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jester22151 said:
I know you don't add yeast to the bottle, but some yeast has to still be in it to eat the suger to carbonate the beer.

My first batch was a pale ale, it was ok but it was a little sweeter than i liked. I followed the directions to the letter, because I just wanted to make sure i could do it right before i started messing with it. I let it ferment for about 11 days before bottling it. i will tell you that i was pretty eager so i didn't let it condition for long. The one big problem i had was that by the time I got to filling the last bottle, I had stirred up the yeast on the bottom of the fermenter a little. I was wondering if I got a secondary fermenter would that help cut the cloudiness of the beer.


All of this is in preperation for the next batch which will be and Irish red that i am going to put raspburries in. As an aside, should I put the raspburries in the primary or secondary fermentor?

the sweetness could have been from not letting sit longer, but I get what you are saying.

i think in theory what you are saying will work, but at that point you might as well save a few more extra bucks and invest in a 5 gal system.
 
shafferpilot said:
That is too much headspace. Save that 5 gallon carboy for your first full batch.

Thats what I thought, thanks Shaffer.

So I'm thinking three weeks total in the primary, then bottle it up?
 
Well I did my first batch of Mr. Beer which was an ale. Followed the instructions and let it ferment for 10 days. At about day 7 or 8 I saw the beer go from cloudy to see thru. Left it for an extra 2 days and then bottled.

I am using the plastic 1 liter PET bottles that they gave to me. I followed the directiosn and put the proper amount of white granulated sugar into each bottle (think it was 2.5 teaspoons...)

Well I left it for 7 days on my counter and the bottles did firm up. Some were harder than others but I can't say they were rock hard. But I took one of the hard ones and put it in the fridge for a day and then craked it open to drink.

It did make an air noise when I opened it so it was under pressure but the beer was totally flat.

What do I do? I have them all still sittign on the counter.... I purchased some corn sugar for my next beer botteling but what do I do for this batch?
 
Like Yooper said It takes 3-4 weeks to carb beer because it does it at its own pace and cant be influenced unless you get the temo up around 75 Just be patient it will carb!:mug: on your first brew
 
I would let them sit for a couple more weeks then try it again.....Then when you put it in your fridge, let it sit in there for 2 days, then crack it open and see....Sometimes it takes more than a week to fully carb up, plus your beer will be better the longer it sits.
 
Ok will do. I hate the wating game but hopefully it will be worth it. The beer I did tase was pretty good. Different taste to it but not bad in any way. I just think the carbination would make it taste a lot better.
 
jasno999 said:
Ok will do. I hate the wating game but hopefully it will be worth it. The beer I did tase was pretty good. Different taste to it but not bad in any way. I just think the carbination would make it taste a lot better.


It will and so will letting the brew age a bit.
 
RedTickBeer said:
Thats what I thought, thanks Shaffer.

So I'm thinking three weeks total in the primary, then bottle it up?

Right on. Expect it to take 2 weeks to carb in the bottle, but a month to start tasting really good. Patience is rewarded in homebrewing.
 
Started my second batch over the weekend. I substituted a cup of the booster with 3/4 cup of honey. I assume the honey will take longer to ferment that the booster/ sugar. Is this a correct assumption? If so, what kind of additional time have you experienced?

Thanks.
 
well my WCPA has been in the bottle 2 weeks now and i just placed on in the fridge i will be tasting on friday. first attempt at brewing hope it turns out good
 
Is it possible to get sick from sampleing your brew before bottleing?
I have the WCA fermenting for about almost four weeks now and bottled one or two bottles each week to see wich time period is the best for future reference.
I have taken small samples before at each week interval at about 1/2 a measureing cup full with no ill affects. Well i finished bottleing all contents and as before tryed a sample. Curiously I also dipped a finger into the settled yeast and whatnot to see what it tasted like. Well, later on that night several hours latter I hurled! So I guess my question is, Would the beer have gone bad and caused this , was it the white stuff or would the alchohol not allow "spoiling" or could it be some other random thing?
 
blackshirtproud said:
Is it possible to get sick from sampleing your brew before bottleing?
I have the WCA fermenting for about almost four weeks now and bottled one or two bottles each week to see wich time period is the best for future reference.
I have taken small samples before at each week interval at about 1/2 a measureing cup full with no ill affects. Well i finished bottleing all contents and as before tryed a sample. Curiously I also dipped a finger into the settled yeast and whatnot to see what it tasted like. Well, later on that night several hours latter I hurled! So I guess my question is, Would the beer have gone bad and caused this , was it the white stuff or would the alchohol not allow "spoiling" or could it be some other random thing?

I am far from an expert, but I'd have to say it was just the yeasties doing that to you. They are a living organism after all!

Its because of this that we as brewers should let the yeast settle out before bottling, and also why we should use glasses instead of drinking directly from the bottle.
 
blackshirtproud said:
Is it possible to get sick from sampleing your brew before bottleing?
I have the WCA fermenting for about almost four weeks now and bottled one or two bottles each week to see wich time period is the best for future reference.
I have taken small samples before at each week interval at about 1/2 a measureing cup full with no ill affects. Well i finished bottleing all contents and as before tryed a sample. Curiously I also dipped a finger into the settled yeast and whatnot to see what it tasted like. Well, later on that night several hours latter I hurled! So I guess my question is, Would the beer have gone bad and caused this , was it the white stuff or would the alchohol not allow "spoiling" or could it be some other random thing?

Your lucky those yeasties came out the entrance rather than the exit. I get some SEVERE plumbing problems if I consume any significant chunk of yeast. I've now learned to read the label on any beer to see if it's bottle conditioned before I start drinking it:) many people have no reaction to yeast at all. Now you know you are in the other group. Your beer is A-OK, though. I promise.
 
yeast is high in vitamin b and is good for you but i agree too much of a living thing is probably not a good thing. and in some subcultures (usually in germany) the yeast is served in the beer. But i think that was a pretty good idea about bottling at different times to compare flavorings. and i have to assume you used the granulated sugar. i was just wondering how that worked out. i used some DME in my first batch and i have some corn sugar for my second thats about to be bottled tomorrow. well good luck with brew.

-nick
 
mr jones said:
yeast is high in vitamin b and is good for you but i agree too much of a living thing is probably not a good thing. and in some subcultures (usually in germany) the yeast is served in the beer. But i think that was a pretty good idea about bottling at different times to compare flavorings. and i have to assume you used the granulated sugar. i was just wondering how that worked out. i used some DME in my first batch and i have some corn sugar for my second thats about to be bottled tomorrow. well good luck with brew.

-nick
Yes, I used the granulated cane sugar. I have yet to open the first bottle
It has been "ageing" for about three and a half weeks. I think I will wait until my
gut settles down before trying it out (I was gonna open it friday after work) .

I will keep you posted on how my stagered technique went.
:mug:
 
Anyone have an idea of how much additional fermenting time is required on average when substituting half the booster with honey?
 
So, I'm admittedly a n00b. And I have a Mr. Beer. Got me started.

I actually got to reading reviews to buy one for my sister-in-law and that got me interested... so then I decided to try the Mr. Brew to see if I like it.

So far, so good. I've bottled the Canadian Light (using a corn sugar syrup rather than table sugar) and I have the Sticky Wicket oatmeal stout and Whispering Wheat weizenbier in fermenter kegs. On both the last two I used liquid yeasts from White Labs... and there I experienced my first "explosive fermentation". Came home about 15 hours after I pitched the yeast to it foaming out of the wheat.

Anyone tell me what effect this will have on my beer? I didn't lose a lot of it... and I kinda figured that since it was all coming out, it wasn't letting anything in.

But I don't know...
 
I cracked open my first bottle tonight of Canadian High Country Ale that was included with my kit. I followed their instructions to the letter except for leaving it in the fermenter for 10 days and room temperature bottles for 10 days. I chilled the first one last night.

The carbonation and head on it is perfect. The color is that of a traditional American ale like from one of the big mass breweries. The taste is very good. Definitely not as good as some of my favorite microbrews, but superior to BMC in my opinion. I am very pleased with it!

Jason
 
Ive been sampling a few of my WCPA's after fridging them for a week (3 weeks bottle condition too) and they taste good although i would recommend against the mr beer directions with using granulated sugar for priming....definitely a cidery taste on the front end..

still better than BMC!!!! :mug: :mug:
 
Fire Me Boy! said:
So, I'm admittedly a n00b. And I have a Mr. Beer. Got me started.

I actually got to reading reviews to buy one for my sister-in-law and that got me interested... so then I decided to try the Mr. Brew to see if I like it.

So far, so good. I've bottled the Canadian Light (using a corn sugar syrup rather than table sugar) and I have the Sticky Wicket oatmeal stout and Whispering Wheat weizenbier in fermenter kegs. On both the last two I used liquid yeasts from White Labs... and there I experienced my first "explosive fermentation". Came home about 15 hours after I pitched the yeast to it foaming out of the wheat.

Anyone tell me what effect this will have on my beer? I didn't lose a lot of it... and I kinda figured that since it was all coming out, it wasn't letting anything in.

But I don't know...

It should be absolutely fine!
 
GloHoppa said:
Ive been sampling a few of my WCPA's after fridging them for a week (3 weeks bottle condition too) and they taste good although i would recommend against the mr beer directions with using granulated sugar for priming....definitely a cidery taste on the front end..

still better than BMC!!!! :mug: :mug:

Cider from the booster more than the gran sugar.
 
Fire Me Boy! said:
Anybody re-used the yeast cake from a Mr. Beer?

I'll be doing some more beer shortly and was debating re-using the yeast.

why chance it the mr. beer system is an open system and depending on how long after you bottle your brew and dump you new wort in you run a risk of infection. all mr. beer kits come with yeast in them from my understanding and if you are not using a kit dry yeast is cheap enough to where i would not risk it. i would take the extra time to clean out the keg and properly sanatize it.
 
Well SWMBO and I just tasted my frist brew the other night it was the WCPA kit that came with Mr. Beer and she liked it. She has given me permission to continue brewing. I can't wait till she tastes the Apfelwein i have going in the Mr. Beer right now.
:mug:
 
Fire Me Boy! said:
Anybody re-used the yeast cake from a Mr. Beer?

I'll be doing some more beer shortly and was debating re-using the yeast.

no, don't run the risk of infection and don't cheap out. That yeast is as good as spent.

Yeast is so cheap it's really not worth re-using, just buy more.
 
BraeHaus said:
no, don't run the risk of infection and don't cheap out. That yeast is as good as spent.

Yeast is so cheap it's really not worth re-using, just buy more.
I can understand that with the dry yeasts, but the two batches I have going are White Labs liquid yeasts.

But if there's an increased risk of infection because of the design of the Mr. Beer, that's another matter.
 
Fire Me Boy! said:
I can understand that with the dry yeasts, but the two batches I have going are White Labs liquid yeasts.

But if there's an increased risk of infection because of the design of the Mr. Beer, that's another matter.

if you pitched with liquid yeast the cost might be worth the try. people have brewed on top of the yeast cake before. if your sanitation was good to begin with and you have another wort ready to go right after you bottle the current batch then there is really little risk in it, but you beer might not turn out as good as expected or it might have an infection. i am just not sure how it would be in the open system of a mr. beer.
 
sflcowboy78 said:
if you pitched with liquid yeast the cost might be worth the try. people have brewed on top of the yeast cake before. if your sanitation was good to begin with and you have another wort ready to go right after you bottle the current batch then there is really little risk in it, but you beer might not turn out as good as expected or it might have an infection. i am just not sure how it would be in the open system of a mr. beer.
May not try it... not with a mix. I had a problem with explosive fermentation when I pitched the liquid yeast. I can't imagine it would be any better on top of the yeast. I understanding using the yeast cake will lead to very fast, vigorous fermentation.

That would probably be messy!

:D
 
Fire Me Boy! said:
May not try it... not with a mix. I had a problem with explosive fermentation when I pitched the liquid yeast. I can't imagine it would be any better on top of the yeast. I understanding using the yeast cake will lead to very fast, vigorous fermentation.

That would probably be messy!

:D

Don't screw the lid on tight!
5958-02a.jpg

5958-01a.jpg
 
I think I just took the next step to going full bore with this thing.

I just bought two 3-gal. glass carboys (I have two small Mr. Beer kegs)... was thinking about using them for batch priming, but now I'm thinking about using them as primary fermenters rather than the Mr. Beer kegs.

I like the idea of staying to smaller batches... I really like trying a lot of different beers, and while I like beer, I don't drink it all the time. I just like the flavor of homebrew better.
 
Fire Me Boy! said:
I think I just took the next step to going full bore with this thing.

I just bought two 3-gal. glass carboys (I have two small Mr. Beer kegs)... was thinking about using them for batch priming, but now I'm thinking about using them as primary fermenters rather than the Mr. Beer kegs.

I like the idea of staying to smaller batches... I really like trying a lot of different beers, and while I like beer, I don't drink it all the time. I just like the flavor of homebrew better.

Yeah carboys or ale pails work better than mr beer kegs, because you can always add a blow off tube if need be.
 
iamjonsharp said:
Yeah carboys or ale pails work better than mr beer kegs, because you can always add a blow off tube if need be.
Yeah, I'm going to start using the carboy for the primary fermenter, then use the Mr. Beer kegs for bottling.
 
I have a Mr Beer kit right now and I just bought a 5 gallon kit. Mr.beer is cheap and when they see it at Bed Bath and Beyond they think wow how easy. I thank Mr Beer because without it I might still be drinking Natural Light (I am a college student).
 
Stupid question, but I have been reading the post here and in the books about primary and secondary fermentation, transferring from one container to the other, flowing too fast when siphoning, etc.

Isn't the open top while transferring the beer from one container to the other bad for the beer, or at least provides a chance to contaminate it?

Or is it that if you let it aerate while transferring it that the beer can get screwed up?

I want to use a carboy for fermenting as Fire Me Boy said, then transfer over to the MRB keg as a secondary a few weeks before bottling. I was going to siphon it over, but was worried about contaminating the beer while the top was off the container.

Thanks.
 
After primary fermentation is over, you almost have to try to contaminate it with something that will cause a problem. Your much more likely to have a problem if the second vessel isn't properly sanitized. Also, the trick to making a good transfer is to avoid any and all splashing so as to avoid mixing oxygen into your brew.
 
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