Anyone ever tried to proof Mr Beer yeast? Is there a chance I had dead yeast? Should I try to pitch another packet of the Mr Beer yeast? I have some Safale US-05 coming Wednesday. If I don't have any kind of signs that my beer is fermenting by then, should I try to pitch the US-05?
Hops were created by the Flying Spaghetti Monster. It is he, and he alone, that promises of beer volcanoes in heaven.
Don't worry about cooling in the winter. As long as your AC isn't on, the beer is fine with the temp. too.
I used the yeast that came with the HME, and I rehydrated it in water for 15 min, then proofed it with preboiled mixture of DME and water that was cooled and waited 30 minutes. Nothing happened, it didn't start bubbling or anything - I couldn't tell any difference.
I know Mr Beer yeast isn't the best yeast, but I feel like it should have done SOMETHING. I went ahead and pitched it anyway. I pitched it about 5 hours ago.
Anyone ever tried to proof Mr Beer yeast? Is there a chance I had dead yeast? Should I try to pitch another packet of the Mr Beer yeast? I have some Safale US-05 coming Wednesday. If I don't have any kind of signs that my beer is fermenting by then, should I try to pitch the US-05?
I should also mention that the cowboy lager had a somewhat spicy finish. Could that be yeast?
Are you brewing your favorite types of beer?
That's the key, if you are a stout drinker, brew stouts. If you are an IPA fan, you need to be dry hopping your brewing brainz out.
There is also the possibility that this hobby is not for you. Some people taste the "extract twang" and decide they never want a homebrewed beer again. Some people are too bothered by the yeast in the bottom of the bottle. Some people don't want the extra expense (as compared to a BMC) and hassle. Brewing is not for everyone.
There are fixes for the above problems. Going all-grain gets rid of extract twang, and kegging gets rid of the trub-bottle issues. If you don't enjoy the extract brewing, though, then I would not recommend the significant cash outlays in order to do an all-grain set-up or kegging set-up. If you want to give it one more shot, then you need to search the "brew-in-a-bag" thread, and go with an all-grain recipe of a kind of beer you like. Give the thing a full month -- YES, ALL THIRTY DAYS! -- of primary fermentation, and then give it a full three weeks at temperatures above 70F to carbonate. Finally, give it a full 48 hours -- seven days would be better -- in the fridge to cold condition. If you don't like it after all of that, then save yourself the hassle and expense, because brewing beer is not for you. You might like cider, mead, or wine, so you can still use your Mr Beer if so, but then again it might just be time to cut your losses.
No one can tell you whether or not this hobby is for you. That's up to you and you alone.
mr. beer has always been pretty good on their ingredients. at least for me. i would probably blame the spicyness on hops. there are def. hop varietys that i do not care for. pick a different style. follow the directions closely. and you will find something you like to make. if you like beer (i assume you do) and you enjoyed making it, and just arent happy with the results. i wouldn't quit just yet. the more you brew the better you get, and the better your beers get. also picking a style that you really like with help. DON'T GIVE UP! YOU WILL MAKE REALLY GOOD BEER!
Steeping grains will add a lot of mouthfeel. If you like a "full" beer, then an oatmeal stout or a maibock could be up your alley. Not really sure. You just need to drink around until you know what you like, then search for (or create) a thread trying to replicate that beer.
30 minutes is too short of a time. If you want to grow up a starter, it takes a few hours or even the better part of a day.
Some people just don't like extract brew. It sounds like you're the type who wants a mouth experience. Part of that is carbonation and part of that is proteins. Malt extract doesn't have much in the way of proteins, but steeping specialty grains can add that. Basically, steeping specialty grains is just like making tea (except at a lower temp, 150F), and then using that tea to brew your beer. A partial mash is just using grains that have diastatic power (the ability to convert starches) and watching the temperature that much more closely.
It's a short step from a partial mash, where you are converting a small amount of grain, to brew-in-a-bag, where you are getting all of your sugar from conversion.
I'd say you need to try steeping at the least, or partial mash, or even brew-in-a-bag, since you've been unsatisfied up to this point. Also, try your beers as they get older, because time heals beer-wounds. Give them plenty of time to carbonate, then give them plenty of time in the fridge and even the bad old beers will start to shine a bit more.
I have been reading past posts that were somewhat related, and also trying to do conversions from Cane Sugar to Corn Sugar and using the carbonation calculator that was posted and I'm just confused.
My Mr. Beer West Coast Pale Ale has been fermenting for 16 days and I want to bottle. I picked up this Corn Sugar from my local home brew shop. Mr. Beer says to use 2 1/2 tsp of Table Sugar per liter bottle. From what I've read I can't determine if I'm supposed to use slightly more, slightly less, or exactly 2 1/2 tsp of the Corn Sugar.
Thanks in advance for any help, this forum is great!
Thanks for the reply jbsg02.
This might sound stupid, but how did you measure out 2 oz? I just have dry package that is 5 oz, I could use just a little less than half?
I would prefer to just measure out the right proportions using teaspoons and put in each bottle, as this is my first batch of beer ever.
I just came across a can of Mr. Beer. It's their "Cowboy" and says "Golden Lager"
Instead of using their yeast, what do you guys recommend?
Thanks
E
I just came across a can of Mr. Beer. It's their "Cowboy" and says "Golden Lager"
Instead of using their yeast, what do you guys recommend?
Thanks
E
I like using Danstar Nottingham, especially if my brewing temperatures are going to be below 60F. I also like Safale US-05. It's good at temperatures almost as low as Nottingham, but is a little more tolerant of higher temperatures. I still prefer brewing at the lower end of the range (below 65).
its kinda hard to say. they are different types of measurements (volume and weight) if the sugar is coarser or finer then it will be a different volume. also if it is really compacted or really loose then it will read different.
Ok, I posted a few weeks back when I first got Mr. Beer. I followed all the instructions that came with it - 2 weeks in the fermenter, 2 weeks in a closet, 48 hours in the fridge. Couldn't wait to get home last night to try it. It was pretty disapponting - sweet and flat. I didn't forget the sugar when bottling.
Since then I have bought several carboys and a fermenting bucket and have 2 five gallon batches in primary.
Is this the way home brews are supposed to come out?
I am hoping that it is just a matter of putting it back in the closet to ferment longer and not that I invested several hundred dollars to produce yucky beer.
Thoughts from the pros?
Ok, I posted a few weeks back when I first got Mr. Beer. I followed all the instructions that came with it - 2 weeks in the fermenter, 2 weeks in a closet, 48 hours in the fridge. Couldn't wait to get home last night to try it. It was pretty disapponting - sweet and flat. I didn't forget the sugar when bottling.
Since then I have bought several carboys and a fermenting bucket and have 2 five gallon batches in primary.
Is this the way home brews are supposed to come out?
I am hoping that it is just a matter of putting it back in the closet to ferment longer and not that I invested several hundred dollars to produce yucky beer.
Thoughts from the pros?
Thanks Justibone! That is exactly the reassurance I was looking for! I guess I'll be putting a scale on my next to purchase list.
Also, thanks jbsg02, and rycov for the advise as well!
Just FYI, the scale I posted a link to earlier, will only go up to 5 pounds. I wouldn't recommend that one because if you want to start doing some all grain brews, you will often be measuring out more than 5 pounds.
For the future, if you are going to keep brewing, a scale that can measure down to 1/10ths of an ounce is going to be handy.
Enter your email address to join: