We are closed every Monday.
  • Do you fill CO2 tanks?
    Yes…and no. We do an exchange only of 5 pound CO2 Cylinders, as long as the stamp on the side is current (within 5 years).
  • How long and at what temperature do I steep my grains?
    If you are doing an extract batch, with more than a half pound of pale malt 30 minutes should be sufficient at a temperature somewhere close to 155 degrees. If there is less than a pound of pale malt the grains can just be added to the brew water when cold and brought up to just under a boil before being removed. Just be sure not to boil the grains. That’s bad.
    For all grain, different temperatures bring out different affects from the grain, but somewhere near that 155 degrees for an hour should give you a good starch to sugar conversion.
  • What’s the square route of Pi?
    Square… pies are round! HA! HA!
  • Is lager a sin?
    No it is beer fermented with a different type of yeast. Call the Pope for verification. He is uniquely positioned to answer this question as he is both Bavarian and infallible.
  • Can I make tasty lager?
    You bet your bippy ace! Lager uses a strain of yeast that eats up sugar very effectively and leaves fewer fruity flavors. You will need to control the fermentation temperature (52-56 f) and it is important that you have a very steady temperature. Secondary fermentation should last a month or so at 32ish degrees. A refrigerator controller is necessary (and available) to facilitate such control- all you need is the fridge and quick instruction from our crack(ed) staff.
  • Do you have brewing classes?
    While we don’t offer any kind of formal brewing class, we like to think that every time you drop in to one of our stores, class is in session. The only dumb question is the one you didn’t ask!
  • Is there any way to tweak the wine kits to make them better?
    See above
  • How do I make wine from the concord grapes I have in my back yard?
    In a nutshell, break the skin of the grapes to extract the juice and add sugar to increase the potential alcohol level. Then pitch a yeast. Obviously, there are more steps we can take, but my fingers hurt from all this typing and I’m lazy. Call me, I’ll get you everything you need.
  • How do you dry hop?
    Dry hopping is a very simple process that allows for intriguing results. While there are many different ways to dry hop, the basic method is to add an ounce or two of hops in secondary fermentation for 1-2 weeks to maximize the hop aroma in a beer. Usually we would add the hops in a muslin bag to make it easier to pull them out when everything is said and done. Sky is the limit here, and your wallet is only as deep as you allow it, experiment…
  • What are the differences between fresh hops and pellets?
    Nothing, since pellets are the freshest form of hop. Whole hop cones are sometimes called fresh hops but this is a misnomer. Oxygen is the sworn enemy of hop constituents and because of the surface area of the loose or cone hops they have more of an opportunity to stale. The pellets on the other hand are macerated under nitrogen and compacted so as to limit the surface area and thus their exposure to evil oxygen. Some say there is a slight loss of aromatics in pelletization and thus prefer cone hops for dry hopping. You get to decide.
  • Is it okay to ferment in plastic or is glass better?
    While both will work, glass carboys are much better. Plastic, while being lighter and usually easier to carry, is a porous material that allows oxygen to permeate through it’s sides and is more prone to infection. One scratch on the inside of a plastic bucket or carboy is pretty much a death sentence, as bacteria and wild yeast can infiltrate these fractures and funk up your fermenting beverage. Glass is easily cleaned, airtight, and when it’s all said and done, is just cool to watch the fermentation take place.
  • What is that “S” shaped clear plastic thingy and how do I use it?
    Oh, that? That’s an airlock, to be placed on top of a bung or carboy cap and filled halfway with water or sanitizer. It allows for the carbon dioxide to bubble out during fermentation while nothing goes in and contaminates it.
  • Is my beer ruined?
    In the words of John Palmer, “probably not”. Because he is the coolest engineer we know, besides Katie of course, we tend to follow most of his suggestions. Check out his chapter online regarding common beer problems at http://www.howtobrew.com/section4/chapter21-1.html

    Our good friend in Chicago, Ed Seaman, Award Winning Homebrewer and Brew Shop Owner strikes a chord that rings true to brewing’s very soul, when answering a question of “the directions ‘said’ to do this…” His answer, “There are no such things as directions, they’re guidelines so don’t get hung up on the details, just brew it. If you think you’re doing something right then you are. If you think you are doing something wrong then think again.” Check out his site, or if you are ever in Chicago, drop by his store. http://www.homebrewshopltd.com/
  • What’s that brown stuff growing on top of my beer during fermentation?
    The fancy German name for it is krausen. It’s basically a bunch of hop sediment, yeast cells and co2. It is a sign of a good and healthy fermentation.
  • Can I keg my homebrew?
    Hell yeah you can! 5 gallon Cornelius kegs, also known as Corny Kegs, are prototypical. The great things about kegging are: you can force carbonate over a period of a couple of days, you have one big bottle to clean instead of 50 or so little bottles, and you have amazing draft beer in your house. Totally recommended!
  • Do I boil the yeast?
    No no no no no! It will kill it! Throwing the yeast into the fermentor is called pitching the yeast. Ideal pitching temp should be around 75 degrees or so, anything under 80 degrees should work. It is recommended that you get the yeast to about the same temperature as the liquid it is going into in order not to “shock” it, which will in turn kill it.
  • What is Irish Moss? Is it the stuff growing from the Trubadore’s face???
    Interesting question. While I would rather not speculate on what exactly is growing on our dear Colt’s face, I can assure you that it does indeed have magical powers. Anyway, Irish Moss is a type of seaweed that has magical powers as well. It is a coagulant that bonds to proteins in the wort, aiding in dropping them out resulting in a clearer and haze free beer. It is most effective if rehydrated before adding it to the boil and you should use about a tablespoon for a five gallon batch.
  • Can I use bleach?
    While you can use bleach to sanitize your equipment, we don’t recommend it. Firstly, bleach would be a sanitizer, not a cleaner. It doesn’t go in and “eat” the organic things growing in our carboys. Kind of think of sanitization as a once over burn in a way. Secondly, bleach creates a very harsh environment for yeast to thrive in, and needs to be rinsed very thoroughly. We recommend using the PBW brand products. PBW stands for Powder Brewery Wash and is designed to do exactly what we want as homebrewers.
  • How do I force carbonate my beer?
    Personally, I keep my keg as cold as my fridge will allow and pump in 20 PSI for 2 to 3 days and reach a carbonation level I am very happy with. It’s a pretty good guideline, but different systems react differently. A process of trial and error, adjusting and readjusting is really the only to dial in your system.
  • My beer has not yet carbonated and it’s been a month! What went wrong?
    Don’t freak out, it happens to all of us. Bottle conditioning to get carbonation is often tricky. It is a perfect storm of temperature, gravity points, yeast cell count, subtle witchery and barometric pressure coming together. Literally we need to make the stars align. First, be sure to keep the bottles at room temperature for about 2 weeks. Though they look like they are ready to go to the fridge as soon as they are capped, you have to be patient. I know, it’s hard and I struggle with it too.

    Secondly, when bottling, be sure you have a good mix of sugar from top to bottom in the bottling bucket. Flash boiling the sugar in a cup of water and then gently stirring from bottom to top should assure proper placement of sugars throughout the volume.

    Another thing that could possibly go wrong is the temperature is too low. Try pulling the bottles to a warmer spot in the house for a couple of days and see if that has any effect. It also help to turn the bottles upside down to recirculate and reinvigorate the yeast.

    If the beer has been too long in secondary fermentation, it could also be that the yeast cell count has diminished. In this case, I often pitch a dry lager yeast, like SafLager 23, in to get everything up and going again.
  • What is the meaning of life, the universe, and everything?
    42
  • Do you guys every get any fresh grapes?
    Each fall we order grapes in from California. Be on the look out in August for the varieties and prices. We sell grapes by the flat, about 40 pounds. Prototypically you get a gallon of juice from 9 pounds of grapes.
  • How do I get more alcohol?
    Add more sugar. Be it malt extract, dry malt, honey, actual sugar, molasses, whatever. Be sure to use a yeast with higher attenuation to be sure to convert all those extra sugars into alcohol, and be prepared to wait a while for the beer to age. Higher gravity beers tend to have a fire water taste to them while they are young that gets more and more subtle with age.
  • How do I “Go All-Grain?”
    The first step is to gear up. You will need a boil pot that can accommodate at least 7 gallons at a boil. You will need a mash tun to cook your grain in. Usually, brewers use converted coolers with manifolds installed to filter the grain away from the wort after the “mash” is performed. You will need a secondary pot to warm “sparge” water. Usually 5-7 gallons of 180 degree water is necessary for a 5 gallon batch of beer. This step washes away the converted sugar from the grain, ultimately giving the yeast its food source…making alcohol. An outdoor burner is almost a necessity, in order to get the larger volumes of water up to boil in an acceptable amount of time. One other piece of equipment which makes life easier is a wort chiller. An immersion type chiller can cool the temperature of wort from near boiling to room temperature in around 30 mins. The rapid temp decrease is known as the “cold break” and is greatly beneficial in the brewing process. All Grain Brewers like to use big, scary words for all their gear and process. I don’t know why, probably the same reason law types have things like modus operandi and habeas corpus. They get to puff their chests out while they say them and get a weird kick out of the strange look they get from people not in the know. But we’ll keep it simple, and if you ever drop by one of our demos you can see how easy it really is. Really, if you can hit the Cheerios with milk in the morning or boil water, you can do this.
  • Can you brew gluten free beer?
    Yes, you can! We carry a few syrups to serve this process; one is called sorghum, another is Lyle’s Black Treacle, and yet another is a lighter version, called Lyle’s Golden Syrup. The syrups are similar to the malt extract we carry in that they are fermentable sugar in a condensed form. Lyle’s are similar to molasses, and are actually from sugar cane, while the sorghum is syrup produced from a particular kind of grain. You can add corn or rice to these to help thin out the body and add alcohol content if you wish.
  • I heard you guys sell cheese making ingredients, is this true?
    Absolutely, we sell 2 types of kits; one for making mozzarella and ricotta, and another for making hard cheeses like feta, cheddar, romano, and many other types. We also carry cheese making books with great info and recipes to boot!
  • Are your carboys lead-free? I’m concerned about my cats.
    After much research, many phone calls and attempts at speaking Italian we found that the carboys are indeed lead free. Cats everywhere rejoice!
  • Do you have the stuff to build a kegerator if I already have the fridge?
    We have a card catalog full of parts, pieces, odds and ends. We also sell all together kits for either homebrew kegs or commercial kegs. Be careful, though. Once you keg you won’t look back. Next thing you know you have 5 taps running, one with nitrogen and you love it!
  • What’s Ben’s favorite color?
    Green, actually.
  • Is that Steve guy REALLY the owner?
    Yes he is, and he is darn good looking too!
  • I’ve never made mead before, what can you tell me about it?
    Mead is easy to make, but requires good patience to allow for proper maturity. Simply put, dilute honey into warm water until it has dissolved. Let it cool, pitch yeast, and wait! I’ve had somebody tell me that after several months they tried their mead, but thought it was the worst they’d ever had. Rather than dumping the batch they “forgot” about it until years later, whereupon they thought it was the best mead they had ever tasted. Patience is the key ingredient, but a good mead can be ready to drink in about 9 months to a year.
  • Do you sell honey?
    You bet. Our honey comes from our good friend Steve, a local beekeeper who resides in Englewood. Aside from eating it from the hive, the honey is super fresh. It does not go through any pasteurization before we get it, nor does it touch any chemicals. If you aren’t a mead maker, the honey perfectly compliments peanut butter sandwiches. Keep a sharp eye peeled for changing varieties!
  • Do you guys have Labatt Blue?
    Sorry, we don’t sell any liquor. If we did I doubt it would be Labatt’s, no offense to those canucks out there. Check out anything Oskar Blues, O’dell’s Avery, Great Divide, Ska Brewing make. We love ‘em.
  • Can you special order something for me if you don’t have it in stock?
    Pretty much anything, within reason.
  • How many licks does it take to get to the center of Chris?
    You may experiment…but we really don’t want to know.
  • Are Andy and Matt still alive?
    They are indeed alive and procucing the finest spirits known to modern man. Check out there site www.downslopedistilling.com
  • How many ounces are your hop pellet bags?
    All of our hop pellets come in 1ounce packages.
  • Can I make my own soda?
    Damn skippy! We usually stock root beer, ginger beer, vanilla cream, and sometimes orange soda syrup. The flavorings need to be added to some source of sugar; raw sugar cane is a great source, then dissolved cooled and bottled. If you don’t force carbonate, you can use champagne yeast to naturally carbonate. Check it the next day. When properly carbonated throw the bottles into the fridge to stop the yeast, otherwise you will have exploding bottles…very sticky and messy. A good way to do this is to have a test bottle made of plastic, think soda bottle, and when it becomes rather firm you should be ready to go. If you’d rather be a traditionalist, we carry a book detailing the whole process of cooking naturally found spices to extract the flavors for your soda pop.
  • Do you have any Hop Rizzums?
    Every April we get a large shipment of hop rhizomes for growing hop plants. These should find their way into the ground as early as possible to ensure the plants take. Normal growth will not usually yield any hop cones the first year, and the third year is when each plant reaches its full maturity. Every year after that should produce about the same yield. Hop plants love lots of sun and moisture, treat them well and they’ll return the favor.
  • Do you ship? Can I pick it up at the store?
    We do all our ship-outs from the Westminster store. If you would like to call ahead, we would gladly arrange to pick up from wither store as long as we have time to gather the stuff.
  • Where does the FAQ section end?
    Right about here