Frequently Asked Questions
Question:
Where is the best place to have my purchases delivered?
Answer:
As many customers are not at home when deliveries occur we suggest you have goods delivered to your workplace or another secure location instead of leaving deliveries unattended. If you want them delivered to your home address you may need to provide an ATL to authorise logistics providers to leave your goods unattended.
Question:
Do I always have to sign for my purchases when they are delivered?
Answer:
Yes! Our deliveries are tracked services and insured as well. The insurance fee is part of the fee you pay and is automatically adjusted as the value of your purchases increase. If you do not sign for your goods a person authorised to do so will need to sign for them instead. The exception is if you provide an ATL to leave your goods without being signed for on delivery.
Question:
Does Brewing Supplies Online deliver goods to PO boxes?
Answer:
Freight to PO boxes is limited to 20kg maximum of goods as we need to box your goods and this also has a freight weight. Freight to the Post Office itself is limited to boxes which do not exceed 22kg, are no longer than 105cm, and the volume does not exceed .025 cubic metres. This must be in a single (1) carton. Mutiple cartons will incur additional freight charges for each extra carton. Proof of ID is mandatory plus a consignment tracking number.
Question:
Does Brewing Supplies Online offer free freight for any purchases?
Answer:
Yes we do! However there are conditions. Firstly you must purchase over $250 in small articles which fit into a medium sized Australia Post fixed price freight carton. Secondly the goods mass must not exceed 5.0kg when boxed. Lastly the goods are not delivered using an ATL.
Question:
Are there any locations where Brewing Supplies online can not deliver a purchase?
Answer:
Yes there are! There are numerious dry communities across Australia which have legally limited persons from purchasing home brew goods or having them delivered to those locations. We support these policies and limit both purchase and delivery with regard to these locations.
Question:
Can I track the consignment of my order?
Answer:
Yes you can! After your goods have been accepted for consignment we will email to you the relevant tracking number so you can follow your order's delivery movement.
Question:
How long does it usually take to process my purchase.
Answer:
In most circumstances orders are processed quickly by Brewing Supplies Online after financial processing by Eway financial services. Often just one or two working days. The balance of the time is for delivery and this is out of our control so delivery dates can not be contractual.
Question:
Can I purchase stock which is advertised but out of supply.
Answer:
Sorry but no. We do not take advance payment for goods which need to be restocked. It is not uncommon for suppliers to discontinue stock and they may not advise of the discontinuation until all of the said stock is depleted.This would then invoke refund procedures and relevant expenses. If you are interested in an out of stock item email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to notify us of your interest and to discuss purchase solutions.
Question:
Do we offer "Free Return" of purchases?
Answer:
Yes but under certain conditions. We do not offer change of mind refunds. Refunds are not supported for funds paid to third parties who have successfully performed their services. If the delivered goods are not "fit for purpose" we will fund the return freight of these goods via a consignment note. Such claims must be made within 14 days of your provided invoice. Warranty claims on other hardware must be to manufacturers warranty period or 1 month after purchase if not stated. The customer is responsible for return freight costs on hardware warranty claims. If the outcome of the return is to refund the the goods price you will not penalised any portion of the advertised "goods price".
Question:
Is there a difference between cleaning and sanitising?
Answer:
Cleaning is performed to remove any debris left from the previous use of your homebrew hardware. A common dry powder cleaning agent is Brewer's Detergent (Sodium Meta-silicate). Sanitising is performed after equipment cleaning to control wild bacteria during fermentation.
Some modern sanitising agents are hydrogen-peroxide based or phosphoric acid based. Unlike their sulphite based predecessors modern homebrew sanitisers are typically no rinse. This makes the home brewing process even easier. Some modern sanitisers such as Stellarsan are yeast friendly and will act as a yeast nutrient during fermentation.
Question:
Is there a difference between baker's yeast from the supermarket and a sachet yeast from a home brew store?
Answer:
Baker's yeast is sometimes erroneously referred to as brewer's yeast. Both yeast are strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae discovered hundreds of years ago. However each strain has its own unique characteristics which define its purpose. Baker's yeast is a flavouring agent used to provide taste and a leavening agent as it creates CO2 which gluten traps in dough. Baker's yeast is sometimes used with interesting nutrient mixes to ferment basic sugar starches. Brewer's yeast though as a strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is more tolerant to alcohol and will still multiply as alcohol levels increase.
Basic Brewer's yeast itself may perform poorly when fermenting complex starches, fruits to make champagnes, dry wines, ciders, and meads. Often ferments using basic brewer's yeast peak around 6.0%ABV. However modern home brew hybrid brewing yeasts have been specifically created to add unique flavours, aromas or characteristics to the ferment in addition to having a much higher alcohol tolerance. Some hybrids of brewer's yeast can achieve over 23.0% ABV. There are now over 480 specialty craft beer yeasts alone.
Question:
What is the shelf life of a kit beer yeast?
Answer:
Several beer yeast manufacturers indicate that the life of a yeast is two to three years from when packaged. This attempts to consider the possible range of temperatures a home brew yeast may endure. However if you store a yeast sachet around ten degrees Celcius and colder you can extend its shelf life by as much as another two years.
While the malt in a home brew beer kit will darken with time and degrade slowly the included yeast becomes unusable much sooner. Some yeast are plain date coded while others are little different. The first two character are the yeast application, the next three are the day on which it was packaged, and the last two the year. As an example a Thomas Cooper's Series yeast may display TC32420 ie: Thomas Cooper Series, day 324, year 2020.
Question:
Are Epsom Salt from the supermarket and yeast Nutrient sold by a home brew store the same thing?
Answer:
Epsom salt is sometimes used as an energiser or a nutrient because of its very low cost. Epsom Salt is Magnesium Sulphate. It is made up of Magnesium, Sulphur, and Oxygen. Yeast responds well to magnesium. However the sulphur content can have negative effects. Incorrectly calculated Epsom Salt quantities as a fermentation nutrient will produce cloudy or coloured products. Excess sulphur and oxygen during fermentation can also produce off aromas and bitter flavours. Home brew store yeast nutrient is often a blend of vitamins, minerals, magnesium, potassium, phosphates, zinc, nitrogen, and other organic matter. It will help the yeast to reproduce efficiently as alcohol levels rise in your wort with minimal side effects.
Question:
Do I need a hydrometer to make a brew?
Answer:
A hydrometer is considered an essential piece of home brew hardware. Without it you can not determine what is happening with your brew. It will reveal if a brew has finished primary fermentation, if it has stalled, if it is ready to bottle, and it will help you calculate the alcohol strength of a brew. A hydrometer indicates the density ie Specific Gravity of your beer wort, wine must, or spirit wash. Sugar and water solution is denser than alcohol and water so the Specific Gravity decreases as alcohol is produced. Alcohol will increase because of bottling sugar by approximately 0.5%. A simple formula to calculate ABV is: ((Start Specific Gravity – Finish Specific Gravity) *131.25) + 0.5 = %ABV approximately.
Example: ((1.048 SG – 1.008 FG) * 131.25) + 0.5 = 5.25 + 0.5 = 5.75%ABV.
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