stevehardt
Well-Known Member
Agree with Kealia here. I only have done 8 MRB batches, but I have noticed 3 in the keg and 4 weeks in the bottle makes for noticeably better beer
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Small brown floaties could be anything - but nothing to worry about.
If you want to help settle thing and clarify your beer a bit, cold crash it.
Put the whole LBK (little brown keg) in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Then, pull it out and bottle immediately as you normally would (don't let it warm back up). This will help drop some of the bigger particles out.
If you want to help settle thing and clarify your beer a bit, cold crash it.
Put the whole LBK (little brown keg) in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Then, pull it out and bottle immediately as you normally would (don't let it warm back up). This will help drop some of the bigger particles out.
flushdrew42
Well-Known Member
Proof that MrB can make an amazing looking Beer!
WCPA two months in bottles, after 2 weeks in primary, a 48 hour cold crash, and a LOT of patience.
This is the last bottle I have of it, and I'm proud of my first brew.
WCPA two months in bottles, after 2 weeks in primary, a 48 hour cold crash, and a LOT of patience.
This is the last bottle I have of it, and I'm proud of my first brew.
BrewinHooligan
Well-Known Member
No real tricks... If you use the booster, add at least one pound of dry malt extract with it. Control fermentation temps so they stay under 70 at the high end. Dump the Mr Beer yeast into your boil to use as yeast nutrient and pick up something like US-05 to replace it or Danstar Munich for wheat beers. Leave your beer in the fermenter at least 2 weeks, and let carb and condition in bottles at least 3 weeks. A "surveillance" beer weekly will give you an idea how things are coming along and also let you appreciate what time in the bottles will do for your brew.
Great advice for make the most out of your Mr. Beer kit.
1. Sanitize Sanitize Sanitize; treat that little brown keg like it has been sitting in **** for a year. The included 1-step should be fine for now; but you will want to pick up some Star San (or Iophor) after a few batches.
2a. When using HME; the boil is done for the purpose of sterilization only. 15 min max.
Any more and you risk caramelizing the wort rendering it unfermentable and reducing your hop utilization. Longer boil the sweeter the end product; when using HME.
2b. Use fresh ingredients; the older the can the sweeter the end product will be since hops will loose bitterness over time.
3. If you plan on making a purchase for alternate ingredients as suggested above; do yourself a favor and add a hydrometer to the order. They are very inexpensive and the best tool you will have in your brewery.
4. Keep the beer out of direct sunlight throughout the entire process. Set in a dark closet or put a box on top.
5. Take good notes
6. Remember that yeast are living creatures; treat them right and they will reward you.
7. Have fun and enjoy the process. Feel free to experiment. Relax and don't stress it.
1. Sanitize Sanitize Sanitize; treat that little brown keg like it has been sitting in **** for a year. The included 1-step should be fine for now; but you will want to pick up some Star San (or Iophor) after a few batches.
2a. When using HME; the boil is done for the purpose of sterilization only. 15 min max.
Any more and you risk caramelizing the wort rendering it unfermentable and reducing your hop utilization. Longer boil the sweeter the end product; when using HME.
2b. Use fresh ingredients; the older the can the sweeter the end product will be since hops will loose bitterness over time.
3. If you plan on making a purchase for alternate ingredients as suggested above; do yourself a favor and add a hydrometer to the order. They are very inexpensive and the best tool you will have in your brewery.
4. Keep the beer out of direct sunlight throughout the entire process. Set in a dark closet or put a box on top.
5. Take good notes
6. Remember that yeast are living creatures; treat them right and they will reward you.
7. Have fun and enjoy the process. Feel free to experiment. Relax and don't stress it.
I would disagree with this for two reasons:
1) You don't want to boil the HME or you're going to change the hop profile that has been set already.
2) There's no need to boil UME (LME) or DME.
1) Many HME's are hopped with hop extract. More boiling won't appreciably impact the hop profile. It's already set. If the extract was hopped with flowers or pellets and you boil, you might get a bit more bitterness and less aroma, in theory. Hell, I've never gotten any hop aroma to speak of from HME, but I've only been doing this for 34 years, so maybe your experience is different than mine.
2) There are many reasons to boil UME or DME:
a) Extracting bitterness from hops that you are adding to the boil,
b) Sterilizing the malt extract,
c) Reduction of volume if you are boiling more than 8 liters,
d) Coagulation of proteins found in the malt,
e) Deactivation of enzymes from any base malt you may have used in your recipe.
I'm sure there are more reasons, but these come to mind right now.
Scott Birdwell
DeFalco's Home Wine & Beer Supplies
Houston TX
www.defalcos.com
Sounds like you are agreeing with me.
I wouldn't be opposed to skip the boiling step altogether; make it like a wine if you like.
Mr. Beer does instruct you to boil it.
http://www.mrbeer.com/print_brewing_instructions.php?model_id=84
The point is, if you do decide to boil it; don't overdo it.
I wouldn't be opposed to skip the boiling step altogether; make it like a wine if you like.
Mr. Beer does instruct you to boil it.
http://www.mrbeer.com/print_brewing_instructions.php?model_id=84
The point is, if you do decide to boil it; don't overdo it.
@defalcos
If somebody is adding hops to the boil I would always recommend that they use unhopped malt extract (LME or DME). Boiling HME is going to change your hop profile. The 20 minute boil for flavor (as an example) would be pushed to 35 minutes assuming you boiled for 15 minutes when you open the extract. You'd agree that in a recipe you were crafting there is a difference between a 20 minute boil and a 35 minute boil wouldn't you?
All the manufacturers that I've read up on as for as LME goes state that it doesn't need to be boiled to go through a hot break (where you speak of coagulation of proteins, this has already been done). This is unnecessary.
Sterilization? Pouring the HME into the wort at flameout will handle that piece. There's no need to boil it for that purpose.
If you want to reduce volume, use less water.
Sorry, couldn't resist.
@mredge73
Actually, you must have misread that. They tell you to heat 4 cups of water, add the Booster and bring to a boil. Then take off the heat and add the HME. If you contact them they will also tell you to not boil the HME.
If you want to boil the UME, by all means do so. Certainly you may want to do that for many reasons including carmelization and/or concentration but you certainly don't HAVE to boil LME/UME and I would never recommend boiling HME.
At the end of the day, it's your beer and your choice. Just make sure you're basing your choice on a wide range of information.
Cheers.
If somebody is adding hops to the boil I would always recommend that they use unhopped malt extract (LME or DME). Boiling HME is going to change your hop profile. The 20 minute boil for flavor (as an example) would be pushed to 35 minutes assuming you boiled for 15 minutes when you open the extract. You'd agree that in a recipe you were crafting there is a difference between a 20 minute boil and a 35 minute boil wouldn't you?
All the manufacturers that I've read up on as for as LME goes state that it doesn't need to be boiled to go through a hot break (where you speak of coagulation of proteins, this has already been done). This is unnecessary.
Sterilization? Pouring the HME into the wort at flameout will handle that piece. There's no need to boil it for that purpose.
If you want to reduce volume, use less water.
Sorry, couldn't resist.@mredge73
Actually, you must have misread that. They tell you to heat 4 cups of water, add the Booster and bring to a boil. Then take off the heat and add the HME. If you contact them they will also tell you to not boil the HME.
If you want to boil the UME, by all means do so. Certainly you may want to do that for many reasons including carmelization and/or concentration but you certainly don't HAVE to boil LME/UME and I would never recommend boiling HME.
At the end of the day, it's your beer and your choice. Just make sure you're basing your choice on a wide range of information.
Cheers.
@defalcos
If somebody is adding hops to the boil I would always recommend that they use unhopped malt extract (LME or DME). Boiling HME is going to change your hop profile. The 20 minute boil for flavor (as an example) would be pushed to 35 minutes assuming you boiled for 15 minutes when you open the extract. You'd agree that in a recipe you were crafting there is a difference between a 20 minute boil and a 35 minute boil wouldn't you?
All the manufacturers that I've read up on as for as LME goes state that it doesn't need to be boiled to go through a hot break (where you speak of coagulation of proteins, this has already been done). This is unnecessary.
Sterilization? Pouring the HME into the wort at flameout will handle that piece. There's no need to boil it for that purpose.
If you want to reduce volume, use less water.
. . .
Cheers.
I would still disagree that "Boiling HME is going to change your hop profile" if the hops in the HME are from hop extract. The majority of HME's on the market are from hop extract because it's easy & precise, not because it's better. You simply make unhopped malt extract and add hop extract to spec for your HME's. The hops in these extracts are already isomerized & therefore you're not going to change the hop profile by boiling. You may change the "malt profile" by potentially caramelizing the malt (another reason to use as much water as practical). I prefer to use UME or unhopped DME (hopped DME does exist - we sell it), because it gives me ultimate control over hop bitterness, flavor, & aroma rather than relying on whatever the manufacturer decided was best. HME is great for beginners & folks that simply don't want to mess with the process. For better control & flavor, go with the unhopped extracts & plan on boiling a minimum of 45 - 60 minutes (& you might as well start off with 2 1/2 to 3 gallons to end up with eight liters with the evaporation that will ensue). The malt extract may have already undergone hot break & pasteurizing will suffice for sanitation, but if you've added any grains or bittering hops (e.g. you're using unhopped extracts), you need to boil longer than 10 - 20 minutes.
Scott Birdwell
DeFalco's Home Wine & Beer Supplies
Houston TX
www.defalcos.com
I have to be honest, I'm not aware of manufacturer's using hop extract in their HMEs - that would be news to me. I'm not questioning you mind you, actually thanking you for that piece of information. If that is in fact true then I can't argue anything about changing hop profiles as I'm not familiar with hop extracts and would gladly defer to those who are.
FWIW, I do know that MrB doesn't recommend boiling THEIR HME so I'm guessing they don't use hop extracts.
FWIW, I do know that MrB doesn't recommend boiling THEIR HME so I'm guessing they don't use hop extracts.
BrewinHooligan
Well-Known Member
I would have to agree with Kealia here as I have seen hop particles in the Mr Beer HME suggesting real hops, not hop extract.
gtlaw10
Well-Known Member
unless you're living in the dirtiest of abodes or are using a moldy/dusty/crummy batch, there is zero need to boil HME or all of your extract in a given recipe, unless you're interested in caramelization flavors. boil some of your UME as part of a wort that needs to be infused with hop profiles. adding anything to boiling water quickly pasteurizes it. (aka sanitizes it.) MrB instructions reflect this.
there are countless threads on the forum regarding the benefits of late extract addition, improved body and head, elimination of 'extract twang,' decreased and consistent color, and, quite frankly, ease.
a final note on boiling extract - if you boil the majority of your extract too hard, your beer won't have enough proteins left to create head.
cheers!
there are countless threads on the forum regarding the benefits of late extract addition, improved body and head, elimination of 'extract twang,' decreased and consistent color, and, quite frankly, ease.
a final note on boiling extract - if you boil the majority of your extract too hard, your beer won't have enough proteins left to create head.
cheers!
Check the ingredient label. It should state whether the malt extract includes "hops" or "hop extract." That should give you some idea of what to do. As to Mr Beer telling you not to boil their HME's, I wouldn't necessarily put any stock in that because over the years I've seen malt extract manufacturers state that if you boiled their malt extract, they wouldn't be responsible for your final product (as if they EVER take responsibility for the final product. . .) and they were using hop extract. Of course, their idea of using the product properly was a 3.3 - 4 lb. can of hopped malt extract, 2.2 lbs. cane sugar and water to 6 U.S. gallons. No boil. The results are a thin, barely drinkable, cidery malt beverage at best, and vile swill at worst. At the barest minimum, you need to pasteurize the HME & if adding grain &/or bittering hops, you'll need to boil at least some of the extract, even if adding the balance as a late addition.
Scott Birdwell
DeFalco's Home Wine & Beer Supplies
Houston TX
www.defalcos.com
I won't argue that point but I would still suggest using unhopped extract whenever possible for boils. MrB does use real hops and the product has changed A LOT over the years - you should check it out.
It's a great way to get new people into brewing with an easy to use product that makes great beer - especially their seasonal releases that are 3.3lb cans.
Of course, like anything, it can be screwed up with too many adjuncts, poor temp control or sanitization, etc. but I've made some GREAT beers with their extracts - and some not so great beers, too.
Don't let any history or the "cheap sounding name" make you think any less of their product.
"Extract twang" comes from old malt extract and boiling or not boiling is not going to change that. Late addition of malt extract does help reduce caramelization, thereby helping maintain pale color & drier, non-caramelized finish. I think a lot of the problems with caramelization of boiled malt extract-based recipes come from the fact that there is too little water in the kettle. Commercial beers (including macro & craft beers) almost never have water added to the finished wort (unless they've overshot their expected O.G.). They begin the boil knowing how much volume is going to be boiled off. This is an option for the homebrewer, even if you are not brewing all-grain. The only real reason I would recommend a partial boil is for beginners or quick & dirty quick brews. Frankly, I don't see any benefit of doing a partial boil for eight liter recipes. "Regular" homebrewers typically make 5 gallon recipes, so it's somewhat understandable that one might not want to boil 6 - 7 gallons (especially if using a kitchen stove), but, you can easily bring 2 1/2 - 3 gallons of water to a boil, even on a kitchen stove top (propane even faster!), and cooling eight liters of hot wort is easy and quick.
As for "if you boil the majority of your extract too hard, your beer won't have enough proteins left to create head," that's just crazy talk. In thirty four year of brewing and dealing with homebrewers 50 - 60 hours a week, I've NEVER heard of that happening. Does this mean if you boil an all-grain beer "too hard" that it, too, "won't have enough proteins left to create head," as well? That is patently false. Why would the extract beer be any different?
Scott Birdwell
DeFalco's Home Wine & Beer Supplies
Houston TX
www.defalcos.com
Canned extract is sterilized by the canning process. There is no need at all to boil it. The only reason Mr. Beer instructions have you heat any water at all is to help dissolve the booster.
Just to throw this in there, depending on whether the HME contains wheat they all seem to share one of the following two ingredients lists:
INGREDIENTS: MALTED TWO ROW BARLEY, HOPS, HOP EXTRACT, WATER, AND YEAST (Packed Under Lid).
INGREDIENTS: MALTED WHEAT, MALTED TWO ROW BARLEY, HOPS, HOP EXTRACT, WATER, AND YEAST (Under Lid).
So they have both Hops and Hop Extract. That means that additional boiling of the canned, pasteurized hopped malt extract is going to change the flavor profile they're worked hard to create (whether you like their choices or not is of no concern to the discussion- the fact is they created the item, and probably are the best source for how it's supposed to be used).
It's not just that the hop flavor may be lost, or bitterness raised, it's also additional caramelization that the recipe will not account for. If you open two cans of their HME, a dark beer versus a light one, it's obvious that there are significant differences in color and aroma, as one should expect from different varieties of beer. If you boil a pale ale for an extra hour, it sure isn't going to be pale anymore.
I respect the product for what it presents itself as: a simple and cheap way to get into brewing, and I respect them more for the fact that all of their best practices and forums suggest what are the first changes you should make if you want to get a bit more involved in the process.
That said, I'm mostly beyond Mr. Beer at this point, but I still have a stack of West Coast Pale Ale that I'm going to brew up this weekend. With some minor tweaks, it's a damn tasty brew (I like to add half a cup of clover honey per can of HME+ bag of booster, helps to dry it out, boost the alcohol, and add a very slight honey aroma)
I also like that it's such a simple recipe and flavor profile that it finishes quickly, requiring little in the way of aging, unlike the Scottish Strong Ale I've got in my fermenter right now
INGREDIENTS: MALTED TWO ROW BARLEY, HOPS, HOP EXTRACT, WATER, AND YEAST (Packed Under Lid).
INGREDIENTS: MALTED WHEAT, MALTED TWO ROW BARLEY, HOPS, HOP EXTRACT, WATER, AND YEAST (Under Lid).
So they have both Hops and Hop Extract. That means that additional boiling of the canned, pasteurized hopped malt extract is going to change the flavor profile they're worked hard to create (whether you like their choices or not is of no concern to the discussion- the fact is they created the item, and probably are the best source for how it's supposed to be used).
It's not just that the hop flavor may be lost, or bitterness raised, it's also additional caramelization that the recipe will not account for. If you open two cans of their HME, a dark beer versus a light one, it's obvious that there are significant differences in color and aroma, as one should expect from different varieties of beer. If you boil a pale ale for an extra hour, it sure isn't going to be pale anymore.
I respect the product for what it presents itself as: a simple and cheap way to get into brewing, and I respect them more for the fact that all of their best practices and forums suggest what are the first changes you should make if you want to get a bit more involved in the process.
That said, I'm mostly beyond Mr. Beer at this point, but I still have a stack of West Coast Pale Ale that I'm going to brew up this weekend. With some minor tweaks, it's a damn tasty brew (I like to add half a cup of clover honey per can of HME+ bag of booster, helps to dry it out, boost the alcohol, and add a very slight honey aroma)
I also like that it's such a simple recipe and flavor profile that it finishes quickly, requiring little in the way of aging, unlike the Scottish Strong Ale I've got in my fermenter right now
I've used their products before and didn't find them any better or any worse than other brands of HME's. My main objection was I think that 1.2 lbs of malt extract for eight liters is WAY too little! The booster is better than sugar, but the beer, if brewed as instructed, is very thin and watery. That's not just my opinion, but the opinion of almost everybody that comes into my shop after brewing a batch or two of MB "by the book." 3.3 lbs is a lot more reasonable quantity for eight liters. Heck, a kilo, 2.2 lbs, would be a vast improvement over the 1.2 lb. The other issue is the disproportionate packaging cost on the 1.2 lb can size. If you have to use 2 tins to make a reasonable beer and 3 tins to make a really full-bodied beer, why not package 2.2 - 3.3 lb sizes which will save money versus the 2 - 3 tin recipes and make infinitely superior beer to the 1.2 lb/booster beer.
My Two Cents Worth, Anyway
Scott Birdwell
DeFalco's Home Wine & Beer Supplies
Houston TX
www.defalcos.com
Obviously, you have not seen the number of swollen cans that I have over the years. NEVER trust malt extract to be "pre-sterilized." Remember these extracts are being concentrated and packaged in a vacuum, which allows the syrup to boil at much lower temperatures than 212°F. I've tasted too many contaminated no-boil beers and seen too many swollen cans to ever trust the cans. Pasteurization is a minimum IMHO.
Scott Birdwell
DeFalco's Home Wine & Beer Supplies
Houston TX
www.defalcos.com
Scott, I think we're on the same team here.
My mistake, I was reading too much into some of the posts then.
The malt to adjunct ratio is out of whack on the standards and I will always recommend replacing or adding ME to the recipe instead of/in conjunction to the Booster.
Discussion is always good. We all want to make, and help others make, better beer.
My mistake, I was reading too much into some of the posts then.
Agree 100%. The 'standard refill' is thin and watery and I question why they wouldn't use two cans in even the basic kit so the first impression is much better and people don't immediately want to jump ship to something better.
The malt to adjunct ratio is out of whack on the standards and I will always recommend replacing or adding ME to the recipe instead of/in conjunction to the Booster.
Discussion is always good. We all want to make, and help others make, better beer.
Replacing booster with more ME makes a beer that you & I would prefer, but, of course, everybody has their own preferences. For a domestic style beer, they could make a can with about 1.5 lbs. of pale ME & .7 lb of brewery grade corn syrup (essentially a syrup version of the booster) & you would have a BMC style beer. Roughly a 2:1 ratio, which is normal for that style. Boring, yes, but Joe Six-Pack would recognize the beer. Of course, the number of people coming into my homebrew shop over the years that want to make BMC is not all that great. I wonder if MB's numbers are any different. . .
Scott Birdwell
DeFalco's Home Wine & Beer Supplies
Houston TX
www.defalcos.com
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The American Ale kit from MB is essentially what you described only with their standard booster instead of corn syrup. Was my first MB brew, came with the kit that I bought, I was so put off by the BMC taste that I used all of the bottles for cooking, and ordered a homebrew kit from northern brewer, havent looked back. I guess I do have MB to thank for making me want to make BETTER beer, but I can hardly thank that american ale kit for the beer it produced. I cant seem to find it on their site in the refills, I imagine its just the recipe that they include with the kits. Dunno, maybe they dont make it any more.
Hmmm! Not seen the American Ale kit. All the MB kits I've seen come with the West Coast Pale Ale & Booster. Can't say I've made an exhaustive search, though. I wonder what the profile of the first time MB brewer is. . . If it's anything like our first time brewers (or, for that matter, any other domestic homebrew shops that I'm aware of), the WCPA/Booster is off-base. Too light & thin. OTOH if it is more like a typical domestic beer drinker, maybe it isn't so far off. My guess it is closer to our typical customer than BMC drinkers. If that is the case, they'd be better off with a light amber, medium hopped beer, sort of like a 2 can WCPA recipe. It's got to be hard trying to figure what to put in all your first time kits without benefit of being able to communicate with the individual customer. You just have to pick a style and go with it.
Scott Birdwell
DeFalco's Home Wine & Beer Supplies
Houston TX
www.defalcos.com
tom9d
Well-Known Member
This was years ago, so I can't be sure, but I believe my Mr. Beer setup came with West Coast Pale Ale. Thought if it was anything else, it was the Canadian Draft.
But yeah, that first batch was the only one I ever followed instructions for. Using just the HME and booster gave me a beer that tasted too sweet (which was probably more the result of human error on my part) and thin.
After that, I started using a can of HME and two cans of UME per batch, with much better results. The best batches I made used their Octoberfest hopped malt extract and Creamy Brown unhopped malt extract as a base.
But yeah, that first batch was the only one I ever followed instructions for. Using just the HME and booster gave me a beer that tasted too sweet (which was probably more the result of human error on my part) and thin.
After that, I started using a can of HME and two cans of UME per batch, with much better results. The best batches I made used their Octoberfest hopped malt extract and Creamy Brown unhopped malt extract as a base.
Three tins is 3.6 lbs of extract for just over 2 gallons of beer is a pretty full-bodied beer. No wonder you liked the results. That's roughly equivalent to a 3 lb. bag of DME. I guess the trade-off is variety of flavors by blending extract varieties versus economy & versatility of using a 3.3 lbs. can of LME or 3 lbs. of DME. Most of our non-all-grain customers use bulk LME for the base & steep some grain for the nuances in the flavor. Generally, once our customers start steeping in a little grain, they don't go back to extract only, but, obviously, it is an extra step. Not a lot of extra work or time, though, and well worth it.
Scott Birdwell
DeFalco's Home Wine & Beer Supplies
Houston TX
www.defalcos.com
gtlaw10
Well-Known Member
that or perpetuate ancient myths that force customers into buying unnecessary equipment. but yes generally he only throws his weight around in this thread beating the same point to death and bashing MrB while linking to his shop...
I don't want to "bag on the Mr. Beer." I am simply pointing out that ANY homebrew shop can give you more options and access to a greater variety of ingredients than just using those tiny cans. OTOH if you like the results that you're getting now, I suppose you don't have any incentive to experiment. Some folks like to play around with ingredients, others just want to follow recipes. It takes all kinds. . . As long as the beer is good. . .
Scott Birdwell
DeFalco's Home Wine & Beer Supplies
Houston TX
www.defalcos.com
Gosh, gtlaw. I guess that you haven't heard. . . we've severely reduced our use of firearms & pointy weapons to force our customers into buying unnecessary equipment. These days we're pretty much just reduced to begging & pleading. Not as effective, but at least the police don't show up as often. Gotta' go now. I have some weight that needs throwing around.
Scott Birdwell
DeFalco's Home Wine & Beer Supplies
Houston TX
www.defalcos.com
Justibone
Well-Known Member
Let's not make this personal, y'all.
TL;DR - Don't fight. Not good for newbies.
For what it's worth, when I bought my first MrB kit back in 1996, it had a WCPA extract can in it. Those were the bad-old-days before the Internet was easily accessible, and it tasted awful. Even when I went to the homebrew store, the guys blamed using cane sugar (which was in the instructions) rather than fermentation temps and sanitation!
Now I know much better. Doing mammalian cell culture for a living, I know how to do sanitized (not sterile! very different) procedure. Biochemistry classes taught me about entropy in enzyme catalytic pockets leading to reaction side products, with more-perfect efficiency occurring at lower temps due to reduced Brownian motion interfering with the hydrogen bonding of aliphatic amino acid residues. (Of course Brownian motion works in your favor when mashing... but that's for a different discussion board.) From a yeast laboratory I learned about fermentation side products, and how they can be recycled into other necessary components using the little fungus' impressive array of metabolic scavenging (in many ways, more impressive than ours.) I learned about charge balance and solubility of, once again, aliphatics, and I learned about how the same protein cut into just two pieces can create very different products... cheese curds from milk, for example. I learned a *great* deal of science since then and up until now, but in the end all I really needed to know was...
... keep it clean. Keep it cool. Be patient. BEER!
I wish I had kept brewing back in those days. If my first beer had been good - even anywhere as close to as good as I can brew now - then I would have kept it up. But the LHBS guys told me I had to buy corn sugar instead of cane sugar, and that turned me off. A bit of encouragement, a bit of advice on how to use the stuff I already had, and they might have had a customer for years - if not for life. Instead, they just suggested that I buy more stuff (their stuff!) and even after I did I never used it.
Knowledge gained is not the same as knowledge applied. Experience teaches everything, but guidance can shorten and ease the journey. Those gentlemen, in a previous century, failed me when I asked for help. These boards are meant to never fail anyone who asks for help, and if someone can contribute to the collected knowledge, then they are welcome here.
Let's keep our little spats and self-serving diatribes to a minimum. Contribute, and if slighted, do try to be the bigger man. I know I've had my moments when I got a bit testy, but usually I think better of it and try to keep it off the boards. I'm not asking anyone to be perfect, but please don't fill a page or two with arguing.
I appreciate everyone here. Let's help make this a welcoming place for new brewers.
TL;DR - Don't fight. Not good for newbies.
For what it's worth, when I bought my first MrB kit back in 1996, it had a WCPA extract can in it. Those were the bad-old-days before the Internet was easily accessible, and it tasted awful. Even when I went to the homebrew store, the guys blamed using cane sugar (which was in the instructions) rather than fermentation temps and sanitation!
Now I know much better. Doing mammalian cell culture for a living, I know how to do sanitized (not sterile! very different) procedure. Biochemistry classes taught me about entropy in enzyme catalytic pockets leading to reaction side products, with more-perfect efficiency occurring at lower temps due to reduced Brownian motion interfering with the hydrogen bonding of aliphatic amino acid residues. (Of course Brownian motion works in your favor when mashing... but that's for a different discussion board.) From a yeast laboratory I learned about fermentation side products, and how they can be recycled into other necessary components using the little fungus' impressive array of metabolic scavenging (in many ways, more impressive than ours.) I learned about charge balance and solubility of, once again, aliphatics, and I learned about how the same protein cut into just two pieces can create very different products... cheese curds from milk, for example. I learned a *great* deal of science since then and up until now, but in the end all I really needed to know was...
... keep it clean. Keep it cool. Be patient. BEER!
I wish I had kept brewing back in those days. If my first beer had been good - even anywhere as close to as good as I can brew now - then I would have kept it up. But the LHBS guys told me I had to buy corn sugar instead of cane sugar, and that turned me off. A bit of encouragement, a bit of advice on how to use the stuff I already had, and they might have had a customer for years - if not for life. Instead, they just suggested that I buy more stuff (their stuff!) and even after I did I never used it.
Knowledge gained is not the same as knowledge applied. Experience teaches everything, but guidance can shorten and ease the journey. Those gentlemen, in a previous century, failed me when I asked for help. These boards are meant to never fail anyone who asks for help, and if someone can contribute to the collected knowledge, then they are welcome here.
Let's keep our little spats and self-serving diatribes to a minimum. Contribute, and if slighted, do try to be the bigger man. I know I've had my moments when I got a bit testy, but usually I think better of it and try to keep it off the boards. I'm not asking anyone to be perfect, but please don't fill a page or two with arguing.
I appreciate everyone here. Let's help make this a welcoming place for new brewers.
SGNellett
New Member
OK, my eyes are about to fall out, can someone please help! I am trying to verify how much sugar to use to batch prime my first batch of beer. I'll be using the 8 PET bottles that came with the kit, and I have one of the slimline containers to condition in. I think it is 2.5 teaspoons per bottle, add that to a cup of boiling water, then allow it to cool before adding the beer. Do I have this right?
SGNellett,
If you're doing the first batch with the WCPA & booster, that figure is pretty good for one liter bottles. If you start making fuller-bodied beers in the future (i.e. replacing booster with more HME or UME), you'll probably want to cut that back a bit (~2 tsp per liter bottle). The fuller the body, the more slowly-fermentable sugars there are in the beer, hence the beer tends to carbonate more over longer storage. Of course, if you drink the beer quickly, this may not be a problem
. Good luck!Scott Birdwell
DeFalco's Home Wine & Beer Supplies
Houston TX
www.defalcos.com
It depends on 3 factors:
1) What was your highest temp during fermention? Let's say it was 68.
2) What level of carb are you shooting for (high, low, med)? Let's say medium at 2.5 volumes of CO2.
3) How high did you fill your LBK? Let's say to the 8.5 mark as instructed - that's 2.25 gallons.
Use a calculator like this one and enter those parameters and you get 1.9oz of table sugar.
That equates to about 12.8 tsp (not tablespoons).
There's another calculator here if you find it easier. This one does give you the option to give you measurements instead of weights.
Edit to add: I use 1/2 cup of water for a MrB batch. Bring the water to a boil, take off heat. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Put back on heat just until it boils and then remove and cool.
Good luck.
2.5 teaspoons X 8 bottles = 20 tsps and that is going to give you bottle bombs and/or severly over-carbed beers.
Justibone,
Your experience with the LHBS is unfortunate, without doubt. Over the years in both my shop and through the trade association, I've tried to encourage folks to patronize their local folks first. But, then you get this kind of incident, and you have to cringe. FWIW, I don't doubt that the fermented cane sugar had a significant role in the nasty flavor of that first batch, but I've never found corn sugar to taste that much better. Maybe marginally better. . . maybe. Booster (either powder or syrup) is better than sugar in the fermenter IMHO. It's noticeably more neutral. Obviously, replacing the sugar/booster with more malt extract produces a cleaner tasting, "better" beer if you like fuller flavor. I think you're right about the fermentation temperature. Temps above 70 - 75° tend to really exaggerate that twang. I've even tasted some all-malt beers that had some of that flavor. because they were fermented way too warm. Unfortunately, it's tough for some folks to keep the temps down, especially if you live in the sub-tropics like some of us do. (Easier to do with small batches, though!).
Peace,
Scott Birdwell
DeFalco's Home Wine & Beer Supplies
Houston TX
www.defalcos.com
BaconManic
Active Member
Wow so much information on this board.
I have been working with the Mr Beer for a few months now. I got it from a cheap website and then my wife bought me some MrBeer kits for my birthday. I must say I have fun with this!
The refill kit came with 3 different "packs" all of which I made following the directions that came with the MrBeer. I have noticed a.. I am not sure how to put this.. a "sweet" taste with all three kinds (Canadian,Weizebier, and West Coast Pale). I attribute this to using the boosters more then the cane sugar in the bottle to carb.
None the less I am starting to branch away from the standard kits and following some recipes from the MrBeer website (as I have another 3 "packs"). I am working on the Firecracker Red ale, which I hopes as a much different flavor then the others.
I have been working with the Mr Beer for a few months now. I got it from a cheap website and then my wife bought me some MrBeer kits for my birthday. I must say I have fun with this!
The refill kit came with 3 different "packs" all of which I made following the directions that came with the MrBeer. I have noticed a.. I am not sure how to put this.. a "sweet" taste with all three kinds (Canadian,Weizebier, and West Coast Pale). I attribute this to using the boosters more then the cane sugar in the bottle to carb.
None the less I am starting to branch away from the standard kits and following some recipes from the MrBeer website (as I have another 3 "packs"). I am working on the Firecracker Red ale, which I hopes as a much different flavor then the others.
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