mr.beer kits
 

do these make good good starter kits http://store.mrbeer.com/brewkitsmain.html

I think you would be much better off with a more accepted brewing system. Here are a few and they come with free shipping.

http://www.morebeer.com/browse.html?category_id=2368&keyword=&x=1&y=1

while you can actually brew some fair beer from a mr beer kit - past your second batch if the bug has bit - you will want to upgrade. the premium mr beer kit will run ya $40 then another $20 or so for shipping. for your $60 investment you can get a much better set up at the afore mentioned (or a sleWof other) links. infact i would first try to see if there are any homebrewer supply stores in your local area - if so you save the shipping.

the quality will improve with your equipment generally.

What you will save is the shipping (it's free) and the tax if you use the afore mentioned link.

I never heard anything good about any of those one-step set-ups.

If I were to give but one bit of advice to a person just interested in brewing it would be...befriend a brewer and asking him/her if you could join them on brew day. This way you can see what it's all about and maybe sample some.

sound advice. i adopted a local microbrewery (thomas creek) to be my mentor. i try not to hound him incessently because he does run a business - but i do run things by him and he is of the temperment that he will let me fail and give advice - knowing that the end result is me having more experience.

btw - several ppl have tried my initial mr beer attempts and liked the results. i followed the recipes to the tee. will your experience be the same?,....who knows..but welcome aboard the long road of learning to brew the ultimate brew.

Edit: should've looked at the link dammit. Mine is a pressure keg, totally different looking to this - more like this:http://www.bigboystoys.co.uk/products/king_keg_personal_brewery_bitter_-_save_£20.html
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I got one of those for xmas, and whilst i had some initial problems (pressure valve was leaking, didn't have it hot enough to start with, took 6 weeks instead of 3) I produced a very nice first batch, the general consensus from all who tried it was "Much better than I thought it was going to be - a bit like a dark belgian beer" which I thought was funny cos it was an english ale!
Anyway, since then I've bought a 25litre fermenter, and have fermented a new brew (irish ale) and racked it into the mr beer keg (mine is called a Microbrewery King Keg - same thing I think) and it's currently in secondary fermentation. I learnt from the mistakes and it's much warmer than the first time, and it seems to be doing well from the few ozs of beer I pull out from time to time.
If space is an issue, then the king keg is very handy in that it's quite small and can be tucked away in a corner somewhere. Also there's no more time investment needed than the first setup - no racking off midway through the brew. And it's a very simple intro to the process. I'm glad I got mine, and have now expanded my empire slightly with some more kit.

I'm glad someone was pleased with the results. Good to hear.

I'd be ashamed of owning that company if there were no good reviews. But then again...most people are there for the $$$ and couldn't care less about the quality of the product (especially if the product doesn't kill you).

As for room...I am pretty fortunate. I have a kitchen in my basement as well as another storage room where I keep my supplies (5 carboys, 8 buckets, etc.) and 200+ mug/glass collection.

I try to keep 2-3 batches going at all times. I have a Hefe Weizen in the primary, a Weizen bottle conditioning and a Czech Bud lagering in the secondary (for over 90 days now). I should get home this weekend where I'll brew another batch, rack the Weizen and possibly bottle the Bud-style. I call it "Billvar".

well i wouldn't say pleased. pleased conotates satisfaction - a state that needs no moving forward or tweaking. they liked it and i would say it was fair beer - not great beer. :p

at any rate in the space dept - i have a barn to party in and brew heh so it's not an issue. ifound myself gazing at a corner the other day wondering what a couple of 8' tall kettles would look like there. heh

I'd accept "pleased" as a review. I was trying to be kind...

Yeah, I have a single car garage at the end of my 2+ acres that I am starting to seriously think about turning into a Biergarten.

I planted 4 hops plants at the end of the garage a couple of weeks ago. I have (mental) plans for the rest of it. I just have to put it on paper now. :D

Where are you located? Maybe we can set up a traveling party across the nation this summer with other interested folks? :D You know, drop by with some tents, help them cut their grass, brew, review, BS, and drink some beers, etc.