Just got a mr beer kit for my birthday a couple days ago. I'm interested in seeing how my first brew comes out being that I added cinnamon to the mix. I'm already thinking I'd like to start brewing from scratch. Can anyone give me a good start?
Mr beer kit
- Thread starter ferg1371
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hi - welcome to the obsession!
you're going to have to be a little more specific. what do you need a start with?
i'd strongly recommend reading a good brewing book. my recommendation for a good beginner's guide is Papazian's "The Complete Joy of Homebrewing". easy read, very accessible, like a friend teaching you the ropes. many here prefer Palmer's "How to Brew". personally i think it's less of an intro and more of a "complete guide" - a much better long-term reference, but can be intimidating for the newbie. i have both, and rarely go back to Papazian now, but i doubt i would have gotten through Palmer as my first read. if you're more technically minded and aren't afraid of details, Palmer just might be an OK start.
i definitely know what you mean and you're definitely on the right path. mr beer is great as in introduction but it's training wheels. using real incredients is where the real fun starts. do a few kits (i.e. all the separate incredients are picked out for you), get the hang of it, then you can hunt down recipes, modify them, make your own recipes, etc...
you're going to have to be a little more specific. what do you need a start with?
i'd strongly recommend reading a good brewing book. my recommendation for a good beginner's guide is Papazian's "The Complete Joy of Homebrewing". easy read, very accessible, like a friend teaching you the ropes. many here prefer Palmer's "How to Brew". personally i think it's less of an intro and more of a "complete guide" - a much better long-term reference, but can be intimidating for the newbie. i have both, and rarely go back to Papazian now, but i doubt i would have gotten through Palmer as my first read. if you're more technically minded and aren't afraid of details, Palmer just might be an OK start.
i definitely know what you mean and you're definitely on the right path. mr beer is great as in introduction but it's training wheels. using real incredients is where the real fun starts. do a few kits (i.e. all the separate incredients are picked out for you), get the hang of it, then you can hunt down recipes, modify them, make your own recipes, etc...
On my second try, I used an online beer recipe that included extract, and sugar, and some grains that I steeped in hot water inside a nylon bag. I haven't actually tasted it for a few weeks. The recipe was pretty good at giving directions to when things went in, etc. I fermented it in the Mr Beer keg.
+1.. you'll definitely need to read up on this stuff as much as possible. I'm finding out that reading a book on brewing is less confusing than learning from reading internet posts.... :cross:
Right on man thanks. I'll look into those. I'm really eager to see how my brew comes out. But what I did to my boil I added a little honey and white sugar to slightly caramelize. Is that wrong? I also added cinnamon right before I put it in to ferment.
I don't think it's wrong. If you go forward with this, you will be amazed at what's available to you to make beer taste a certain way by people that have been doing it for years, and lots of ways to go off the map also.
Myself I'm making an extra special double oxidation brew--it's very experimental and it might not work. I will have conclusive first hand evidence.
Myself I'm making an extra special double oxidation brew--it's very experimental and it might not work. I will have conclusive first hand evidence.
nope, nothing wrong with that. sugar will turn 100% into alcohol, honey is like 99% fermentable - so the net effect is that you boosted the alcohol content of your beer. hopefully you didn't add too much. these two items don't add any flavor, so you don't want to add too much otherwise you're just adding alcohol heat and nothing else to balance it out.
how much cinnamon did you add? tasty stuff in a beer, but ya gotta be careful. a little goes a long way.
A double oixdation brew?? You are intentionally oxidizing your beer? Are you looking for a sherry type beer?
sweetcell said:
I added a hint of cinnamon. I was worried if I added too much it would burn on the way down lol. But with the sugar and honey it's good to know it won't affect flavor. But adding it during the boil I'm hoping for a richer flavor. That way I got a nice rich beer with a light cinnamon finish. Now for lagering. Is that done just by cold conditioning?
Not intentionally... I'm just pushing a reasonable limit of my fermenting beer to see when it will actually taste oxidized. There's such a fear of getting bad results that subconsciously I want my beer to be oxidized and infested with various bacteria and all that bad stuff... just to know first hand.
I drank a whole lot of Mr Beer brew, so oxidized beer? Bring it on. I'll drink them and smile.
Yes, home brewers are deathly afraid of oxidized beers which supposedly makes your beer takes 100% stale if it touches oxygen after the yeast goes to sleep.
I don't have to worry about that because I drink the beer too fast for it to get stale. Also I have only been doing this for 4 weeks.
I don't have to worry about that because I drink the beer too fast for it to get stale. Also I have only been doing this for 4 weeks.
Ramitt
Well-Known Member
Read the free how to brew by John Palmer.
http://www.howtobrew.com/intro.html
Then google brew in a bag, you can still use you mr beer fermenter and make beer from scratch. I have 2 Mr Beers I do small/experimental batches that way.
http://www.howtobrew.com/intro.html
Then google brew in a bag, you can still use you mr beer fermenter and make beer from scratch. I have 2 Mr Beers I do small/experimental batches that way.
Well at the risk of having stones thrown at me I commend you on your experimental idea. I was reading a post earlier from a guy who decided to go against the grain (pun intended). Personally I think he is a bit off center but at least he is going to try something different even if it goes against all sound brewing principals.
I don't think you're idea is half as nuts as his are. Good luck! Make sure you save a few bottles and try them a year from now to see how oxidation plays out long term. Me personally, I like sherry wine. It is definitely oxidized. Don't know how that would work with a beer. If you have any left in a year PM me and I'll pay shiping for a bottle.
Ferg,
Secondary "fermentation" is a misleading term. A beer can ferment in the primary until done and ready to bottle.
Here are the assumed benefits of a secondary.
Trub can lead to off flavours so best to get the beer off the trub due to the yeast breaking down and autolysing, so best to move the beer to a secondary vessel. - Outdated information. Might have been relevant before us homebrewers were able to attain the high quality yeast available in todays market.
Clarity. Clearer beer. Remove the initial beer away from the trub to clear in a secondary container. Less trub, clearer beer. It might work but it is not necessary for clear beer. Time, settling and a good cold crash will do just fine. Even without the cold crash time will clear beer.
There is a third reason to secondary and I'm just parroting on this one.. if you add oak chips or fruit it appears to be a good idea. No idea if that is true, no experience with this.
ChrisJPassarelli
Well-Known Member
I know what you mean about wanting a richer beer, but as an earlier poster said, it will all ferment out -- by being in the boil, the sugars theoretically won't get much above 212* (and caramelization happens more around 290, I think). Since it won't quite get to that phase, the yeast is able to eat up all of it, so it will be directly replaced with CO2 and ethanol. No richness there, unfortunately. Otherwise, all your extract would get extensively caramelized just by boiling (it gets a bit darker, but not much).
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