Mr Beer - Read all about it and ask questions

Just wanted to add that ScrewyBrewer has a great recipe calculator on his website you can download free of charge that has all of the Mr. Beer HMEs in the database so you can formulate recipes for Mr. Beer ingredients, as well as a lot of other fermentables and adjuncts.

after hearing everyone talk about how they started with this, I think that's how I'm going to start. I just have a couple questions though. the only place I can set up (immediately) is about 45-55 F. is that too cold for the fermentation to work? (I live in an old house, and am pretty cheap, so I just wear a sweatshirt.)

(I realize mr beer isn't the best kit ever, but I want to try home brewing, and if I like it, I will eventually pick up a 5-gal setup.)

That would probably be a bit too cold for the ale yeast to maintain fermentation but rigging up something to keep the fermenter closer to required temps isn't too difficult.

I'd say the room I have my fermenters in is maybe even slightly colder than 45 so what I've got right now is an electric blanket, with variable controller, around the bucket, inside a plastic box, with an old duvet thrown over the top and wrapped around. The blanket controller is on low setting. Managing to maintain a constant 64 -66 F with that set-up. There are loads of other ways for making fermentation chambers and such out of various household items, check out the DIY section.

primehunter14 said:

after hearing everyone talk about how they started with this, I think that's how I'm going to start. I just have a couple questions though. the only place I can set up (immediately) is about 45-55 F. is that too cold for the fermentation to work? (I live in an old house, and am pretty cheap, so I just wear a sweatshirt.)

(I realize mr beer isn't the best kit ever, but I want to try home brewing, and if I like it, I will eventually pick up a 5-gal setup.)

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Given your temps (as they are without doing anything else) I'd suggest you start with a lager as that's cold for ale's. I've not attempted any lagers but others can chime in here to assist.

Ogri said:

If you used only the Mr. Beer yeast, that is in the lid of the cans, its ideal fermentation temps are listed as being from 68 to 76 Deg F so ambient temps of mid 60s, or slightly lower, should see you right. If you keep it down at the lower end for the first 4 or 5 days then bring the temp up a little so it's close to 70-72 for another couple of weeks you should get great results. If you can get hold of a brewometer/fermometer (stick on thermometer) to put on your keg and monitor temps from that it'll help to stay close to optimum range.

The American Devil IPA is a highly recommendable kit. Did one as my second batch, back in Mid September, and everyone that sampled some was really impressed (tweaked the recipe a bit by adding a half pack of booster to the two cans HME plus 500gr of Morgans enhancer {basically a Light Liquid Malt Extract}) Just finished my last bottle of it two nights ago and it was spot on.

Try to go three weeks in the fermenter, three weeks in the bottle at about 70 Deg F then chill in the fridge for at least a couple of days, definitely better if longer, and I guarantee you'll be blown away by your own beer.

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Awesome, thanks for chiming in! The stick on thermometer you're mentioning, is it as simple as one of these: LCD Stick On Thermometer

I have a stick on thermometor on both of my mrbeer kegs. Easy to read.

Also, my first beer is complete! Definetly got better with age. Now I have the cherry wheat and brew ha ha bock. Also, with my five gallon setup, I have an Irish Red going. Making the plunge into the 5gal setup is pretty fun! Next up on the MrBeer kegs will be "May the shwarts be with you" and "wicked monk". Next on the 5gal is an east coast pale ale. I love this hobby!

RTPalmer said:

I have a stick on thermometor on both of my mrbeer kegs. Easy to read.

Also, my first beer is complete! Definetly got better with age. Now I have the cherry wheat and brew ha ha bock. Also, with my five gallon setup, I have an Irish Red going. Making the plunge into the 5gal setup is pretty fun! Next up on the MrBeer kegs will be "May the shwarts be with you" and "wicked monk". Next on the 5gal is an east coast pale ale. I love this hobby!

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Awesome, let us know how it turns out - I am only a few days into my first batch, and already getting itch to try it. I will be patient though...

HooniverseJeff said:

Awesome, thanks for chiming in! The stick on thermometer you're mentioning, is it as simple as one of these: LCD Stick On Thermometer

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Yes. That should be fine for sticking on the outside of the keg, although it looks like a vertically read one the Mr. Beer ones are probably shorter and stuck on/read horizontally so you might want to stick that one on horizontally, just below the level of the beer.

HooniverseJeff, it might be advisable to invest in another fermenter, Mr. Beer or otherwise, and get another batch going as it'll alleviate some of the angst and inquisitive urges that might make you lose patience, rush the batch to bottle and generally deter you from allowing possibly the most important condition for achieving good beer, namely, TIME.

Ogri said:

Yes. That should be fine for sticking on the outside of the keg, although it looks like a vertically read one the Mr. Beer ones are probably shorter and stuck on/read horizontally so you might want to stick that one on horizontally, just below the level of the beer.

HooniverseJeff, it might be advisable to invest in another fermenter, Mr. Beer or otherwise, and get another batch going as it'll alleviate some of the angst and inquisitive urges that might make you lose patience, rush the batch to bottle and generally deter you from allowing possibly the most important condition for achieving good beer, namely, TIME.

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Good suggestions, instead I am going to have a friend start a batch so he can learn as well... this way, we can share beers and not lose patience. Also, research is helping to quell any desire to have at my beer too early. Good advice though

Two more nOOb questions...

If one is using corn sugar instead of table sugar to bottle, how do you calculate how much corn sugar to put in?

What is the easiest way to tweak up the ABV level in the Mr Beer kits? Is there anything that can be done easily to kick it up just a notch, other than buy the higher ABV Mr Beer kits?

I'm not looking to go crazy here, but I was wondering.

Thanks to everyone in this forum for sharing their knowledge. This is by far one of the coolest and most helpful forums I've worked with.

The difference in priming with dextrose or table sugar is too small to measure at the bottle level. Use the same.

The best way to up the ABV is to add pound of DME in place of the booster or with it. Replacing the booster would be around 4.5 ABV, with the booster it's closer to 6%. With the higher ABV you may need to add hops to get a better balanced beer and then you'd need to do a real boil. The 2 grams of yeast included is not really enough for a strong beer either. So I suggest just replacing the booster.

would the dextrose and table sugar be the same amount even when bottling in liter bottles?

Thanks again!

You can calculate it (by weight) here.
TastyBrew.com | Homebrewing Calculators | Botting Priming Calculator
It shows .2 oz for corn or cane sugar per liter at 70F for 2.5 volumes.

Hi Everyone,

I have my first batch in the MB keg and am already thinking about the next batch... And suggestions for a Shock-Top??

I just got a Mr. Beer kit and I plan on brewing my first batch. I've been reading this board for a few days and you guys are tremendous.

Believe it or not, I don't have a 3 qt pot or 1 gallon container required for the Mr. Beer process. I am saving PET bottles for the first brew.
My question is, is there anything else I need or should buy? I have a feeling I will be upgrading to a new system after a batch or 2, but I want to try the basics first. Is there anything I should get that will help my Mr. Beer kit, as well as being useful in a new set up? Would a bigger pot or container be useful? Thanks.

For the question about sugar, look for priming sugar calculator. It basically goes by gallons so you will be set there. And as for boosting abv, go to your local brew store and buy a pound of dry malt extract. I did that and it brought up my abv by about 1.2%. Hope this helps!

soccerdude71 said:

Hi Everyone,

I have my first batch in the MB keg and am already thinking about the next batch... And suggestions for a Shock-Top??

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It depends on what kinds of beer you like. I highly recommend the American Devil IPA, Sticky wicket oatmeal stout or any of the premium kits.

Or, you might like some of the recipes on the Mr. Beer site. Using some of the standard, deluxe, premium refills and adding Liquid Malt Extracts and/or Dry Malt Extracts bought from your LHBS will make things cheaper than buying the whole recipe from MB. This might be right for you

FreshZ,

I've done around 17 batches, both Mr beer sized and 5 or 6 gallon batches. All starting in a 1.25 gallon pot. I'm going to get a proper, bigger brew kettle in the next few days because I know I'm in it for the long haul, having so much fun brewing and drinking my own beer, so the 1.25 gallon pot was already used yesterday to make a batch of Chili. Start small/inexpensive, see if this hobby is for you, then decide what your brewing goals are and gradually build your ideal set-up to achieve those goals.

You really should get a hydrometer, an invaluable accessory for brewing.

Cheers and welcome to the hobby/addiction

royal1911 said:

I made a 2 gallon batch with the High Country Canadian Draft (HCCD), 1lb of DME, 1 pack of booster, and 1 oz Cascade Hops. I added all the ingredients and boiled for 30 minutes. I added the hops at 15 minutes. I used a half pack S05 yeast and it went nuts! It has been 9 days now. I tasted a little when taking a hydrometer reading and it wasn't very hoppy. I'm thinking about dry hopping 1/2 oz or more of Citra hops for another 2 weeks.

I something similar a few months back. It was a Mr Beer recipe called Bengal Tiger IPA. I only used 1 oz of Cascade and it turned out great when it was ready. I'm hoping for something similar with the can of HCCD.

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Wow! I fermented this for 10 days and racked to a secondary for 10 days. I dry hopped the secondary with a 1/2 oz of Citra Hops. I kegged it on 12/26 with 1 tsp of gelatin. I carbed the keg at 30 psi for 1 day and 10 psi for 4 days. It's perfectly clear and perfectly carbonated at 5 days in the keg.

This is hands down the best batch I've ever brewed, and that includes 4 all grain batches! This would hold its own with any commercial beer.

soccerdude71 said:

Hi Everyone,

I have my first batch in the MB keg and am already thinking about the next batch... And suggestions for a Shock-Top??

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I have a suggestion for a next beer that may be in the style you like but it's not nearly a Shock-Top clone. Try the Wicked Monk. I used White Labs Belgain Wit yeast and 1 lb of lighr DME instead of the booster. It was tremendous. Came in at about 7% ABV. VERY tasty.

If you're willing to go totally out of Shock-Top style try the Scottish Wee Heavy. Again I used a White Labs yeast (highly recommend upgrading over the Mr.B provided yeast). Used WLP028 Edinburg Scottish Ale yeast, used 1 lb of amber DME, used 1/2 pack of booster & up'd the amount of butterscotch schnaaps to about 4-5 tbsp. ABV = ~ 6.5%. Here's a picture:

If you want a Shock Top type of beer, keep in mind:

1) it will not taste the same... maybe similar, but not the same.
2) a Blue Moon clone recipe will get you in that neck of the woods.

Cheers!

FreshZ said:

I just got a Mr. Beer kit and I plan on brewing my first batch. I've been reading this board for a few days and you guys are tremendous.

Believe it or not, I don't have a 3 qt pot or 1 gallon container required for the Mr. Beer process. I am saving PET bottles for the first brew.
My question is, is there anything else I need or should buy? I have a feeling I will be upgrading to a new system after a batch or 2, but I want to try the basics first. Is there anything I should get that will help my Mr. Beer kit, as well as being useful in a new set up? Would a bigger pot or container be useful? Thanks.

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A good sized chili pot is a good investment.

As for other helpful things:
1) a hydrometer
2) an airlock (you have to modify the MrB keg to use it, but there are ways to do that if you search around)
3) a grain bag (re-useable nylon bag you can soak grains in)
4) a hops bag (keep separate from the grain bag)
5) glass bottles and a capper (you can save non-screw-on bottles yourself - I use a lot of Sam Adams bottles - and the wing capper + caps is pretty reasonably priced)
6) Irish moss/whirlfloc
7) Fermcap-S/silicone anti-foaming agent
8) Kreamyx/head enhancer
9) Fermentation chamber
10) Pre-made carbonation tabs
11) a bottling bucket
12) a large thermos (2-3 gallon, for mashing, if you do partial mash)
13) thermometers of various types
14) a refractometer
15) a five-gallon set up, but only if you go through your beer too fast
16) a dedicated beer fridge

17) ...and a dirndl for your wife to wear.
oktoberfest dirndl: oktoberfest dirndl

These are all just nice to have. The MrB is actually self-contained, except for the pot, but over time if you are into making your own beer, you will collect a lot of this stuff for Christmas and birthdays and whatnot.

(I'm still waiting for 17... )

LMAO, Justibone That is too funny.

Thanks for a helpful list too!

So I have a question. What does Irish moss/whirflok do? I actually gotta ask my local brew supply guy a question because this second kit he put together for me when he was drenking and put 3 tabs in the kit for a 5gal setup, Haha. Pretty sure the other two are extra but I don't know. But yea, what do these tabs do anywho?

RTPalmer said:

So I have a question. What does Irish moss/whirflok do? I actually gotta ask my local brew supply guy a question because this second kit he put together for me when he was drenking and put 3 tabs in the kit for a 5gal setup, Haha. Pretty sure the other two are extra but I don't know. But yea, what do these tabs do anywho?

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It's a clarifyer(SP)

I think Mr Beer is a mixed bag. My first kit was the advise of my local HBS. I started with zero experiance and 150.00$, bought a bucket and a cooper draught LME kit. the beer was bland and had no head retention...I don't think I spelt that right, but anyway I knew what good beer tasted like and just started reading. my next batch was a mac&jack clone with steped grains and DME and OMG killer beer.

I don't know about Mr Beer, but I'll bet that it wouldn't come close to the quality of something made with a partial or AG.

Happy new year everyone. My first batch has been in the LBF for a week. I have no problem waiting as long as it takes...
The temp here in southern cal has been pretty unseasonably warm, and the temp around the LBF is around 68-75. If I understand correctly, this is probably going to cause a change in expected flavor, but do you think I should stop the fermentation earlier than I planned (was planning 2 weeks)?

soccerdude71 said:

Happy new year everyone. My first batch has been in the LBF for a week. I have no problem waiting as long as it takes...
The temp here in southern cal has been pretty unseasonably warm, and the temp around the LBF is around 68-75. If I understand correctly, this is probably going to cause a change in expected flavor, but do you think I should stop the fermentation earlier than I planned (was planning 2 weeks)?

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Fellow SoCal resident here, but I am closer to the beach... so temps are a tad cooler. I'm leaving my beer in primary for 21 days.

Bottling with Mr Beer question...

All I have right now is the Mr Beer kit and the eight 1-liter bottles. I am considering running out and grabbing an auto siphon, bottling bucket and bottle filler as it seems like those tools make life easier...

Is it worth it to grab that equipment and use it in conjunction with the Mr Beer kit? If I get all that, I will also then prime the whole batch in the bottling bucket, rather than via each bottle as the kit suggests.

Is this a good way to proceed? I'm about 2 weeks away from bottling... Jan 9th will be 14 days, but I think I want to push it out to 21 days.

Bulk priming is defiantly a better way. You can bottle one at a time. I often do. But for 2 gallons I use my bottling bucket. You will probably want a scale to weigh out your priming sugar too.

I had never heard of Mr. Beer before joining this website.

jafty said:

I think Mr Beer is a mixed bag. My first kit was the advise of my local HBS. I started with zero experiance and 150.00$, bought a bucket and a cooper draught LME kit. the beer was bland and had no head retention...I don't think I spelt that right, but anyway I knew what good beer tasted like and just started reading. my next batch was a mac&jack clone with steped grains and DME and OMG killer beer.

I don't know about Mr Beer, but I'll bet that it wouldn't come close to the quality of something made with a partial or AG.

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It doesn't. Sounds like you had a $150 Mr. Beer kit. Still, the Mr. Beer is an amazing gateway drug and ultimately makes decent beer with minimal effort! It's always $30 well spent. It's what got me hooked on the idea of brewing the beer I drink.

Any thoughts on fermenting in a bit warmer temps? ^^

jafty said:

I don't know about Mr Beer, but I'll bet that it wouldn't come close to the quality of something made with a partial or AG.

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Very, very good beer (even award-winning!) can be made with MrB. It just takes a little more knowledge and more advanced recipes. If you make their basic beers, they will not turn out as well as craft beer, but remember: the brewer makes the beer and you improve with every batch.

Adding a bit of steeped or mashed grain goes a long way, as do fresh hops... but don't be down on MrB unless you've really given it a chance.

RTPalmer said:

So I have a question. What does Irish moss/whirflok do? I actually gotta ask my local brew supply guy a question because this second kit he put together for me when he was drenking and put 3 tabs in the kit for a 5gal setup, Haha. Pretty sure the other two are extra but I don't know. But yea, what do these tabs do anywho?

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They are used to attract proteins and pull them out of the wort (which instantly becomes "beer" when yeast are added). It's made from seaweed, not moss, and whirlfloc is just a purified and pre-measured version of it. It doesn't affect the flavor, only the clarity. One tab is sufficient, but more don't do any harm. Light colored beers (American lagers, IPAs, cream ales, etc) benefit, but IMO it's a total waste in wheat beers and in dark beers (like porters or stouts).

So, what the other guy said, just with more explanation.

soccerdude71 said:

Happy new year everyone. My first batch has been in the LBF for a week. I have no problem waiting as long as it takes...
The temp here in southern cal has been pretty unseasonably warm, and the temp around the LBF is around 68-75. If I understand correctly, this is probably going to cause a change in expected flavor, but do you think I should stop the fermentation earlier than I planned (was planning 2 weeks)?

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Warmer = faster fermentation, usually.

I'd say you should leave it a bit longer to be sure, though. If you had a hydrometer, you could use that to check, but if you don't its better to be patient and avoid overcarbonation from hurrying it, and thereby leaving unfermented primary fermentation sugars in there.

soccerdude71 said:

Any thoughts on fermenting in a bit warmer temps? ^^

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Sorry you got lost in the shuffle! I answered you, but in the future if you don't get an answer here, you can always post in the beer-brewing newbie forum. People are pretty good at answering threads there. Since yours was not a Mr Beer specific question, if you were 1) succinct and 2) humble, you'd get a fast and generous and most of all educational answer over there.

You don't have to stay in this thread only if you are using Mr Beer!

Made my first batch yesterday. I used 2 HME's and no booster. I can't wait.

After reading the instructions and "how to brew", I was wondering about boiling. Since I had no booster, I basically just boiled water, then added the HME. Did I even need to do that or is it still good for sanitation purposes?

Another question. I have 1 more HME and 3 packs of booster. Could I use 2 or more packs of booster in 1 batch with 1 can of HME? Is this going to bring down the flavor or otherwise ruin the beer? Thanks.

Justibone said:

They are used to attract proteins and pull them out of the wort (which instantly becomes "beer" when yeast are added). It's made from seaweed, not moss, and whirlfloc is just a purified and pre-measured version of it. It doesn't affect the flavor, only the clarity. One tab is sufficient, but more don't do any harm. Light colored beers (American lagers, IPAs, cream ales, etc) benefit, but IMO it's a total waste in wheat beers and in dark beers (like porters or stouts).

So, what the other guy said, just with more explanation.

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So a follow up question, thanks a bunch for answering previous question btw. I used a tab of the whirfloc in my first 5gal batch, a red, and I was told it was okay to not filter while putting the wort into the primary, justification being in that it will settle into the yeast cake. I'll be racking the primary into the secondary this week. Your opinion on filter/no filter?

Kettle finings like Irish moss and Whirfloc have little effect on extract brews simply because most of the proteins they work on have already been removed when the extract was manufactured. It sure dosen't hurt anything though.

FreshZ said:

Another question. I have 1 more HME and 3 packs of booster. Could I use 2 or more packs of booster in 1 batch with 1 can of HME? Is this going to bring down the flavor or otherwise ruin the beer? Thanks.

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CAN you? Yes.
SHOULD you? No.

You want your alcohol from adjuncts to be no more than 1/3 of your total, so you would have a 2:1 ratio of adjunct to malt. That would make for a thin, cidery beer that you would NOT want. Even the basic MrB recipes/refills are 1:1 and they are a bit thin. You could easily use a bag with two HMEs or a HME+UME+Booster, though.