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+1 on that, beerocd! I totally agree: there is no rule (not 2-2-2, nor 3-3), just know that a little more time is better than drinking it too soon (or quickly)!
 
+1 khiddy
+1 beerocd

The 1-1 "rule" in the Mr. Beer directions is just WRONG, don't be fooled.

After that, 2-2-2.. or 3-3, doesn't matter really. My method has evolved to 4 weeks in fermenter, at least 6 weeks in the bottle minimum. But, I have a pipeline going. Until I had stuff to drink it was brutal to wait.

I recommend whatever "rule" you follow, plan on more time. Plan to put a beer in the fridge for a week, when you go to get it and try it, put the next one in the fridge, repeat weekly while taking notes until you find the right time for it to age for your tastes.

I recommend the Millenium Ale recipe on the Mr. Beer site if you are looking for other to try.
 
I received a 6 gallon Mr beer several years ago (15 maybe?) and never used it. My friend who is just getting started brewing is starting with an all grain, three stage, 10 gallon batch. A very impressive looking system ona rolling stand with 3 stainless steel pots linked via valves and tubing and 3 propane burners along with a stainless cone bottom fermentor and a glass car-boy. This has inspired me to break out my Mr Beer and start brewing. The idea was for me to use the simple Mr. Beer method and for him to use his much more involved process and see how they compared. My intention was to remain true to the original Mr beer instructions and methods as possible. The can mix included in the kit was old and bulged out, so I bought a new can of Coopers Real Ale and 2 lbs of light malt extract syrup. After a little research I decided that I wanted to do a secondary fermentation. I broke down and purchased a 6 gallon brewing bucket and quite a bit of extra equipment including a hygrometer, some iodophor, a second airlock, some bottle caps (the Mr Beer kit included about 5 or 6, 2 qt PET plastic bottles to bottle the beer), a racking tube, a bottle filler tube, some stick on thermometers, a digital thermometer, a 20 qt. stainless stain brew pot, an aeration stone for aquariums, and some bottled O2 ( I already had this on hand) to airate the wort prior to pitching the yeast. So I have strayed quite a bit form the original plan, but neither of us will care as long as the beer turns out good...right? So I brewed my fist batch a 2 days ago and it has been happily bubbling away in the closet at 70 F.

My intention at this point is to rack the brew into the original 6 gallon Mr Beer fermentor (a 6 gallon clear PET plastic container with an airlock, not the brown keg shaped one) and let it sit there for awhile clearing and conditioning. Mr question is this: will there be too much airspace in a 6 gallon container for a 5 gallon brew? Should I consider putting a blanket of CO2 on the top? I have been advised by someone at Wine Craft in Roswell, GA to rack the beer after primary fermenting for just 2 or 3 days so that the beer will ferment more and produce a layer of protective CO2 in the secondary fermentor. After reading some of the advice here I am more inclined to let it sit in the primary fermentor for more than a week or 2 and then rack it to the secondary fermentor for conditioning. Everything is going so well right now I would hate to mess it up. Please advise.
 
I always inert when I transfer beer whether it is going into a secondary or into a keg. It is probably not needed if you plan on drinking your beer within 6 months but it can not hurt. I have experimented with inerting bottles prior to filling or not and I have not been able to notice a difference but then I don't seem to have any that stick around for more than a couple months.

As for using a secondary I have waffled back and forth several times when doing an ale. Currently I'm back to thinking that the secondary is not worth the extra labor and risk of infection. I do like the improved clarity at bottling/kegging but a cold crash of the primary before transfer can do the same. Filling the secondary with CO2 prior to the transfer and then purging the head space takes care of oxidation concerns so you don't have to worry about doing the transfer when fermentation is still active. It's back to the extra labor and can taste the difference.

Post back what you decide and how it turns out.

PS: I'm glad you did not try to use those olde cans of Mr. Beer LME. That would not have ended well.
 
Basic Brewing Radio did a show on Mr Beer on the 12-03-09 called "Making the Most of Mr Beer". It was an interesting listen with James Spencer.
 
I have a few Mr Beer extract kits left over from the start of my hobby but I don't have the fermenting kegs anymore. Can I ferment a 2.5-3 gal recipe in a 5 gal (total volume) fermenting bucket? Will there be too much head space?

thanks...

Mick
 
msa8967 said:
I have a few Mr Beer extract kits left over from the start of my hobby but I don't have the fermenting kegs anymore. Can I ferment a 2.5-3 gal recipe in a 5 gal (total volume) fermenting bucket? Will there be too much head space?

thanks...

Mick
Click to expand...

Try adding some DME to make a 5 gallon batch and appropriately hop to the style... that's what I did with a few batches and they came out amazingly well.
Check your recipe with Beer Calculus. :mug:
 
For an American Pale Ale you would need add 3 pounds of light DME to extend a Mr Beer kit to a 5 gallon recipe... more for an IPA.
 
Quick question. I am going on vacation soon and was hoping to start another batch before leaving, but I would like to keep the heat low while I am away. Will it ruin the beer if I let the temp in my house get down to 55?
 
somecallmetex said:
Quick question. I am going on vacation soon and was hoping to start another batch before leaving, but I would like to keep the heat low while I am away. Will it ruin the beer if I let the temp in my house get down to 55?
Click to expand...

I'd suggest you use Fermentis US-05 for lower fermentation temps since Mr Beer yeast is not top of the line. Anyone want to pipe up about the possibilities of a lager yeast ?
 
somecallmetex said:
Quick question. I am going on vacation soon and was hoping to start another batch before leaving, but I would like to keep the heat low while I am away. Will it ruin the beer if I let the temp in my house get down to 55?
Click to expand...

The mid fifties may be pushing the envelope for most ale yeasts, especially at standard pitching rates. A drop in temperature from the 60's to the 50's would be even worse. Could cause a stuck ferment.

Anyone here have experience with using ale yeasts at 55 degrees?
 
yeoldebrewer said:
The mid fifties may be pushing the envelope for most ale yeasts, especially at standard pitching rates. A drop in temperature from the 60's to the 50's would be even worse. Could cause a stuck ferment.

Anyone here have experience with using ale yeasts at 55 degrees?
Click to expand...

Maybe use a california common yeast (i.e. Wyeast 2112 or WLP810). That should work fine in that temperature range up through mid 60's.
 
I bottled the Irish Stout, and used Fermentis US-05 yeast. The temp was low 50s for the two weeks (way too low, US-05 bottom temp is 58F). I opened a bottle a couple nights ago and there was absolutely no carbonation.

If I put the bottles in a warmer temp for a couple weeks, is there a chance it will carbonate?
 
Thanks for the advice. Any approximations as to how low I can set the thermostat when I leave if I stick with the provided yeast.

Another thing, I checked my supplies, one of my packages of sanitizer has inflated for some reason (the rest are normal), is the inflated one still ok to use?
 
somecallmetex said:
Thanks for the advice. Any approximations as to how low I can set the thermostat when I leave if I stick with the provided yeast.

Another thing, I checked my supplies, one of my packages of sanitizer has inflated for some reason (the rest are normal), is the inflated one still ok to use?
Click to expand...


Well...I wouldn't set the thermostat much below 70. And don't place the bottles on a cold floor. The inflated bag probably means moisture has gotten into the pouch. I would probably toss it.
 
Try placing your bottles or fermentor someplace warmer like on top of the refrigerator or somewhere else up high (heat rises). Even though S-05 lists 59 as a minimum temperature I've noticed that it really slows down when you get below the mid-60's. The yeast should wake back up if you place them somewhere warm.

Do you have a hydrometer (what was the final gravity)? Did you taste your stout before bottling (did it taste sweet)? Did you use glass or the plastic Mr. Beer bottles? If your temperatures were in the 50's during a two week fermentation I'm worried that fermentation might not have been complete when you bottled. Any sugars not fermented due to the cold temperatures will be fermented in the bottle along with your priming sugar possibly causing them to over carbonate. When you warm your bottles for carbonation place them inside several heavy duty garbage bags or inside a cooler to contain any exploding bottles. The Mr. Beer bottles are quite sturday and will tend to bulge out and the caps may bulge before exploding, where glass bottles will just go "pop".
 
I hadn't thought of on the fridge. I was probably going to keep it in a cooler in an inner room of my house where it should stay warmer, or on a high shelf in the closet of that room. I may need to just accept the fact that I should wait until after I return to make it. BTW, I think all the Mr. Beer has the same yeast, but would the type of beer I'm making with it change anything?
 
Yes, all the Mr. Beer recipes use the same yeast. It is a good, reliable ale yeast that can make tasty beer. Many beer styles require a specific yeast to properly make that style so technically they cannot be made with Mr. Beer yeast.
 
Yes, shamefully I admit: I started with a Mr. Beer. However, now I own a Brutus 10, home built system with all 15 Gallon Blichmann tanks and many other gadgets. I have a fridgeration system for the Lagers and a 4 spout Kegerator. So, I would have to say that Mr. Beer is a "gateway drug" to bigger brewing addictions.

Your thoughts?
dlester,
Los Angeles
 
Im on day 4 of fermenting w/ my mr beer kit. I already ordered a few carboys and hops and yeast.. Im trying to build up.. Id agree its a nice starter. but i didnt even get to try mine bf stepping up lol
 
My folks got me a Mr Beer for Christmas after hearing me go on and on about wanting to start brewing my own beer. I was already looking at 5gal setups, but given my lack of space this should hold me over until I really understand what is going on.

I'm about halfway through "Step 2" right now, waiting for the booster to boil so I can add the HME. I am not expecting this Pale Ale to be excellent (I read the first 43 pages of this thread before deciding the next 110 probably didn't say a whole lot that hasn't been said before), but I will be allowing things to sit far longer than Mr Beer recommends since that seems to be the general consensus.

Eventually, my goal is to start brewing my own Belgian style ales since those are hands-down my favorite beers.
 
The quality of Mr Beer results will greatly depend on the ingredients you use in the brew. I started with Mr Beer last May and was into brewing 5 gallon batches within a month. I still use my Mr. Beer equipment for small batches. I don't think the booster with the can of hopped malt extract will give you the best results on the first attempt with Mr Beer. If you have the chance on future recipes use an equal volume of unhopped liquid malt to match the volume of your can of malt extract via Mr Beer. Let the wort ferment 3 weeks to get good results.

The booster is very similar to fortified sugar so don't become discouraged if the first effort does not live up to your expectations. Letting this batch ferment for 3 weeks will improve the results of the booster instead of using just 1 week to ferment.

If you have any questions about being a newbie with brewing let me know. I have just been at this since May and parts can seem very intimidating but the forum is also very helpfull.

Mick
 
My Girlfriend got me a Mr. Beer Kit for x mas, after seeing me look at 5 gal setups and talking non-stop about how I wanted to try home brewing. I'm still looking at other setups but it was a nice surprise to see that she actually listened to me for once. I got the West Coast Pale Ale in the kit and i'm planning on doing the honey substitute for 1/2 the booster.

I'm planning on upgrading the valve with one from Lowe's before I start the brew. I'm also picking up a hydrometer and a bottle capper from my LHBS. Ill be starting on it this week. I'm excited to try it out.


Wish me luck!
 
cotsi95 said:
My Girlfriend got me a Mr. Beer Kit for x mas, after seeing me look at 5 gal setups and talking non-stop about how I wanted to try home brewing. I'm still looking at other setups but it was a nice surprise to see that she actually listened to me for once. I got the West Coast Pale Ale in the kit and i'm planning on doing the honey substitute for 1/2 the booster.

I'm planning on upgrading the valve with one from Lowe's before I start the brew. I'm also picking up a hydrometer and a bottle capper from my LHBS. Ill be starting on it this week. I'm excited to try it out.


Wish me luck!
Click to expand...

Skip upgrading the MrBeer keg and get an autosyphon. That will transfer over to your 5 gallon setup easiest. The Keg upgrade will be lost money when you upgrade.
 
beerocd said:
Skip upgrading the MrBeer keg and get an autosyphon. That will transfer over to your 5 gallon setup easiest. The Keg upgrade will be lost money when you upgrade.
Click to expand...


+1. Besides, the yeast cake gets caught in the spigot and throws off hydro measurements, bottling, etc. You are better off to get an auto siphon and bottling bucket and forego the tap. I used the tap twice and haven't since (22 batches later).

I liked the DME instead of the honey change to the booster.

Welcome to your new obsession!!
 
First off, thank you to all who contributed to this thread.

As the common trend seems to be, I got a Mr. Beer kit for Christmas and pitched the yeast on the 26th. Reading this thread, I found that many people suggest not having the lid screwed too tight to prevent explosion so I loosened up mine a little. As I read more, I'm seeing that with the new kits, people are concerned about the protective CO2 layer leaking. Obviously, I have the new kit. Should I tighten mine back up? I'm on page 43 and I don't want to wait until page 143 to find that I've been doing things wrong.

Thanks in advance.
 
alek said:
First off, thank you to all who contributed to this thread.

As the common trend seems to be, I got a Mr. Beer kit for Christmas and pitched the yeast on the 26th. Reading this thread, I found that many people suggest not having the lid screwed too tight to prevent explosion so I loosened up mine a little. As I read more, I'm seeing that with the new kits, people are concerned about the protective CO2 layer leaking. Obviously, I have the new kit. Should I tighten mine back up? I'm on page 43 and I don't want to wait until page 143 to find that I've been doing things wrong.

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

I recommend slightly loose, helps ensure the vents/slits in the threads are open and "breathing".

That's how I like my Mr. Beer keg lid .... and women ... slightly loose :D
 
alek said:
First off, thank you to all who contributed to this thread.

As the common trend seems to be, I got a Mr. Beer kit for Christmas and pitched the yeast on the 26th. Reading this thread, I found that many people suggest not having the lid screwed too tight to prevent explosion so I loosened up mine a little. As I read more, I'm seeing that with the new kits, people are concerned about the protective CO2 layer leaking. Obviously, I have the new kit. Should I tighten mine back up? I'm on page 43 and I don't want to wait until page 143 to find that I've been doing things wrong.

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

Yes, it is OK to have the lid slightly loose. And especially if you brew one of their fruit beer recipes.
 
Don't worry too much about the tightness of the lid. Even when tightly screwed down it is not a gas tight seal. CO2 is heavier than air so it will sit inside the Mr. Beer keg unless it is disturbed.
 

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