Mr. Beer experiment

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emr454

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It's been a while since I've made any beer and I am still a complete novice. With that being said, I decided to start my summer break by doing a little experiment with some Mr. Beer malt I had laying around.

I used one of the 19 oz. cans of Canadian Draft LME and decided to make an experimental 1 gallon batch. Since the kits normally use a can of LME plus corn sugar to make 2 gallons, I figured the can of LME by itself might make a semi half decent 1 gallon batch.

So I put a gallon of water on to boil, added the LME and boiled for 30 minutes. I also added a bit of light DME that I had, maybe 1/4 cup? At the 15 minute mark I added some Kent Goldings pelletized hops, and at flameout I added some home-grown cascade. I pitched some Safale US 05 at room temp and put it in the basement. Original Gravity reading was 1.058. Looking forward to how it turns out!

What do you all think? Might it be half decent? It sure cant be any worse than the regular Mr. Beer batches IMO.

Eric
 
Is the LME hopped?
If not, it might be too sweet/ i.e, not bitter enough to counter the malt. Bittering hops boil for 45-60 min generally. The cascades and EKG will add a nice flavor and aroma tho.
Good luck!
 
demonrichie- I have used some of my cascades in a batch of BrandonO's Graff, and it was pretty tasty. I need to make more though because it didnt last too long!

midfielder5- Yes, the LME is hopped, so I didnt add too much of either hop variety. I wanted a bit more than normal, but not overdo it.

I have trouble with bigger batches because my stove has a hard time boiling 2-3 gallons of water, so I figure I'll try a few 1 gal batches and try to perfect my technique.

Eric
 
I use the Mr. Beer fermenters, and I have an electric stove which is pretty slow to heat large quantities of liquid, so I have worked out a particular approach for making beer with my small plastic fermenters and my low-BTU cooktop.

I like the Mr. Beer fermenters... they work well, and permit me a certain flexibility that I could not achieve with a larger fermenter:

Pics%2006-18-2008%20003.jpg


For example, I can ferment at 50-55F during the summer using an igloo cooler. I just use the freezer I already have to keep a supply of frozen water-filled bottles and blue ice to keep the fermentation temps where I need them.

Works for me...
 
Hey $bill,
I love that Mr. Beer fermenter set up you got going! For only $10 you got a two gallon Fermenter tank that won't break, I think I'll use that for smaller exparamental batches. Can you fix the top with an air lock?
 
I use my MrBeer a lot, for smaller experimental batches. I like that Igloo idea, gonna steal that one.

The MrBeer lid is already vented, adding an airlock wouldn't accomplish much.
 
I use my MrBeer a lot, for smaller experimental batches. I like that Igloo idea, gonna steal that one.

The MrBeer lid is already vented, adding an airlock wouldn't accomplish much.
*******************

Earlier versions of the MrBeer fermenter had an airlock, but they switched to a vented container neck/screwcap back around 2000 or so.
I still have and use a few of the MB fermenters, although I switched to 6.5 gallon buckets long ago.

Keep in mind, fermenters can be made from many, many different new and used containers; and many homebrewers have done so themselves. The kitty/doggy plastic food containers from PetCo come to mind at the moment.
*****
ADDENDUM:

I have seen many posts/responses on HB forums around the net where folks indicate that they don't use airlocks at all--others state that they even brew/ferment w/o any cover at all; or that they purposely do not tighten the cover down to allow for the pressure buildup...; still others have modified the 3-piece airlock to attach a plastic tube which effectively makes a blowtube, etc., etc.
 
I can't Imagine not using an Airlock on my carboys! but then again I'm a Cider brewer, I don't rightly know how beer/wine works, but I would HATE to spend much time and energy and money and LOVE (lol) to end up with apple cider vinegar, thats truly the worst ever, and I've had it happen several times already, untill of course I got some good equipment LOL
 
The very first one i saw was a new 32 gallon plastic trash can with cheesecloth over the top to keep out fruit flys.
It was long enough ago that I can't remember how it tasted, but I do know it was before Jimmy Carter (God Bless Him) signed the law making it legal!
 
I need to share this on the Mr. Beer site. There is a guy in Florida that thinks there is nothing he can do about fermentation temps. Great idea.
 
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