Mr. Beer Second (and final) Batch

Aztec Mexican Cerveza
Light gold color, clean refreshing taste with a crisp finish, this is a classic Mexican style beer best served ice cold

sku# 11961
ABV: 3.7%, SRM: 2, IBU: 13

http://www.mrbeer.com/product-exec/product_id/1013/nm/Aztec_Mexican_Cerveza/section/flavor_profile

----------

It is God Aweful.

This is the 3rd day in the fridge.

Maybe fermenting in the closet (in Florida) at 75-79 degrees didn't help.

Maybe it is supposed to taste this way. Pretty sour and a lot darker than the profile.

Oh well.

Next up, https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/critique-my-sweet-brown-ales-373630/

Tap water have anything to do with this maybe?

So far I think the Mr. Beer kits blow.

Unless you have high chlorine content in your water I doubt it's that. I would go with to high fermentation temps. If its 76-80F ambient your beer could easily be 5-10F higher than room temp during active fermentation. You should look up "swamp cooler" it's basically submerging your fermenter in a larger bucket with water to the top of the beer. Then keep the temps around 60-65F by switching out frozen water bottles floating in the water a few times a day.

I know my mr.beer brews started coming out better when I swapped out the bag of booster for a LB of DME.

Just my $.02

GilSwillBasementBrews said:

Unless you have high chlorine content in your water I doubt it's that. I would go with to high fermentation temps. If its 76-80F ambient your beer could easily be 5-10F higher than room temp during active fermentation. You should look up "swamp cooler" it's basically submerging your fermenter in a larger bucket with water to the top of the beer. Then keep the temps around 60-65F by switching out frozen water bottles floating in the water a few times a day.

I know my mr.beer brews started coming out better when I swapped out the bag of booster for a LB of DME.

Just my $.02

Click to expand...

Oh... I already bought a 7 gallon bucket, a temp controller for the spare fridge outside and have 7 more "non-Mr Beer gallons" fermenting at 68 degrees. I have 5 gallons in the bucket and another 2 in the Mr. Beer keg... all in the fridge at 68.

Next up, https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/critique-my-sweet-brown-ales-373630/

ryno1ryno said:

...ABV: 3.7%, SRM: 2, IBU: 13

Click to expand...

Kinda sounds like my urine after a good night of homebrew. Just kidding.

annasdadhockey said:

Kinda sounds like my urine after a good night of homebrew. Just kidding.

Click to expand...

That's Mr. Beer default kits for ya.

GilSwillBasementBrews said:

Unless you have high chlorine content in your water I doubt it's that. I would go with to high fermentation temps. If its 76-80F ambient your beer could easily be 5-10F higher than room temp during active fermentation. You should look up "swamp cooler" it's basically submerging your fermenter in a larger bucket with water to the top of the beer. Then keep the temps around 60-65F by switching out frozen water bottles floating in the water a few times a day.

I know my mr.beer brews started coming out better when I swapped out the bag of booster for a LB of DME.

Just my $.02

Click to expand...

There is more chlorine in my tap water than in my swimming pool. Florida tap water is horrible. For extract batches spring water is ok, for all grain I go with the grocery store water machine RO ($1.75 for 5gal at Publix) and add the salts to style.

I was going to say that there is chlorine in Florida water...ESPECIALLY if you live near the ocean. Ill bet the water has a lot to do with the taste.

Oh, and if it makes you feel better, my Mr. Beer kit brew sucked ass too. Moved right on up to buckets.

if i I remember right, the first batch I ever did was a Mr beer american ale - in north tampa...but i had a softener and an undersink filter setup, and it wasn't too bad, but I was comparing it to the big boys, it was something I made that was drinkable and had the desired effect without killing me, so it was high on the cool factor, if not on the taste scale...ryno1-if you used straight tap water without at least a filter - I'd guess thats the problem, or at least most of it..the rest is probably the fact that most mexican style beers I've tried (big brewers - I never brewed one myself) ARE sorta sour...i think that's why they drop the limes in Corona's...it covers/cuts that funkyness a bit...plus-you get yer vitamin C for the day...

Mr Beer is a hook to get you started. It is easy as hell but taste like crap. I considered my first batch as a challenge, There was no way that I could brew something that nasty. 20 batches later and I am still trying to figure out how to make good beer. But its getting better......

I made 4 Mr Beer batches and 3 were "drinkable" and 1 was pretty good. All of them were made with spring water. I still use the LBK regularly for apfelwein, and I am currently working up a 2 gal RIS recipe for it.

ryno1ryno said:

Aztec Mexican Cerveza
Light gold color, clean refreshing taste with a crisp finish, this is a classic Mexican style beer best served ice cold

sku# 11961
ABV: 3.7%, SRM: 2, IBU: 13

http://www.mrbeer.com/product-exec/product_id/1013/nm/Aztec_Mexican_Cerveza/section/flavor_profile

----------

It is God Aweful.

This is the 3rd day in the fridge.

Maybe fermenting in the closet (in Florida) at 75-79 degrees didn't help.

Maybe it is supposed to taste this way. Pretty sour and a lot darker than the profile.

Oh well.

Next up, https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/critique-my-sweet-brown-ales-373630/

Click to expand...

Did you boil the HME, that would make it darker, with the hopped malt extract it should never be boiled, adn the sour - would you describe that as green aple? That could be just becasue it is so young. The fermentation temperature definitely didn't do it any favors!

I boiled the water... then stopped the boil and added the Mr. Beer LME.

It probably is young coupled with hot temps both at pitching and fermenting.

Time looks to be healing this green beer.

After another 3 days in the fridge... (4 total weeks from pitching to now)... it tastes better today.

Maybe I have low expectations, maybe I am just in the mood... or maybe it just got a little better.