Mr.Beer Question

[anrmenchaca47]

Hey guys quick question. I seemed to have messed up here...I brewed a Mr Beer American Lager and I'm afraid I messed it up....upon further researching I realized that I used the wrong water marking on the fermenter and I ended up with to litttle water. So I opened up the fermenter and added more water and topped it off like I should have. Did I mess up my brew? Please advise thanks

 

[gromitdj]

How much time elapsed between water additions? If we're talking a number of days or a week you risked oxidizing the beer. If it was only a couple of hours, probably not much risk. At any rate, its too late now. Nothing you can do but wait it out, bottle it, and see what it tastes like.

 

[dantose]

Your probably finethe amount of dissolved oxygen in tap water should be about the same as the same volume of air. You wouldn't be adding enough to get any discernable off flavors

 

[cswis86]

Since it's an American Lager you're supposed to dilute with water!

Just kidding... I think you're fine. If you're beer is still fermenting there's very little risk of oxidation from the water you added. They yeast will use it up. Don't know if you used water straight from the tap but ideally you should boil and chill your water before adding it. Boiling will remove dissolved O2 and kill anything that could contaminate your beer.

 

[JohnSand]

Welcome!
I agree with the consensus.
Keep studying and practicing, you can make great beer.

 

[audax]

I am a raw beginner and just stuffed up my first kit brew. It smelt very strongly of acetate [nail polish remover]. What can I do to avoid a repeat?

 

[jmark]

I am a raw beginner and just stuffed up my first kit brew. It smelt very strongly of acetate [nail polish remover]. What can I do to avoid a repeat?

Most likely due to fermentation temperatures being too high which can cause solvents alcohols to get created by the yeast. Fermentation is an exothermic process and creates a lot of heat, so even if ambient temps are reasonable (most Ale yeasts like 65-70) the fermenting beer could be 5, 10 even 15 degrees warmer depending on strain. You'll hear it quite often, but getting control of fermentation temps is the best thing you can do to improve your beer.

 

[madscientist451]

To the OP, it might be OK, you won't know until you finish fermenting, and go through the rest of the steps.
My suggestion for your next brew(s) is get a copy of the Brooklyn Brew Shop's Beer making book:
/www.amazon.com/Brooklyn-Brew-Shops-Beer-Making-ebook/dp/B005U3UZ7U/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1490745935&sr=8-2&keywords=beer+making+book

In the book, there are 1 gallon recipes for all kinds of styles of beer. Just double the recipes for your MR.Beer fermenter. Get the ingredients on line or from your local homebrew store and stop using the Mr. Beer ingredients.
Get a cheap pot at Walmart and a BIAB bag at your homebrew store and you'll be an all grain brewer.
Also, read John Palmer's "How to Brew" which is available to read free, just google it.

 

[Calder]

Adding a significant amount of water at the end of fermentation will oxidize the beer. There is a lot of dissolved O2 in water.

Oxidation causes the beer to stale - starts to taste like wet cardboard. It's not going to kill you.

The good news! Oxidation takes time. The beer will deteriorate over time (how much time - I can't tell you). Just drink it quick, and you may not even notice anything.