Another Mr. Beer kit

[Countryboy73]

I as well got a Mr. Beer kit for Christmas. I waited till Jan 1st to start so I could kick off the new year with my 1st brew. I noticed a few days ago there was some stuff suspended in the middle, today I noticed it was rising. Is this normal? I've also noticed its clear on the ends and cloudy in the middle. I'm thinking about waiting till around the 21st before bottling unless it clears up before then. I can't wait, the smell of it is driving me crazy. This kit is my first brew. I'm thinking about getting a couple more kits of various kinds just to see what I like.

 

[Toy4Rick]

Congrats and good luck on each and every brew after this successful one.

Most will say that 3 weeks in the fermenter will only improve your beer. Let it ride my friend

Toy4Rick

 

[Countryboy73]

Will do. Thanks. I was thinking about tasting it just to see if it is ready or not, but I'm going to let it sit.

 

[Oddball]

What you called "rising" is just part of the fermentation process. By the way you won't be able to tell if it is ready by tasting it, not to mention it isn't even carbonated yet. Get yourself a hydrometer, that way you will know if it is ready.

 

[Teromous]

As yeast produces CO2, it will push its way to the top past the yeast that is beginning to flocculate. It will kick up these yeast clusters that are slowly parachuting their way to the bottom, causing some of it to rise. It's all part of the show! That's why I like using transparent vessels to ferment in; you can watch everything as it happens.

Also there's no problem in tasting it as you go along, just make sure that you sanitize everything. Tasting is also part of the fun!

 

[Countryboy73]

Thanks guys. I heard that you can taste it as you go, if it has a sweet taste then it's still fermenting and if it tastes like flat beer then it's ready or very close to being ready. I'm assuming the fermentation is taking its time cause of the slow activity, but I'm sure the temp in my house is causing that. I live in a '60's model trailer with no central ac/heat and it doesn't stay warm in cool weather.

 

[Countryboy73]

Well today there was nothing floating in it. The other day I tasted it and I was worried about it but today I tasted it again and it tastes good. I'll be bottling it tomorrow. The next week to 2 weeks will drive me nuts waiting for it to carb and condition more.

 

[Countryboy73]

When brewing what is a good way to keep the temp of your brew at a steady temp. The temp in my trailer varies big time. The temp of my brew got cool but I don't know how cool.

 

[Countryboy73]

After you bottle your brew can you reuse the yeast. I'm just wondering, that's all.

 

[pdxal]

You can reuse yeast that has come from a bottle, people harvest yeast from some commercial beers and build it up with starters all the time. It may not be the healthiest yeast, though.
I know many use conventional homebrewing ingredients like yeast packets and malt extract (scaled to 2 gallon size for Mr. Beer), so you could always go to a homebrew store and buy packets of dry yeast and use them for different styles.
As far as keeping the temperature more consistent... search the forums here and you may get some ideas. For a Mr. Beer, though, not all will work. Some people use a part of their house that doesn't change temperature much through the day, or use a water bath with an aquarium heater to avoid chilling. Another option might be to use an insulated box of some sort to maintain warmth once the keg is at 65ish or so.
I hope it turns out well.

 

[Countryboy73]

Ok thanks. I was just wondering about harvesting the yeast. I think I'll just get new yeast for the next brew ad make a starter for it. As far as maintaining a certain temp. I have an ice chest I can use. I'll just need to find a way to keep it warm inside it. Thanks for the info.

 

[Countryboy73]

I got my first brew bottled.

Here's the 1st



5th



And last



The 2nd bottle looks just like the 5th bottle. I really can't wait for these to carb. I thought about going ahead and drinking one but I'm going to make myself wait.

 

[AColdOneInNH]

Congrats on bottling your first batch! I recently bottled my first batch after a long absence from homebrewing, and it felt great when the bottling was done. You probably won't be able to wait two weeks, but try to wait as long as you can before popping one open.

 

[Countryboy73]

Thanks acoldone, I've been watching the bottles and I have 3 that is doing great on carbing but the other 5 ain't doing much.

 

[pdxal]

How do you know they are carbing?

 

[Countryboy73]

Ok I said that wrong. They have a lot of pressure in them.

 

[Premnasbiaculeatus]

Best thing about plastic bottles, is being able to squeeze them and letting the firmness tell you how carbed they are.

 

[Countryboy73]

The 3 that's hard is like squeezing an unopened 20 oz coke bottle that's at room temp. The other 5 is like squeezing a coke bottle that had been opened and closed.

 

[Countryboy73]

Awesome! That's all I can say. It doesn't have a lot of carbonation but it taste great.



It's going to drive me nuts now waiting on the rest to condition, knowing how good it tastes.

 

[Countryboy73]

I desided to pop a top on one of the bottles last night and its carbed a little. The bottles have some pressure in them and they've stayed like that. Do I need to add a little bit of yeast and sugar to restart the carbing.