Justibone
Well-Known Member
Others have done that before. I think they wrapped it with some sort of tape to seal it, but I don't recall for certain.
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Others have done that before. I think they wrapped it with some sort of tape to seal it, but I don't recall for certain.
flushdrew42
Well-Known Member
i think i recall reading that somewhere in here...
i do think an overflow out of a tube, into a bucket of sanitizer would be easier to clean than overflow down the sides of the keg, and onto my countertop...
stevehardt
Well-Known Member
So, not a bottle defect.
I agree with the cooler idea. A lot easier to clean up.
Opening the lids will no doubt make them foam out, and you will lose half the beer. That eventuality is unavoidable now, though, so just make sure you do it in the sink or in the bathtub.
I don't know what happened, but clearly there was too much sugar in there when you bottled (either from incomplete fermentation or from your bottling sugar). I'm sorry, but you are not going to get to drink much of your batch.
Thanks for the info. I was very careful measuring and mixing the priming sugar. My guess is the fermentation wasn't done. Lesson learned on the importance of using a hydrometer before bottling.
Good news is I chilled them down and haven't had another bottle bomb. I'll let them sit in the cooler/fridge for at least a couple of weeks, open them carefully over the sink, and hope for the best.
Valuable lesson. Already looking forward to bottling the next batch (after hydrometer readings of course)
Thanks again for all the info
vp7799
Member
Hey all,
I am getting ready to make the 1776 kit. Do these instructions sound right to you? I am trying to put together what I should do. I am reading how to brew, but this is my second batch and just trying to figure things out. Thanks
***Correction***
Helps to add the instructions:
Step 2: Brewing
2.1. Fill keg with cold water to the 4-quart mark on the back.
2.2. Remove yeast packet from under lid of HME, then place unopened cans of HME and UME in hot tap water to make the liquid easier to pour.
2.3. Create two hop sacks by cutting the hop sack in half and tie a knot to one of the open ends in the second hop sack. Place 1 packet (1/2 oz.) Liberty pellet hops into each sack and tie a knot to seal the open ends.
2.4. Using the sanitized measuring cup, place 4 cups of water into a clean 3-quart pot, then SLOWLY sprinkle in Booster while continually stirring to avoid clumping.
2.5. Once the Booster is fully dissolved, bring to a boil then remove from heat.
2.6. Stir HME, UME and 1st hop sack into mixture of water and Booster. This mixture is called the wort.
NOTE: HOPS MAY APPEAR AS GREEN LEAF PARTICLES AND WILL NOT DISSOLVE. KEEP HOPS IN FERMENTER THE ENTIRE FERMENTATION PERIOD.
2.7. Pour wort into keg. Bring the volume of the keg to the 8.5-quart mark by adding more cold water, then add the 2nd hop sack. Stir vigorously to mix well.
2.8. Sprinkle yeast into keg and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Stir vigorously again, then screw on lid.
2.9. Ferment by placing the keg out of direct sunlight and in a location with a consistent temperature. Allow beer to FERMENT A MINIMUM OF TWO WEEKS at room temperature (between 68°-76°F).
I am getting ready to make the 1776 kit. Do these instructions sound right to you? I am trying to put together what I should do. I am reading how to brew, but this is my second batch and just trying to figure things out. Thanks
***Correction***
Helps to add the instructions:
Step 2: Brewing
2.1. Fill keg with cold water to the 4-quart mark on the back.
2.2. Remove yeast packet from under lid of HME, then place unopened cans of HME and UME in hot tap water to make the liquid easier to pour.
2.3. Create two hop sacks by cutting the hop sack in half and tie a knot to one of the open ends in the second hop sack. Place 1 packet (1/2 oz.) Liberty pellet hops into each sack and tie a knot to seal the open ends.
2.4. Using the sanitized measuring cup, place 4 cups of water into a clean 3-quart pot, then SLOWLY sprinkle in Booster while continually stirring to avoid clumping.
2.5. Once the Booster is fully dissolved, bring to a boil then remove from heat.
2.6. Stir HME, UME and 1st hop sack into mixture of water and Booster. This mixture is called the wort.
NOTE: HOPS MAY APPEAR AS GREEN LEAF PARTICLES AND WILL NOT DISSOLVE. KEEP HOPS IN FERMENTER THE ENTIRE FERMENTATION PERIOD.
2.7. Pour wort into keg. Bring the volume of the keg to the 8.5-quart mark by adding more cold water, then add the 2nd hop sack. Stir vigorously to mix well.
2.8. Sprinkle yeast into keg and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Stir vigorously again, then screw on lid.
2.9. Ferment by placing the keg out of direct sunlight and in a location with a consistent temperature. Allow beer to FERMENT A MINIMUM OF TWO WEEKS at room temperature (between 68°-76°F).
jason_wv
New Member
New here and I know it's frowned on on forums to ask questions without reading, but this thread is huge. Here goes anyways, I just Pre-sampled my witty monk after 10 days in the bottling period. I noticed that at the bottom of every bottle I have quite a bit of white sediment. My keg fermented for 14 days at 62-66 degrees. The same for the bottles...I fear my whole batch is ruined. Can anyone explain the white sludge to me? Normal or bad sign? I really want to figure this out before I start my batch of IPA. I'm an extreme novice at this and don't know anything about this process. MRB says witty monk is equal to Blue Moon and it does sort of taste similar...but this sediment has me worried. Thanks in advance.
Question... I keep seeing people say they're boiling wort for 60 minutes. Can/should that be applied to the Mr. Beer recipes? I mean, the instructions say to bring water to a boil, take it off heat, and add your ingredients. Would it be worth it to boil the MB wort at all?
There's no need to do the boil with the Mr beer kits. The HME is prehopped and the boil was done at that time. If you boil it, you'll change the flavor and bitterness and elongate the aroma.
The_Professor
Well-Known Member
That is some yeast sediment.
It won't hurt you if you drink some and it has B vitamins, but you probably don't want it mixed with your beer so just pour carefully.
Once I stopped bottling from the primary fermenter I had a lot less sediment.
jason_wv
New Member
The_Professor said:
Thanks for answering...I was scared it was ruined. I keep my keg and/or bottles stored in a large cooler wrapped up in a fleece blanket because my ambient room temp stays in the low 60's. I REALLY want to do the next batch correctly, it's gonna be an IPA and I'm excited about it, will this set up work or should I try to warm the room to the suggested temp?
The_Professor
Well-Known Member
While knowing the room temp helps, knowing the temperature of the beer is even better. Using a stick on thermometer lets you know the temperature of the beer. You can get a stick on thermometer from most homebrew stores as well a some pet shops (think aquarium).
In the first few days fermentation will drive the beer temp above room temp a little.
Using an ice chest can work well with either frozen water bottles or hot water bottles.
hey guys, mr beer brewer here..for now at least also going to be doing a 1 gallon mead soon. for my second batch i want to make a porter with 1 can black tower and one can creamy brown but i have a feeling that a flavor boost would be a good idea so... what kind of steeping grain would compliment the HME/UME combination? thanks =)
HP
ps- maybe a better yeat for this little project as well?
HP
ps- maybe a better yeat for this little project as well?
petey_c
Senior Member
vp7799, That sounds correct. Because the hops were added at the end of the boil (so to speak), they'll be more for aroma than bitterness/taste. As you become a more experienced brewer, you'll learn more advanced techniques to make your brew clearer and better tasting. Oh yeah a possible bad side effect... you may never feel the same way about commercial beer ever again.
Justibone
Well-Known Member
You could steep a dark crystal grain (60-120) and add some sweetness.
Muntons Crystal 60L, lb.-Great Fermentations of Indiana
Briess Crystal 80L, lb.-Great Fermentations of Indiana
Briess Crystal 120L, lb.-Great Fermentations of Indiana
Chocolate malt would add a good roastiness, and it can be steeped as well.
Chocolate Malt, lb.-Great Fermentations of Indiana
Pale Chocolate-Great Fermentations of Indiana
Basically, you have a lot of options.
As for another yeast, well, with porters I think the MrB yeast should be just fine. If you really want to, though, you can buy a pack of Safale-05 or Nottingham (just be sure to keep the Notty yeast nice and cool during the first week of fermentation!)
Danstar Nottingham, 11 grams-Great Fermentations of Indiana
Safale 05 Dried Ale Yeast, 11.5g-Great Fermentations of Indiana
As for mead yeast, I like champagne yeast because they are 1) cheap and 2) high attenuation. Just my $.02!
jason_wv
New Member
My LBK does have the stick-on that came with the kit. Before I put it in the cooler with fleece it wasn't even registering but Mr Beer said it's ok to shake it up to wake up the yeast and move to warmer location. That's when I put it in the cooler next to my furnace register. From there on, the 66 was lit up brightest with 70 faintly lit on the thermometer. I assume that meant it was somewhere between 66-70 in the LBK, using the same setup for my bottling period. I think I will be borrow my parents EdenPure when I do my IPA, just to be sure.
flushdrew42
Well-Known Member
i'm 12 days into the MrB WCPA, and while "checking" on my dark ale(in my NB fermenter) last night i had just turned out the kitchen lights on my way out, and the way the dining room lights hit my MrB lit it up so i could see thru it, it appeared to be exceptionally clear.
this made me investigate further. no movement, no cloudiness, no bubbles. the fact that i have it sitting on a towel makes it hard to see the amount of trub in the bottom, but i'm assuming this means it's almost "done" and in 2 days when i plan to bottle, i should be good to go.
feels like i'm getting closer to having a finished product. which, for the record, feels good. can't wait to try it, figuratively speaking, i can't taste it for at least two weeks...
this made me investigate further. no movement, no cloudiness, no bubbles. the fact that i have it sitting on a towel makes it hard to see the amount of trub in the bottom, but i'm assuming this means it's almost "done" and in 2 days when i plan to bottle, i should be good to go.
feels like i'm getting closer to having a finished product. which, for the record, feels good. can't wait to try it, figuratively speaking, i can't taste it for at least two weeks...
firebirdude
Well-Known Member
I've be seeing the same thing in my batch right now. It seemed to be pretty darn clear by the 6 day mark and had a thin layer of trub at the bottom. I checked again at the 10 day mark and the trub had increased greatly, but the wort seemed just as clear. How do we know when it's done without a hydrometer? Is it possible to leave it for too long (a month for example)? Or does it just get better with age?
flushdrew42
Well-Known Member
my understanding is longer is better, but my statistical mind says there has to be a rate of diminising returns... where the longer you leave it, is better, up to a point where the good-ness falls off and your benefit/quality improvement dwindles...
A brewing buddy of mine (who has a 5 gal. carboy setup) leaves his in primary up to six months, but that's an airlock design. Not sure if things are different with our MB's open design. Something tells me it would be easier for airborne nasties to get in with the open design, in which case it wouldn't be a good idea to leave it much longer than you have to. Just my uneducated guess.
I bottled my first beer this weekend (a no booster 2 cans of HME mix). I then made some Apfelwein in the MrB. It looks like that takes about a month to ferment and I'm hooked. I'm going to buy the #2 kit from Midwest Brewing. It has a 5 gallon carboy and 2 6.5 gallon buckets plus assorted other stuff.
Any suggestions on my next brew? Something reasonably easy/cheap, but a step up from the Mr. Beer pre-hopped?
Should I buy one of the ingredient kits or are they of lower quality like the Mr. Beer?
Any help would be appreciated.
Any suggestions on my next brew? Something reasonably easy/cheap, but a step up from the Mr. Beer pre-hopped?
Should I buy one of the ingredient kits or are they of lower quality like the Mr. Beer?
Any help would be appreciated.
If you don't have a hydrometer, you an go by two things:
1) Roughly a two-week plan
2) Taste. Take a pull from the keg. You're looking for it to taste like flat beer, but not sugary sweet (meaning the sugars haven't been eaten by the yeast)
Don't worry about the cloudiness. That will clear up with time in the bottle. Besides, the first pull off the keg usually has a lot of trub in it since it settles on the bottom of the keg and on/in the spigot.
Yes, you can leave it for a while and let the yeast continue to age/condition the beer but as noted the MrB kegs are not air-tight. The provide a means for the CO2 to push oxygen out via the notches, but it's not the same as having an airlock in place where you can count on the beer being covered by CO2 without oxygen getting in.
2-3 weeks in the LBK is the general consensus on the length of time to ferment. You can always leave the bottles at room temp for an extended period of time to let them age/condition more. Although that's much harder since it's so tempting to pry the cap and drink one at that stage
You can buy any kit and make great beer. Likewise you can buy any kit and make crappy beer if you don't follow directions and process (temps, time, etc.).
If you want to do more you can step up to an extract kit that requires a hop boil if you don't want to get into grains.
But for the record, because MrB is simple doesn't mean it is low quality. Their extract is top notch IMO. You lose some CONTROL by using pre-hopped extract, but not quality.
firebirdude
Well-Known Member
So I went out and bought a triple scale hydrometer and bottling wand. But I understand you're suppose to take a measurement before your wort starts to ferment and then again after. Well I obviously didn't have the hydrometer to do a before measurement. Any idea what the plain ol West Coast Ale made according to the MrB instructions should read when it's complete?
Made to the instructions it's 1.038-1.040.
stevehardt
Well-Known Member
Can leaving too much headspace in a PET bottle during bottling cause bottle bombs. If so, how?
My understanding is that too much headspace results in a flatter beer.
When you bottle prime you create a mini fermentation that creates more CO2. That CO2 that would normally escape through the vented slots in a MrB keg is now trapped in the bottle and can either:
1) Be absorbed into the liquid, OR
2) Sit in the headspace
With more headspace you'll have more CO2 that is not absorbed in the beer itself.
Unless there is an issue with the amount of priming sugar used, headspace alone should not result in a bottle bomb.
When you bottle prime you create a mini fermentation that creates more CO2. That CO2 that would normally escape through the vented slots in a MrB keg is now trapped in the bottle and can either:
1) Be absorbed into the liquid, OR
2) Sit in the headspace
With more headspace you'll have more CO2 that is not absorbed in the beer itself.
Unless there is an issue with the amount of priming sugar used, headspace alone should not result in a bottle bomb.
firebirdude
Well-Known Member
Hmmm just took a reading. Tested with water first and measured 1.001. Then with my wort at 1.014 after 10 days at ~72degrees. Any reason this is? Tastes like flat beer. Smells like beer.
You could steep a dark crystal grain (60-120) and add some sweetness.
Muntons Crystal 60L, lb.-Great Fermentations of Indiana
Briess Crystal 80L, lb.-Great Fermentations of Indiana
Briess Crystal 120L, lb.-Great Fermentations of Indiana
Chocolate malt would add a good roastiness, and it can be steeped as well.
Chocolate Malt, lb.-Great Fermentations of Indiana
Pale Chocolate-Great Fermentations of Indiana
Basically, you have a lot of options.
As for another yeast, well, with porters I think the MrB yeast should be just fine. If you really want to, though, you can buy a pack of Safale-05 or Nottingham (just be sure to keep the Notty yeast nice and cool during the first week of fermentation!)
Danstar Nottingham, 11 grams-Great Fermentations of Indiana
Safale 05 Dried Ale Yeast, 11.5g-Great Fermentations of Indiana
As for mead yeast, I like champagne yeast because they are 1) cheap and 2) high attenuation. Just my $.02!
so.. many... choices..:twitch twitch:
i may try a little of each or something. reading through the details of each grain; 3/4lb of the muntons and 1/4lb of the chocolate may be the way to do it. unless i have my amounts wrong for small batch the mrb fermenter allows. back to the research i suppose
ugh.. i need a bigger bucket
He gave you the OG (original gravity).
You should end up anywhere between 1.012 - 1.008 for that recipe. 1.014 is a BIT high so I would let it go another 4 days (to make 2 weeks) then measure again. At the end of the day what you want to see is the same reading over multiple days. That will tell you that it's done fermenting regardless of where it ends up.
You should end up anywhere between 1.012 - 1.008 for that recipe. 1.014 is a BIT high so I would let it go another 4 days (to make 2 weeks) then measure again. At the end of the day what you want to see is the same reading over multiple days. That will tell you that it's done fermenting regardless of where it ends up.
1.014 sounds good to me. If it's the same tomorrow it's done.
If it reads 1.001 with 60F distilled water it reads a point high. Make sure you adjust the reading for the temperature.
If it reads 1.001 with 60F distilled water it reads a point high. Make sure you adjust the reading for the temperature.
I dunno, 1.014 sounds pretty high for a standard recipe to finish at. Granted, I haven't brewed one of those in about 2 years but if the OG is ~1.040 that's only 65% apparent attentuation. I'd say it's not quite done yet....give it a few more days.
For it to hit the 3.7% ABV stated it should be 1.010-1.012. In any case if it is not done it will read lower tomorrow.
vp7799
Member
Great, Thanks
firebirdude
Well-Known Member
I measured using tap water (all I have on hand). It measured 1.001-1.002. I just found my low-range thermometer and measured my tap water temp. 70 degrees (hello Florida). According to the sheet that came with the hydrometer, I should add .001. So either my hydrometer is reading .002-.003 high, or it's reading higher due to the tap water (obviously possible). In addition, I'm sure my wort is probably at least 70 degrees. Meaning my wort reading should really be 1.015. If the hydrometer is truly reading high, then the wort's SG falls right where it should be. If the hydrometer is correct, then the SG is still a little high. At any rate, I'll test it again in 2 days. See if anything changes.
I'll pick up some distilled water soon so I can verify the hydrometer is accurate.
I got a Mr. Beer kit during the resent Woot sale. I finally got it going on the fridge. I was going to wait 3-4 weeks before bottling, but am feeling the urge to start another brew. I got a slimline 2.5 gallon container to bottle with, but was thinking of jputting an airlock on it to brew a small batch. I like the idea of smaller batches and could get another Mr. Brew barrel. Would it be bad to use the slimline? What other compact containers do people brew with for small batches? Thanks!
Frozer860
Active Member
I bottled my 8 pints of beer on Sunday. 2 bottles are already hard and the remaining are not. I batch primed in a bottling bucket. Are the 2 hard bottles at risk of becoming bombs??
They're probably the bottles with more trub so they cabonated faster.
Keep an eye on them. If they start to bulgee, stick them in the fridge immediately.
I don't know if I'd trust the Slimline as a fermenter. It's food grade, but since it's not designed for fermenting, it my not hold up well.
Frozer860
Active Member
bpgreen said:
Makes sense. Thanks!
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