Mr Beer - Read all about it and ask questions
- Thread starter Orfy
- Start date
Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:
soccerdude71
Active Member
soccerdude71
Active Member
Ha! I guess by looking at the end of the URL, this is the old one!! DUUUUURRRP!
Yeah, that's the *ahem* crappy one that comes with the kit. They used a locking spigot for a while that you see on things like slimlines, etc. but are moving towards a spigot that looks more like the one pictured a few posts back now (turns left to right).
The locking spigot and wand are a godsend for bottling. Well worth the few bucks.
The beauty of the wand, aside from preventing aerating the beer, is that you fill to the top of the bottle and when you pull the bottle down it leaves the perfect amount of head room.
Damn beer people are geniuses.
The locking spigot and wand are a godsend for bottling. Well worth the few bucks.
The beauty of the wand, aside from preventing aerating the beer, is that you fill to the top of the bottle and when you pull the bottle down it leaves the perfect amount of head room.
Damn beer people are geniuses.
soccerdude71
Active Member
Hello,
1)Has anyone used these?
2)How much to use per 1 liter MB PETs?
3)How did it turn out?
1)Has anyone used these?
2)How much to use per 1 liter MB PETs?
3)How did it turn out?
Many people have tried them with mixed feedback. Some love the ease, some hate that it's hard to customize the carb level.
Some say they leave a white ring in the bottle, others have no complaints at all.
Their site says 1 drop for 12 oz, and 1 liter = 33 ounces so you don't have an exact amount yous can use.
Some say they leave a white ring in the bottle, others have no complaints at all.
Their site says 1 drop for 12 oz, and 1 liter = 33 ounces so you don't have an exact amount yous can use.
soccerdude71
Active Member
I recieved the premimum gold edition Mr. Beer kit for Christmas, and started my first batch (American Classic) Blonde Ale, on the 29th of December. I did everything in the instructions to the letter, however, when I went to start the bottling process yesterday, I noticed the brew to be very cloudy with particles in it. Is this normal? Should I continue on with the bottling process or scratch the batch, and start over ?
petey_c
Senior Member
soccerdude, Rough guess-timate here, 2.25 gals (I know it's actually a hair under that) is about 8 liters. 8 * 2.5 = 20 carb drops. Dissolve in 1 cup of water, bring to a boil, let cool. Gently stir into Mr B.. Sanitize bottles and caps, wait 10 minutes or so, and bottle.
Brooski44, Mr B won't be perfectly clear, but will clear further after a few days in the fridge. Start bottling. As has been said before, a bottling wand is great tool to have. Pete
Brooski44, Mr B won't be perfectly clear, but will clear further after a few days in the fridge. Start bottling. As has been said before, a bottling wand is great tool to have. Pete
Highridin4x4
Member
Brooski44 said:
How long did you ferment it for the instructions say 7 days but from what I have read 14 days is ideal. Also cloudy beer I don't think is a bad thing I think the yeast is still working. But I am no expert yet I have just been reading alot. I would not toss it until you taste it in a few weeks. One thing I did here from a mr.beer podcast was nothing bad can live in the wort because of the alcohol and acid levels (except bad taste). I am sure if I am wrong someone with more experience will chime in and correct me.
Scott
Justibone
Well-Known Member
NEVER, EVER TOSS YOUR BEER UNTIL IT IS DONE.
If it is fully carbed, and you've cold-conditioned it in the fridge, taste it. Still bad? Cold-condition it a month. Still bad? Put it in the back of the closet for 6 more months. Still bad? You may finally toss it.
Unless you need the bottles, of course. Don't give up on your beer too early!
firebirdude
Well-Known Member
Are there any wands that will attach to the spigot the MrB keg comes with? If not, any tubing system that will attach without removing the spigot? I've got a batch brewing and can't remove the spigot obviously.
The wand will attach to the original spigot IIRC, but it's clunky to operate because you can't lock the spigot open. You could remove the spring on the bottom the wand so that you can control the flow from the spigot itself.
Alternatively you could get some 3/8" OD tubing to use as well. But, if you use the original spigot and pour down the side of the bottle you'll be fine until you get other stuff.
Alternatively you could get some 3/8" OD tubing to use as well. But, if you use the original spigot and pour down the side of the bottle you'll be fine until you get other stuff.
petey_c
Senior Member
Wouldn't he be better off using the tube like a cheap manual wand? Put the end of the tube (about 14" long) at the bottom of the bottle and let it fill from there? Once the beer is at a certain level there shouldn't be too much O2 added. Just thinking aloud...
so i have my mr beer kit, it's been fermentint, hopefully, for 7 days. i checked on it today and found a lot of white sediment in the bottom, almost looks like sugar but maybe the yeast. I know there's supposed to be some sediment.
my actual question is that how do I know if there's any activity going on? when looking at it there's no foam at the top and i didn't see any bubbles coming from the bottom. Is this batch a dead brew?
my actual question is that how do I know if there's any activity going on? when looking at it there's no foam at the top and i didn't see any bubbles coming from the bottom. Is this batch a dead brew?
firebirdude
Well-Known Member
Just in case any of the new owners missed the flier in their new kits.... register online and they'll send you a free brewing thermometer and sugar magnet.
Mr.Beer - beer kits, home brewing systems, and microbrewery supplies - Product Registration
I picked up a slimline water jug from WalMart yesterday (~$7.50). Think I'm going to use this as a bottling bucket.
Mr.Beer - beer kits, home brewing systems, and microbrewery supplies - Product Registration
I picked up a slimline water jug from WalMart yesterday (~$7.50). Think I'm going to use this as a bottling bucket.
Yes I actually fermented for 17 days. I think what the problem was that the average temp. Was too low it hovered around 66 to 69 degrees. I went ahead and bottled anayway so we will see in a couple of weeks!! Thanks for the advice!
Highridin4x4
Member
No problem. Like someone said after me never toss a beer just keep letting it sit and tasting it to see if it's getting better. This hobby is very addicting I just wen out and bought a second MrBeer kit because i had a gift card to a store that had nothing I wanted except for the MrBeer kit. So as of today I have a West Coast Pale Ale I just bottled and I will have Cowboy Golden Lager and a Blond Ale in the two brew kegs.
I think I have been bitten by the bug. Even though it is just some extract beer I find it fun. I think I don't have enought money for this hobby though.
Scott
I think I have been bitten by the bug. Even though it is just some extract beer I find it fun. I think I don't have enought money for this hobby though.
Scott
stevehardt
Well-Known Member
I just had a bottle bomb in my first batch of Mr. Beer. I followed the instructions for the West Coast Pale ale, let it ferment for 2 weeks, then bottled after very carefully measuring the stated amount of priming sugar. They have been in the bottle for about 11 days. I used the 1 liter PET bottle that came with the Mr. Beer kit. I have since moved the remaining 7 bottles to a "bomb cooler".
The beer does not appear to be infected (judging from the mess I just cleaned up. The bottle split at the seam on the bottom, which struck me as odd.
I was watching my temps very closely, and they were around 70-73 degrees.
A few questions:
1. What did I do wrong? I measured the priming sugar very carefully!
2. I did rotate the bottles after a week, which was 5 days ago. Could this have been the problem? Starting to think that this was not the smartest thing I've ever done...
3. Should I begin to refrigerate the rest of the bottles now?
4. I didnt have a hydrometer then..I do now and will never bottle again without getting a reading. But it looked done! (A lesson here)
5. Is it possible this was just a defect in the bottle?
Any advice you could provide would be greatly appreciated. I did a search of bottle bombs on this forum and still am unsure what could have happened.
Thanks for your help. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
The beer does not appear to be infected (judging from the mess I just cleaned up. The bottle split at the seam on the bottom, which struck me as odd.
I was watching my temps very closely, and they were around 70-73 degrees.
A few questions:
1. What did I do wrong? I measured the priming sugar very carefully!
2. I did rotate the bottles after a week, which was 5 days ago. Could this have been the problem? Starting to think that this was not the smartest thing I've ever done...
3. Should I begin to refrigerate the rest of the bottles now?
4. I didnt have a hydrometer then..I do now and will never bottle again without getting a reading. But it looked done! (A lesson here)
5. Is it possible this was just a defect in the bottle?
Any advice you could provide would be greatly appreciated. I did a search of bottle bombs on this forum and still am unsure what could have happened.
Thanks for your help. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
petey_c
Senior Member
It sounds like your fermentation wasn't done when you bottled. How long after brewing did you bottle? (Hydrometer would've helped a great deal.) Rotating the bottles shouldn't have impacted the beer that much. (If fermentaion was complete) Put the bottles in a cooler with some ice. This way if you have another BB it's in something with a cover (less to clean up). Quite possibly a defect in the bottle. I had a BB similar to yours where it split the bottom. That, I think, was due to Coopers carb drops.
stevehardt
Well-Known Member
I waited 14 days....lesson learned on the value of a hydrometer. Think I should throw it in the fridge, or maybe unsrew the caps to vent them?
stevehardt
Well-Known Member
Also looked at the bottom of the remaining 7 PET bottles. All had slight buldging on the bottle.
What do you think...time to unscrew then rescrew the caps or just throw them in the refrigerator?
What do you think...time to unscrew then rescrew the caps or just throw them in the refrigerator?
I recently did same kit. I let it ferment for 7 days (no hydrometer reading), primed, and tested it out in a week. Very flat. Waited 2 more weeks and its nicely fermented. So 4 weeks in total.
How much priming sugar did you use? Did you perhaps mix up teaspoons and tablespoons?
How much priming sugar did you use? Did you perhaps mix up teaspoons and tablespoons?
Anyone know what the specific information is for a mr beer setup to enter into the brew target software. For now that's my only rig so I'm looking at how to make recipes that size and I like tool. Hopefully can get it setup so I have lots of recipes to choose from when I move to a larger rig next year.
Frozer860
Active Member
Has anyone had a yeast cake that smelled like puke? I racked my beer into a bottling bucket and bottled after a 15 day fermentation. I smelled the cake and it was terrible!
Justibone
Well-Known Member
Also looked at the bottom of the remaining 7 PET bottles. All had slight buldging on the bottle.
What do you think...time to unscrew then rescrew the caps or just throw them in the refrigerator?
So, not a bottle defect.
I agree with the cooler idea. A lot easier to clean up.
Opening the lids will no doubt make them foam out, and you will lose half the beer. That eventuality is unavoidable now, though, so just make sure you do it in the sink or in the bathtub.
I don't know what happened, but clearly there was too much sugar in there when you bottled (either from incomplete fermentation or from your bottling sugar). I'm sorry, but you are not going to get to drink much of your batch.
Justibone
Well-Known Member
Someone said up the "Q" is 2.4 gallons. Use a measuring cup (hopefully a large one) and water yourself to be extra sure, though. Also, don't fill to the top unless you are confident you can handle a large kreusen (foam during fermentation).
Justibone
Well-Known Member
Justibone
Well-Known Member
Are some of them carbonating and not others? That's a sign of uneven sugar distribution.
Also, I think that the sugar should have dissolved! How much did you put in there? If you put the right amount in, did the original beer actually ferment? The only way beer should be so saturated with sugar that it doesn't dissolve is if the yeast never worked in the first place, I would think. That would, of course, be a bad thing.
Is it in a warm enough spot? Mid-70's is good. Mid-50's will result in no carbonation, IIRC. Mid-60's results in slow carbonation.
If you warm it up, wait another couple of weeks, and still nothing, you can buy champagne yeast at the brewstore and sprinkle a few grains into each bottle. Champagne yeast is very tough, and it can eat more complex sugars than beer yeast, so you may get slight overcarbonation. If that happens, and if you added too much sugar, you could potentially get bottle bombs... so storing it in a cooler or other waterproof container would be a good idea.
Obviously if it doesn't work the way it's supposed to, that's a bad thing.
petey_c
Senior Member
"Opening the lids will no doubt make them foam out, and you will lose half the beer."
Maybe not. Since you're using PET bottles, I was going to suggest after they cooled down a bit, crack one open a tad, just until you start to hear the hiss, but before it foams all over the place and close it back up. Try this several times over the course of a day or two and seen if the hiss/foaming gets less pronounced. That worked fairly well with my Coopers foamers. Those bottles were as hard as concrete (and the caps showed a little bulging). IMO, this is one of those cases where PET bottles are better than glass.
Maybe not. Since you're using PET bottles, I was going to suggest after they cooled down a bit, crack one open a tad, just until you start to hear the hiss, but before it foams all over the place and close it back up. Try this several times over the course of a day or two and seen if the hiss/foaming gets less pronounced. That worked fairly well with my Coopers foamers. Those bottles were as hard as concrete (and the caps showed a little bulging). IMO, this is one of those cases where PET bottles are better than glass.
Justibone
Well-Known Member
Holy Crap!! That never occurred to me! I have to agree, this is a definite advantage to PET bottles.
flushdrew42
Well-Known Member
Justibone & others...
my MrB WCPA batch will come to time to bottle on this upcoming saturday, and with my bucket fermenter already running, the tinkerer in me got to wondering.
can i cut the top of the MrB smooth so the "notches" are gone, and i can get an airtight seal, drill a hole, grommet it, and use an airlock? or at least be able to fit a blowoff tube? it seems this would be easier to contain/clean if i were to have an overvigorous fermentation...
thoughts?
my MrB WCPA batch will come to time to bottle on this upcoming saturday, and with my bucket fermenter already running, the tinkerer in me got to wondering.
can i cut the top of the MrB smooth so the "notches" are gone, and i can get an airtight seal, drill a hole, grommet it, and use an airlock? or at least be able to fit a blowoff tube? it seems this would be easier to contain/clean if i were to have an overvigorous fermentation...
thoughts?
Somebody measured their fermenter a long time ago and reported that, but apparently, there is some variance because recently some others have done measurements and come up with different volumes. I used to use 2.4 gallons when I'd plug numbers into qbrew and it worked for me, but if you want to be accurate, follow Justibone's advice and measure.
You could do that, or fill in the notches with something, but I don't think there's an advantage to doing that. I made about 100 batches in Mr Beer fermenters without modifying them and never had a problem. Personally, I think it would be more of a pain to clean an overflow if you have an airlock than with the current design.
Similar threads
