Mr Beer - Read all about it and ask questions

[brewski09]

Nottingham crapped out at 62.5? I've used it at 55 with no problems (although I'll usually give a batch 3 weeks in the fermenter at 55).

Yup. It happens sometimes. That's one reason I like the cry havoc strain. Great up to 70, but also works at about 50. Just remember to let the temp come up to clean up the sulfur compounds and you are great.

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[ddavis7426]

Gravity on day 20 was 1.016 or 1.018= still not near 1.009. I may need to wait more than 2 days to make certain fermentation is completed as you or someone else mentioned ( may have been in another thread).

What is the gravity now? When you rocked it you could have simply degassed the co2 in solution. If you are done with the fermentation another couple of days at fermentation temps will let all the extra compounds get cleaned up by the yeast an then you can do a chilled secondary if you want. The theories here are varied. I don't use the same process every time last beer I only did a primary, I dry hopped 4 days, and chilled to about 50 with ice packs. Turned out fantastic.


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[brewski09]

Gravity on day 20 was 1.016 or 1.018= still not near 1.009. I may need to wait more than 2 days to make certain fermentation is completed as you or someone else mentioned ( may have been in another thread).

Okay, so your temp is fine. Your yeast clearly worked, just not as well as desired. I would look to yeast health. You could have recurved an old kit with an old packet of yeast, or it could have been subjected to harsh conditions during transportation, or you could have just recurved a dud packet, or you could have recurved a random batch of extract that isn't fully fermentable to Mr beer s specs. It happens. I would venture a guess that you aren't getting any more fermentation at this point. You can either bottle and hope the yeast is still viable enough to carbonate or pitch a better yeast than what comes in the kit and see if that brings the gravity down more. I would probably pitch in new yeast.

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[FLOutlander]

Hello All,

I did an extract recipe yesterday using my LBK.

3 lbs Wheat LME
.25 lbs CaraPils(Not really sure why but oh well) steeped for 30 min at 152
.25 ounces Hallertauer(4.6%) for 60 min
.25 ounces Hallertauer for 17 min
.25 ounces Hallertauer for 7 min
.5 ounces Sweet Orange Peel added at 10 minute mark
.2 ounces Coriander also added at 10 minute mark

I poured the wort through a strainer to remove the orange and coriander, then topped off with filtered(Brita) water to the 2.13 gallon mark. Thermometer indicated 68 degrees. Hydrometer reading indicated a Specific Gravity of 1.053(with temp correction).

I pitched 2/3 of a vial of WLP-400(meant to only pitch 1/2 but it came out too fast lol). My fermentation area holds at a steady 71 degrees. I checked on it 10 hours later and it looked the same as when I first pitched. Checked again at 15 hours after pitching and it had 1 inch of krausen. I've heard this yeast can be a little weird sometimes so I'll let it go and see what happens. My target FG is 1.013 so I'll take a reading in two weeks.

This will be going into the 1 liter PET bottles on top of 1.5 tsp of sugar. Looking forward to this one.

Cheers!

Outlander

 

[brewski09]

Hello All,

I did an extract recipe yesterday using my LBK.

3 lbs Wheat LME
.25 lbs CaraPils(Not really sure why but oh well) steeped for 30 min at 152
.25 ounces Hallertauer(4.6%) for 60 min
.25 ounces Hallertauer for 17 min
.25 ounces Hallertauer for 7 min
.5 ounces Sweet Orange Peel added at 10 minute mark
.2 ounces Coriander also added at 10 minute mark

I poured the wort through a strainer to remove the orange and coriander, then topped off with filtered(Brita) water to the 2.13 gallon mark. Thermometer indicated 68 degrees. Hydrometer reading indicated a Specific Gravity of 1.053(with temp correction).

I pitched 2/3 of a vial of WLP-400(meant to only pitch 1/2 but it came out too fast lol). My fermentation area holds at a steady 71 degrees. I checked on it 10 hours later and it looked the same as when I first pitched. Checked again at 15 hours after pitching and it had 1 inch of krausen. I've heard this yeast can be a little weird sometimes so I'll let it go and see what happens. My target FG is 1.013 so I'll take a reading in two weeks.

This will be going into the 1 liter PET bottles on top of 1.5 tsp of sugar. Looking forward to this one.

Cheers!

Outlander

I've used this yeast before. I like the recipe actually. I think the catapults was a good addition. Out of curiosity, why did you use 17 and 7 minutes for the hop additions?

Regarding the wlp400, that should knock this recipe out in 3 days. Then give it a good 3 days for cleanup. What you want to be careful of its this yeast gets really phenolic at the temps you are holding. If you don't want quite so much of of the phenol characters, cool it as little. What you can do is monitor the aroma. If you like it, don't do anything. If you don't like it, cool the fermenter off. This is the yeast that the stone 02-02-02 recipe uses.

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[FLOutlander]

Out of curiosity, why did you use 17 and 7 minutes for the hop additions?

I was reading a chart somewhere, I believe it was in PDF form, can't remember. Anyway it was a chart used for determining Hop boil times. It showed that 17 and 7 were optimal for Flavor and Aroma. Wish I had bookmarked the thing.

Are you sure this yeast will finish that quickly? 6 days seems like a very short time compared to what I've read on this and other forums. Folks sometimes even have issues with this yeast going to sleep for a while before picking back up. That's why I was thinking 2 weeks. Even though I have a nice krausen on top, there's very little movement below the surface. Nothing like US-05 or even the MR Beer yeast I've used with the kits. Lots of action/swirling with those.

As far as the temperature, I can't adjust. Its the coolest area of my house.

Cheers,

Outlander

 

[Walzenbrew]

Need advice. Brewed 5 gallons of blond ale in 2 mr beer kegs for 3 weeks. Bottle primed and conditioned 4 weeks at temp of low 60s. Cold in New England. Tried one and no carbonation and sweet. Should I leave alone for couple more weeks and hope they get better or should I open them and add some yeast to get carbonation???

When in doubt, always give a little more time. If you have a hydrometer, definitely use it and see if the number is consistent for several days straight.

You can also, if able, rise the temperature a little higher and see if that kicks fermentation into action.


New to Homebrewing? Guides, How To, and Advice:

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[brewski09]

I was reading a chart somewhere, I believe it was in PDF form, can't remember. Anyway it was a chart used for determining Hop boil times. It showed that 17 and 7 were optimal for Flavor and Aroma. Wish I had bookmarked the thing.

Are you sure this yeast will finish that quickly? 6 days seems like a very short time compared to what I've read on this and other forums. Folks sometimes even have issues with this yeast going to sleep for a while before picking back up. That's why I was thinking 2 weeks. Even though I have a nice krausen on top, there's very little movement below the surface. Nothing like US-05 or even the MR Beer yeast I've used with the kits. Lots of action/swirling with those.

As far as the temperature, I can't adjust. Its the coolest area of my house.

Cheers,

Outlander

I think I've seen the same chart. It's purely theoretical and hypothetical I'd it's the same chart, but a great starting point. I use 10-20 for flavor and 0-5 for aroma. Of I really want to get it in there, I drop to 180f after the boil and whirlpool for 20-40 minutes and dryhop for 3-5 days.

I think the longer times are either to cold or higher gravity. I will say that leaving it on the year for 2 weeks is just fine though. On this year I make sure to bring some sediment with me as I want the year character in the final beer.

Cheers.

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[skitter]

I typically will use only my 60 minute addition and a 10 minute, with a small amount of hops added at flameout while I chill the beer as this in itself takes about 20 minutes for me (ice bath in the sink). So far it seems to give me a good profile for the hops, although I am noticing my normal standard of 16-20 IBU just isn't cutting it anymore. This weeks batch is going to be around 30 since I'm doing a 10%

 

[brewski09]

I typically will use only my 60 minute addition and a 10 minute, with a small amount of hops added at flameout while I chill the beer as this in itself takes about 20 minutes for me (ice bath in the sink). So far it seems to give me a good profile for the hops, although I am noticing my normal standard of 16-20 IBU just isn't cutting it anymore. This weeks batch is going to be around 30 since I'm doing a 10%

10% can sustain much more than 30 IBU. Look at the dogfish head 90 minute IPA. Finishes at 9% ABV, 90 IBU, and a final gravity of about 1.020. I prefer it to finish between 1.016-1.018 when I make it, but the bitterness is spot on for me.


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[skitter]

10% can sustain much more than 30 IBU. Look at the dogfish head 90 minute IPA. Finishes at 9% ABV, 90 IBU, and a final gravity of about 1.020. I prefer it to finish between 1.016-1.018 when I make it, but the bitterness is spot on for me.


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My 2.5g batch I am using Simcoe for, .25oz for 60m and .25 for 10m. Should be around 25-30IBU. It will be interesting to see if this experiment works

I am using Nottingham since it finishes lower, S-04 is usually my go to yeast, and it doesn't cause overflow issues, however when I use Nottingham even at keeping with 60 degree fermentation I usually have overflow in my LBK.

 

[gaz2002]

hi all

just got a homebrew kit and a coopers canadian blonde. evrything is ready to go but in the instructions it just says ''dissolve contentsof can & other fermentable sugars with 2l of hot water''

how much sugar? which type ? etc

iv been told its 1kg of sugar? is this correct?

everything is sterilised ready to go its just the sugar part

thanks

 

[skitter]

Boil water, flame off (turn off the heat) and add your extracts. Add Dme/LME instead of sugar

 

[brewski09]

i agree with skitter on the DME. you should be able to get it in 1 pound bags from a homebrew shop. you can also use a free site like brewtoad for rough calculations of gravity and strength of the brew. just use a generic LME (liquid malt extract) and forget about the IBU calculations.

skitter - on a separate note, your simcoe brew sounds tasty. i love to combine simcoe and amarillo as a dryhop in even amounts on anything over 6%. its an amazing combination.

 

[ddavis7426]

Learning more each day.
Since this is a lager, maybe the temp should have been much lower say 50-58 degrees for fermentation.
My brew supply guy said lagers were harder and not a good beginner beer for a noob.
Sounds like the fermentation may take longer for a lager.

Okay, so your temp is fine. Your yeast clearly worked, just not as well as desired. I would look to yeast health. You could have recurved an old kit with an old packet of yeast, or it could have been subjected to harsh conditions during transportation, or you could have just recurved a dud packet, or you could have recurved a random batch of extract that isn't fully fermentable to Mr beer s specs. It happens. I would venture a guess that you aren't getting any more fermentation at this point. You can either bottle and hope the yeast is still viable enough to carbonate or pitch a better yeast than what comes in the kit and see if that brings the gravity down more. I would probably pitch in new yeast.

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[FLOutlander]

The Coopers kits, much like Mr Beer, come with Ale yeast. I know it says lager right there in the name, but I promise you its an Ale. Ferment between 59 and 72 and you'll be fine.

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[uatuba]

Learning more each day.

Since this is a lager, maybe the temp should have been much lower say 50-58 degrees for fermentation.

My brew supply guy said lagers were harder and not a good beginner beer for a noob.

Sounds like the fermentation may take longer for a lager.

Not quite. Mr. Beer does not use lager yeast as far as I know. Even though they call it a lager, it's still ale yeast, and it should be fermented as an ale.


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[Bigarcherynut]

I have a question/concern about a Mr. Beer recipe. I'm currently fermenting a Bewitched Amber Ale. It will be 2 weeks tomorrow. My 3 previous brews have had small dime size clumps of bubbles and a few clumps of yeast after 2 weeks. This one after 2 weeks has some clumps of foam but what appears to be yeast all over the top. Didn't take the lid off just look through the jug with a flashlight. Fermentation temps have been between 63-65 degrees. Kept them lower as instructed on here. Could it be that much yeast floating after 2 weeks or is it something else. If it's yeast what can I do to get ride out it before bottling?

Thanks

 

[bzwyatt]

Probably fine, fermentations are not always the same. Wait til week three.

 

[skitter]

I did the bewtched + 1lb amber lme and fermented for 3 weeks

 

[Bigarcherynut]

Thanks guys. I'll watch it this week and see how it looks. I did take an OG but with just a 2 gallon batch don't want to sample much of it.

 

[brewski09]

The biggest problem I have is sampling loss... ::

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[Bigarcherynut]

The biggest problem I have is sampling loss... ::

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With 2 gallons I hate wasting any. How do you feel if properly sanitized returning sample back into LBJ? I've read some people do it. I'm a sanitize freak. Double sanitize everything.

 

[brewski09]

With 2 gallons I hate wasting any. How do you feel if properly sanitized returning sample back into LBJ? I've read some people do it. I'm a sanitize freak. Double sanitize everything.

I bought a refractometer and use Sean Terrill's calculator to adjust for the alcohol content. I find it to be within 2 specific gravity points of actual FG samples and plenty accurate enough to tell me if fermentation has stopped because all I need there is to know if the Specific gravity (or Brix on my refractometer) is stable or still changing. I still take a hydrometer measurement at the end when it's bottling time just for a more accurate record and to help calibrate the equation. I'll post some refractometer links later when I'm not using a mobile device.


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[Bigarcherynut]

I bought a refractometer and use Sean Terrill's calculator to adjust for the alcohol content. I find it to be within 2 specific gravity points of actual FG samples and plenty accurate enough to tell me if fermentation has stopped because all I need there is to know if the Specific gravity (or Brix on my refractometer) is stable or still changing. I still take a hydrometer measurement at the end when it's bottling time just for a more accurate record and to help calibrate the equation. I'll post some refractometer links later when I'm not using a mobile device.


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Thanks much.

Are you against drawing a sample then returning it to the jug?

 

[brewski09]

Just wondering where you guys fill your Co2 canisters when using a keg system.
Thanks,
CMH

I'm not particularly against it, but I'm not really for it either. I see it as a risk for an infection, but not a guarantee.

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[ddavis7426]

Okay, so your temp is fine. Your yeast clearly worked, just not as well as desired. I would look to yeast health. You could have recurved an old kit with an old packet of yeast, or it could have been subjected to harsh conditions during transportation, or you could have just recurved a dud packet, or you could have recurved a random batch of extract that isn't fully fermentable to Mr beer s specs. It happens. I would venture a guess that you aren't getting any more fermentation at this point. You can either bottle and hope the yeast is still viable enough to carbonate or pitch a better yeast than what comes in the kit and see if that brings the gravity down more. I would probably pitch in new yeast.

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From Palmer
http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter8-1-3.html

"High temperatures can also lead to excessive levels of diacetyl. A common mistake that homebrewers make is pitching the yeast when the wort has not been chilled enough, and is still relatively warm. If the wort is, e.g. 90¡F, when the yeast is pitched and slowly cools to room temperature during primary fermentation, more diacetyl will be produced in the early stages than the yeast can reabsorb during the secondary stage. Furthermore, primary fermentation is an exothermic process. The internal temperature of the fermentor can be as much as 10F above ambient conditions, just due to yeast activity. This is one good reason to keep the fermentor in the proper temperature range; so that with a normal vigorous fermentation, the beer turns out as intended, even if it was warmer than the surroundings."

I think what happened to my 1st brew was I pitched too soon after mixing the wort. I did not have a thermometer 1st batch and after starting my 2nd batch tonight and seeing how long it took to lower my temp. to 69-70 degrees, I dont think I was anywhere close on the 1st batch. I probably stunted and/or killed my yeast.
This is prob why it took so long to ferment, never reached the FG it was supposed to, and has an off flavor when I bottled today after 4 weeks in the keg.

 

[brewski09]

From Palmer
http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter8-1-3.html

"High temperatures can also lead to excessive levels of diacetyl. A common mistake that homebrewers make is pitching the yeast when the wort has not been chilled enough, and is still relatively warm. If the wort is, e.g. 90¡F, when the yeast is pitched and slowly cools to room temperature during primary fermentation, more diacetyl will be produced in the early stages than the yeast can reabsorb during the secondary stage. Furthermore, primary fermentation is an exothermic process. The internal temperature of the fermentor can be as much as 10F above ambient conditions, just due to yeast activity. This is one good reason to keep the fermentor in the proper temperature range; so that with a normal vigorous fermentation, the beer turns out as intended, even if it was warmer than the surroundings."

I think what happened to my 1st brew was I pitched too soon after mixing the wort. I did not have a thermometer 1st batch and after starting my 2nd batch tonight and seeing how long it took to lower my temp. to 69-70 degrees, I dont think I was anywhere close on the 1st batch. I probably stunted and/or killed my yeast.
This is prob why it took so long to ferment, never reached the FG it was supposed to, and has an off flavor when I bottled today after 4 weeks in the keg.

The of flavor is likely just from yeast that didn't do the full job. If it had fermented out, you probably would have had a healthy enough yeast to clean up whatever of flavors you are tasting. A good learning experience as it is though. Cheers.

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[skitter]

If I want a longer feemwntation I usuallyy use Nottingham, its just really picky during the first 3-4 days of fermentation temperature wise

 

[bpgreen]

With 2 gallons I hate wasting any. How do you feel if properly sanitized returning sample back into LBJ? I've read some people do it. I'm a sanitize freak. Double sanitize everything.

I wouldn't do it. You increase the risk of infection and no matter how careful you are, you WILL introduce at least some oxygen, which speeds staling.

To be honest, I've done it in the past, but decided it just wasn't worth the risk of ruining the batch. One day, as I was getting ready to pour the sample back, it hit me that leaving it out left me with 2-3 fl oz less, but if anything went wrong, pouring it back could ruid the whole batch. I decided it wasn't worth the risk.

 

[Bigarcherynut]

Well I checked my Bewitched Amber Ale again after 2-1/2 weeks and most all of the small bubbles are gone from the top and I took the top off the LBK and it looks like everything that is floating on top is yeast and a lot of it. Is it normal for that much to stay on top? What can I do to get it to fall or is it still fermenting? Didn't have this on my other batches.

 

[skitter]

You sure its yeast and not Co2? Bewitched Amber took 2 weeks and then 3 bottled

 

[brewski09]

Take some pics and post them for us please.


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[Bigarcherynut]

Here is a picture. Not the best but hope it tells you something. The black circle shows what I think is yeast. The other is the same it looks more orange becuase of the light coming through the LBK. It's a light tan color. I did start a cold crah and over 50% has dropped out. The yeast supplied was a different type from my other Mr. Beer refills. Can't remember the name on the package but was gold compared to the silver packets supplied with the other refills.

I did take a gravity reading and it was 1.010 compared to a starting OG of 1.064. Figured the fermentation was complete so that's why I cold crashed it.

Tasted my sample and it tastes fine. Just haven't experienced the floating stuff before. Most everything has dropped out by the end of the second week.

Let me know what you think.

Thanks for your input.

 

[skitter]

I've seen stuff like that before and bottled with no harm, I bottle condition for 3 weeks though not 2 before putting them in the fridge

 

[brewski09]

Looks like a low floc type of yeast. I think the coopers gold yeast is a low floc English ale strain. Not the best but works fine. I get a little of that sometimes on my batches too and it's just yeast particles. Cold crashing helps. The bubbles are just co2 releasing from suspension and nothing to be worried about. If you rack to secondary more of that junk will come out of suspension.

 

[BigFloyd]

Here is a picture. Not the best but hope it tells you something. The black circle shows what I think is yeast. The other is the same it looks more orange becuase of the light coming through the LBK. It's a light tan color. I did start a cold crah and over 50% has dropped out. The yeast supplied was a different type from my other Mr. Beer refills. Can't remember the name on the package but was gold compared to the silver packets supplied with the other refills.

I did take a gravity reading and it was 1.010 compared to a starting OG of 1.064. Figured the fermentation was complete so that's why I cold crashed it.

Tasted my sample and it tastes fine. Just haven't experienced the floating stuff before. Most everything has dropped out by the end of the second week.

Let me know what you think.

Thanks for your input.

You should be fine. You can sometimes get little stubborn yeast floaties no matter what you do. Most of them probably won't make it to the bottling bucket

I never use a secondary except for long-term aging or adding fruit (which is rare for me). Cold crashing the primary for 5-7 days in the mid-30's does a great job producing clear beer, yet leaves enough yeast to bottle carb.

 

[Bigarcherynut]

Thanks everyone for your comments. Feel a lot better about bottling now. I'll give it a few days in the cold crash then bottle.

Have a good one.

 

[brewski09]

You should be fine. You can sometimes get little stubborn yeast floaties no matter what you do. Most of them probably won't make it to the bottling bucket

I never use a secondary except for long-term aging or adding fruit (which is rare for me). Cold crashing the primary for 5-7 days in the mid-30's does a great job producing clear beer, yet leaves enough yeast to bottle carb.

What we have here is a difference in process. I secondary and advocate for it to clear a beer up. However, I've had great, clear beers without secondary adding too. I also don't feel out having my beer on the yeast for a month. No of flavors from autolysis here.

 

[SulBruin3]

I brewed a blond ale on jan 26 fermented 3 weeks and has been in bottles carbing since Feb 16. I have good carbonation but still has sweetness to them. Bottle primed about 1/2 teaspoon for each. Should i uncap and add more yeast to finish up priming or just wait it out??