Mr Beer - Read all about it and ask questions

[MaxSpang]

Above poster: one page back addresses the multiple-cans-of-extract-per batch. I know it's a long thread, but come on... really?? Please at least *try* to read the last 20 pages of the thread before you ask questions. Please. For our sanity.

Sorry, I meant two cans of different types of beer. Like combining two different flavors, that's what I meant. I should have been more clear, I apologize!

 

[Justibone]

Okay, my bad... let us know how it turns out!

 

[Kealia]

1.030 for two cans sounds like really, REALLY light beer.

Are you sure you mixed it properly?

Gotta agree - that sounds WAY too low for two cans of extract.

 

[Tallmanbrewer]

I brewed up Canadian Draught last night. Skipped the booster, did two of the same can and boiled it for 20 minutes to up the bitterness, added some leftover noble hops for a little more flavor. The cans were enough for four gallons but I put it all in a little less than 2 1/2 gallons. I wound up with 1030 original gravity; I guess this is supposed to be a light beer anyway, website says 3.8 ABV.

Anyway, I'd say do a single gallon batch out of those cans you ordered. Add some of the booster if you want; for me I'm wary of cidery tastes that might come from using "corn syrup solids" as a major part of the fermentables. Half of the bag might be okay, as someone in a previous post had mentioned. And check out the clearance section of your local bed bath and beyond, they might have the same post-christmas discounted boxes of this stuff that I got.

The websites 3.8 is based off one can and one booster pack. Each can is extimated at 2.3 abv with a booster pack adding 1.5 abv. Sounds like you deleted the booster pack and added a can which should have brought it to 4.6 (2.3+2.3). At 70 degrees and 1.03 reading on your hydrometer, your maximum potential alcohol (by volume) is 4.08. Not far off from the estimated 4.6 that Mr. Beer gives. Could be attributed to several things...adding a little more water, not getting all of the extract out of the can, or most likely, a little of both! Next time, add the booster pack in with the two cans of LME and let us know if there are any distinguishable taste differences!

 

[bpgreen]

The websites 3.8 is based off one can and one booster pack. Each can is extimated at 2.3 abv with a booster pack adding 1.5 abv. Sounds like you deleted the booster pack and added a can which should have brought it to 4.6 (2.3+2.3). At 70 degrees and 1.03 reading on your hydrometer, your maximum potential alcohol (by volume) is 4.08. Not far off from the estimated 4.6 that Mr. Beer gives. Could be attributed to several things...adding a little more water, not getting all of the extract out of the can, or most likely, a little of both! Next time, add the booster pack in with the two cans of LME and let us know if there are any distinguishable taste differences!

Although the Mr Beer booklet, recipes, etc estimate 1 can will produce 2.3% ABV, that is based on some optimistic and unrealistic expectations for the fermentation. 2% is a more realistic estimate. There are some updated Qbrew databases available that use that and my experience has been that I come pretty close to 2% from a can of extract. If I remember correctly, a basic refill still comes out at around 3.7 because the Booster is more fermentable than estimated by Mr Beer.

 

[daveyeah]

Yeah, 1030 was lower than I expected. I got all of the extract into the pot though. Again, I'm doing a ~2.5 gallon batch, so this isn't a simple double equation.

Anyway, for less than 8 dollars or so for this batch of beer, I'm happy with anything that has alcohol content and is drinkable.

 

[Kealia]

An excellent attitude! Drink up!

 

[Tallmanbrewer]

Although the Mr Beer booklet, recipes, etc estimate 1 can will produce 2.3% ABV, that is based on some optimistic and unrealistic expectations for the fermentation. 2% is a more realistic estimate. There are some updated Qbrew databases available that use that and my experience has been that I come pretty close to 2% from a can of extract. If I remember correctly, a basic refill still comes out at around 3.7 because the Booster is more fermentable than estimated by Mr Beer.

I agree bp. Optimistic!

 

[Tallmanbrewer]

Yeah, 1030 was lower than I expected. I got all of the extract into the pot though. Again, I'm doing a ~2.5 gallon batch, so this isn't a simple double equation.

Anyway, for less than 8 dollars or so for this batch of beer, I'm happy with anything that has alcohol content and is drinkable.

Yes! No matter how it turned out, you still made beer!!!

 

[philipsheperd]

quick question about conditioning the beers from mr beer.
Last night i had a bottle bomb, depressed me and scared the crap out of me

my broken bottle

So i immediately threw the remain bottles in my fridge to let them start to cool down so that they didnt blow either, my question is, at what point can i put the bottles in the fridge knowing the yeast are done working so that there isnt a sugar/cidar taste in my beer, but i dont want to wait to long (this only took a week for it to blow up) and have more bombs

thanks guys

 

[Kealia]

quick question about conditioning the beers from mr beer.
Last night i had a bottle bomb, depressed me and scared the crap out of me

my broken bottle

So i immediately threw the remain bottles in my fridge to let them start to cool down so that they didnt blow either, my question is, at what point can i put the bottles in the fridge knowing the yeast are done working so that there isnt a sugar/cidar taste in my beer, but i dont want to wait to long (this only took a week for it to blow up) and have more bombs

thanks guys

First - a moment of silence for our fallen brother....




Ok, can you give some more info?
How long did it ferment? Did you use a hydrometer to ensure fermentation was done?

What temp did you ferment and carbonate at and for how long?

Finally, what recipe did you brew and how much sugar did you prime with?

Lots of questions I know, but somewhere in there is the answer.

I have bottles that have been sitting for 6 months.

To be fair, in 20 batches I've had 4 bottle bombs so it does happen.

Somebody once told me there are two kinds of brewers: those who have had bottle bombs and those who will...

 

[MaxSpang]

For my next batch of Mr Beer, I was thinking of using 2 DIFFERENT cans of the HME and a pound of Amber DME instead of the Booster...

I don't know what types I'm going to get (I ordered a 3-pack from Amazon and the reviews said that the varieties vary), but after reading more it looks like they will be Blonde Ale, Golden Lager, and the Linebacker dopplebock. Never had dopplebock, but would the Dopplebock and Blonde Ale taste good together? Would the mixture even work? And I would imagine this would be very hoppy (I like hoppy beer), but I just wonder if it would be TOO hoppy.

If not, it looks like Mr Beer has a few recipes of some fruity Dopplebocks that sound tasty, might just try to whip up something loosely based on them!

 

[philipsheperd]

First - a moment of silence for our fallen brother....




Ok, can you give some more info?
How long did it ferment? Did you use a hydrometer to ensure fermentation was done?

What temp did you ferment and carbonate at and for how long?

Finally, what recipe did you brew and how much sugar did you prime with?

Lots of questions I know, but somewhere in there is the answer.

I have bottles that have been sitting for 6 months.

To be fair, in 20 batches I've had 4 bottle bombs so it does happen.

Somebody once told me there are two kinds of brewers: those who have had bottle bombs and those who will...

It fermented for 15 days, i didnt own a hydrometer at the time so i did not take a reading. The temp was constant at 70.

I then transferred it a bucket with a 1/3 cup of sugar and 1/3 cup of water that i boiled(and cooled).

They had been carbonating for about a week, so I thought theyd be safe to move to my pantry.....bad idea, lol, and it was the bewitched red ale


The only thing i can think of is that i did not stir my mixture when i transferred it to the bucket with the sugar, and this swing top bottle was one of the first(if not the first) ones bottled, so i think maybe that one got extra sugar then the rest, i didnt want to stir it and oxidize my beer, you know, any ideas?

 

[Justibone]

Yeah, poor mixing is a possibility. You boiled the sugar, so maybe it wasn't an infection. Hmm. Hard to say, I guess. Check the last ones bottled and see if they're flat?

 

[dave2851]

Hi everyone - I am one of the many that got a Mr. Beer for Christmas. Made the first batch right away and I am going to bottle it for conditioning on Monday. Here is my dilemma - I have gone to every grocery store in the area looking for "corn sugar" and everyone there looks at me like I have 2 heads when I ask about it. I know I can order some online, and I will, but for this batch (my first ever) I am bottling Monday. After reading all the info on this site it is clear that no one suggests using regular cane sugar. I have some "Sugar In The Raw" which I use to make simple syrup for our home bar. Would I be better off using that, instead of regular sugar? Any help would be appreciated.
Also, I am already looking around online for a regular kit, since it sounds like I can greatly improve the taste of my future beers that way. Suggestions for the best and most reputable site to order a starter kit would also be a great help.
I gotta admit - I am already addicted to this and haven't even completed my first batch yet.

 

[bpgreen]

Hi everyone - I am one of the many that got a Mr. Beer for Christmas. Made the first batch right away and I am going to bottle it for conditioning on Monday. Here is my dilemma - I have gone to every grocery store in the area looking for "corn sugar" and everyone there looks at me like I have 2 heads when I ask about it. I know I can order some online, and I will, but for this batch (my first ever) I am bottling Monday. After reading all the info on this site it is clear that no one suggests using regular cane sugar. I have some "Sugar In The Raw" which I use to make simple syrup for our home bar. Would I be better off using that, instead of regular sugar? Any help would be appreciated.
Also, I am already looking around online for a regular kit, since it sounds like I can greatly improve the taste of my future beers that way. Suggestions for the best and most reputable site to order a starter kit would also be a great help.
I gotta admit - I am already addicted to this and haven't even completed my first batch yet.

I've never used anything but plain white sugar and have always had good results.

 

[dave2851]

I've never used anything but plain white sugar and have always had good results.

Thanks - I have just seen a bunch of posts about regular sugar throwing the taste off.

 

[bpgreen]

Thanks - I have just seen a bunch of posts about regular sugar throwing the taste off.

Sugar will throw off the taste if you add a significant amount to the beer in an attempt to up the alcohol, but the amount of sugar that is used to prime is so small that it's really not significant.

 

[rycov]

about the bottle bombs. was the only one that blew up a swing top? a lot of times those aren't rated for pressure. they're meant for filling from a keg. if you look it up on this site you'll see people who do it with no problems but you will also find pictures of glass shards embeded in walls and the like. but yeah. that, or not stiring the priming sugar (done that before) could have caused it. just make sure when you stir you don't splash and you wont introduce oxygen. anotherthing is. fifteen days may be long enough to ferment, but without a hydrometer you can't really be sure if its done or not. if you have fermentables left in your beer and then add more (priming sugar) then close it up, it may blow. seems like it would have to be one of these things.

1 wrong bottles
2 didnt stir sugar
3 not done fermenting before bottling

but you should get a hydrometer anyway. they aren't expensive and are the only good way to know whats happening with your beer.
:rockin:hope your other beers turn out good. cheers

 

[philipsheperd]

yes i bought i hydrometer last week, so i have one now, but i didnt when i bottled this batch. I opened up one of the swing tops and the beer taste very good, i am extremely pleased, i got a tupperware containor to store some beer in cause i want to leave some for a couple months to see how the flavor improves. Thanks for all the help

 

[rycov]

good idea on the tupperware. if another one does go you'll have it contained a little. glad your brew turned out!

 

[HopfulAddiction]

Here is my dilemma - I have gone to every grocery store in the area looking for "corn sugar" and everyone there looks at me like I have 2 heads when I ask about it. I know I can order some online, and I will, but for this batch (my first ever) I am bottling Monday.

If you have a home brew store in your area they should have some priming sugar. My 1st trip into a home brew store was Thursday and I found it without help :rockin: Paid a whole buck.

 

[Darklordenron]

Yea, i looked everywhere and asked plenty of people that thought i was talking about corn syrup. Havent seen it once and dont think i have a shop that would have it anywhere near me. Any good websites where you can order this stuff from? Are the ratios the same as with simple table sugar?

 

[HopfulAddiction]

Yea, i looked everywhere and asked plenty of people that thought i was talking about corn syrup. Havent seen it once and dont think i have a shop that would have it anywhere near me. Any good websites where you can order this stuff from? Are the ratios the same as with simple table sugar?

Not in your town but close.
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[bovineblitz]

Just use cane sugar, I almost always do

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

 

[petey_c]

In some of the older threads there was a general consensus not to use table sugar. From what I've seen lately, using table sugar for priming isn't a problem. I'm still a kit brewer so priming sugar is provided and I'm too lazy/cheap to use table sugar (the amounts are slightly different?).

 

[MaxSpang]

I think one of the issues with table sugar is that it might have some nasties in it. Most people (myself included) tend to have a bag or jar of sugar in the cupboard and it may sit there for a long time without being 100% air-tight. The sugar I put in my coffee, for example, is covered but by no means air tight. Works good in coffee, but if there's anything living in it it'll flourish in a nice bottle of beer.

So I'd say if you HAVE to use table sugar, boil it in a little water first just in case.


I'm an admitted newb, though, so take my advice with a grain of sugar- er, salt!

EDIT: After some research, I found that dry sugar will not hold onto bacteria, so ignore this post!

 

[K5MOW]

Well got a Mr. Beer for Christmas and have not finised my first batch yet. So far I love the Mr. Beer and will still use it but I am going to upgrad to full 5 gal batches. I am still looking and will hopfully get a kit from B&S Brewers Guild Inc here in TX. I hope to get my kit in about one week. Well talk latter.

Roger

 

[MaxSpang]

^^ I'm going to upgrade very soon to a bigger setup, I may be inheriting a lot of wine-making equipment that I can use to brew beer.

I'm going to keep my Mr Beer kit though for experimenting with smaller batches, at least the fermenter part. Might as well have a small batch of beer to drink while waiting for the big batch! Plus it's an easy way to lager the beer in the fridge without taking up too much room.


And BTW, I am officially obsessed. I spend almost all my free time looking through this forum and trying to prepare myself for the AG switch. I got the bug, and I got it real bad!

 

[IowaState]

So tomorrow is bottling day (hopefully) as it has been 2 weeks in the fermenter. When I take a sample tasting tomorrow what am I looking for (or not looking for).

Also what type of sugar will give me the best results,something that I can pick up from the local grocery store?

How long should I let it sit in bottles? Another 2 weeks?

-Thanks in advance.

 

[MadCat]

Okay, I'm new to this home brewing thing, got a Mr. Beer for Christmas. I think I'm going to love this, and I love beer, and love trying new beer, but I hate that some of my favorites are hard to find, so hopefully I can get good enough where what I brew becomes my favorite.

Anyways, I have the West Coast IPA fermenting, next Sunday when I intend to bottle will be 3 weeks. I bought a 3 pack (with boosters) on clearance with a wheat, oktoberfest, and canadian draft. Since I was going to buy online a capper (I don't have enough swing tops yet and can't find a homebrew store near me) I figured, why not make these recipes better? I was going to buy 3lb bags of DME (for economy of scale). I want to use wheat for the wheat beer, but debating on amber and light or both for the oktoberfest and canadian draft. What do you guys think? I also want to get some steeping grains for one of the recipies, which would be best to use them on, and what kind? And, should I add extra hops to any, and what kind? I plan on using the Hopped LME, 1 lb of DME, and the booster for these, so keep that in mind.

Also, I had wanted to buy the upgraded spigot and bottling wand from mrbeer.com, but they are now out of stock, should I just bottle as is, or should I just plan for the future and get a bottling bucket, bottling wand, and siphon from the homebrew website? If I get siphoning equipment, what would I need?

Thanks everybody, I'm enjoying this so far!

 

[Nova5]

Don't be surprised if the WC IPA doesn't impress you, the "basic" beers are nothing great. Similar to Bud Light, etc. I jumped from the supplied basic one to the recipes they have avail. Mr Beer doesn't lend to changing the mixes to get the expected outcome. Now that said, they have advanced "Recipes" that do turn out to be very good. they have you add hops, spices, etc.

 

[Kealia]

Anyways, I have the West Coast IPA fermenting, next Sunday when I intend to bottle will be 3 weeks.

Just to set expectations, it's a Pale Ale, not an IPA.

I bought a 3 pack (with boosters) on clearance with a wheat, oktoberfest, and canadian draft. Since I was going to buy online a capper (I don't have enough swing tops yet and can't find a homebrew store near me) I figured, why not make these recipes better? I was going to buy 3lb bags of DME (for economy of scale). I want to use wheat for the wheat beer, but debating on amber and light or both for the oktoberfest and canadian draft. What do you guys think?

I would use the light for the Canadian and use either for the Oktoberfest - brewer's choice.

I also want to get some steeping grains for one of the recipies, which would be best to use them on, and what kind? And, should I add extra hops to any, and what kind? I plan on using the Hopped LME, 1 lb of DME, and the booster for these, so keep that in mind.

This is where it gets harder. Not knowing what type of hops are in the MrB HMEs makes it hard to know which ones to add. You could add hops that compete and don't complement each other very well. If you've never brewed before you might just want to replace the Booster with a 1lb of the DME and leave the Booster for something else. That way you don't end up "diluting" the hops perceived bitterness.

Also, I had wanted to buy the upgraded spigot and bottling wand from mrbeer.com, but they are now out of stock, should I just bottle as is, or should I just plan for the future and get a bottling bucket, bottling wand, and siphon from the homebrew website? If I get siphoning equipment, what would I need?

Again, I'm calling brewer's choice here. If you plan on sticking with the MrB kits/fermenter for a while I wouldn't bother with a bottling bucket or siphoning equipment.

Hope some of this helps.

 

[bpgreen]

I think one of the issues with table sugar is that it might have some nasties in it.

I'm not sure where you read or heard that, but everything I've read indicates that sugar is sort of a natural antibiotic. Not in the sense that you can eat it or pour it on wounds to kill microbes, but that the microbes won't grow in it unless it's diluted in some way.

 

[MaxSpang]

I'm not sure where you read or heard that, but everything I've read indicates that sugar is sort of a natural antibiotic. Not in the sense that you can eat it or pour it on wounds to kill microbes, but that the microbes won't grow in it unless it's diluted in some way.

I could have sworn I read that on here somewhere...

But after doing some research, you are right! Dry sugar will not hold onto any types of bacteria or anything like that.

 

[MadCat]

Just to set expectations, it's a Pale Ale, not an IPA.

Right, a typo on my part. Not even expecting a good pale ale from it.

I would use the light for the Canadian and use either for the Oktoberfest - brewer's choice.

This is where it gets harder. Not knowing what type of hops are in the MrB HMEs makes it hard to know which ones to add. You could add hops that compete and don't complement each other very well. If you've never brewed before you might just want to replace the Booster with a 1lb of the DME and leave the Booster for something else. That way you don't end up "diluting" the hops perceived bitterness.

Okay, I wasn't sure if the beers would be needing more hops, but if they will have enough then I won't get any.

Again, I'm calling brewer's choice here. If you plan on sticking with the MrB kits/fermenter for a while I wouldn't bother with a bottling bucket or siphoning equipment.

Hope some of this helps.

Will be sticking with MrB for now, still live with my parents so there is only so much room here for fermenting.

And what about some steeping grains for one of the recipes? I want to try that out after making some with the DME, so what kind of steeping grains would you recommend and for which one?

Thanks

 

[Justibone]

But after doing some research, you are right! Dry sugar will not hold onto any types of bacteria or anything like that.

You are not wrong. Sugar is NOT an antibiotic in any way, shape or form. Bacteria do require an aqueous environment (water) that is within their tolerance in order to thrive and reproduce. They can survive dried out for some time, or at least their spores can, as can wild yeast.

So, here's why things don't rot:

SUGAR - dry, won't rot unless it gets wet
STALE BREAD - dry, can mold, but won't rot
JELLY/JAM - too sugary, osmotic pressure will kill any bacteria trying to live there
(caveat: jam & jelly can rot on the surface if a drop of water drips on it)
SALT WATER - osmotic pressure again
KOOL-AID - will spoil if not over-sugared
SODA - most have preservatives, low pH also protects
LEMONADE - low pH, also often has preservatives
COFFEE - if milk and sugar are added, will rot, otherwise, no food/fermentables
WINE - alcohol levels generally high enough to protect it
BEER - can definitely spoil/rot if certain microbes get into it

So, I would most HEARTILY recommend boiling your sugar before putting it in beer.

 

[Justibone]

Yea, i looked everywhere and asked plenty of people that thought i was talking about corn syrup. Havent seen it once and dont think i have a shop that would have it anywhere near me. Any good websites where you can order this stuff from? Are the ratios the same as with simple table sugar?

You can bottle with corn syrup. It's about 10% heavier than dry dextrose, by weight.

 

[Justibone]

Anyways, I have the West Coast IPA fermenting, next Sunday when I intend to bottle will be 3 weeks. I bought a 3 pack (with boosters) on clearance with a wheat, oktoberfest, and canadian draft. Since I was going to buy online a capper (I don't have enough swing tops yet and can't find a homebrew store near me) I figured, why not make these recipes better? I was going to buy 3lb bags of DME (for economy of scale). I want to use wheat for the wheat beer, but debating on amber and light or both for the oktoberfest and canadian draft. What do you guys think?

Light DME is almost always better to use, for almost every style. When adding malt extract you don't want to substitute that flavor for your other flavors, so it's better to err on the side of adding lighter flavor, rather than darker.

I also want to get some steeping grains for one of the recipies, which would be best to use them on, and what kind? And, should I add extra hops to any, and what kind? I plan on using the Hopped LME, 1 lb of DME, and the booster for these, so keep that in mind.

If you're adding only one extra pound of DME, you don't need to add more hops. You certainly could add .20-.25 oz. of hops if you want, especially for aroma, but there isn't a need to do so. In the Oktoberfest a nice German hop would be good (Hallertauer, Tettnanger, etc.), and in the Canadian, I don't really know, maybe Centennial?

EDIT: I think you can add any hop, because the pre-hopped extract only has hops for "bitterness", not for aroma. As a new brewer you don't necessarily want hop melange, where hops can either complement or clash with each other, but if it's just bitterness going in then melange is not an issue.

As for steeping grains, it's hard to go wrong with Crystal 20L in almost any recipe. Either get them ground up already, or grind them yourself with a rolling pin. (They should be crushed not quite as fine as flour -- your homebrew store will grind them for you if you buy them there, usually.)

Also, I had wanted to buy the upgraded spigot and bottling wand from mrbeer.com, but they are now out of stock, should I just bottle as is, or should I just plan for the future and get a bottling bucket, bottling wand, and siphon from the homebrew website? If I get siphoning equipment, what would I need?

If you want a siphon, I like my auto-siphon because it's so easy to use. It's not very robust, and some people have had bad luck with them... but I have two and they are pretty simple to use. If you get one, also get 4 ft. of siphon tubing and that's all you need to move your beer.

 

[Justibone]

Also what type of sugar will give me the best results,something that I can pick up from the local grocery store?

How long should I let it sit in bottles? Another 2 weeks?

I have personally bottled with dextrose, DME, cane sugar, honey and brown sugar. They all work. The brown sugar left the most flavor behind, and it was tasty.

Let the bottles sit at about 70F for about three weeks, ideally. Then, put one in the fridge for 48 hours. Try it. If it's properly carbonated (not flat, not a "gusher") then your other beers should be ready. If it's not, wait 4-5 days and put another in the fridge, etc.

Some bottles take longer to carb. My barleywine has been in bottles for a month and half and they are still not carbed (high ABV does that). So, be patient, and your patience will be rewarded.