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Hey, guys I guess an apology is in order. It's like meeting the inlaws for the first time. I guess what I meant to say is I was turned away from Mr Beer by my LHBS and I knew that I was going to get much deeper into this than the kit offered, but I never used it so I guess I'll never know. Sorry again.:eek:
 
FreshZ said:
I bottled my first beer this weekend (a no booster 2 cans of HME mix). I then made some Apfelwein in the MrB. It looks like that takes about a month to ferment and I'm hooked. I'm going to buy the #2 kit from Midwest Brewing. It has a 5 gallon carboy and 2 6.5 gallon buckets plus assorted other stuff.
Any suggestions on my next brew? Something reasonably easy/cheap, but a step up from the Mr. Beer pre-hopped?
Should I buy one of the ingredient kits or are they of lower quality like the Mr. Beer?
Any help would be appreciated.
Click to expand...
A good direction to go is probably an extract kit with steeping grains and hop boil. I bought a number of 5 gallon extract kits from a few different places and they made good to great beer. Trying a number of different styles will give you some idea about hop additions.

I took a look at Midwest and saw they have both full hop boil with steeping grain kits and "20 minute boil kits". Take a look at the difference of the ingredients. The "20 minute" kits have a can of Munton's HME with some added extract and short hop boil.

Take a look at some other sites with extract recipes if you like.
 
Just tried my first batch from the MR B, the standard West Coast Pale Ale. It is nicely carbed after 10 days but a little green yet. I expected that, but I just couldn't stand to wait any longer! I was still very happy with the end result and very anxious to try the Whispering Wheat I have going now that I added a lb of wheat DME to. Since the carbing seems to be good, I was wondering if anyone has experience with room temp conditioning vs, conditioning in the fridge as far as best taste goes?
 
OClairBrew, I normally condition my beers in the fridge. I have seen that it is common to do room temp condition and seen they are happy with it. What sort of room temp would the beer be at?
 
I have the Mr. Beer Cider kit and I have a couple of questions, as my second batch is approaching 2 weeks of fermentation.

The last batch was not sweet at all after bottling it. Is it a good idea to maybe just add another can of juice concentrate to the batch for priming, instead of using sugar, as the manual suggests?

Is it feasible to move the remaining contents of the first batch from the 1 liter PET bottles to 12 oz. glass bottles, or could this ruin the cider?

THANKS!
 
The_Professor said:
OClairBrew, I normally condition my beers in the fridge. I have seen that it is common to do room temp condition and seen they are happy with it. What sort of room temp would the beer be at?
Click to expand...

As I live in Arizona, my house never gets below 75. I was leaning towards cold conditioning for that reason, but was looking for some more experienced advice.
 
OClairBrew said:
As I live in Arizona, my house never gets below 75. I was leaning towards cold conditioning for that reason, but was looking for some more experienced advice.
Click to expand...

I, and most others that frequent the MrB forums, will recommend room temp conditioning. Once you chill the beer the yeast go to sleep and will stop working.

While I do value cold conditioning for my beers, it's not until AFTER 3-4 weeks (minimum) of room temp carbing. This is true for my AG batches, extract batches, etc.
 
jankdc said:
I got a Mr. Beer kit during the resent Woot sale. I finally got it going on the fridge. I was going to wait 3-4 weeks before bottling, but am feeling the urge to start another brew. I got a slimline 2.5 gallon container to bottle with, but was thinking of jputting an airlock on it to brew a small batch. I like the idea of smaller batches and could get another Mr. Brew barrel. Would it be bad to use the slimline? What other compact containers do people brew with for small batches? Thanks!
Click to expand...

Hello Jankdc! Greetings from just outside Tole-duh!

I also bought the Woot special. Took forever to get to me but I'll be doing my first brew this week. I wouldn't use the slimline IIWY. It is fine clean-wise but I doubt it would stand up to much pressure. Mr Beer sells extra fermenters for $10, pick up a couple of those!
 
A guy in work just gave me his Mr. Beer fermentor, I used to have 2 of them but passed them off to my brother in law. Anyways, I'd like to brew up some small batches, anyone have any recipes not using Mr Beer ingredients?
 
johnmcc said:
A guy in work just gave me his Mr. Beer fermentor, I used to have 2 of them but passed them off to my brother in law. Anyways, I'd like to brew up some small batches, anyone have any recipes not using Mr Beer ingredients?
Click to expand...

I don't do recipes per se. I come up with a general idea for a beer in my head, then add ingredients in qbrew until I get the color, OG, IBU in the range I'm looking for with various combinations.

You can do anything with a Mr Beer fermenter that you can with a 5 gallon fermenter except brew 5 gallons at a time.
 
jankdc said:
I got a Mr. Beer kit during the resent Woot sale. I finally got it going on the fridge. I was going to wait 3-4 weeks before bottling, but am feeling the urge to start another brew. I got a slimline 2.5 gallon container to bottle with, but was thinking of jputting an airlock on it to brew a small batch. I like the idea of smaller batches and could get another Mr. Brew barrel. Would it be bad to use the slimline? What other compact containers do people brew with for small batches? Thanks!
Click to expand...

So I went to Bed Bath and Beyond and got another Mr. Beer Kit with the west coast pale ale extract. I want to do a sweet oatmeal stout brew for my second attempt. Here is the recipe that I'm thinking about. I figure that the hopped liquid malt extract had enough hopps:


2.5 lbs Amber Dry Malt Extract
1.25 lbs Oats, Flaked (I was going to roast them for a little bit)
1 can (1 lb?) Mr. Beer west coast Pale ale
.5 lb Barley, Flaked
.5 lb Crystal 60L
2 oz. Chocolate Malt

I put the recipe into hoppsville (cool tool) here. I'd love some feedback. Thanks!
 
so i took a sample from my mr beer, b/c i have read many talking about gravity samples, and seeing that i don't have a hydrometer, what could a little taste test hurt?

it was a little cloudy, but i assume that's b/c the nozzle is on the bottom, so i am not concerned.

however, the taste was very "alcohol forward" if that makes sense... it didn't taste bad, just you could definitely tell there was alcohol in it. is this normal for a *green* beer that just needs conditioning? (again, i'm not worried, just a noob)
 
well between being uncarbed, warm, and probably pretty new you can't expect much. I don't think it helps much to taste beer early, but it is fun. rdwhahb
 
jankdc said:
So I went to Bed Bath and Beyond and got another Mr. Beer Kit with the west coast pale ale extract. I want to do a sweet oatmeal stout brew for my second attempt. Here is the recipe that I'm thinking about. I figure that the hopped liquid malt extract had enough hopps:


2.5 lbs Amber Dry Malt Extract
1.25 lbs Oats, Flaked (I was going to roast them for a little bit)
1 can (1 lb?) Mr. Beer west coast Pale ale
.5 lb Barley, Flaked
.5 lb Crystal 60L
2 oz. Chocolate Malt

I put the recipe into hoppsville (cool tool) here. I'd love some feedback. Thanks!
Click to expand...

Those oats and the flaked barley need to be converted by a base malt. Steeping them will only extract starch. You need to add a pound or two of American 2-row and steep it all near 150F for a hour to convert them. Once you can do that you no longer need to buy extract at all.
 
flushdrew42 said:
so i took a sample from my mr beer, b/c i have read many talking about gravity samples, and seeing that i don't have a hydrometer, what could a little taste test hurt?

it was a little cloudy, but i assume that's b/c the nozzle is on the bottom, so i am not concerned.

however, the taste was very "alcohol forward" if that makes sense... it didn't taste bad, just you could definitely tell there was alcohol in it. is this normal for a *green* beer that just needs conditioning? (again, i'm not worried, just a noob)
Click to expand...


Fairly normal yes. Some describe that alcohol taste as "cidery" and that comes from a combination of:
- A green beer
- A high adjunct ratio compared to the amount of malt. That's normal for a MrB batch when it uses one can of HME + Booster at this point.

Time WILL heal this.
 
Kealia said:
Fairly normal yes. Some describe that alcohol taste as "cidery" and that comes from a combination of:
- A green beer
- A high adjunct ratio compared to the amount of malt. That's normal for a MrB batch when it uses one can of HME + Booster at this point.

Time WILL heal this.
Click to expand...

i figured this was the case...

"time" in fermenter or in bottles?
 
Give it two weeks in the fermenter and then 4 weeks in the bottle at room temp.
Then put one in the fridge for 48 hours and drink. Repeat every few days until it gets to the point where you really like it. It will continue to get better for at least 2-3 months.
 
To be honest, if you wait 4 weeks for your first taste of your first beer you are doing better than 90% of us who start this. Curiosity is a ***** ;-)

The good news: If you taste one early and staggered, you'll appreciate what time does.

Cheers.
 
Kealia said:
To be honest, if you wait 4 weeks for your first taste of your first beer you are doing better than 90% of us who start this. Curiosity is a ***** ;-)

The good news: If you taste one early and staggered, you'll appreciate what time does.

Cheers.
Click to expand...


+1 on that.... Gotta Be patient.
 
Malticulous said:
Those oats and the flaked barley need to be converted by a base malt. Steeping them will only extract starch. You need to add a pound or two of American 2-row and steep it all near 150F for a hour to convert them. Once you can do that you no longer need to buy extract at all.
Click to expand...

Can't I just do a mini mash and steep the oats and barley for an hour at 150F?
 
Well I bottled my first ever batch just a bit ago. It's the WCPA. Man, it was as completely clear as could be and had a great pale amber color. I was really happy about that. It spent a total of three weeks in fermentation. I planned on two, but got busy and had to push it back one more. Now it'll sit in a warm dark cabinet for two weeks. So far so good!
 
Ok Guys,

Had my first ever batch of High Country Canadian in the Mr. Beer keg for 2 weeks and bottle condtioned for 10 days at room temp. I did do a test bottle in the fridge last week and it was good, but the carbonation was a bit low and it had very little head to it. However the bottle that I just had was much better with much more fizz to it and a nice half inch head when poured into a glass. The flavor was excellent and I'm real happy with the result!! Just bottled my second batch which is the WCPA. I added half a cup of molasses for a little extra kick and the test draw into a shot glass was right on, flat beer taste and no sweetness. Getting ready to brew up a batch of WW and im gonna add a cup of canned blueberries, not too much just enough for some flavor. I keep you posted how things go!
 
Bottled my WCPA today, and it's crystal clear. (well while the traditional pale ale color)

i moved it to a bottling bucket before bottling, and only had a few typical noob mishaps during the process. lost a little bit of beer due to knocking one over while filling. whoops! (brewfoul on me)

anyway, i'm beginning the rough wait for bottles to condition.
 
The_Professor said:
A good direction to go is probably an extract kit with steeping grains and hop boil. I bought a number of 5 gallon extract kits from a few different places and they made good to great beer. Trying a number of different styles will give you some idea about hop additions.

I took a look at Midwest and saw they have both full hop boil with steeping grain kits and "20 minute boil kits". Take a look at the difference of the ingredients. The "20 minute" kits have a can of Munton's HME with some added extract and short hop boil.

Take a look at some other sites with extract recipes if you like.
Click to expand...

Soooo. Since I am apparently retarded, which are you recommending? I am guessing the non-20 minute boil, but I wasn't sure.

Also not clear on the difference. The 20 min boil have only hops and extract vs. the full ones have grains and hops with no extract? What would be the difference between that and "all-grain" brewing? I kinda feel like I should move up incrementally until I better understand all these things, but who knows.
 
Conleth said:
Getting ready to brew up a batch of WW and im gonna add a cup of canned blueberries, not too much just enough for some flavor. I keep you posted how things go!
Click to expand...

If you want the blueberry taste to come through you should wait about 5-7 days after you pitch the yeast to put them in. Putting them in the primary will drive out most of the taste.

To do this simply sanitize a blender, puree the blueberries, then quickly open the keg, carefully pour the blueberries in, then let it got for another 7-10 days. You'll get more of the taste carrying through this way.
 
Conleth said:
Ok Guys,

Had my first ever batch of High Country Canadian in the Mr. Beer keg for 2 weeks and bottle condtioned for 10 days at room temp. I did do a test bottle in the fridge last week and it was good, but the carbonation was a bit low and it had very little head to it. However the bottle that I just had was much better with much more fizz to it and a nice half inch head when poured into a glass. The flavor was excellent and I'm real happy with the result!! Just bottled my second batch which is the WCPA. I added half a cup of molasses for a little extra kick and the test draw into a shot glass was right on, flat beer taste and no sweetness. Getting ready to brew up a batch of WW and im gonna add a cup of canned blueberries, not too much just enough for some flavor. I keep you posted how things go!
Click to expand...

If you're adding a half cup of molasses or honey to a Mr Beer kit, when do you add it? Can you add this to any Mr Beer kit without affecting the flavor?
 
Add at same time as extract. 4oz of honey is prob not going to make a lot of difference, but there will be some. You could add a few days into fermentation for more honey taste but again 4oz isn't much.
 
A friend and I just had the first taste of of my first Mr. Beer batch-the West Coast Pale Ale.:mug:

Through my reading this forum, I realized that WCPA is perhaps not Mr. Beer's best kit, and I had made some mistakes (had a bottle bomb). So I was really not expecting much. I also realize people tend to love beers they make themselves, especially when sharing them with friends.

But this beer was better than not bad! Certainly much better than a BMC. My friend is the brutually honest sort, but commented that "it was like bud light only better". Not bad for a first batch, and high praise from my friend.

I was expecting an overcarb, but the head was perfect and held up nicely. They foamed when I opened them but no gushers. (I think the advice to fridge them and let them sit was excellent). Color was about right for a pale ale. It was a little thin but not really watery. Tasted pretty good. A better than decent first beer.:rockin:

To get to the point (finally), I learned a couple of things...

1. Patience is everything, and waiting fixes a lot of mistakes. It can be hard to wait, but it's worth it.
2. WCPA may not be the best kit, but if you follow the advice on this forum, you can get a better than just drinkable beer.
3. The people on this forum are awesome. I thought I was up the creek without a paddle after the bottle bomb, but by listening to your advice, and being patient, we got a better than decent beer.
4. Mr Beer can make good beer.

Also wanted to thank everyone here for their help, and am looking forward to enjoying some premium kits (Got a Bewitched Red Ale that hits 3 weeks in the fermenter tomorrow, and a Sitcky Wicket and Ocktoberfest Lager with Mellow Amber on deck). I definitely caught the fever...:D
 
I've been considering doing a chocolate and coffee stout next in the old MB. How should I go about properly adding the flavors without a secondary or a bottling bucket? I know about cold steeping the coffee, but I'm not sure when to add it or what to do about the chocolate. Am I reaching beyond MB's ceiling here?
 
Anybody know the real shelf life of the Mr Beer extracts? I know they have an expiration date printed on them, but are they still good after that? Or maybe the expiration date is mainly because of the yeast? The extract is still fine, but I'd need to use a different yeast?

And my booster is rock hard. Appears to be sealed, but it's one solid brick. Thoughts? :(
 
Not sure about the shelf life past the date on the can, but if the can isn't bulging then it will most likely still make ok beer. IMO you are better off ditching the booster and using a pound of light DME (dry malt extract) in it's place anyway. Your beer will taste better as a result.
 
whoahey said:
Anybody know the real shelf life of the Mr Beer extracts? I know they have an expiration date printed on them, but are they still good after that? Or maybe the expiration date is mainly because of the yeast? The extract is still fine, but I'd need to use a different yeast?

And my booster is rock hard. Appears to be sealed, but it's one solid brick. Thoughts? :(
Click to expand...
The extract will still be usable, but it may not taste the same as when it was new. The color is also likely darker than originally.

The booster can be used, also. You may be able to break it up somewhat first. If you put it in water, and warm it up, it well eventually dissolve. But it may not be worth it. It might be better to replace the booster with some DME or LME (or UME if you're buying from Mr beer).
 

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