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Congrats on the new kit, and congrats on finding this place. :) And yes, now that you have found this place, I have no doubt that you'll upgrade quite soon.

Mine came with the West Coast Pale Ale kit, and it was pretty darn good (even though it all got consumed before it really had a chance to condition well). Not the best beer ever, but good beer...and beer I fermented. ;)

I'm gonna go ahead and tell you now: The instructions say let ferment for a week. Leave it at least two. You'll enjoy the results more. It says to let the bottles carb for a week. Again, at least two. More is preferable.

Check out the Wiki (link at the top of the page), check out the Hall o' Fame for some really good threads, and just read, read read.

Have fun, and welcome to your new obsession. :mug:
 
Orpheus said:
Having done a Mr. Beer kit once, here's some friendly advice to those who get one:

1) DO NOT use table sugar, as per the directions. You can actually make decent beer, but not with table sugar. If you are really broke or cheap get some corn sugar (aka dextrose) from your local homebrew store (or online like austin homebrew or northern brewer, etc.) Otherwise get more malt extract or, if in a pinch, just use two cans instead of one and skip the sugar altogether. Generally speaking more malt = better beer.

2) The bottling instructions advise you to pour dry sugar into a bottle and then bottle. Try this instead: calculate the total amount of sugar they're asking you to use for bottling. Boil up a cup of water and add the ENTIRE amount of sugar into the boiling water. Boil for 15 minutes. Let the boiling sugar solution cool for a bit and add the entire thing into your Mr. Beer and stir it very gently but thoroughly. Fill your sanitized bottles and cap.


I got supplies for my next batch from my LHBS, the ones for John Palmer's book's first recipe. Am I better off using the dried malt extract i have purchased for the carbonation instead of the table sugar suggested by the manual (or the corn sugar suggested by you) ? I am brewing the West Coast Pale ale from Mr. Beer and have Sparkling Amber DME.
 
jota said:
I got supplies for my next batch from my LHBS, the ones for John Palmer's book's first recipe. Am I better off using the dried malt extract i have purchased for the carbonation instead of the table sugar suggested by the manual (or the corn sugar suggested by you) ? I am brewing the West Coast Pale ale from Mr. Beer and have Sparkling Amber DME.
The malt extract will be fine, certainly better than table sugar, it will add a little bit more malt flavor to the beer though. Since Malt extract is ~55% fermentable as compared to Dextrose (100%) You will need about 2 times as much malt extract than you would use Dextrose/sugar. Some one please correct me if my numbers are off.
 
I think it's a waste to use DME for carbonation. Most everyone uses corn sugar with great results. I've used cane sugar often and can't tell the difference. Cane or corn sugars are only bad if used for a significant amount of the fermentables. The amount you add for carbing is negligible, for sure.

monk
 
Monk said:
I think it's a waste to use DME for carbonation. Most everyone uses corn sugar with great results. I've used cane sugar often and can't tell the difference. Cane or corn sugars are only bad if used for a significant amount of the fermentables. The amount you add for carbing is negligible, for sure.

monk

I agree with monk. it's silly to use DME for carbing. I prefer corn sugar, myself as it seems to affect the flavor the least, and most importantly, the yeast are quick to consume it, where that relatively small dash of DME takes a while to fully ferment. Plus DME is more expensive. Do yourself a BIG favor and make sure your bottles are at 70 degrees F for at least two weeks while carbing!!!! If you can, get them up to 75 degrees and you'll be golden. If you carb at around 65F, which is common this time of year, you can expect it to take as long as a month for full carbonation to take place. Many experienced brewers have been posting lately about carbing problems that turned out to be temperature problems. And don't think that a little flat is OK, because the extra sugar will make your beer taste really wierd. You have to let it finish carbing before it'll be any good. Oh, and KEEP READING, a resource like homebrewtalk.com is critical to your development as a brewer:)
 
Yet another n00b here. My bro got me a Mr. Beer for Xmas after SWMBO and I have been discussing getting a homebrew kit for a while (but we were too slow on pulling the trigger before my brother got me Mr. Beer)

I followed the instructions to a T that came with my kit, but now I'm regretting it. I should have bought some fresh yeasties to put in my tank, since it's been a week now, and there has only been a small bit of krausen on the top of my tank. I think I might have had it in too cold of a location, though, so I moved my tank on day 4 from a closet to the kitchen counter next to my stove (completely covered up so no light can hit it, though). We shall see, but at what point in time would I have to say fudge it and use this first batch as a learning experience?

I've already seen the limits of what Mr. Beer can do as compared to a good setup, and will be ordering a nicer starter setup from NB today to take advantage of their cheap shipping.
 
shafferpilot said:
I agree with monk. it's silly to use DME for carbing. I prefer corn sugar, myself as it seems to affect the flavor the least, and most importantly, the yeast are quick to consume it, where that relatively small dash of DME takes a while to fully ferment. Plus DME is more expensive. Do yourself a BIG favor and make sure your bottles are at 70 degrees F for at least two weeks while carbing!!!! If you can, get them up to 75 degrees and you'll be golden. If you carb at around 65F, which is common this time of year, you can expect it to take as long as a month for full carbonation to take place. Many experienced brewers have been posting lately about carbing problems that turned out to be temperature problems. And don't think that a little flat is OK, because the extra sugar will make your beer taste really wierd. You have to let it finish carbing before it'll be any good. Oh, and KEEP READING, a resource like homebrewtalk.com is critical to your development as a brewer:)

Thanks for the responses guys and i have a followup. I was going to try John Palmer's recipe for Cincinnati pale ale:
3-4 lbs. of Pale malt extract syrup, unhopped.
3 lbs. of Amber dry malt extract.
12 AAUs of Bittering Hop (any variety)
5 AAUs of Finishing Hop (Cascade or other)
3 packets of dried ale yeast

I bought the necessary supplies, and in preperation for the brew on sunday I reread the instructions. it said that I could add the DME for carbonation. if i add the sugar for carbonation instead should i add the DME to the wort or am i just not to use it at all?

thanks guys!
 
jota said:
Thanks for the responses guys and i have a followup. I was going to try John Palmer's recipe for Cincinnati pale ale:
3-4 lbs. of Pale malt extract syrup, unhopped.
3 lbs. of Amber dry malt extract.
12 AAUs of Bittering Hop (any variety)
5 AAUs of Finishing Hop (Cascade or other)
3 packets of dried ale yeast

I bought the necessary supplies, and in preperation for the brew on sunday I reread the instructions. it said that I could add the DME for carbonation. if i add the sugar for carbonation instead should i add the DME to the wort or am i just not to use it at all?

thanks guys!

This recipe should be followed just as above. When it's done and time to bottle, you would dissolved the corn sugar into two cups of boiling water and then add it to your bottling bucket. Then siphon your beer into it.
 
RedTickBeer said:
... but now I'm regretting it. I should have bought some fresh yeasties to put in my tank, since it's been a week now, and there has only been a small bit of krausen on the top of my tank.

I had the same situation. Today is Day 6 for my first batch in the Mr Beer.

I now think the extremely low (non existent) krausen in the Mr Beer is to be expected. First of all, the surface area for 'stuff' to collect in a Mr Beer is huge for 2.25 gallons of liquid. (Most 5 gallon carboys I've looked at pictures of have about the same or less surface area... for a batch 2.5 times bigger. Second, I think the yeast in Mr. Beer has probably been selected to be 'un-gross' and some krausens I have seen look like the stuff floating on top of a bowl of soup that you left sitting in the sink for a week. It could very well make extreme n00bs (Which those of us with Mr. Beers are) think it has gone bad when in fact it's normal.

Just my thoughts and observations

As far as my Mr Beer Batch is going... for the past day or so, the yeasties have been floating up and down, and it's begginning to clear a small bit. Tomorrow is Day 7, which means it is Day 1 for resisting the urge to bottle it up. I think I can 'stand' waiting an extra 3-5 days... I don't think I'm going to succeed in waiting a whole extra week to bottle it - Hehe

Thanks all

Kevin
 
Guess you're right Kev

I would follow Papazian's advice and relax and have a HB, but I don't have any yet.....

I think I will let it sit at least another week in the fermenter, then bottle it.
 
PS -
If it has been more than 3-4 days in the Mr Beer... and you want to 'prove' to yourself that the yeast has actually been working.... (I know I wanted to PROVE it to myself)

Shake the Mr. Beer. (Or push it back and forth on the counter rapidly)

By This time I had theorized that the Mr. Beer was full of CO2 and the beer was slightly carbonated.....

Sure enough it was... it developed a 1-2 inch head of foam which died down in about 3-5 minutes.... Proof positive that a significant amount of fermentation had been completed.

(I'll go ahead and warn against doing this on the day of bottling or racking - Give it a day or more to settle back down and clear before bottling)
 
Hello HBT! I registered because of this thread.

The wife bought me a Mr. Beer kit for Xmas 2006 but it took me until June to actually brew the California Ale. I thought it tasted pretty good but she was not impressed (she likes craft beers, hoorah!), and so we looked online for what was available and we ended up buying a More Flavor deluxe starter system. It took me three batches before I had something that was not only drinkable, but was excellent!

I'm now on batch #9 (a nut brown ale). Since June 07 I have accrued two 7 gallon and two 3 gallon carboys, 3 corny kegs, two 7.5 gallon brew kettles, a fermenting fridge with temp control, 4 cases of 22 oz bombers, one 2L flask, and a whole host of other supplies; I even cobbled together my own stirplate but sadly I managed to fry the power supply tonight dangit...). Currently there is a regular porter and a brown porter on tap in the keg fridge (had the keg fridge before all this) and a nut brown and an IPA fermenting in the "brew room" (spare bedroom :) ).

So Thank You, Mr. Beer for being the catalyst for this hobby. I've committed many noob mistakes but have still made great beer, and I'm still quite new to this sport but so far I've learned nearly everything I know from online forums such as this, plus the requisite "How to Brew" by John Palmer and "The Joy of home brewing" by Charlie Papazian.

Part of me still can't believe that I'm able to make something better than what I'd ordinarily buy at the local BevMo, and I still smile every time I pour a pint of home brew. I'm still brewing extract kits and I know that there's a whole other world of brewing once I start AG (it's inevitable) but for now I am incredibly happy doing this. Nothing beats the smell of a boiling kettle full of malt and hops.

Cheers all, and happy new year!
 
Like the poster above me, I also registered because of this thread. I've been talking about getting into home brewing for years, and have ventured into my local homebrew store twice now, but was sort of put off by the sheer volume of stuff in the store. After seeing someone earlier in the thread mention that their local CVS had a Mr. Beer kit on sale for half off, I told my wife that if ours had the same deal going, I was finally going to take the plunge.

Well, today I went to fill a prescription for my wife and lo and behold, there were three Mr. Beer kits left - so for the princely sum of $14.99, I am now the proud owner of a Mr. Beer kit and in a month or so, will finally be able to follow that sage advice: "relax and have a home brew". (I've owned Joy of Home Brewing for quite some time now, having picked it up for a quarter in a thrift store.)

Based on things I've read in this thread, I'll probably be going and buying yeast to maximize my Mr. Beer goodness. Any suggestions on brands, etc. are greatly appreciated.
 
nottingham yeast from danstar is a great all around yeast. flocculates well (clumps up and falls out of solution), contributes very little flavor added, good attenuation(a measure of how much wort sugars a yeast eats):rockin:


happy brewing
 
SoundGuyNick said:
Like the poster above me, I also registered because of this thread. I've been talking about getting into home brewing for years, and have ventured into my local homebrew store twice now, but was sort of put off by the sheer volume of stuff in the store. After seeing someone earlier in the thread mention that their local CVS had a Mr. Beer kit on sale for half off, I told my wife that if ours had the same deal going, I was finally going to take the plunge.

Well, today I went to fill a prescription for my wife and lo and behold, there were three Mr. Beer kits left - so for the princely sum of $14.99, I am now the proud owner of a Mr. Beer kit and in a month or so, will finally be able to follow that sage advice: "relax and have a home brew". (I've owned Joy of Home Brewing for quite some time now, having picked it up for a quarter in a thrift store.)

Based on things I've read in this thread, I'll probably be going and buying yeast to maximize my Mr. Beer goodness. Any suggestions on brands, etc. are greatly appreciated.
You can't go wrong at $14.99!
I would suggest Safale US-05 if you can get it. It is a very high quality dry yeast that ferments clean.
 
just took a sample since its been 7 days and i havent seen any krausen for at least 48 hours.

it is pale gold in color, with a very sweet aroma and slightly cloudy. the taste is very "budweiser-esque" (without the skunkiness thank god) albeit slightly sweeter.

it sounds like im right on target, correct? I figure since i cant take a hydrometer reading, i will let it sit for another 48 hours then bottle

does that sound good?
 
GloHoppa said:
just took a sample since its been 7 days and i havent seen any krausen for at least 48 hours.

it is pale gold in color, with a very sweet aroma and slightly cloudy. the taste is very "budweiser-esque" (without the skunkiness thank god) albeit slightly sweeter.

it sounds like im right on target, correct? I figure since i cant take a hydrometer reading, i will let it sit for another 48 hours then bottle

does that sound good?

Why no hydrometer?

9 days from pitching till bottling is pretty short. You can do it, but you face a higher risk of overcarbonation, and you'll also have a lot more sediment in the bottles than if you were to wait another week or two.
 
GloHoppa said:
just took a sample since its been 7 days and i havent seen any krausen for at least 48 hours.

it is pale gold in color, with a very sweet aroma and slightly cloudy. the taste is very "budweiser-esque" (without the skunkiness thank god) albeit slightly sweeter.

it sounds like im right on target, correct? I figure since i cant take a hydrometer reading, i will let it sit for another 48 hours then bottle

does that sound good?

That's a good plan. If you can stand to let it sit longer, you'll be rewarded with better brew in the end. If not, you'll still have very good brew, and if you compare to piss water like budwieser it will be very hard to imagine it being any better:) Congrats on the first batch. BTW after bottling be sure to keep the bottles warm enought (70 - 75 degrees, no less!!)
 
GloHoppa said:
just took a sample since its been 7 days and i havent seen any krausen for at least 48 hours.

it is pale gold in color, with a very sweet aroma and slightly cloudy. the taste is very "budweiser-esque" (without the skunkiness thank god) albeit slightly sweeter.

it sounds like im right on target, correct? I figure since i cant take a hydrometer reading, i will let it sit for another 48 hours then bottle

does that sound good?

Patience...

I let my Pale Ale sit for 14 days, then bottled it (letting it sit outside the fridge for another 7 days) then I'll be letting it sit in the fridge for another 7-14 days before tasting.

I figured I'll sample some that have been in the fridge for 7 days, and then sample some at 14 to note the differences...

Right now Mr.Beer is happily fermenting Apfelwein, which currently smells good!
 
I've had my mr.beer kit with brown cane sugar going since tuesday morning and I think its fermenting. whenever I open my closet I get that really great smell and i see bubbles on top of it.
 
Evan! said:
Why no hydrometer?

I only have a Mr. Beer kit (my real homebrew kit is being mailed from Midwest as we speak!:ban: ) and Mr. Beer isn't a fan of hydrometers..

As far as letting it sit, I think I will let it ferment another few days. I was going to bottle it before I went to NH for the debates/primary, but I'll just do them when I come back

thanks for the advice everyone!:mug:
 
BraeHaus said:
Patience...

I let my Pale Ale sit for 14 days, then bottled it (letting it sit outside the fridge for another 7 days) then I'll be letting it sit in the fridge for another 7-14 days before tasting.

I figured I'll sample some that have been in the fridge for 7 days, and then sample some at 14 to note the differences...

Right now Mr.Beer is happily fermenting Apfelwein, which currently smells good!

Putting them in the fridge and letting them sit won't do much good. Remember that carbonation needs the yeast to be active, and thus around 65-70 degrees. If you put them in the refrigerator that early, they are not likely to carbonate or mature well for that matter.
 
PseudoChef said:
Putting them in the fridge and letting them sit won't do much good. Remember that carbonation needs the yeast to be active, and thus around 65-70 degrees. If you put them in the refrigerator that early, they are not likely to carbonate or mature well for that matter.

so do you suggest letting them sit outside of the fridge for longer and only put them in the fridge to cool down before drinking?

I am one of those weird people that actually enjoy beer that is a little above room temp... ice cold beer doesn't do it for me.
 
Chilling stops the carbonation.
If you've primed correctly it will stop of it's own accord without chilling.
The only way to tell is to crack one or two and try.

Nothing wrong with warm beer, it's better than cold beer.
 
BraeHaus said:
so do you suggest letting them sit outside of the fridge for longer and only put them in the fridge to cool down before drinking?

I am one of those weird people that actually enjoy beer that is a little above room temp... ice cold beer doesn't do it for me.

I only chill for when I'm about to drink. Everything else sits at room temperature. I don't drink cold beer either. I also don't care about settling/chill haze.
 
HT_Installer said:
Thanks im going to read that tonight. It looks real good because i have been looking for something like that so i can use the clone i found for the yuengling but i dont understand any of it at this point. My goal is within a few months have enough info so that i can make this with success.

Beer's Name: Cumberland Brews\' Yuengling Clone Style: Ale (American Premium Lager)
Original Gravity: 1.116
Final Gravity: 1.029
Alcohol content: 11.47%
Calories (per 12 oz.): 390
Total IBU (Bitterness): 52
SRM (color): 30



Ingredients: (portions for a 5 gal. batch)
0.66 lbs. Dextrine malt (cara-pils) All grain
0.66 lbs. Dextrine malt (cara-pils) All grain
0.33 lbs. American crystal 10L All grain
0.33 lbs. American crystal 10L All grain
3.5 lbs. Amber Malt syrup
3.5 lbs. Amber Malt syrup
3 lbs. DME (Amber)
3 lbs. DME (Amber)
1 oz. Cascade (pellet% AA) Boil time 60 min.
1 oz. Cascade (pellet% AA) Boil time 60 min.
0.5 oz. Cascade (pellet% AA) Boil time 30 min.
0.5 oz. Cascade (pellet% AA) Boil time 30 min.
0.5 oz. Cascade (pellet% AA) Boil time 5 min.
0.5 oz. Cascade (pellet% AA) Boil time 5 min.
1 oz Irish Moss
1 oz Irish Moss
0.42 oz. Edme Ale Yeast Yeast (Ideal ferm. temp: 65-75°F)
0.42 oz. Edme Ale Yeast Yeast (Ideal ferm. temp: 65-75°F)
Directions:
Steep grains to 170-180 degrees F. Swish well & remove bag, allow to drain, DO NOT SQUEEZE BAG! Bring wort to boil and add extracts as normal. Boil time is 1 hour. Add hops as shown. Add Irish moss last 15 minutes of Boil.

Although this recipes is utilized to be fermented as an ale, it is called a \"Lager\" clone since it tastes darn near like Yuengling.

Keep in mind-
I don\'t know what is up with this recipe generator but CARA PILS should be grains.
The yeast should be 1 pack of SUPERIOR. I forget the weight of the yeast, but it is one pack.

Color should be closer to 9.08 °SRM (it\'s not nearly as dark as shown on this page)

here is a link if what i posted doesnt make sence.
http://www.homebrewhome.com/recipe.php?view_recipe=1&recipe=139&view=1

After some more digging i found what i was looking for....

http://homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=48466

:off: This recipe will be NOTHING like Yuengling.

First of all, it looks like someone double-entered every ingredient (1.116 OG?! 11.47% ABV ?:drunk: ). Second, Cascade hops are NOT what you want in this beer, unless you like your Yuengling with a shot of grapefruit juice.

Your best bet may be to order a kit, like Annapolis Homebrew's Pennsylvania Lager: http://www.annapolishomebrew.com/shoprecipekits103.asp

None of the other major online HBS seem to have a similar kit, but you might call them (or your LHBS) and ask them what they suggest.
 
My apologies if this has been answered before...

Through a stroke of weirdness I've ended up with two Mr. Beer kits! I'm going to be brewing the West Coast Pale Ale later today (probably with the recommended honey addition), but I'd really like to try the Apfelwein recipe I've seen in these forums. I know a lot of people use their Mr. Beers to brew that - can anyone give me the recipe scaled down to Mr. Beer size? Also, is there any difficulty in bottling the Apfelwein? Can it be served straight from the Mr. Beer or is that a terrible idea?
 
SoundGuyNick said:
My apologies if this has been answered before...

Through a stroke of weirdness I've ended up with two Mr. Beer kits! I'm going to be brewing the West Coast Pale Ale later today (probably with the recommended honey addition), but I'd really like to try the Apfelwein recipe I've seen in these forums. I know a lot of people use their Mr. Beers to brew that - can anyone give me the recipe scaled down to Mr. Beer size? Also, is there any difficulty in bottling the Apfelwein? Can it be served straight from the Mr. Beer or is that a terrible idea?

I've brewed the apfelwein in the mr. beer and served straight out of it, no problem. It is probably better tasting if you were to let it condition for a while, in bottles or something, but it's do-able.

You may want to simply use both Mr. Beer pale ale cans in one brew. The pale ale they make is not very hoppy to begin with, and not very high alcohol. I've done this and it came out nice. The reason I suggest this, is that honey usually takes longer to ferment, and leaves no unfermentable sugars behind. So the mouthfeel of the resultant beer will be much thinner and have a particular flavor in it. (I don't really like that flavor myself.) Just another option for you.
Good luck!
monk
 
Jamil the Author, podcaster and award winning home brew was sat between Jonn Palmer and Charlie Papazian signing books and thkinging.

"How did I get here from Mr Beer!!!"

He and many others started with Mr Beer.
(So did I)
 
here's a dumb question, I've let my wort ferment for 2 weeks, put the suggested amount of sugar in the bottles and bottled the entire brew in all 8 bottles.

the bottles have sat outside the fridge for a week, when opened the carbonation was perfect, however the beer was sweet, in fact, very sweet...

should I just let them sit for longer?
 
BraeHaus said:
here's a dumb question, I've let my wort ferment for 2 weeks, put the suggested amount of sugar in the bottles and bottled the entire brew in all 8 bottles.

the bottles have sat outside the fridge for a week, when opened the carbonation was perfect, however the beer was sweet, in fact, very sweet...

should I just let them sit for longer?

YES!! And while you're at it, get them warmer. Most houses stay in the mid 60's in wintertime, and that is too cold for ale yeast. They want 70F at a minimum. From my limited experience, carbonation takes 1 week at 75F, 2 weeks at 70F, 3.5 weeks at 65F, and as much as 2 months at 63F. That's just how it works. Move those bottles into the kitchen and in a couple days, they'll have great carbonation and the wierd sweetness will disapear.... it's like magic.;)
 
shafferpilot said:
YES!! And while you're at it, get them warmer. Most houses stay in the mid 60's in wintertime, and that is too cold for ale yeast. They want 70F at a minimum. From my limited experience, carbonation takes 1 week at 75F, 2 weeks at 70F, 3.5 weeks at 65F, and as much as 2 months at 63F. That's just how it works. Move those bottles into the kitchen and in a couple days, they'll have great carbonation and the wierd sweetness will disapear.... it's like magic.;)

well then, i think i'm going to move the beer into the closet under the stairs, our townhouse's heater is in there and the closet stays a nice 75-80F... i'll make sure to put them in the far corner away from the heater itself where i've got a constant temp read of around 76F....

in the summer this very corner stays very cool, around 68F-72F and is a perfect spot for my cigars, i've been monitoring this spot for months anyway... :rockin:
 
well i just got a mr. beer for xmas. i started brewing my first batch on new years day (would have started it sooner but had family in town and no time) the mix it came with is WPA. it has been 7 days now and according to the directions it is looking like all is going well my yeast is already settled and the beer is starting to clear out. i am gonna give it another 5 days till i bottle it. from what i have been reading it sounds like longer is better. i am already planning to try a chocolate beer on my next batch. both my fiance and i like young's double choclate does any one have any suggestions for a clone to this. the mr beer help line suggests using their oatmeal stout with unprocessed coco powder. also down the road i would like to try to make a milk stout. any advise would be appreciated.

thanks :mug:
 
Just looked at them again. They are at CVS and I tend to spend some time there (since I'm downing 21 *$@*#@*! pills a day). I can certainly see how it is very appealing and tempting to buy. Looks pretty simple.
 
sflcowboy78 said:
well i just got a mr. beer for xmas. i started brewing my first batch on new years day (would have started it sooner but had family in town and no time) the mix it came with is WPA. it has been 7 days now and according to the directions it is looking like all is going well my yeast is already settled and the beer is starting to clear out. i am gonna give it another 5 days till i bottle it. from what i have been reading it sounds like longer is better. i am already planning to try a chocolate beer on my next batch. both my fiance and i like young's double choclate does any one have any suggestions for a clone to this. the mr beer help line suggests using their oatmeal stout with unprocessed coco powder. also down the road i would like to try to make a milk stout. any advise would be appreciated.

thanks :mug:

Don't blindly add cocoa powder to beer. It doesn't turn out the way you would think it should. The chocolate TASTE in beer actually comes from a type of Barley malt that is called chocolate because it has been cooked under very specific conditions to create that flavour. Real chocolate is partially fermented by the yeast and results in a VERY bitter chocolate flavour. Look around in the Recipe Forum here at HBT and I'm sure you'll find a recipe or two to your liking. If you need a recipe converted from all-grain style to extract style, just post that in it's own thread and I'm sure we'll find someone who can do that for you:)
 
shafferpilot said:
Don't blindly add cocoa powder to beer. It doesn't turn out the way you would think it should. The chocolate TASTE in beer actually comes from a type of Barley malt that is called chocolate because it has been cooked under very specific conditions to create that flavour. Real chocolate is partially fermented by the yeast and results in a VERY bitter chocolate flavour. Look around in the Recipe Forum here at HBT and I'm sure you'll find a recipe or two to your liking. If you need a recipe converted from all-grain style to extract style, just post that in it's own thread and I'm sure we'll find someone who can do that for you:)


thank you when i am ready i will look more into it. i still have not even bottled my first batch yet
 
Finally bottled today. (I pitched 12/26) So that means I fought the urge and waited 13 days (almost to the hour!) to bottle (since I don't have a hydrometer..but its in the mail) and reduce the risk of bottle bombs

I managed to have about two glasses of brew on top of the sediment that I poured after I filled my bottles.

n114500262_30674173_8786.jpg


This is me enjoying my handiwork..

Im thinking of leaving these to warm condition for a couple weeks and then open em up around Super Bowl...does that make sense as far as timing?

PS beer tastes really good, thanks to all you who said to wait on the fermentation. I wish that i could have boiled some hops in the wort or dry hopped it.. that my only problem with this is that it has little hop flavors..

So how easy is it to get a batch of Apfelwein started?
 
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