Mr Beer - Read all about it and ask questions

I just got a 4.5 cubic foot refrigerator I would like to try brewing a lager at the low 50 temp. I can get two Mr. Beer kegs in the refrigerator and wanted to know if some of you have tried to ferment a five gallon batch of lager in the Mr. Beer kegs.

Thanks Roger

I wanted to say thank you Mr Beer for being the catalyst that led me to this hobby. Been interested for a while. Wish I had read up on it before SWMBO got me Mr Beer but thats ok. Just finished first brew- MrB Canadian Draft LME with 1lb light DME from LHBS and half pack of Safale US-05. Added 1oz Chinook hops (12.5%) after I shut the boil down. Auto siphoned (b/c I forgot to get a funnel) into a 3 gal PET, stirred with cordless drill stir attachment then capped with S-type airlock. I thought I would be ambitious and brew up the other can of MrB extract that came with my kit to put in the second 3 gal PET container I got but after all that bumbling and fumbling I couldn't quite muster the motivation. Now I need to find and drink a bunch of Grolsch to get bottles since I don't want to use the huge bottles that came with Mr Beer.

How much corn sugar would you mix with how much water to batch prime a approx 2.5 gallon batch? I'll probably use Mr Beer barrel to bottle. Thanks. Cheers

Well a 5 gallon is 3/4 th of a cup so half of that....

Change the valve in the bottom of the mr beer b4 u use it
That valve is the worst part of the damn thing

Youy can ferment anything in mr beer just check the recipie and adjust accordingly its just a smaller fermenter I try to get people to use other ingredIents so they feel more comfortable brewing with other things

Kegwizard said:

Well a 5 gallon is 3/4 th of a cup so half of that....

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is that 3/4 cup of corn sugar for 5 gal? How much water would you normally disolve that in to batch prime? Thanks

jb721 said:

is that 3/4 cup of corn sugar for 5 gal? How much water would you normally disolve that in to batch prime? Thanks

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As little as you can. At least, that's how I do it. Also, you want to boil it (briefly) to kill any microbes hiding in there.

Justibone said:

As little as you can. At least, that's how I do it. Also, you want to boil it (briefly) to kill any microbes hiding in there.

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Cool thanks!

jb721 said:

How much corn sugar would you mix with how much water to batch prime a approx 2.5 gallon batch? I'll probably use Mr Beer barrel to bottle. Thanks. Cheers

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Looks like you got your answer already, but in terms of "teaching a man to fish", here's a great tool to bookmark:

http://www.tastybrew.com/calculators/priming.html

The first drop down is for you to select the style of brew you're making because carb levels vary depending on style (and preference).

The second box will auto-fill with the middle of the range, but you can change this if you like.

The beer temp is the temp that you feremented at.

From there, it will give you options for various priming options.

Hope that helps.

Nice! I like that tool, I'll be using it for sure.

I give out at least 1 Mr. Beer kit as a Xmas present each year. (I'm pretty sure some get regifted the following year).

Kealia said:

Looks like you got your answer already, but in terms of "teaching a man to fish", here's a great tool to bookmark:

http://www.tastybrew.com/calculators/priming.html

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Not sure which style this would be:

MrB Canadian Draft LME with 1lb light DME from LHBS and half pack of Safale US-05. Added 1oz Chinook hops (12.5%)

I call it custom Canadian. Thanks

I would classify it (as a matter of opinion, not fact) as either:
American Lager (light), OR
Light Ale (Blonde)

I'd personally aim for about 2.6 in terms of CO2 volume since it's hte high range of one, and mid-range for the other.

At the end of the day, it's really your choice, though. I don't get hung up too much on "styles" when I brew.

This custom Canadian is at 66F according to the stick on thermometer. I was thinking of putting it on top of the fridge. It's got a layer of trub. I kinda don't want to disturb it. What do you think?

jb721 said:

This custom Canadian is at 66F according to the stick on thermometer. I was thinking of putting it on top of the fridge. It's got a layer of trub. I kinda don't want to disturb it. What do you think?

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Why do you want to put it on top of the fridge?

Hi Everyone,
I recently made the plunge into the world of MrB. Went to a friends for a Xmas party and he had 4 or 5 different MrB brews. I loved the Fall Seasonal. Didn't like the couple of different Christmas Ales at all. But I kept going back to the Fall Seasonal & I was sold. Had to get me one of those MrBs. So on his advice I didn't get a kit. Just ordered everything that I wanted including handpicking the beer mixes I wanted. While I waited for delivery I got busy w/ this forum. I've now read every post. LOTS of good stuff in here that I took advantage of to help make my first batches better than they would have been by just following MrB directions for a lame version of Budweiser that they send w/ the kits.

Brewed my own batch of Fall Seasonal about 2.5 weeks ago. One concern I had during fermentation was the temp shot up to 74F for a few days. Then I over corrected down to ~64F for a couple days before getting the temp under control at a steady 68-70F. I had immediate krausen (within a few hours) so I'm wondering if the fermentation was essentially over by the time I got the em controlled? Will the temp fluctuation cause me any issues?

Bottled it after 17 days using corn sugar to bottle prime. Had to sample it before bottling and it tasted like flat, good beer except a mildly unpleasant aftertaste. Is this the "extract taste" that Justibone wrote about a few pages back? Hopefully it will mellow out that taste after sitting in the bottle a couple-few weeks.

That same night I brewed up batch #2. Brewed the Scottish Wee Heavy. replaced the booster w/ 1 lb. of amber DME, changed the amount of butterscotch schnapps from 2 tbsp to 6 tbsp (+/- 1 or 2 tbsp - just poured it in and guessed at the amount). Used White Labs Edinburgh Scottish Ale yeast. Here's the catch: I pored in the whole vial of liquid yeast (enough for a 5 gal batch). I saw a debate a few pages back about whether you can over pitch. The discussion was about a dry yeast (I think). Can you/did I over pitch in this case? It's VERY active and smells great (better than the Fall Seasonal did) so I have high hopes that everything will be ok.

Sorry for the long post but I'm jumping in w/ both feet and got the noobie brewer bug and had to share.

bpgreen said:

Why do you want to put it on top of the fridge?

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I think I read somewhere it would ferment faster if it was a few degrees warmer. I was planning on leaving it 2 weeks...

SociallyDistorted said:

Brewed my own batch of Fall Seasonal about 2.5 weeks ago. One concern I had during fermentation was the temp shot up to 74F for a few days. Then I over corrected down to ~64F for a couple days before getting the temp under control at a steady 68-70F. I had immediate krausen (within a few hours) so I'm wondering if the fermentation was essentially over by the time I got the em controlled? Will the temp fluctuation cause me any issues?

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The bulk of fermentation is done in the first day or two, especially if you get an active kreusen. That being said, there is still a lot for the little yeasties to do after that. If you want to do an experiment, on one of your brews take a hydrometer reading every 12 hours and chart it out in Excel. You *should* see an exponential rate of decay approaching asymptote, like a "quarter-pipe" from skateboarding.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exponential_decay

But even if most of the sugar is gone, that doesn't mean that the beer is anywhere near done. You know that, though, because you've read the FAQ.

Bottled it after 17 days using corn sugar to bottle prime. Had to sample it before bottling and it tasted like flat, good beer except a mildly unpleasant aftertaste. Is this the "extract taste" that Justibone wrote about a few pages back? Hopefully it will mellow out that taste after sitting in the bottle a couple-few weeks.

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It was probably "green beer" taste. When tasting young, flat beer, you really can't judge what it will taste like later. If the beer was 1-2 months in the bottle, and still had that funny aftertaste, then you might be sensitive to extract twang. Since it didn't bother you in your friend's beer a while back, I presume you aren't sensitive to it.

That same night I brewed up batch #2. Brewed the Scottish Wee Heavy. replaced the booster w/ 1 lb. of amber DME, changed the amount of butterscotch schnapps from 2 tbsp to 6 tbsp (+/- 1 or 2 tbsp - just poured it in and guessed at the amount). Used White Labs Edinburgh Scottish Ale yeast. Here's the catch: I pored in the whole vial of liquid yeast (enough for a 5 gal batch). I saw a debate a few pages back about whether you can over pitch. The discussion was about a dry yeast (I think). Can you/did I over pitch in this case? It's VERY active and smells great (better than the Fall Seasonal did) so I have high hopes that everything will be ok.

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You did not overpitch. Those wet yeast vials are *marketed* for 5 gallons, but a lot of brewers prefer to even make starters with them since they consider them insufficient (underpitching) for a full size batch. I think they are pretty good for MrB, but in the summer you'll want to make starters anyways just to be sure the yeast are alive before you pitch them.

Sorry for the long post but I'm jumping in w/ both feet and got the noobie brewer bug and had to share.

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That's what the forum is here for!

jb721 said:

I think I read somewhere it would ferment faster if it was a few degrees warmer. I was planning on leaving it 2 weeks...

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It will ferment faster, however sometimes you can create byproducts that affect the flavor of the beer in unpleasant ways (exception: wheat beers, witbiers, saisons).

This is primarily a concern earlier in the fermentation. I tend to keep my temps low (62-66F) for the first week, so that by the time most of the sugars have been consumed very few byproducts have been produced. After that, most of the sugars are gone and the yeast are on clean-up duty so I let the temps rise (68-70F) so they can work more efficiently. Not everyone does this, but I've had success so I see no reason to change.

The only time many homebrewers on this forum want their beers at or slightly above 70F is during bottle carbonation. Other than that, below 70F is usually considered to be better.

I am yet another new-member, and after reading the MrB. instructions several times, and talking with a few other people I know who brew their own beer, gave it a shot. 4 days into fermentation, and I have not even looked at it once to see what is happening. Should I occasionally check, or is it better just remain patient for 3 more days before bottling? Also I have read somewhere in this about better sugar to use during bottling, but can't find the post again. Can I get some advice on that?

Thanks, and looking forward to trying batch numero-uno. (Maybe "eins" would be the better term to use here).

bvaupel said:

I am yet another new-member, and after reading the MrB. instructions several times, and talking with a few other people I know who brew their own beer, gave it a shot. 4 days into fermentation, and I have not even looked at it once to see what is happening. Should I occasionally check, or is it better just remain patient for 3 more days before bottling? Also I have read somewhere in this about better sugar to use during bottling, but can't find the post again. Can I get some advice on that?

Thanks, and looking forward to trying batch numero-uno. (Maybe "eins" would be the better term to use here).

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Looking at it doesn't help it ferment, but you should probably check to see if any krausen formed on top or if there's any trub (light sediment) on the bottom. If either of those exists, it means that fermentation has started.

I would give it two weeks in the fermenter rather than the 1 that is in the instructions. You'll be happier with the results. Same goes for time in the bottle. At least 2 weeks and preferably more before sticking it in the fridge.

+1 to the above.

To be clear, it can't spend *all* of it's carbonation time in the fridge. After you've opened a surveillance beer from the batch in order to confirm it's fully carbed, you can put some in the fridge for an extra week or two, and then they will cold condition and taste even better.

Has any one here make 2 gallons of mead and ferment it in a Mr. Beer keg? I wanted to ferment it in a Mr. Beer keg then put it in another Mr. Beer keg for the secondary fermenting. I was worried about fermenting the mead for as long as 4 months in the Mr. Beer. What do you all think.

Roger

K5MOW said:

Has any one here make 2 gallons of mead and ferment it in a Mr. Beer keg? I wanted to ferment it in a Mr. Beer keg then put it in another Mr. Beer keg for the secondary fermenting. I was worried about fermenting the mead for as long as 4 months in the Mr. Beer. What do you all think.

Roger

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I haven't done it, but I've read posts on other forums from people who have done it.

bvaupel said:

I am yet another new-member, and after reading the MrB. instructions several times, and talking with a few other people I know who brew their own beer, gave it a shot. 4 days into fermentation, and I have not even looked at it once to see what is happening. Should I occasionally check, or is it better just remain patient for 3 more days before bottling? Also I have read somewhere in this about better sugar to use during bottling, but can't find the post again. Can I get some advice on that?

Thanks, and looking forward to trying batch numero-uno. (Maybe "eins" would be the better term to use here).

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I would wait at least two weeks before bottling. Then wait another three weeks in the bottle.

K5MOW said:

Has any one here make 2 gallons of mead and ferment it in a Mr. Beer keg? I wanted to ferment it in a Mr. Beer keg then put it in another Mr. Beer keg for the secondary fermenting. I was worried about fermenting the mead for as long as 4 months in the Mr. Beer. What do you all think.

Roger

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My concern would be the lack of an airlock.

When I secondary home-made wine, I do it in a Gallo 4L jug with a bung and an airlock. You would need two Gallo jugs if you used a Mr. Beer for primary, I presume.

8L = 2.11 gallons

i agree with justibone. i tried it when i was just starting out. it was fine for a while. but it eventually got infected. i suspect due to the lack of airlock. these are cheap though. go get two of the big cheap jugs of wine at the grocery store. (wine drunk is fun, beware the hangover) and order a couple of air locks and bungs. (air locks are about two dollars bungs probably about the same.) and use these as fermenters.

Make sure you order the right size bung. The standard carboy-sized ones are a bit big. Measure twice, order once.

EDIT: also, mind the headspace. You want to fill the secondary up so there is as little surface area as possible. It's inevitable that some air will get in there, so you want to have as little surface for gas exchange as you can. If the jug is less than completely full up to the neck, you get about 1/2 sq. foot of surface (just guess-timating), but if you fill it until the level is up in the neck, you get closer to a sq. inch. Use wine or water to top off, but don't leave it partially empty. Also, mead is known for having very little body, so putting some raisins in there (golden ones if you are concerned about color) for a month or so will help. Mead takes 6-12 mo's to get really good, I hear. (Mine has never lasted that long, and my melomel currently fermenting is only 4 mo's old.)

All of this (except the raisins) relates to secondary fermentation long-term for beer as well, so it still relates to other MrB users.

Justibone said:

All of this (except the raisins) relates to secondary fermentation long-term for beer as well, so it still relates to other MrB users.

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true. i wouldn't secondary a beer in there either. but the jugs will work for beer too. get some. they're cheap and you wont regret it.

I will be bottling a batch of stout from my MB kit in about two days and I have a priming question. I know that it is best to boil the sugar in water prior to adding it to the bottles but this is usually done by using a bottling bucket. I don't have a bottling bucket so I was wondering what was the method for getting the proper amount of sugar/water into the bottles?? Logic would say just put it into the primary but I didn't think you were supposed to take the lid off of it (risk of bacteria, etc.).....

OlRed said:

I will be bottling a batch of stout from my MB kit in about two days and I have a priming question. I know that it is best to boil the sugar in water prior to adding it to the bottles but this is usually done by using a bottling bucket. I don't have a bottling bucket so I was wondering what was the method for getting the proper amount of sugar/water into the bottles?? Logic would say just put it into the primary but I didn't think you were supposed to take the lid off of it (risk of bacteria, etc.).....

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When I bottle prime, I just add the sugar directly to the bottle without boiling.

bpgreen said:

When I bottle prime, I just add the sugar directly to the bottle without boiling.

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same here.

but from what i've read if you're going the route of adding priming sugar as a mixture into the beer that's ready for bottling, you only need to boil a small amount of water and adding it to the mrB fermenter right before bottling wouldn't really be advisable given that you ultimately have to mix the priming slurry into the beer thoroughly for it to work properly/evenly (no one wants bombs) and to do that would mean serious agitation of the product of hard won patience on the bottom of the mrB fermenter. however one could theoretically open the lid during the overall process to dryhop/spice the beer so timely and thought-out opening of the mrB lid should be alright.

it's so much easier to just add the sugar dry to the bottles if you don't have a secondary/bottling bucket handy for mixing slurry.

Temps are on the rise here in Texas and my Lil' Brew Lab Under the Stairs is at 72 degrees right now. Can anyone offer any advice or suggestions...thanks!

bpgreen said:

When I bottle prime, I just add the sugar directly to the bottle without boiling.

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+1

Never had a problem with doing it this way when bottle priming.

PacoTX said:

Temps are on the rise here in Texas and my Lil' Brew Lab Under the Stairs is at 72 degrees right now. Can anyone offer any advice or suggestions...thanks!

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You could set up a swamp cooler for your Mr Beer keg, which is how I deal with temp control. Just find a plastic bin/tray large enough to hold the fermentor, and add an inch or two cold water, but be sure it does come up beyond the bottom of the spigot seal. Then drape a cotton cloth/ towel over the top of the keg (but not over the lid!) with the ends in the water. The evaporation will keep the fermentor a few degrees cooler than ambient temperature.

You can also set frozen water bottles in the water to help keep the temp down.

As for not having a bottling bucket, Target and Wally World sell those iced tea pitcher things with spouts on them. Buy one of those, and bottle out of it. It's not ideal, but it's cheap, easy, and you can always use it for iced tea.

OlRed said:

I will be bottling a batch of stout from my MB kit in about two days and I have a priming question. I know that it is best to boil the sugar in water prior to adding it to the bottles but this is usually done by using a bottling bucket. I don't have a bottling bucket so I was wondering what was the method for getting the proper amount of sugar/water into the bottles?? Logic would say just put it into the primary but I didn't think you were supposed to take the lid off of it (risk of bacteria, etc.).....

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Don't make it harder than it has to be! Just put the sugar into the bottles and cap it. Give it a gentle roll to dissolve the sugar into the beer and you're done...except for the waiting

New Brew said:

You could set up a swamp cooler for your Mr Beer keg, which is how I deal with temp control. Just find a plastic bin/tray large enough to hold the fermentor, and add an inch or two cold water, but be sure it does come up beyond the bottom of the spigot seal. Then drape a cotton cloth/ towel over the top of the keg (but not over the lid!) with the ends in the water. The evaporation will keep the fermentor a few degrees cooler than ambient temperature.

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I think you meant make sure it doesn't come up beyond the bottom of the spigot seal, (instead of does).

I drape a towel over the lid and don't have any issues with that.

Justibone said:

You can also set frozen water bottles in the water to help keep the temp down.

As for not having a bottling bucket, Target and Wally World sell those iced tea pitcher things with spouts on them. Buy one of those, and bottle out of it. It's not ideal, but it's cheap, easy, and you can always use it for iced tea.

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WalMart (and a few other places) also have a water container called a Slimline that holds 2.5 gallons. It's clear, so I don't use it for fermenting, but it makes a great priming container. The spigot on it also fits the bottling wands (a tight fit, but it fits). I use 3/8 in OD tubing to transfer from the fermenter to the slimline and then bottle from the slimline. If you don't have the locking spigots for the fermenter, I'd use an autosiphon to do the transfer to the slimline.

Justibone, thanks for the reply. Where can I find out more about yeast starters? I've read the term a number of times but I don't know the process. I take it I probably should have saved my yeast vial to use for a starter?

I'm on board w/ the exponential decay thing regarding the FG. It's like a capacitor discharge, right?(can you guess I'm an engineer - have pocket protector, will travel). A hydrometer is on my list of near term buys.

Thanks again.