Frequently Asked Questions
Brewmart FAQ
This set of frequently asked questions has been developed to
assist our customers in familiarising them with how some of the food
preservation and brewing products work when you order from the online shop. This
list of FAQ’s is intended to assist particularly novices by consolidating
information from the rest of our website in one place. This list has also been updated
for COVID-19 lockdown, and our arrangements during the lockdown period.
Is Brewmart open
during the COVID-19 lockdown?
Brewmart is open, our physical stores are closed, but our
online ordering system is open. If it is listed as available on the online
system, you can order it. No walk in
purchases and payments are possible. Only orders via the online ordering system
(www.brewmart.co.za) will be accepted
at this point. Stock levels are updated regularly, but due to simultaneous placement
of orders, we may run out of items that you have ordered. Should this occur we will contact you when we
process your order. Orders can be sent by courier or can be collected from our
Villieria branch only (no collections at the Centurion branch). Currently, all
orders approximately take 7 days to pack and process before they are ready. Courier orders will be shipped as soon as they
are ready. For collection orders, you
will be notified when the order is ready for collection at the Villieria branch
only. Please wear a mask when collecting
your order. As normal, we are closed on Sundays and public holidays.
Can I purchase any
products or ask advice at the physical branches during the COVID-19 lockdown?
Brewmart is open, however, our physical stores are closed.
if you just arrive at one of our physical branches (Villieria or Centurion),
you will be turned away. We love
chatting under normal circumstances, however, in the interests of social
distancing, we have closed our physical shops to protect both our staff and our
customers. If you are looking for
assistance or advice, please do not hesitate to contact us telephonically, we
would be more than happy to assist you during our normal business hours. Please
wear a mask when collecting your order. As normal, we are closed on Sundays public
holidays.
How can I collect my
order at the Villieria branch during the COVID-19 lockdown?
You may only collect your order at the Villieria branch after
you have been contacted and a specific collection time has been arranged with
you. Please arrive at the agreed time, alternatively
call the branch to make a new arrangement. The branch will contact you to let
you know that your order is ready for collection, once we have received your
payment and the order has been processed and packed in full. Please arrive to collect your order on your
own (please comply with the current lockdown regulations of social
distancing). Please wash / sanitise your
hands before collecting your order. Please
wear a mask when collecting your order.
Why is the malt
milled to the size it has been milled in my order?
We have two mills, one at each of our branches. The milling gap
between the rollers vary from 2 credit card widths to 4 credit card widths. The
milling gap on the mill moves over time as a result of usage. Twice a year we adjust the gaps depending on the
grain types that we have in stock. Milling
is provided free of charge on request from our customers. The milling service is aimed mostly to novice
brewers that do not yet have a mill of their own. Milling of grains for brewing
is aimed at breaking the whole grains into parts, and the milled product may
vary from cracked grains to shredded the grains, or anything in-between. When you have advanced to the point of mash
efficiency / automated brewing systems, you are requested to invest in a mill
of your own to get the grains milled to the precise specifications you desire.
We will not entertain complaints about over milling or under milling provided
as a free service. No exchanges or refunds
on milled malt.
I found something foreign
or moving in my grains, what should I do?
The grains we supply are intended for brewing beer with and
come in the form we receive from the maltsters. There may, on occasion, be
foreign matter between the grains. The foreign matter includes various seeds,
pieces of wood, nuts, bolts and various insects. Malt is fumigated before it
departs for South Africa, but occasionally some bugs survive. The best way to
sort out the insects is to place the malt in a freezer overnight.
Alternatively, just add them all to the mash. They won’t affect the beer. No exchanges or refunds on milled malt or anything
we have to modify e.g. cut pipes etc.
I want to turn a
bucket into a fermenter, how do I do that?
Our bcukets are complete buckets without any holes drilled
in them. We recommend that buckets be
modified by drilling a side hole to insert a spigot and a top hole for a
bubbler, this will turn the buckets into a fermenting vessel. Undertaking these modifications is risky, and
sometimes the hole drilled is the wrong size, or perforates the plastic in a
manner not desired. We can make these
modifications for you, but do charge a fee for this as we then carry the risk. No exchanges or refunds on milled malt or anything
we have to modify e.g. cut pipes etc.
Do I need to purchase
separate yeast with my pre-hopped malt extracts?
The tins (or sachets) of pre-hopped malt exact are shipped in
containers. Depending where the container sits on the ship for the duration of
the carriage has a direct influence on the yeast survivability. We are not in
control of the temperature at which the containers are shipped or stored during
transit. We strongly recommend that a neutral
yeast such as Nottingham is purchased and kept as a backup in the fridge in
case the yeast that arrives together with the pre-hopped malt exact does not
ferment as it should. It might say lager on the tin, please ferment at ale
temperatures.
What part of my
pre-hopped malt extract beer should I boil?
None.
A packet of malt enhancer or dry malt extract (DME) should
be added to a tin of pre-hopped malt exact when brewing. Boil this dry malt
extract powder for 15 minutes in 3 litres water, not the pre-hopped malt
extract.
How much yeast should
I use?
Beer requires a yeast pitching rate of 1 gram per litre and
wine a pitching rate of 0.5 gram a litre. Lagers need 2 grams per litre. Yeast is
usually sold in packets that only supply half this theoretical ideal amount. To
make a better product you have to either make a starter, pitch the correct
amount or ensure that it doubles at the start of the fermentation by giving
nutrients and aerating before fermentation.
Why doesn’t my beer
taste nice?
Your skill as a brewer has a direct influence on the taste
of the beer – on average it takes 20 beers before you have acquired enough
skills to make a good product.
If it tastes like an ogres armpit you have either
overstressed the yeast or got an infection. The PH is too low for anything
nasty to grow. If it tastes like vinegar, you have transformed the beer into
malt vinegar by not sanitizing and cleaning enough (use it for cooking and try again…).
How do I know that I have
ordered everything that I need to make my next pre-hopped beer?
If you have purchased a beer making kit, you need the
following refill ingredients to make another batch (unless you still have
enough leftover):
·
Pre-hopped beer extract.
·
Brew enhancer (light for a light beer and dark
for a dark beer).
·
Priming sugar.
·
Sanitiser.
·
Yeast.
How should I store my
ingredients?
Our ingredients are not easily damaged during the standard
courier transit and do not need to be cold couriered due to the short courier
times, however, if you are not going to be using the ingredients within a day
of receipt we recommend that Yeast should be stored in the fridge. Hops and cheese
making cultures should be stored in the freezer.
Why has my equipment
rusted or my tap melted?
Ideally you should use stainless steel for everything. Please do not mix metals – if you add brass fittings
to stainless steel, a galvanic reaction will occur and can cause the steel to
rust. You can remove this with citric acid. Do not expose taps to flames. All
taps have plastic components and will melt if exposed to high heat, even those
made of steel.
I have placed an
order for courier, what has happened to it?
We take two to seven days to process all online orders,
please be patient with us. We use third
party couriers to deliver your order and, therefore, we don’t know when it will
arrive. Once your order has been processed, it order will be appended with a
tracking number in the comments at the bottom (please log in to view this
detail). Track your parcel at https://www.thecourierguy.co.za/,
or by phoning the courier guy with your tracking number. Local orders generally
take two to three days to arrive at their destination, orders that are shipped outside
of Pretoria / Johannesburg may take longer to arrive. All parcels are sent uninsured at the buyers
risk – if you want to change this please contact us for a quote when the order
is placed or place a comment when ordering, We pack orders as best we can for
shipping, but damage can occur, especially when glass or other breakable items
are purchased.
Can I change my order
after it has been finalised?
Orders are processed in order of receipt, and we are not
always able to match queries against orders placed. Please double check your order before
finalising it, as we cannot guarantee that changes can always be accommodated before
the order is sent out.
Why do my milled
grains weigh less than my ordered amount?
During milling some grain is always lost due to various factors associated with milling. The loss can vary from a few percent (of large volumes) to up to 20% on a small volume of malt. All malts sold are sold at the pre-milled weight.
Can I send my own courier to collect my order at Villiera?
We do not currently have the facilities to pack an order for
courier at the Villieria branch. Should
you wish to send your own courier to collect, please ensure that they have their
own box of an appropriate size for the items you have ordered as well as their own
packaging tape and any other packaging materials that may be required
(especially to carefully pack delicate items).
Please request that your courier wears a mask for collection.