Mr Beer - Read all about it and ask questions

[Tombstone0]

I think I read somewhere that you should use corn sugar for priming in the bottles, instead of "table sugar" as the Mr. Beer kit suggests. Is there any truth to this, and if so, why?

Also, good to know about the booster kits. I guess I need more malt extract instead.

I've seen it posted a few times that people should use corn sugar instead of table sugar, but unless you're boiling the sugar I can't imagine that there would be any difference. The quantity of priming sugar is so low that it should have no effect on the flavor. I've been using table sugar to prime my bottles for 5 years now and I've never had a problem with cidery flavors for either Mr. Beer kits or for the all-grain batches that I've been making recently.

Also, if you use corn sugar instead of table sugar you have to adjust the amount because the fermentability of each is different.

For the booster you should be able to minimize or eliminate any cidery flavors by fermenting at a lower temperature (65-70) and allowing it to age for at least 3 weeks in the bottle. The other problem with booster is that by using it you will get a lighter more watery beer. Of course depending on who's drinking it, that might actually be a good thing. For instance, a lot of my relatives really like Englishman's Nut Brown Ale, so I make that every once in a while for them.

 

[DonutMuncher]

Thanks for the responses Tombstone and callmetex.

Good to know you have done this for 5 years with table sugar without noticing any cidery flavors.

I did read a lot about doubling the suggested Mr. Beer times. I am almost at the 2-week mark on the fermentation. When I bottle I'll be sure to leave them for 2-3 weeks. I think I'll open one at two weeks and open some at three weeks to check the difference in taste. It'll be hard to resist!

 

[completegeek]

Thanks for the responses. I'll have to switch to the malt extract instead of the booster pack from now on.

I also let my first batch ferment for 2 weeks instead of the recommended 1. Today is the one week mark for bottling and I just had to try it. Guess I should have waited as I was very underwhelmed. It give me a fsssss sound when I opened the bottle so I was excited, but when I poured it into a mug it had absolutely no head whatsoever. It tasted a bit cidery, and was very flat.

Will waiting another 2 weeks help these issues?

 

[DonutMuncher]

From everything I have read here, I think the cidery and flat taste is due to lack of enough time to properly carbonate and condition. Everyone said wait at least two weeks on these kits for that reason. I am sure if you give them another week to two weeks, they'll turn out much better.

 

[completegeek]

Yeah, that's exactly what I'm planning on doing. With all the workaround you have to do with Mr. Beer, it would make much more sense to spend the extra bucks and get a proper starter kit. Seems like much more work to get it to give you are proper beer than to just have the right equipment in the first place. The only thing I can see that it really has going for it is that it wouldn't scare away someone who is afraid of a challenge.

That, or it could frustrate someone into giving up on a new hobby because they can't get a decent outcome.

 

[Shooter]

When I brew the Mr. Beer cans I go two weeks in the fermenter and at LEAST three weeks to carb. To me four weeks in the bottle is better, but I know it's hard to wait. Luckily I have five gallon batches to do as well and just use the Mr. Beer to help fill the pipeline with a decent/drinkable beer.

As far as priming, I've used table sugar and corn sugar and, other than the fermentability, I don't notice any flavor difference between the two.

 

[Shooter]

Seems like much more work to get it to give you are proper beer than to just have the right equipment in the first place.

I think you mean right ingredients. While the Mr. Beer ingredient kits need a little help to make a decent beer, the Mr. Beer equipment, fermenter and bottles, is actually pretty sweet!

 

[Bmorebrew]

I love the Mr. Beer setup! I mean the beer is adequate for first timers and a great way to become involved with brewing, but as Shooter says, the barrel and bottles are great. Right now I have it full of EdWort's Apfelwein and am using those bottles for beer.

 

[DonutMuncher]

Aye.. I have almost contemplated buying a 2nd Mr. Beer keg, so that when I decide to start doing 5-gallon batches, I could still use these convenient kegs for fermentation. I feel like the spigot is going to be very useful come bottling time.

I haven't decided how great of an idea that is though. Most people seem to step up to glass carboys.

 

[Shooter]

Aye.. I have almost contemplated buying a 2nd Mr. Beer keg, so that when I decide to start doing 5-gallon batches, I could still use these convenient kegs for fermentation. I feel like the spigot is going to be very useful come bottling time.

I haven't decided how great of an idea that is though. Most people seem to step up to glass carboys.

Well, I've got the Mr. Beer stout to brew at some point, but, after that, I'm going to use that little keg to start designing some basic extract recipes of my own. It is a great little fermenter. I love being able to bottle right from the primary using the spigot and I put my Mr. Beer batches into Tap-a-Draft bottles, which work great for that batch size.

 

[JefferyL]

I'm going to make an all grain Bock with the Mr. Beer, we will see how that turns out. It should fit in the fridge nicely.

 

[Justibone]

Hi everyone.

...

If I were to make another batch that came with a booster pack would I just replace the booster with an equal amount of corn sugar?

Corn sugar is somewhat flavorless after it's been fermented. Using the malt extract would give your brew a better "beer" flavor. If you want a very light (almost watery-tasting) high alcohol beer, load it up with the corn sugar! If you want a tasty, yummy, awesomely beer-flavored beer... add more malt. If you like a good hoppy flavor, something else you can do with kits is dry-hopping... and Mr. Beer is not ideal but is perfectly capable of doing it. So, have fun!

(Working with extract kits is kinda like cooking a frozen pizza. By way of example: adding your own veggies and toppings to a frozen Tombstone isn't as good as making a fresh pizza, but it's a danged sight better than just eating it as it comes. Extracts are kinda like that.)

 

[alecoholic]

Can these be used for cask conditioning? $10 plus shipping isn't bad for a 2.5 gallon cask which can fit in the fridge. Will this work or do the notches make it not hold pressure?

 

[Shooter]

Can these be used for cask conditioning? $10 plus shipping isn't bad for a 2.5 gallon cask which can fit in the fridge. Will this work or do the notches make it not hold pressure?

You already figured it out, won't hold pressure.

 

[Tombstone0]

Corn sugar is somewhat flavorless after it's been fermented. Using the malt extract would give your brew a better "beer" flavor. If you want a very light (almost watery-tasting) high alcohol beer, load it up with the corn sugar! If you want a tasty, yummy, awesomely beer-flavored beer... add more malt. If you like a good hoppy flavor, something else you can do with kits is dry-hopping... and Mr. Beer is not ideal but is perfectly capable of doing it. So, have fun!

Just another note on corn sugar vs. booster.
Although booster isn't the greatest adjunct to add to beer, it is actually better than plain corn sugar. Booster is a blend of several sugars, including corn sugar and dextrines (which actually add a little body to the beer). So, replacing the booster with plain corn sugar will give an even lighter, more watery beer.
Of course replacing it with malt extract, or stepping up to one of their all malt refills would probably be your best route.

 

[DonutMuncher]

I just bottled my first brew using the Mr. Beer kit. It does taste slightly.. watery? It's a can of HME plus booster. I know it still needs conditioning but I have a feeling I'll be upgrading to extra malt extract instead of just one can.

My question is.. do I use two cans of malt extract and no booster, or two cans of malt extract PLUS the booster? Would the booster still make it a little watery? I was thinking about still using it to boost alcohol content.

Also, now that I bottled, does anyone have certain methods for ensuring it carbonates well? The Mr. Beer instructions said "invert several times".. so I just rotated them a few times and stuck them in a closet. I'm wondering if rotating them periodically during carbing time might be helpful to make sure it all mixes well? I heard someone say there's a German tradition of flipping them every two days.

 

[Justibone]

I just bottled my first brew using the Mr. Beer kit. It does taste slightly.. watery? It's a can of HME plus booster. I know it still needs conditioning but I have a feeling I'll be upgrading to extra malt extract instead of just one can.

My question is.. do I use two cans of malt extract and no booster, or two cans of malt extract PLUS the booster? Would the booster still make it a little watery? I was thinking about still using it to boost alcohol content.

Booster will not make it watery by itself... the amount that the malt extract is *diluted* will make a beer watery. So, how that works is, if the recipe says add 1 ME, and you add 2 ME, you will have really beer-flavored beer. If the recipe said add 2 ME and you add only 1 ME, you will have water-flavored beer. Adding the booster to your wort will add a very small amount to the flavor, but a lot to the alcohol content. Remember: higher alcohol = longer conditioning, and also, ale/lager yeast are not always able to eat up all the sugar you put into the wort once alcohol levels climb to a certain level (practically speaking it's pretty tough to get beer higher than 10%).

Also, if you use pre-hopped extract, using two cans will make it all the hoppier.

Also, now that I bottled, does anyone have certain methods for ensuring it carbonates well? The Mr. Beer instructions said "invert several times".. so I just rotated them a few times and stuck them in a closet. I'm wondering if rotating them periodically during carbing time might be helpful to make sure it all mixes well? I heard someone say there's a German tradition of flipping them every two days.

Rotating them every few days is supposed to help. There's a German word for it, but I can't remember it right now... but rotation is helpful because it helps the little yeasties get back in suspension to finish eating the sugar.

Also remember: there is a fine line between "really good carbonation" and "bottle bombs". Store your bottles appropriately if you choose to push for more carb.

 

[Bmorebrew]

A couple of notes on what I did recently with my final batch of Mr. Beer. I had two cans of the HME left after switching to PM and AG and I didn't want to waste them. So I combined them into one beer forgoing the booster. One was their wheat extract the other was a pale ale. I also added some honey to the fermenter. Definitely a step up from the prescribed one can and a bag of booster, but still not as good as even a PM batch. I'll just let the rest sit around and age as 'emergency' beer.

As for the priming, their directions have worked pretty well for me. I just use table sugar and invert several times like they say. But later that day or night, do it again. And the next day once or twice. If you hold the bottle up to the light you'll be able to see the heavy sugar solution sitting on the bottom, indicating its not mixed in - it will look 'squiggly'. Once thats gone, you can be assured it is mixed well and you just need to let it sit.

 

[DonutMuncher]

Thanks for the tips! Sounds like it won't really hurt anything giving them a few extra flips over time.

So I guess if I want more beer-flavor, I just need more malt extract. I'll have to work on that.. we'll see how this batch turns out in a couple weeks though

 

[Kegstand]

I think you mean right ingredients. While the Mr. Beer ingredient kits need a little help to make a decent beer, the Mr. Beer equipment, fermenter and bottles, is actually pretty sweet!

What kind of help do you speak of? I am in the bottling stage of my Mr. Beer kit and was wondering if there were any tricks to make the beer better the next time I brew. Even though I haven't tasted it yet....there's nothing wrong with still wanting to get better, and from what I read on here, you can get ALOT better then Mr. beer.

 

[Tombstone0]

What kind of help do you speak of? I am in the bottling stage of my Mr. Beer kit and was wondering if there were any tricks to make the beer better the next time I brew. Even though I haven't tasted it yet....there's nothing wrong with still wanting to get better, and from what I read on here, you can get ALOT better then Mr. beer.

I think he's mainly talking about the basic brew kits, the ones that come with booster. The booster adds alcohol without adding flavor or much body (sometimes it can add a cidery flavor, mainly when fermented too high or conditioning for too short a time). Also, most of Mr. Beer's kits come with a generic ale yeast. So the basic brew kits can really be helped by replacing the booster with Dry Malt Extract and possibly replacing the yeast.

The booster issue can be alleviated by upgrading to the deluxe or premium brew kits, which replaces the booster with a second can of Malt Extract. It still comes with the generic yeast, but I really don't think that detracts too much from the beer. It will become noticeable after brewing with it for a while (I always thought of it as the Mr. Beer Flavor).

Another issue with Mr. Beer is that it's a pre-hopped no-boil kit, which makes some brewers uncomfortable. It doesn't allow flexibility with hop additions, and if you do boil them for any length of time it will change the hop flavor.

They just started offering seasonal brew kits that come with different fermentis dry yeasts that are suitable for the style of the kit. They also offer liquid yeasts that some of the recipes on the site call for.

 

[Shooter]

I think he's mainly talking about the basic brew kits, the ones that come with booster. The booster adds alcohol without adding flavor or much body (sometimes it can add a cidery flavor, mainly when fermented too high or conditioning for too short a time). Also, most of Mr. Beer's kits come with a generic ale yeast. So the basic brew kits can really be helped by replacing the booster with Dry Malt Extract and possibly replacing the yeast.

The booster issue can be alleviated by upgrading to the deluxe or premium brew kits, which replaces the booster with a second can of Malt Extract. It still comes with the generic yeast, but I really don't think that detracts too much from the beer. It will become noticeable after brewing with it for a while (I always thought of it as the Mr. Beer Flavor).

Another issue with Mr. Beer is that it's a pre-hopped no-boil kit, which makes some brewers uncomfortable. It doesn't allow flexibility with hop additions, and if you do boil them for any length of time it will change the hop flavor.

They just started offering seasonal brew kits that come with different fermentis dry yeasts that are suitable for the style of the kit. They also offer liquid yeasts that some of the recipes on the site call for.

Ding, ding, ding, FTW!

 

[Justibone]

What kind of help do you speak of? I am in the bottling stage of my Mr. Beer kit and was wondering if there were any tricks to make the beer better the next time I brew. Even though I haven't tasted it yet....there's nothing wrong with still wanting to get better, and from what I read on here, you can get ALOT better then Mr. beer.

Mr. Beer can make decent beer, but your odds are better if you get better ingredients and learn how to brew either extract, partial mash, or even all grain. The upside is that these recipes are cheaper than Mr. Beer kits as well as tasting better -- the downside is that they require more work.

Of course, I *like* the work, so that's no downside at all for me! :fro:

 

[Chris6]

Hi I just got my first Mr Beer, and I have been constantly searching on ways how to improve my future batches. I've had my WCPA brewing for about a week and a half. I wanted to attach a bottling wand to the spigot but since I got a batch in I can't remove the crappy stock one.

Should I wait to get purchase one off Mr beer website, should I just bottle my 24 12oz bottles to with the original spigot or should I get a bottling wand from the LHBS and somehow get tubing over the spigot?

Chris

 

[Justibone]

Hi I just got my first Mr Beer, and I have been constantly searching on ways how to improve my future batches. I've had my WCPA brewing for about a week and a half. I wanted to attach a bottling wand to the spigot but since I got a batch in I can't remove the crappy stock one.

Should I wait to get purchase one off Mr beer website, should I just bottle my 24 12oz bottles to with the original spigot or should I get a bottling wand from the LHBS and somehow get tubing over the spigot?

Hmm... good question. Have you heard of anyone else making the tubing stretch over the Mr. Beer thing? If you have, then I'd say try it.

Remember, though, that all plastic fermentation parts must be replaced eventually, so giving more money to a proprietary system like Mr. Beer is maybe not the awesomest -- but if it works for you, then I say go for it.

The two best ways to improve your beer still using the Mr Beer system are 1) sanitation and 2) patience. After that would probably come temperature control.

 

[Chris6]

How does everyone bottle their beer bottles with mr beer? Just with the spigot? or?

 

[Tombstone0]

How does everyone bottle their beer bottles with mr beer? Just with the spigot? or?

I just use the spigot. Make sure your beer runs down the side of your bottles to keep it from splashing to avoid oxidation.

 

[Shooter]

Hi I just got my first Mr Beer, and I have been constantly searching on ways how to improve my future batches. I've had my WCPA brewing for about a week and a half. I wanted to attach a bottling wand to the spigot but since I got a batch in I can't remove the crappy stock one.

Should I wait to get purchase one off Mr beer website, should I just bottle my 24 12oz bottles to with the original spigot or should I get a bottling wand from the LHBS and somehow get tubing over the spigot?

Chris

The Mr. Beer bottling wand and locking spigot combo both work well. As far as I can tell the bottling wand is just a normal bottling wand that you buy at any LHBS. It just fits right up inside the spigot. Not sure if it also would fit in the standard Mr. Beer spigot and I'm not at home. So, I can't check. The locking spigot makes the process easier as you can lock it open. Even if the wand did fit the standard spigot, you'd have to find a way to keep it open.

 

[completegeek]

Update on my first batch with Mr. Beer.

I was rolling my bottles to stir up the yeast and I noticed a lot of bubbles at the necks so I popped on in the fridge. Several hours later....TASTY FOAMY BEER!!!

It was amazing. I tried one after one week and it was totally flat. Less than a week later I'm drinking an ice cold delicious beer with a full head of foam. I'm going to give the rest another week if I can stand it.

After reading a lot on this forum I was kind of skeptical as to the quality of beer I could produce with a MRB and the ingredients that came with it. To my amazement, after following a few helpful hints from this forum it has turned out great. I even went through the tedious chore of putting sugar in each bottle individually.

I'm going to order another kit right away and tweak the process even more. Thanks a million Home Brew Talk!

 

[DonutMuncher]

Congrats, completegeek Glad your first batch went well!

My first batch is in the bottles for about ten more days before I try the first one. Hopefully it'll be successful!

 

[Chris6]

Hi again, I just ordered another Mr. Beer Recipe, its 1 Can WCPA and 1 Can Ume Golden wheat plus hops(pellet).

The directions are pretty bad on how to add the hops. They say just throw it in with the two cans of ME and keep it in throughout the whole fermentation process. I've watched many videos showing that they add them to the wort once it reaches a boil then it sits in the wort for about 30 minutes+ then it gets filtered out once put in the bucket/keg.

What do you guys find a better way to add hops?

 

[Tombstone0]

Hi again, I just ordered another Mr. Beer Recipe, its 1 Can WCPA and 1 Can Ume Golden wheat plus hops(pellet).

The directions are pretty bad on how to add the hops. They say just throw it in with the two cans of ME and keep it in throughout the whole fermentation process. I've watched many videos showing that they add them to the wort once it reaches a boil then it sits in the wort for about 30 minutes+ then it gets filtered out once put in the bucket/keg.

What do you guys find a better way to add hops?

It depends on what you're trying to get out of the hops. The longer you boil the hops the more bitterness you'll get out of the hops and less flavor and aroma. By adding them with the cans you're basically doing a 0 minute hop addition which will add a lot of aroma to your beer. Not as much as dry hopping (adding the hops after primary fermentation has completed) but more than any other time during the boil. Because Mr. Beer kits are pre-hopped if you boil them you might end up with more bitterness than you want. Of course, if you think the beer is too sweet, adding more bitterness by boiling the hops might not be a bad thing.

 

[Justibone]

Hi again, I just ordered another Mr. Beer Recipe, its 1 Can WCPA and 1 Can Ume Golden wheat plus hops(pellet).

The directions are pretty bad on how to add the hops. They say just throw it in with the two cans of ME and keep it in throughout the whole fermentation process. I've watched many videos showing that they add them to the wort once it reaches a boil then it sits in the wort for about 30 minutes+ then it gets filtered out once put in the bucket/keg.

What do you guys find a better way to add hops?

I didn't even know Mr. Beer had kits with hops included! How much hops did they give you? Was it an ounce, a half ounce, a quarter ounce? I would most likely go ahead and go with the instructions vis-a-vis the hops, if it were me, but clearly I don't have any experience with the kind of kit you're talking about.

Another option is to put the hops inside a mesh bag (or a tied-off, cut-off foot of clean pantyhose, if you have that) and then you can pull them out at any point you like.

Good luck!

 

[Chris6]

I got a muslim bag and the hops come in 1/2 ounce bag. I didn't really like the instructions in my first kit and this one didn't help either. I was wondering if anyone with experience with this type of kit can lend some advice?

 

[Justibone]

I got a muslim bag and the hops come in 1/2 ounce bag. I didn't really like the instructions in my first kit and this one didn't help either. I was wondering if anyone with experience with this type of kit can lend some advice?

The two words come from the same root, so I understand the typo, but a follower of Islam is a "musliM" while your bag is most likely "musliN".

Picturing a brown potato sack going on the Hajj, though, gave me a good grin!

Good luck, and don't worry too much. :fro:

 

[frazier]

MrBeer kits are basically "no-boil" recipes - you heat the water, add the LME, stir, cool, and ferment. If you compare that to standard 60 minute boils, any hops you add are equivalent to flameout hops. You'll get aroma and maybe some flavor from them; the bitterness you need is in the hopped LME.

As for the hop bag, it's rather optional.

 

[Chris6]

Ok thank you, I didn't realize that the Mr. Beer recipes were that much different than a traditional 5 gallon batch. When and how long do you think I should add the hops for the aroma?

And sorry for the typo. Im a newb and know it.

 

[completegeek]

I had some success with my first MRB batch and was considering buying another one. However, I've read that a lot of people on this forum use the MRB ferment but not the kits.

If I bought a 5 gallon kit from elsewhere would I simply cut the recipe in half?

Some of the kits I'm looking at cost about the same as a MRB kit which would essentially cut my cost in half. I'm guessing this is another big reason why people quickly move beyond the MRB stage.

 

[Justibone]

I had some success with my first MRB batch and was considering buying another one. However, I've read that a lot of people on this forum use the MRB ferment but not the kits.

If I bought a 5 gallon kit from elsewhere would I simply cut the recipe in half?

Some of the kits I'm looking at cost about the same as a MRB kit which would essentially cut my cost in half. I'm guessing this is another big reason why people quickly move beyond the MRB stage.

I haven't done it, but I think that should work. The problem with that, of course, is that some packages are not resealable, etc., so keep an eye on that aspect of it. You could always look up the 6 gal. recipes and cut them by 2/3 -- you really don't need the kit's handholding as long as you have this forum and a good LHBS or IHBS to count on.

 

[completegeek]

I haven't done it, but I think that should work. The problem with that, of course, is that some packages are not resealable, etc., so keep an eye on that aspect of it. You could always look up the 6 gal. recipes and cut them by 2/3 -- you really don't need the kit's handholding as long as you have this forum and a good LHBS or IHBS to count on.

Thanks for the input. I wish I had a good LHBS. The only place around is the slightly more upscale wine and beer store up the road from me. They have a huge stack of ail pales......and that's it. No airlocks, no tubing, no malts, sugars, yeasts.

Kind of odd, but I guess when you actually sell beer you'd rather people buy it from you than sell the stuff to make a bunch on your own for way cheaper.