Congrats on all the recent Mr. Beer sucess....mine is NASTY!

I have been reading all the people who got a Mr. Beer for Xmas and I know it is about that time where we are all opening our first batches. It seems all of you are saying that it was better than expected. Mine was NOT! It looks good, carbonated good, but tastes like sugar in the aftertaste (cidery/fruity). I was thinking it was because of the "booster" with the kit, so I bought some of the UME and mixed it with the beer LME from Mr. Beer. Now I am worried that maybe I messed up though, because I changed the whole way I brewed thinking it was Mr. Beer's instructions that made it gross. I did a 3/4 total boil instead of just 4 cups like the instructions said. Then I boiled wort for 15 minutes (no noticeble hot break), then threw a hop bag in with 1/2 oz for 30 minutes. Got some trub that I kept in the pot and ice-bathed the wort. Threw out the hops and added some fresh ones and pitched the yeast after a starter which did very little if anything at all. Maybe both my yeasts were bad.........OK, enough of the rambling....you get the point. Comments please???

The booster is responsible for cidery taste. You need a good 4 cans (lbs) of LME to make a decent 2=1/2 gallons of beer. That is why it is better to buy 5 gallon kits frome MoreBeer or others. Mr Neer is like $5/5- to $6.50 per pound of LME. Pretty high.

Thanks, that was what I was thinking, too as far as the booster. I will definitely buy from another site next time thanks to the people on this site. Maybe I just like better beer than the others who used Mr. Beer and had higher expectations. But seriously, I don't know who would drink that stuff and still say it is good.....

Main problem with Mr Beer is you have to make a shopping list of ingredients. They aren't really complete kits. I like IPA' and their recipies lack the hops. Too many of their recipies include sugar, brown sugar and booster. The booster is just rice sugar and expensive in those little bags. I think nearly any home brewer would agree of 2-1/2 gallons. that a good 4 pounds of LME or DME is required for a good brew. I recommend www.MoreBeer.com for free shiping and good prices. Their kits have explicit instructions and all ingredients except for yeast. I like White Labs liquid yeast. And the instructions are explicit on when to add ingredients to th pot. Still they probably get more people started with the hobby.

I sent you a PM, thanks Genghis!!!

on my own topic....lol...but...

I was also wondering why Mr. Beer starts off with the UME's. Why would anyone opt for a UME as opposed to a LME or DME? Is it cheaper for Mr. Beer to do this? I know, I know..a lot of questions....thanks all!!!

If it ain't cheap, it's politics. Something like Mr. Beer, cheap is what matters the most. They don't seem to be concerned about repeat customers.

My first brewing experiences were with Brew Sacks. Absolute trash! Even Guzzle Boy wouldn't drink it.

Won't the cidery taste go away with time? I also used booster, and I'm hoping that 4 weeks in the bottles should mean my beer doesn't have that taste.

I wasnt too up on my brewing , so when I made the first batch not only did I use booster, I added a little white sugar ( I know I know).

Anyways my beer didnt come out that bad and there wasnt any cider taste to it, rather it was like the Hefe Weizens that I am used to with out the bannana and clove notes.

I have the MB Vienna Lager fermenting right now. It has had a very active ferment and the color looks very good. I am substituting corn sugar at bottling and am going to let it mellow in the bottles for as long as I can. Hopefully turn out well.

Waiting on my Pils/Lager in my "real" fermenter too!