First Brew Help

[Eman24dx]

I have had a Mr. Beer kit in my basement for about 2 years now unopened. Finally a buddy and I want to brew our first batch. We have read and watched all the instructions and have even consulted some home brewer friends. My question is should we brew a batch or 2 in the Mr. Beer or just go straight to the "big boy" equipment?

We both like beers closer to a Sam Adams or anything red so it would be nice to brew beer we like and we cant decide if we should start out like a beginner with Mr. Beer or jump right to the real stuff. Please help...

 

[oakbarn]

You will need a new kit regardless. The yeast should be fresh. Oder a kit from Northern Brewer or Rebel Brewing or your local homebrew store. Go Big!

 

[rodwha]

If you decide to do a Mr Beer or Cooper's kit don't use it with the booster/brew enhancer. It's crap. It makes your beer very thin and sub par. Better to either get a "premium" kit with all extract or toss it and buy additional liquid or dry extract to replace it.

 

[hwilshusen]

You have the kit. Use it. Then decide if you want to continue with the hobby. If patience isn't your thing you will find out with a MR BEER kit.

 

[rhamilton]

You have the kit. Use it. Then decide if you want to continue with the hobby. If patience isn't your thing you will find out with a MR BEER kit.

+1. Start with the minimum amount of equipment to get a feel for the hobby. If you get into it, then start a 'real' build.

 

[Eman24dx]

Thanks for the tips guys. It will probably be better to get my feet wet before I jump into what seems to be an expensive hobby...

 

[BrewinHooligan]

I started with a Mr Beer and it is great for getting your feet wet. The fermenter can still be used for small test batches or Apfelwein when/if you decide to go to a bigger setup. The Mr Beer refills are overpriced IMO and if you get them, make sure to add a pound of light DME (dry malt extract) or you will have a weak, thin beer. Ignore their timeline as well. Wait 2-3 weeks before bottling, 3 for sure if you don't have a hydrometer. After bottling, you will likely need to wait 3-4 weeks at 70f before drinking to give it adequate time to carb up. It is more cost effective to buy 5 gallon recipe kits and split them in half than using the Mr Beer kits. Make sure you control your temps during fermentation. I found that placing my Mr Beer keg in a small cooler with frozen water bottles worked very well. Welcome to the obsession!

 

[Eman24dx]

Great advice. I would have started this years ago but apartment living with no garage or basement has made it tough to do (I am sure many people do anyways) but no were moving into a house with basement and garage and I am sure I will brew year round and invest in some quality equipment down the road. I stalk craigslist 10x a day and have seen some good deals.

 

[Gnarlybarley]

Just keep in mind, If you are going to use the two year old cans of extract, your beer won't turn out as well as if you had used fresh ingredients.

 

[Conan]

Welcome, Eman! Where in Buffalo are you? I'm in Tonawanda. I haven't used a Mr. Beer before, but go for it and enjoy it.
As for apartment brewing, I brewed all grain in our small 2-bedroom all of last year. It was a pain but the beer turned out great. The best part: we weren't paying for water/ electric/ gas so I could use as much as needed. We recently moved as well and now have tons of space to brew in.
There's many deals on the classifieds on this forum if you do decide to dive in further. Let us know how it turns out! Kyle

 

[Fennis]

Mr. Beer is what got me started with this whole thing. Is it the best beer? No, but you can make some really good beers with some of the kits they have. I'd agree with others and stay with Mr. Beer for now, maybe order a new extract kit online so you have fresher ingredients and yeast. I gave away my Mr. Beer kit after I moved up to doing 5 gallon batches and I wish I had not. Its the perfect size to do smaller batches where you want to play around with ingredients or yeast. Plus, while some 5 gallon kits aren't that expensive, you already have a nice starter kit right now. I'd get a feel for the hobby, see if you like it, and learn the basics of making a beer and then see if you want to 'graduate' to the bigger setup. Plus, if you pay attention on this forum, people are pretty good about posing groupon deals where you can get a nice setup for around $60 or less...its what got me to move on to the 5 gallon setup.

 

[Eman24dx]

Welcome, Eman! Where in Buffalo are you? I'm in Tonawanda. I haven't used a Mr. Beer before, but go for it and enjoy it.
As for apartment brewing, I brewed all grain in our small 2-bedroom all of last year. It was a pain but the beer turned out great. The best part: we weren't paying for water/ electric/ gas so I could use as much as needed. We recently moved as well and now have tons of space to brew in.
There's many deals on the classifieds on this forum if you do decide to dive in further. Let us know how it turns out! Kyle

I am in West Seneca, Work in buffalo and moving to Hamburg. Where do you go in Buffalo to fill your CO2 or buy your HB stuff? I hear there is a pretty good store in Tonawanda.

 

[lstorie1971]

Just keep in mind, If you are going to use the two year old cans of extract, your beer won't turn out as well as if you had used fresh ingredients.

Hi all. I love this video:



It's old and probably been posted before, but it's funny enough to re-post.

 

[Conan]

I haven't had to have the CO2 filled yet, but I'll probably just go to a welding shop somewhere. I get my goods from Niagara Tradition Homebrew Supply. It' on the corner of Military and Sheridan. Great folks in there, very helpful. Kyle