Mr Beer - Read all about it and ask questions

Though I do live in Alabama, I did not buy it here. I have read you can get them in neighboring states, and I live less than an hour away from 2. Mississippi, and Florida are both very close to my house.

I got mine on Amazon though.

Should be here Friday.

I don't even have it yet, and I already want to buy the Carboy stuff...

I want to make a cherry stout so bad...

S2005 said:

Though I do live in Alabama, I did not buy it here. I have read you can get them in neighboring states, and I live less than an hour away from 2. Mississippi, and Florida are both very close to my house.

I got mine on Amazon though.

Should be here Friday.

I don't even have it yet, and I already want to buy the Carboy stuff...

I want to make a cherry stout so bad...

Click to expand...

Dont go to Mississippi, thats the other state that its illegal!

Man that sucks. Living in the bible belt is a drag...

Ok... now that I have my first batch of Mr Beer fermenting...

Would I be stupid to try an all grain for the next go round?

I have been browsing around and would love to try this recipe.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f70/honey-chamomile-wheat-what-way-end-long-day-191443/

Should I be patient and do another step first, or jump right in?

This would be brewed in the Mr Beer for now, as I have not yet upgraded, nor do I really have space to add much more.

Is there anything I should change or do differently from a recipe like that, other than re-sizing?

Also what is a good all around sanitizer?

Thanks!

TechMiller said:

Ok... now that I have my first batch of Mr Beer fermenting...

Would I be stupid to try an all grain for the next go round?

I have been browsing around and would love to try this recipe.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f70/honey-chamomile-wheat-what-way-end-long-day-191443/

Should I be patient and do another step first, or jump right in?

This would be brewed in the Mr Beer for now, as I have not yet upgraded, nor do I really have space to add much more.

Is there anything I should change or do differently from a recipe like that, other than re-sizing?

Also what is a good all around sanitizer?

Thanks!

Click to expand...

Trying all grain isnt totally out of the question but just be sure you have all the equiptment you need and have read up on it, its a lot more detailed steps than Mr. Beer. I did about 3 Mr. Beer starting out then did a few Brooklyn Brew shop to get familiar with ag. That being said you can scale down recipes, I do mostly 2 gallon batches. And Star San is pretty much the golden standard sanitizer in brewing.

So, my MRB should be here tmorrow if UPS Tracking can be trusted.

After work today, I decided to go see my parents. Dad and I were hanging out on the porch drinking a cold one, and talking about Alabama vs Notre Dame coming up in a couple days.

I mention that I ordered a beer brewing starter kit, and I'm going to see if It's something I like. Told him he was going to be my test subject.

He said, "Oh Yeah? Huh." Wandered back into his garage, and gave me what looks like 2 white 5 gallon buckets filled with beer brewing supplies.

Not sure exactly what I have, so I'll be uploading some pictures of it into a different thread.

I also just noticed that some of the "ingredients" expired back in 1996 HAHAHA


*Ninja Edit*
Here is a link to that thread. CLICK.

Checked my first batch today after a week of fermenting poured a little in to glass for my friend and I. Tasted like really flat beer and still had a yeasty smell my friend said that's what he thought. Is this good? I have decided to let it sit another week then bottle.

IronEagle said:

Checked my first batch today after a week of fermenting poured a little in to glass for my friend and I. Tasted like really flat beer and still had a yeasty smell my friend said that's what he thought. Is this good? I have decided to let it sit another week then bottle.

Click to expand...

You could probably bottle now and not have any real problems, but if you wait another week, you'll be giving the yeast more time to do "cleanup" work, so your final product will be better.

Yes, you can bottle into 12oz bottles, just need bottles, caps and capper.
Wait for one of the Online stores to offer a deal (try Groupon) for the Five gallon kits.

bpgreen said:

You could probably bottle now and not have any real problems, but if you wait another week, you'll be giving the yeast more time to do "cleanup" work, so your final product will be better.

Click to expand...

Going to wait til I get my glass bottles and caps so about a week.

I have been a big Craft Beer enthusiast for the better part of a decade, and recently have wanted to get into home brewing. However, I've been procrastinating because I have a 3 year old and a 1 year old at home and not much spare time. For Christmas my wife got me a Mr. Beer kit, so that it is a motivation to get started. However I worry about how restrictive the Mr. Beer setup and recipes are as far as trying to experiment.

For example: I prefer heavy stronger beers, and most Mr. Beer recipes are at or just under 5%. Would it be worth adding an extra one of their LME soft packs to boost the ABV? Or will this screw with the recipe too much? My wife got me the recipe kit for their Punkin Lager which I am going to try first. Not sure whether to just go straight with the recipe or add anything extra.

Also, since the Mr. Beer setup doesn't involve a secondary fermenter, has anyone ever tried using oak chips/cubes with a Mr. Beer recipe? I want to eventually make some oaked heavy beers down the road (likely not with Mr. Beer). The kit I received came with the Aztec Cerveza recipe, which I've read is NOT one of Mr. Beer's better mixes, so I thought I might experiment with that one for fun. My plan is to add some Lime to the boil then add a few Oak cubes soaked in Tequila to the little brown keg during fermentation. Is it feasible to pull this off (i.e. have a drinkable product at the end)?

Thanks for any feedback.

LetsGoCeltics said:

I have been a big Craft Beer enthusiast for the better part of a decade, and recently have wanted to get into home brewing. However, I've been procrastinating because I have a 3 year old and a 1 year old at home and not much spare time. For Christmas my wife got me a Mr. Beer kit, so that it is a motivation to get started. However I worry about how restrictive the Mr. Beer setup and recipes are as far as trying to experiment.

For example: I prefer heavy stronger beers, and most Mr. Beer recipes are at or just under 5%. Would it be worth adding an extra one of their LME soft packs to boost the ABV? Or will this screw with the recipe too much? My wife got me the recipe kit for their Punkin Lager which I am going to try first. Not sure whether to just go straight with the recipe or add anything extra.

Also, since the Mr. Beer setup doesn't involve a secondary fermenter, has anyone ever tried using oak chips/cubes with a Mr. Beer recipe? I want to eventually make some oaked heavy beers down the road (likely not with Mr. Beer). The kit I received came with the Aztec Cerveza recipe, which I've read is NOT one of Mr. Beer's better mixes, so I thought I might experiment with that one for fun. My plan is to add some Lime to the boil then add a few Oak cubes soaked in Tequila to the little brown keg during fermentation. Is it feasible to pull this off (i.e. have a drinkable product at the end)?

Thanks for any feedback.

Click to expand...

You're not at all restricted using the Mr beer fermenter. You can use their refills, add to them, or create your own recipes.

You can add additional LME, but since LME isn't fully fermentable, adding LME will make the final result sweeter. There has to be a balance between malt and hops. If you want to have a short brew day, prehopped extracts are good for that. If you want to keep the brew day short, you can add some LME, but if you want to make really strong beer, while keeping the brew day short, you'll want to use additional hopped extract.

You can add additional LME, but since LME isn't fully fermentable, adding LME will make the final result sweeter.

Click to expand...

I have some wheat dry malt extract. If I want to boost alcohol 1% how much should I add?

dpsimswm said:

I have some wheat dry malt extract. If I want to boost alcohol 1% how much should I add?

Click to expand...

About 9.5 oz (by weight). If you don't have a scale, I have weight to measurement conversions somewhere.

So I have a Mr. Beer kit, given to me by a relative, but I haven't used it yet, as I've also got 5 gallon buckets I use for fermenting. Is there any reason not to use the Mr. Beer fermenter for small batches?

walcotteric said:

So I have a Mr. Beer kit, given to me by a relative, but I haven't used it yet, as I've also got 5 gallon buckets I use for fermenting. Is there any reason not to use the Mr. Beer fermenter for small batches?

Click to expand...

It works great for small batches.

LetsGoCeltics said:

I have been a big Craft Beer enthusiast for the better part of a decade, and recently have wanted to get into home brewing. However, I've been procrastinating because I have a 3 year old and a 1 year old at home and not much spare time. For Christmas my wife got me a Mr. Beer kit, so that it is a motivation to get started. However I worry about how restrictive the Mr. Beer setup and recipes are as far as trying to experiment.

For example: I prefer heavy stronger beers, and most Mr. Beer recipes are at or just under 5%. Would it be worth adding an extra one of their LME soft packs to boost the ABV? Or will this screw with the recipe too much? My wife got me the recipe kit for their Punkin Lager which I am going to try first. Not sure whether to just go straight with the recipe or add anything extra.

Also, since the Mr. Beer setup doesn't involve a secondary fermenter, has anyone ever tried using oak chips/cubes with a Mr. Beer recipe? I want to eventually make some oaked heavy beers down the road (likely not with Mr. Beer). The kit I received came with the Aztec Cerveza recipe, which I've read is NOT one of Mr. Beer's better mixes, so I thought I might experiment with that one for fun. My plan is to add some Lime to the boil then add a few Oak cubes soaked in Tequila to the little brown keg during fermentation. Is it feasible to pull this off (i.e. have a drinkable product at the end)?

Thanks for any feedback.

Click to expand...

My advice would be to make the fist couple kits as directed, other than giving it 3 weeks in the fermenter and 3 weeks in the bottle before drinking it.

Making the kits as directed for the first couple of batches helps you get your process down.

Hello guys,

First batch started yesterday.

Foaming like mad today.

Too bad it's the light beer version (it's what the kit came with).

Can't wait to try it.

Ken

Drookit said:

Hello guys,

First batch started yesterday.

Foaming like mad today.

Too bad it's the light beer version (it's what the kit came with).

Can't wait to try it.

Ken

Click to expand...

Welcome to the hobby

First batch of Raspberry Wheat Ale is nearing its second week in the barrel (mr beer Christmas present). I couldn't resist on going for my favorite brew from the Marietta Brewery in Marietta Ohio. Hope mine is in the ballpark. I've already made a few newb mistakes so hope this isn't all for nothing.

When you guys prepare for bottling, do you filter the beer as it goes to bottling. I tried my best to puree the raspberry's but I'm sure there are a bunch of particles in the column, or does all this settle out? Just curious when doing something with a fruit if filtering is needed prior to bottling.
I believe I have found my new home here; beer, smoking meats, cheeses. (hope cigars as well). Life is good amongst company like this.

EHV said:

First batch of Raspberry Wheat Ale is nearing its second week in the barrel (mr beer Christmas present). I couldn't resist on going for my favorite brew from the Marietta Brewery in Marietta Ohio. Hope mine is in the ballpark. I've already made a few newb mistakes so hope this isn't all for nothing.

When you guys prepare for bottling, do you filter the beer as it goes to bottling. I tried my best to puree the raspberry's but I'm sure there are a bunch of particles in the column, or does all this settle out? Just curious when doing something with a fruit if filtering is needed prior to bottling.
I believe I have found my new home here; beer, smoking meats, cheeses. (hope cigars as well). Life is good amongst company like this.

Click to expand...

You don't want to filter because filtering is likely to aerate, which can lead to early staling.

I've never done a fruit beer, but it should mostly settle out. You can increase the selling by cold crashing ( put the fermenter in the fridge for a day before bottling).

I started with a Mr Beer. Cuevasa, Bewitched, and Cherry Wheat. Great tasting. Easy easy

I lost it.

There was a crack, or weak spot that cracked in the Mr. Beer fermentor that showed itself as soon as the fermentation "took off" today.

Caused by pressure????????

That's the only thing I can think of. It didn't leak yesterday. It wasn't leaking this morning or early afternoon. It wasn't moved or touched.

About 26-28ish hours in, it started leaking and progressively got worse.

I had no back up fermentor, so I guess a beer angel got it's wings.

The wife's gonna call the store in the am to see if we can exchange it.

Oh well,

Ken

My condolences on your loss my friend.

All you can do it pick up the pieces and try again!

Drookit said:

I lost it.

There was a crack, or weak spot that cracked in the Mr. Beer fermentor that showed itself as soon as the fermentation "took off" today.

Caused by pressure????????

That's the only thing I can think of. It didn't leak yesterday. It wasn't leaking this morning or early afternoon. It wasn't moved or touched.

About 26-28ish hours in, it started leaking and progressively got worse.

I had no back up fermentor, so I guess a beer angel got it's wings.

The wife's gonna call the store in the am to see if we can exchange it.

Oh well,

Ken

Click to expand...

When the yeast get to work consuming the sugars, they produce CO2. The way the LBK (Little Brown Keg) is designed, there are notches where the lid screws on that should release the pressure. If you overtighten the lid, or if fermentation is especially vigorous, it's possible that the notches will be blocked. If that happens, the pressure will need to find its own way out (by the weakest point). Usually, the lid pops off (sometimes spectacularly). Apparently, sometimes, the LBK develops a crack.

When you put the lid on, turn it until it's snug, then back it off about a quarter turn.

is it normal to have stuff floating on the surface after 2 weeks? I'm doing a raspberry wheat. Theres some foam and it almost looks like solids. here an there floating. I tasted a small sample of the brew, and its bitter.
Sorry for newb questions, but I really want this to work. I enjoy beer way too much to just toss a batch after 2 months worth of work. (If theres even a small chance of it being ok, its going to get bottled and conditioned for another few weeks.)

EHV said:

is it normal to have stuff floating on the surface after 2 weeks? I'm doing a raspberry wheat. Theres some foam and it almost looks like solids. here an there floating. I tasted a small sample of the brew, and its bitter.
Sorry for newb questions, but I really want this to work. I enjoy beer way too much to just toss a batch after 2 months worth of work. (If theres even a small chance of it being ok, its going to get bottled and conditioned for another few weeks.)

Click to expand...

This is almost certainly completely normal, but if you could post a picture it would help us be sure. Just dont leave the lid off the fermenter any longer than necessary

I made certain I got the raspberries as smooth as possible. Is this mold? Leaves me to wonder since its in groups. Don't want to mess with it even with a sterilized spoon to investigate further.

EHV said:

I made certain I got the raspberries as smooth as possible. Is this mold? Leaves me to wonder since its in groups. Don't want to mess with it even with a sterilized spoon to investigate further.

Click to expand...

This is almost certainly completely normal, and is probably yeast floaties, etc. Check out the infection picture thread.

Any chance you could post a pic so we could take a look and let you know for sure! Tough to tell what something is without seeing it. But again, don't leave your lid off the fedrmentor any longer than necessary.

My attempts at posting a picture are pathetic. I tried resizing through photobucket and it is still massive. If I can get it figured out here directly I will most definitely get one on here.

My first ever batch is in the LBK from my MrBeer kit. Bottling is a couple weeks off still, only been in there a few days, but I have a couple questions...

Should I cold-crash the keg? I think it'll fit in my fridge and if it'll make better beer, I'm down to wait another day...

I'm worried that the spigot needs to be sanitized before I bottle, but I've never heard you need to do that... should I spray some santizing solution up there before I bottle?

bzwyatt said:

My first ever batch is in the LBK from my MrBeer kit. Bottling is a couple weeks off still, only been in there a few days, but I have a couple questions...

Should I cold-crash the keg? I think it'll fit in my fridge and if it'll make better beer, I'm down to wait another day...

I'm worried that the spigot needs to be sanitized before I bottle, but I've never heard you need to do that... should I spray some santizing solution up there before I bottle?

Click to expand...

Certainly wouldn't hurt... I do!

bpgreen said:

When the yeast get to work consuming the sugars, they produce CO2. The way the LBK (Little Brown Keg) is designed, there are notches where the lid screws on that should release the pressure. If you overtighten the lid, or if fermentation is especially vigorous, it's possible that the notches will be blocked. If that happens, the pressure will need to find its own way out (by the weakest point). Usually, the lid pops off (sometimes spectacularly). Apparently, sometimes, the LBK develops a crack.

When you put the lid on, turn it until it's snug, then back it off about a quarter turn.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice. I guess I overtightened it. I re-read the directions after the fact, and couldn't come up with anywhere I strayed.

Exchanged them out today at the store. Will get the next batch going tomorrow.

I'll follow your advice.

Thanks!

Ken

So I got my kit on clearance for $25. Wasn't really planning to get one, wanted to get better equipment, but it seemed worth the money. I had lots of fun with the first batch, figured the ingredients and a keg were worth that price so I bought another kit and at checkout it was only $15. I am thinking about getting the other kits the store has for $15... Would you?

bzwyatt said:

So I got my kit on clearance for $25. Wasn't really planning to get one, wanted to get better equipment, but it seemed worth the money. I had lots of fun with the first batch, figured the ingredients and a keg were worth that price so I bought another kit and at checkout it was only $15. I am thinking about getting the other kits the store has for $15... Would you?

Click to expand...

That sounds like a great price on the kits. I think you're getting the fermenter, a refill and bottles for less than the regular price of the refill alone.

I kept two LBKs in rotation for a couple of years, then added a 5 gallon kit to the mix. I now do mostly 5 gallon batches, but last year, I went to all the BBBY stores in the area and bought up all the refills I could find (they were half price to start, then got even cheaper through the use of coupons).

If you have a LHBS, you can buy 5 gallon kits and split one kit between two fermenters (slightly overfill and/or make the beer a little stronger). The first time I visited my LHBS, I told them I was brewing with Mr Beer and they said that I could do anything in the Mr Beer fermenter that I could do in a 5 gallon kit except for making 5 gallons at a time. If you have two fermenters, you can even do that.

You can also use extra fermenters for batch priming containers. So it's not a waste, in my opinion.

I got an LBK for xmas and have already bought another full kit for $10 unused off craigslist. For the bottles alone it was worth it but now I have an entire other rotation going. Anytime you can get one for under $15 with a decent refill in it, I think it's worth it.

Can the beer be harmed by leaving it in the keg too long after fermentation has stopped? The kit says to ferment for 7-14 days, and everyone here recommends at least 3, maybe 4 weeks. If the fermentation has appeared to have stopped after 16 days and I left it in the keg for a full 21 days, could the batch go south? Or is it better to be safe than sorry? Thanks.

You could keep it in there a really long time (months) before any issues.

DallasHomeBrew2 said:

Can the beer be harmed by leaving it in the keg too long after fermentation has stopped? The kit says to ferment for 7-14 days, and everyone here recommends at least 3, maybe 4 weeks. If the fermentation has appeared to have stopped after 16 days and I left it in the keg for a full 21 days, could the batch go south? Or is it better to be safe than sorry? Thanks.

Click to expand...

Nah, you're fine. I have a cerveza in now that will be at 4 weeks this Thursday. I wouldn't go more than 6 months or so, but you're fine! RDWHAHB!

Hello I have a hand full of questions. I am sorry if the answers are in this 5000 page thread lol I did not it all.

To set up my questions here is what I have done so far.

Around Christmas I got a mr beer kit with the colors light flavor. Then wouldn't you know it I get a present from my dad and what are the chances it is another mr beer kit only the master version with 4 craft beers IPA etc. kind of strange coincidence as I have never thought of brewing before and neither gifting party knows the other lol. I make home made hot sauce, mustard etc and pickling etc. so I guess they both thought on the same year this was a good next step for me. Anyway I decided to make two batches by the book to start. Made sure I was a sanitation freak and all looks good. I started the fermentation process Friday last week. All looks good bubbles, foam etc. I do not have a hydro meter.

Here are my questions based on all the reading I have done here so far.

1. Based on no hydrometer I assume I should let the primary process run longer then a week. I was going to go for two weeks just to be sure. Does that sound right? The kegs are in a dark spot with perfect controlled temp.

2. I have read that if I want better beer I should not use white sugar in the secondary process, that it would be a better idea to use a little more HME in each bottle instead. Is this a good idea? And if so how much more HME should I use in each bottle? Or do I add more HME to the keg and then bottle adding more fermentable product prior to bottling?

3. I already have the bug and have order hops pellets of various kinds and will be here prior to the completion of my primary fermentation cycle. Can I add hops in a sack to the brew prior to bottling to add some flavor? Or is it only worth adding during the initial heating of the HME prior to starting the primary cycle?

4. I plan on being very patient on the secondary cycle and waiting 3-4 weeks in that phase un-refrigerated from what I read. Is this to long for an IPA?

5. I also assume that refrigerating for an additional two weeks would be a good idea as well. Do you agree?

6. Finally on my next batch I intend on using two cans of HME in the primary stage with hops etc and so liquid yeast (better quality I guess based on the price lol) and a booster pack. In that case I am assuming a richer beer with heavy mouth etc. but my question is baed on all that fermentable material do I still need to add more HME or sugar prior to bottling to create carbonation in the secondary stage? Or is the extra HME in the primary stage going to leave enough unprocessed fermentable material to forgo the addition sugar or HME prior to bottling to create carbonation.

Please forgive me if my questions sound noob as I am one, but I have been reading for several days straight to try and closet he gap as quick as possible.

Thanks in advance for any answers!!!!!!!!!!