Converting 5 Gallon to Mr. Beer Keg?

So I currently have some Mr. Beer kegs that I would like to continue to brew in for practice before I jump into buying more equipment and for the fact that I already have them. I have read around here that instead of jumping into All Grain I might be better off looking into Extract Recipes. Two questions regarding this:

1. Where do I find these extract recipes from and what are they exactly? Do recipes online specify a certain extract or do I find it as part of a kit online?

2. I went to my LHBS the other day and saw some Extract Kits (labeled as such) in there, but they were for 5-gallon recipes. Is it as easy as multiplying everything in the recipe by 0.4 or should I use those specifically for 5-gallon recipes only?

Thanks in advance for all your help!

Food grade buckets are pretty cheap.

Rick

Yes, extract recipes can be found online. They will note the color of the extract to be used. Multiplying a five gallon kit by 0.4 is as good a way to start as any. You can always adjust from there if the final beer turns out different than expected.

You can find extract recipes online as well as in books, magazines, etc. To answer your question of "what are they exactly", they're just the next incremental step up from Mr. Beer. Instead of taking hopped extract from a can and combining it with sugar (Mr. Beer), you'll use unhopped extract and maybe even some steeping grains, then boil your own hops in it. It's just a way of taking a little more control over your recipe and making something more homemade.

I agree with Shooter. Multiply all amounts by 0.4 to start, then change it up if the beer comes out different from expected.

So I was looking online and I found this and it sounds delicious: http://morebeer.com/view_product/18333/102178/American_Amber_Ale_-_Extract_Beer_Kit

If I were to do that Extract kit I would still boil for the same times listed with 0.4x the amount of ingerdients? I guess at $30 it can't hurt to try and it looks really delicious. I guess I will also be able to modify the hops on the second batch to something I might find more aromatic or taste a bit different.

Thanks again for all your help everyone - it is very, very much appreciated.

Yep. Keep the boil time and grain steep time (if using them) the same, just decrease all the quantities of ingredients.

The one thing I wouldn't automatically multiply by 0.4 is the amount of yeast. If you get liquid yeast, you should just pitch the entire vial/smack pack in your 2 gallons of wort because the amount of yeast you get isn't really enough for 5 gallons anyway. If you get dry yeast, you could weigh out half of the yeast packet, but extract kit dry yeast packets aren't always the freshest ... and it's so cheap I'd pitch the whole thing, personally.

shawnbou said:

Yep. Keep the boil time and grain steep time (if using them) the same, just decrease all the quantities of ingredients.

The one thing I wouldn't automatically multiply by 0.4 is the amount of yeast. If you get liquid yeast, you should just pitch the entire vial/smack pack in your 2 gallons of wort because the amount of yeast you get isn't really enough for 5 gallons anyway. If you get dry yeast, you could weigh out half of the yeast packet, but extract kit dry yeast packets aren't always the freshest ... and it's so cheap I'd pitch the whole thing, personally.

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So pitching the whole thing of dry yeast wouldn't be a bad idea?

Also do I just scale down the water by 0.4 as well?

I really like this idea as I pretty much get a test batch first then I can make modifications as I see fit with different hops, etc which I think is really cool.

My understanding is that those Mr Beer fermentors can handle 2.5 gallons. If so you could just split the kit between 2 fermentors.

Even if they can only handle 2.25 you could make it slightly stronger.

rodwha said:

My understanding is that those Mr Beer fermentors can handle 2.5 gallons. If so you could just split the kit between 2 fermentors.

Even if they can only handle 2.25 you could make it slightly stronger.

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Oh wow didn't think of that - that might be a LOT easier.

Just split the recipe and water in half and I should be okay?

Indeed.
But you'll need to confirm that it can handle 2.5 gallons of the gravity you'll be making. You don't want it spewing out of the top or bursting!

If you don't have a brew calculator there's one online that is free, which I use for now. Check out hopville.com and go to brew calculus. Make sure you enter the top off water so it adjusts the IBU's properly.

If you want you could even split it 3 ways into a total of 6 gallons, which would reduce the alcohol content and IBU's unless you complimented them or adjusted for it.

You could buy a little DME (Dry Malt Extract) and an ounce of the hops and give it the extra volume without changing the recipe too much.

I recently gave a friend a 5 gallon bucket to get him started (he has been doing Mr Beer for a few years) and since he isn't quite ready to try to create his own recipes I showed him some of the lower ABV beer kits, that when reduced to a 4-4.3 gallon batch from a 5 gallon it would bring the alcohol content up to a reasonable amount.

I would just recommend buying a food grade bucket. They are typically 15 bucks or less and its worth that small investment to save the hastle of cleaning up beer that you were hoping to drink.

I would too.
You could even get some for free from the bakery at your local grocery store. I now have several ~5.3 gal buckets for free! Took a while to clean out all of that icing...
It's easier to keep a bucket cool rather than a Mr Beer fermentor unless you won't use the spigot to drain out the beer from. Can't guarantee that it's all sanitary in a pool of water, and hard to sanitize when it's done.

CityOChampBrew said:

I would just recommend buying a food grade bucket. They are typically 15 bucks or less and its worth that small investment to save the hastle of cleaning up beer that you were hoping to drink.

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You mean instead of "overfilling" my Mr. Beer keg with 1/2 of a 5-gallon recipe?

Maybe that might not be a bad idea. I need to do more research into the proper equipment needed to brew 5-gallon recipes.

Is there a quick link I can read or a guide? I am assuming I am going to need more than 1 bucket as I read about Primary and Secondary, etc. As of right now all I know is to ferment in my Mr. Beer keg and then bottle from there - so definitely need to educate myself a lot more before I get deeper into this.

http://www.howtobrew.com/
A secondary isn't necessary with most styles.

You'll need 2 buckets. 1 is a fermentor and 1 has a spigot and is used for bottling. You'll need a lid with a grommet and airlock.
You'll need a siphon, a hydrometer, a thermometer (floating is nice) or two (one for your tub of water).
I use a reusable grain bag for steeping, and a colander for draining the grain and hop bags. A long spoon (metal is better). I use a whisk for aerating the wort. I have 2 scales. 1 for weighing very small amounts of hops and a large one for weighing extracts and grains. A storage container (fairly deep) to keep cool water in. A 2 qt container to make yeast starters in. I use an additional bucket for sanitizer. I also use my own measuring cup. It's best to keep things just for brewing with if possible. a 5 gal or larger pot.
http://morebeer.com/ has a lot of stuff at a good price and free shipping on large orders.

And when you gets to the siphon, I would suggest springing for an auto-siphon... I did and it made transferring from my carboy to the bottling bucket much easier.

Sorry...that's what I meant. It works quite well!
I have a 1/2" one, which may be a bit large, but it sure does go fast and certainly swirls the priming solution around!