Where to get homebrew supplies on the Fleurieu

If you want to have a go at brewing your own beer or cider, or you have got as far as wondering about spirits, the question that stops most people is not how to do it, it is where to get the gear without driving to Adelaide for it. So this is the straight answer. We carry the homebrew range here in Strathalbyn, and it is a proper range rather than a shelf with three tins on it.

What we actually carry

The short version is beer, cider and spirits, from a first kit through to gear for somebody who has been at it for years.

• Equipment. Fermenters, hydrometers, airlocks, heating belts, bottle cappers, kegs and temperature control.
• Ingredients. Malt, hops, yeasts, sugars and additives. The hop range is wider than people expect.
• Brew kits. Coopers across the Original and the Thomas Coopers range, and the International series.
• Spirits. Stills, essences and flavourings, from Still Spirits, Edwards Essences and Samuel Willard's.
• Starter kits. The fermenter, the airlock, the hydrometer and the instructions in one box, which is the sensible way to begin.

Before you buy a still, the bit nobody tells you

Owning a still is lawful and selling them is lawful, and we do sell them. Distilling spirits at home without an excise manufacturer licence from the ATO is not lawful, and that catches a lot of people out because the gear is sitting right there on the shelf.

Flavouring a purchased base spirit with an essence is a completely different activity and it needs no licence at all, which is what most people who come in about spirits actually want. Beer, cider and mead need no licence either. Worth knowing before you spend the money rather than after.

Half the range is not on the website, and that is on purpose

A lot of the brewing equipment carries our supplier's Brewcraft branding, so we do not list it online. It is on the shelf in the shop, we just do not put somebody else's branding up on our own website. So if you are looking at the website and cannot find a fermenter, that is not because we have run out.

The answer is to ring us on (08) 8536 4333 and ask what is in, or come in and have a look, which is generally faster anyway.

Questions we actually get asked

• Is my kitchen big enough? Yes. A bench or a table is plenty for a first brew, and the fermenter wants a spot where the temperature does not swing much, which is usually a cupboard or a corner of the laundry rather than the shed.
• Will it taste like the craft beer I buy? That depends on your ingredients and your patience more than on your gear, and the honest answer is that your first one will be drinkable rather than brilliant. Most people are surprised how much better the third one is.
• What if I stuff it up? Most brewing problems are fixable and nearly all of them are a sanitation problem or a temperature problem. Bring the details in and we will work out which.

Shop related products

• Coopers Original Draught 1.7kg. A straightforward first kit that is hard to get wrong.
• Thomas Coopers Bootmaker Pale Ale 1.7kg. For when you want more out of it than a draught.
• Coopers Original Stout 1.7kg. The dark end of the range, and it is forgiving.
• Beer Essentials No Rinse Sanitiser 25g. The cheapest thing in the list and the one that decides whether the batch is any good.
• Still Spirits Smokey Whiskey Essence 50ml. For flavouring a base spirit, which needs no licence.

Did you know we also stock the equipment side in store that is not on the website, including fermenters, hydrometers, airlocks, bottle cappers, heating belts and kegs, along with hop pellets in Galaxy, Nelson Sauvin, Citra, Chinook, Centennial, Fuggles, Kent Golding, Hersbrucker and Cascade. Give us a ring on (08) 8536 4333 to check what is on the shelf.

What is listed online sits in homebrew, Coopers and Edwards Essences.

Not sure where to start

Brewhilder will talk you through a first brew and answer most of the questions above without you having to ring anybody, and it is free.

More on brewing

• Why every homebrewer needs a decent fermenter
• Top 5 common homebrewing mistakes and how to fix them
• Brewing on a budget, essential equipment that will not break the bank

Where we are

• Address: Building 2, 34-52 Milnes Rd, Strathalbyn SA 5255
• Phone: (08) 8536 4333
• Email: Info@strathalbynhhardware.com.au
• Open: Mon to Fri 7:30am to 5pm, Sat 8:30am to 4pm, Sun 9am to 2pm

My first batch was fine and my second one was worse, which I still cannot explain, so do not let anyone tell you it goes in a straight line.

Cheers,
Candeece