Mr Beer - Read all about it and ask questions

Most don't worry about the priming suger. It's usually pretty clean, and it's going into a fairly high alcohol content solution, so not much room for growth.

 

If you have a separate bottling bucket, or another Mr Beer keg to use as one, it's usually easier to batch prime by boiling all your priming sugar in a small amount of water (1/2 to 1 cup), which will ensure it's sanitary, and it will mix easily with your beer. Just dump it into the bottling bucket and rack your beer on top of it, it will mix fairly evenly. Then bottle as normal. This also helps you to get the beer off of the trub/yeast cake at the bottom of the fermenter, and get less of said trub into your bottles.

Don't want to bother with the extra equipment? Don't worry about it, just put dry sugar into the bottles, pour in slowly down the side of the bottle (or from the bottom if you have a wand/hose attachment) and cap as normal before shaking to combine. You'll get a small amount more trub/yeast in, but if you're careful not to jostle during bottling, it is still rather negligible.

 

How long do you guys leave your mr.beer before refrigerating?

 

I usually leave it in the bottle for 3 months or more at room temperature, followed by 2 weeks in the fridge, but 2-4 weeks at room temperature, followed by at least 3 days
(a week or two is better) should be good enough for most batches.

 

Guess I will wait a few more days

 

In case my earlier reply was misleading, there's no need to condition for 3 months (in most cases, anyway, some batches may require it). It's just that I've built up a pipeline and beers don't make it into rotation until they've been in the bottle that long. But 2-4 weeks at room temperature is probably a good idea.

 

So I was thinking of doing this:

St. Valentine's Cherries in Honey Ale
RECIPE INCLUDES:
1 Can High Country Canadian Draft HME
1 Packet Dry Brewing Yeast (under lid of HME)
1 Can Red Tart Cherries in Water
1 Packet No-Rinse Cleanser

YOU PR0VIDE:
1 Cup Honey

and I have recently obtained some wheat dme. I was wondering if anyone is familiar with the HCCD lme and if the wheat dme would work in this recipe so that I can get a little better malt to adjunct ratio as honey and fruit seem like a bit much for just one can of hme.

 

Not entirely sure if the wheat DME would be a good fit, I would personally go for some light or ultra-light. And I would definitely ditch the "fromunda" yeast from the kit and get something like US-05 or Nottingham in it's place. Coopers yeast is ok if you don't mind some fruity esters.

 

With MRB batches I always go 3 weeks in the LBK, 4 in the bottle, and at least a couple of days in the fridge. It's tough to wait but you get noticeably better beer

 

I was going to try to hold out and not try a single one until 4 weeks in the bottle, but then I decided to forego that for educational purposes. I am so glad I did, because after 4 weeks in the bottle the difference is amazing, and knowing how much difference even a week can make has really encouraged me to let my next batches have all the time they need!

 

[QgoghhggyUOT2E="somethingclever"]So I was thinking gpghpoofgave2 doing this:2
2ggYg
St. Valentine's Cherrgies in Honey Ale2
RECIPE INCLUDES:7
1 Can High Country8 Canadian Draft HME
1 Pacgket Dry Brewing Yeast (under lid of HME)
1 oghCan Red Tart Cherries in Water
1 Packet No-Rinse Cleanser
P
YOU PR0VIDE:
1 Cup8Honeyu

and I have recently obtained some wheat dme. I was wondering if anyone is familiar with the HCCD lme and if the wheat dme would work in this recipe so that I can get a little better malt to adjunct ratio as honey and fruit seem like a bit much for just one can of
Ghme.[/QUOTE]
2,u2
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Wheat dme would rock with this recipe.

 

I do three weeks ferementer, 2 weeks warm bottle, 2 weeks cold bottle, drink.


Speaking of that, I made 8 gallons a while ago. It feremented well and right on temp for about 2 weeks. around the third week, the temps skyrocketed and the beer definitely saw anywhere from 95-100 degrees in the LBK on at least 2 days. I was a bit worried but figured it would be ok. I bottled and tasted at that time and they all tasted like warm, flat beer. so 2 weeks warm in bottles and then they went into the fridge for cold conditioning. I got a little antsy and tried two of them yesterday (4 days cold.) They were carbed very well, but I was a bit put off by the flavors. they seemed a little bitter. one was the Blonde Bombshell and the other was the Chauffer's Red ale recipe. I found it weird that the bad taste wasn't consistent, but I am wondering if maybe the heat affected the brews? or maybe I am paranoid and they will be better in another week....

 

I know I said I would wait until the 22nd to taste, but last yesterday it was 95 degrees here, and I was smoking some ribs, and finished them up on the grill...hot, hot, hot. Since I had a whole case, I decided what the heck...Ill see what just one bottle taste like.

I know the preached word her is Mr. Beer might be a decent starter kit, but dont except any real good beer from it.

Well, to my palate, it was perfect! Crystal clear, great strong ale taste (I like ale), and perfect carbonation! I am quite shocked on how really good it turned out!

Im starting my second batch Sunday...the only difference is Im going to get a hose, a bottle filler, and new glass bottles (and caps).

Im a Mr. Beer fan now, thats for sure.

 

Congrats! Mr beer is a nice way to enjoy the hobby and good beer without having to commit as much time and space.


I was wondering what is happening with MR beer though. about 6-8 months ago i was perusing their website and recipes. they had 140 choices at the time. since then ive watched it drop to 111, 70,50 and just today 39. I think i read somewhere that they were bought out and maybe they are re-tooling recipes?? i'm just wondering because they got rid of a lot of my favorites and some that looked interesting but that i hadn't gotten a chance to try yet.

 

Coopers bought Mr Beer a while ago. They're replacing the old refills (with extracts made by Maltexa) with new refills (with extracts made by Coopers). They're not done rolling out all of the new products yet, and they're not done creating new recipes.

 

I noticed the same thing. Over half of what I looked at was "Out of stock" or "No longer available". I didnt hear they were bought out, but either way, we can still split up 5 gallon kits if need be.

Regards.

 

I posted this in the post before yours, but Coopers recently bought Mr Beer. They're in the process of replacing the extracts that had been made by Maltexa with extracts made by Coopers.

They haven't finished coming out with new refills.

They're also coming up with new recipes to use the new extracts.

 

Hi, Noob here. Is Mr. Beer worth it? or would it be smart to just get a 5gal starter kit?

 

There are advantages and disadvantages to each.

Mr beer is an inexpensive way to get started and you can use it in limited space and with common kitchen utensils.

A 5 gallon kit makes more beer at a time and it's probably easier to find 5 gallon recipes.

 

Does Mr. Beer make good beer? ive heard both sides to it.

 

I think the premade recipes by mr beer are great. I just used 2 x black tower porter + 1.25lbs lme in my glass 3gal carboy. It is amazing!
I still use the mr beer fermenter sometimes, usually for sodas and experiments, but I am now up to 5 gal batches where the premade kits would simply be too expensive for me to try.
I still stick mostly to extract brewing, but with these bigger batches I have learned to use crystal malts and boiling hops.
Mr beer makes good beer, but I simply want more and cheaper!

 

Mr beer intro kits don't make good beer. Mr. Beer recipes with full dme and no booster makes great beer.

 

I cannot disagree

 

ok thanks for the info. I might try Mr. beer out but just buy a better kit.

Im not concerned with wondering if this is my thing or not. Just lack of funds atm. My main concern was just if I bought the Mr. Beer would I regret it in a few months because of all the new stuff I would be trying to purchase.

5gal is certainly in my future just wanted to know if Mr. Beer is a decent way to start up and learn how to make decent batches.


EDIT* I know someone said about experiments. One main reason I wanted to try home brewing out is because I tried an awesome Teabeer in switzerland. Tea and beer from tap and it was surprisingly amazing. So I want to see if I can make it. Would Mr. Beer kit along with upgrades be good to try this out?

Thanks for the help.

 

Teabeer huh? Sounds interesting. I had something similar (I think) in France back in the day. Anyway, if you are on a tight budget consider a couple of things:

1. How much do you have to spend? In my opinion, you will have more flexibility with a 5 gallon kit than a Mr. Beer kit for a similar price. There are some really good starter kits out there (minus some crap you don't need like multiple fermenters) for around $60 to $80 bucks.

2. What kinds of beer do you want to brew? Mr. Beer offers a wide selection. So does just about everyone else. Do some research. Visit some websites.

3. How much beer at a time? Mr. Beer is 2.5 gallon while the others are 5 gallon. How much beer...how much space to ferment?

I started with Mr. Beer. It really kick started my obsession with brewing. Now, I have 2 Mr. Beer fermenters collecting dust in my garage. Took about 2 months (3 batches) for that to happen.

You could make your Teabeer in Mr. Beer equipment. You could make it in 5 gallon equipment. It's up to you. Go with what makes you most comfortable for your money! Good luck. Cheers!

 

Yeah that is my biggest concern and the reason for my question. lol I have a feeling it will be nice at first but then will be sitting around doing nothing.

I think im just gonna find a cheap starter kit to work with now. that I can easily upgrade as needed.

 

You can "upgrade" just fine with MrBeer. At the end of the day it's nothing more than just extracts and a fermenter. Once you evolve/progress in your brewing there's no reason that you can't either continue to buy extract (or grain the future) from them and continue to use the fermenter for 2.5G batches.


It's doesn't have to be one or the other.

 

Mr Beer doesn't make the beer. you do. So you can make good beer with Mr Beer equipment and you can make bad beer with it. Same thing applies to 5 gallon batches.

 

I just finished my first batch in my Mr. Beer, and it was perfect! West Coast Pale Ale...crisp, clean, clear, and carbonated perfectly!

I fermented for 2 weeks, warm conditioned for 3 weeks, then cold conditioned for 3 weeks.

The only thing I did differently from the directions, is I ice/water chilled the wort instead of adding chilled water, and I used a bottle filler to reduce oxygen introduction.

Im one my second batch now...I recommend Mr. Beer for the casual drinker who is fine making small batches.

 

i got most of my mr beer off of craigslist and bed bath and beyond.
i do five gallon batches using two little brown kegs.

relatively low startup costs.

brewon

 

I got started with Mr. Beer and moved on. If you're not certain about diving into brewing but you're a curious sort of person it's worth it. It is actually a decent fermenter, which means if you get into it you can still use the thing for smaller projects. Mine currently has cider for my wife, and after that's done it'll be used for something else pretty much immediately.

 

I was thinking of using my old mr. Beer jug to extend the corona mills hopper... I just cant get rid of it and i cant cut it up!! Its where i started...

 

Mr beer jug? Do you have the pilot?

 

BP, I've got the 6 liter "Pilot", (2) 6.5 gallon "Biggies", one of the first LBK,only clear smoky yellow colored,and a current LBK,all Mr. Beer veterans

 

I wouldn't chop those up or anything. They may be worth something as collector's items.

 

Not me doin the choppin. I still use all of my Mr. Beer fermenters.My pipeline (earlier this year) contained 16 cases of 14 different kinds of beer.I attribute this to the use of the LBK,and the other small fermenters i have brewing different small batches. I have also brewed 2 batches in the 6.5 gallon fermenters since un-retring them earlier this year. I don't often use Mr. Beer products.I concoct my own extract recipes,and get the ingredients from my LHBS,but I swear by the Mr. beer fermenters.

 

Besides my 5 gallon Dead Ringer, I have 2 LBK's going with 1 Arrogant Bastard and 1 Stone IPA. I love those little kegs.

 

I went all out lol. Got the northern Brewer deluxe kit. Something about just having everything I will need for awhile just hit me right.

I'm sure Mr. Beer is good. I'm just a firm believer of you get what you pay for.

 

I was talking about the classic fermenter... is there a jug?