first brew, eh...

[dan_slaughter]

Well i just tried my first brew which was the high country canadian draft mr beer kit and not so good. Ive been reading this forum religiously since we put the beer in the fementer like 3+ weeks ago. As soon as i bottled this first brew, i got started on a second batch so what ive learned will take effect essentially with bottling of batch 2 and brewing batch 3 (at 2 gallons, have to constantly keep it going to continue learning and perfect, will be getting real brew kit asap though)....So heres what i gathered and correct me if im wrong --

even though the directions for mr beer dont mention boiling wort, do it anyway
1 1/2 brown sugar added to this unboiled wort = not too great
corn sugar for priming should be used instead and beer should be filled pretty close to the top to ensure carbonation

and of course patience, which im incredibly patient actually because ive only tried 2 beers and have the rest still sitting outside of fridge waiting to see if time will take -- but i feel like i should prob just dump and start over with the next batch because i have a feeling theres not going to be enough carbonation so ill end up with a batch of sweet slightly cidery tasting brew.


now my friend who obtained a real brewing kit from his father in law just bottled his beer and it turned out great. i guess better equipment + better ingredients + less worry = better beer. I was so worried about bottle bombs that i didnt fill the bottles enough. Im gonna let them sit for another 2 weeks or so and maybe open one after 1 week of bottle conditioning of the next batch.

lessons learned = 1st brewing a success even with not so great beer.

 

[david_42]

I suspect you will be pleasantly surprised when you open one in two weeks.

 

[grasshopper1917]

Well brown sugar doesnt seem like it owuld go well with Canadian draft - i dont think so anyway. The canned kits you get for MR. Beer should not be boiled just mix it with your malt extract on the stovetop and make sure it doesnt come to a boil. Just heat it for about 15 minutes on medium to sanitize the wort.

For priming use some corn sugar and you'll be fine. It will take atleast a couple weeks in the bottle to get a good carbonation so dont fret. Finally dont worry - it will turn out fine - enjoy.

 

[dan_slaughter]

ok, just tried it after letting the bottles sit for another 2 weeks and yea it still tastes a little weird but thats expected with thebrown sugar + mr beer...its definitely way more drinkable and actually gotsome pretty nice carbonation going.

 

[cola]

why didn't you follow the directions for mr. beer?

i just recently bottled up my first canadian mr. beer batch on saturday... and before i bottled it up it was good to go without bottling... it was that good.

so instead of trying to get fancy you should maybe follow the directions and then after a couple of batches you could divert personalize the stuff a little more.

 

[dan_slaughter]

why didn't you follow the directions for mr. beer?

i dont plan on relying on mr beer and i didnt have high expectations, so i figured why not. i followed the instructions exactly except for the brown sugar, which the instruction booklet mentions different things you can try adding to the beer and gives suggested amount, which i did follow. Ill prob try brewing the pale ale next and may just stick to the recipe as i anticipate getting a real brew kit w/ my tax return. in the meantime ive got ed wort's apfelwein brewing away in the mr beer right now, which i did follow the instructions exactly.

 

[cola]

i dont plan on relying on mr beer and i didnt have high expectations, so i figured why not. i followed the instructions exactly except for the brown sugar, which the instruction booklet mentions different things you can try adding to the beer and gives suggested amount, which i did follow. Ill prob try brewing the pale ale next and may just stick to the recipe as i anticipate getting a real brew kit w/ my tax return. in the meantime ive got ed wort's apfelwein brewing away in the mr beer right now, which i did follow the instructions exactly.

yeah cause the way i think of it... you start of "standard" and then you work your way up the chain