Starting Back Up, yeeeehawww!

It feels good to be starting back up. I used to have a Mr. Beer back in college that fed me the brewing bug. After 11 years, I am back into it (long story) and bought a Mr. Beer Premium kit. I remember the beers that I brewed in college with the original, but can't wait to try the new ones. Just got it into the fermenter and coming up to a week now. I am going to follow this first recipe to the letter. I feel, as I start thinking about the next brew, that there are going to be some things I am going to change. Being a chef, I can never do a recipe as instructed, I always have to put my own spin on it (of course with the right research). I have purchased another brew keg and am going to use that as a racking keg, also I can have another beer style brewing, so there is no loss there! I am skipping the booster (considering it's just corn syrup solids which I have alot of for my gelatos at the restaurant) and using a dextrose or another type of inverted sugar. I might also change the yeast up, depending on the style that I am doing, but one step at a time. I thought about, like everyone else, upgrading to the 5 gallon systems or the better systems, but I like the compactness of the Mr. Beer and the ease of their recipes. Once I get my restaurant/brewery of my own, then you will know what's up!! Anyway, I am looking for people that have done upgrades WITH their Mr. Beer systems. In other words, still brewing with them, but doing small changes to personalize their beers. Like I said, I don't have a lot of time on my hands, anyone who is in the restaurant business knows this, so using the Mr. Beer system really works for me. Anyways, sorry about the long first post, but I am excited and can't contain it. Let me know what info you and I will be searching around as well. Thanks.

< is jealous.

You have one of the finest home brewing stores in the country at your doorstep.

Welcome

Hugh_Jass said:

< is jealous.

You have one of the finest home brewing stores in the country at your doorstep.

Welcome

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So true. Good luck man

which store, there is one about 10 miles from me, but the rest are upwards of 50 miles away.

ChefJoe,
It's Brewmaster's warehouse.

Brewmasters Warehouse
2217 Roswell Rd. Suite B4
Marietta, GA 30062

Holy Crap!! that's right next to my house, literally!! I guess it must have just opened up. This is why I love the internet.

ChefJoeR said:

Holy Crap!! that's right next to my house, literally!! I guess it must have just opened up. This is why I love the internet.

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It's probably the best homebrew shop in the USA that I know of. Ed is awesome. Be sure to say hi to him and don't be afraid to ask for advice; he's an awesome guy. Most of us know him by name and we order online. Best customer service ever.

There are people on this forum that will slam Mr Beer Kits, but don't listen to them. Brew at your own pace, with whatever ingredients you want, and how you want. I think it's great you are taking the Mr. Beer "ball" and running with it. I wish I had some advice for you, but I personally never used the kit. There are plenty on here that have and entire threads devoted to it.. Good luck and welcome back to brewing.

Yeah, and don't be afraid to migrate to extract and partial mash brewing rather quickly. It's pretty simple stuff. Ed can probably help you out with it if need be. Otherwise, the forum is great for all info.

There is nothing wrong with brewing in a Mr. Beer kit. As far as making the recipes your own, that is also pretty easy to do with the Mr Beer kits. You can easily steep some grains for a recipe, or even make your own. We can also scale down any of the extract recipes on our site to Mr. Beer sized batches. Come on down to the store, and I will be happy to help you out with anything you need.

Thanks for all the nice words Hugh_Jass, and DavidSteel. You guys rock.

Thanks,

Ed

Welcome back to the hobby! Yeah, beer making is pretty flexible and I like that approach. Not a chef here but love to cook and take that approach - having to be flexible with the process, thinking ahead, etc. Brewed my first all grain batch this past Saturday and drew a lot from my cooking experience - helped immensely to not stress over every little detail. Yet, at the same time, I can also get as close to details as I want when necessary.

I've never used a Mr Beer system but I can't imagine its much of a step to go from there to a basic 5 gallon extract system.

ChefJoe, I think you should consider adding some amount of hops to just about any Mr. beer kit that you make.

Brewmasters Warehouse said:

There is nothing wrong with brewing in a Mr. Beer kit. As far as making the recipes your own, that is also pretty easy to do with the Mr Beer kits. You can easily steep some grains for a recipe, or even make your own. We can also scale down any of the extract recipes on our site to Mr. Beer sized batches. Come on down to the store, and I will be happy to help you out with anything you need.

Thanks for all the nice words Hugh_Jass, and DavidSteel. You guys rock.

Thanks,

Ed

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I will definetaly be there this monday, need to get some bottle caps and a capper for the first brew. As for recipes, I am looking to do a nice hoppy bavarian style lager. Got one of my guys at work making a spicy pork sausage, and what better way to eat it than having a great beer paired with it. See you then.