Help with making cider in a Mr.Beer...

Wasnt my idea, I wanted a real kit, but my wife tried.

Anyways, can anyone formulate what I need to make cider in a Mr.Beer


1. How much juice? Pasterized and only pure juice. How much for the mr.beer keg.

2. corn sugar or brown sugar? how much?

3. Would ale yeast be ok? should I only put in half a packet or full packet?

4. I see that it has to ferment for four weeks and then I can prime with corn sugar.

any other comments would be greatly appricated. thanks

I don't know how big the Mr Beer keg is. (2.5 gallons?) Don't use sugar, if you want to add something, add honey and vanilla. My last cider was 5 gallons of fresh cider, 3 pounds honey, 2 ounces vanilla and I used an ale yeast. (Champagne yeast will give you a much drier brew and you will have to sweeten A LOT when you bottle) I added 1 ounce more of vanilla when I bottled along with about 1 pound of lactose (I know it's a lot, but I couldn't detect the sweetness until I got to that level). Add corn sugar to prime and you're good to go.

For 2 1/5 gallon keg, I would put in 2 gallons cider or juice (no preservatives) and ~1/2 - 1 pound of honey. You can wait on the vanilla and add it to taste at bottling time. About 1/4 cup priming sugar at bottling time annd you're golden.

edit: Use the whole packet of yeast (rehydrate first). And you will need to let this condition for at least 4-6 weeks before it starts reaching maturity.

should be 2.5 gallons, it makes 2 gallons of beer when you follow their directions.

I'm going to assume you are not using the Mr Beer Archers Cider Kit.

I would try this.

2 gal of preservative free cider. (100% juice & pateurized)

3 cups of sugar corn or cane

1 pack of nottinghams ale yeast ferment at 60-70

Ferment ~ 2 weeks

Bottle with 1/tsp per 12 bottle or use one cooper drop.

How about trying EdWort's Apfelwein scaled down to fit in your set up? Follow the directions below changing them for your Mr. Beer.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=14860
If it is 2 1/2 gallons the the recipe would be:
2 1/2 Gallons of Tree Top Apple Juice from Costco
1 pounds of Dextros (corn Sugar)
1 packet Dry Montrachet Wine yeast

1. Sanitize your carboy (I love my Better bottles) and big funnel.
2. Pour half of one gallon of juice in the Carboy. Then add 1 pound of Dextrose to the half empty bottle of juice. Put the cap on and shake it up to dissolve the sugar.
3. Repeat step 2 with another gallon of apple juice and the other pound of Dextrose
4. Pour the half bottles of juice/dextros into carboy
5. Pour the rest of the juice into the carboy saving about a quart
6. Sprinkle the yeast into the funnel then rinse with the rest of the juice so all the yeast is now in the carboy.

You can fit all the juice in it, don't worry.

Wait 4 weeks at least then keg, chill, & carbonate. I don't do a secondary, but you can if you want to age it beyond 4 weeks. I would not rack till it clears like the first bottle.

I use spices in my ciders. Never used vanilla, may have to try that next batch. I use cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg. No real measurements, just sprinkle some in after racking

RichBrewer said:

How about trying EdWort's Apfelwein scaled down to fit in your set up?

Click to expand...

Rich has a very good point I would do that. One thing to note it will be higher in ABV than most ciders. I think cider hides the alcohol flavor quite well.

After reading through the Apfewein forum, I decided to give hard cider a try.
I am brewing a cider right now in my Mr. Beer. Here is what I used:
6 cans of frozen concentrate (when mixed for juice it makes 9qts)
2 cups brown sugar
I can't remember the yeast, but it was an ale yeast.

Add the sugar and 6 cans of juice to the Mr. Beer Keg, fill with warm water, mix untill all sugar is dissolved, pitch the yeast and let the fermentation begin

I started it on Jan 6, 2006, as of this morning the fermentation was starting to slow down, but it is still going strong. I will report back when I bottle it.

Let us know how it goes!!!

I've gone up to 3 cups of sugar and have add awesome results at that size.

I've been pestering MRB for their yeast strain. The only thing they will tell me is its champagne yeast. Their strain is semi-dry They claim that Red Star Pasteur will make it dry.

It tasted like a spumante not to dry or too sweet, I'd like to find out what's used in spumante and try that on my own.

Good Luck

dogday said:

I started it on Jan 6, 2006, as of this morning the fermentation was starting to slow down, but it is still going strong.

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It's been fermenting for a year??!?!? =P

SWMBO likes cider, so I just broke down and ordered a second Mr. Beer fermenter and their cider kit. This will only be the third thing I've ever tried to make, so I don't feel ready to go out on my own just yet.

matt31 said:

SWMBO likes cider, so I just broke down and ordered a second Mr. Beer fermenter and their cider kit. This will only be the third thing I've ever tried to make, so I don't feel ready to go out on my own just yet.

Click to expand...

If you are able cancel that order. For close to the same price (about $15) you can go to a LHBS or wine making store get a 5-6.5 gallon carboy and an air lock. Then get 5 gallons of apple juice and a packet of yeast . . . thats all you need. If you enjoy the hobby you are going to want to get them anyway so this is your perfect excuse.

Didn't know it was that easy. That's what I'll do. Thanks Pumbaa.