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Orfy

Orfy

For the love of beer!
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Mr Beer.
Brings many a person into brewing.
Welcome to the forum and enjoy making beer.:mug:

Please feel free to ask question in this thread and add your comments.

Jamil the Author, podcaster and award winning home brew was sat between Jonn Palmer and Charlie Papazian signing books and thkinging.

"How did I get here from Mr Beer!!!"

He and many others started with Mr Beer.
(So did I)
Click to expand...
79-LRG.jpg


This threads getting to the size it is an epic to read.
If you have a specific question can you make sure you use a post title and I'll try and index them here.
 
MR BEER ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!! Ive been using it for about 30 years, and will never brew 5 gal batchs. Mr. Beer makes WAY better beer than any kit, extract, or all grain batch. Well, ok, Im kidding.. BUT, Mr Beer is what got me into home brewing and for that I tip my hat to you Mr. Beer, you have wetted my appitite for the thrill of home brew. So all of you that have them, use them. And when you run out of refill kits that you bought, order, or buy some upgraded stuff and get to brewing some 5 gal batches. Extract with steeping grains. You wont be sorry. I plan on using my Mr. Beer to make a batch of Alpenwein(sp)...Or possibly some smaller test batches of beer, possibly some that dont require a secondary like a wheat beer, or hef...(I think thats what I heard about those two beers anyway) But I am also a newbie, and this site is great and I hope you dont take too much flack about Mr. Beer, we all have to start somewhere. :mug:
 
Unrelated, but on the same note; I'm buying my father a mr. root beer kit for xmas. He has always wanted to make home made root beer. I figured it would be a great way to get him into the whole thing, without him (or me) having to spend a bunch of coin. And if he does like it, the next year I can get him a REAL root beer making kit.
 
A lot of us with tons of equipment either bought or built look back on Mr. Beer and laugh a bit, but I think many of us owe it some thanks since it got us into the hobby. Looking back, I can't imagine using more than the two batches that I did, but when I was done with it, I really should have passed it on to someone else and given them a chance to experience the hobby the way that I did.
 
This thread is here to welcome and encourage. We all know it is like tinned spaghetti compared to Momma's Special Recipe but let's encourage people .

It's here to help the new members not for the experts to put people off before they start.

(That's why I've edited and deleted a couple of posts)
Please feel free to start a "We want to kill MR. Beer thread"
 
Dude said:
If I ever see Mr. Beer in a dark alley, I'm gonna kick his ass.
Click to expand...

If I ever see you in a dark alley kicking Mr. Beer's ass, I'm going to step in and help. :D

p.s. Sorry Orfy.

Back on topic (to those with the new Mr. Beer Gear):
Mr. Beer will get you started on the road to a great and rewarding hobby. After you've given your best with Mr. Beer I suggest heading online to Austin Homebrew, Midwest Homebrew, Northern Brewer, or any other well respected homebrew supply shops and pick up a 5 gallon starter kit. Your increased level of beer quality will be astounding.

Good luck on the new hobby, you'll love it. :D
 
I got my start with a second hand Mr Beer, bought in a pawn shop for $8 (Included 3 mixes).

The beer was good, much better than almost any commercial beer that I've bought.

The really good thing about Mr Beer was that my wife really enjoyed the beer made from it, so that she approves of my new hobby. :tank:

Now, I'm slowly building up my equipment and experience, and am wanting to eventually go AG.

Mr Beer definitely rocks, and was a great way to get me started. :rockin:
 
Having done a Mr. Beer kit once, here's some friendly advice to those who get one:

1) DO NOT use table sugar, as per the directions. You can actually make decent beer, but not with table sugar. If you are really broke or cheap get some corn sugar (aka dextrose) from your local homebrew store (or online like austin homebrew or northern brewer, etc.) Otherwise get more malt extract or, if in a pinch, just use two cans instead of one and skip the sugar altogether. Generally speaking more malt = better beer.

2) The bottling instructions advise you to pour dry sugar into a bottle and then bottle. Try this instead: calculate the total amount of sugar they're asking you to use for bottling. Boil up a cup of water and add the ENTIRE amount of sugar into the boiling water. Boil for 15 minutes. Let the boiling sugar solution cool for a bit and add the entire thing into your Mr. Beer and stir it very gently but thoroughly. Fill your sanitized bottles and cap.
 
I know Mr. Beer gets a lot of (deservedly) negative press but it's great for the hobby allowing a low barrier of entrance for newcomers to learn with.
 
Orpheus said:
Having done a Mr. Beer kit once, here's some friendly advice to those who get one:

1) DO NOT use table sugar, as per the directions. You can actually make decent beer, but not with table sugar. If you are really broke or cheap get some corn sugar (aka dextrose) from your local homebrew store (or online like austin homebrew or northern brewer, etc.) Otherwise get more malt extract or, if in a pinch, just use two cans instead of one and skip the sugar altogether. Generally speaking more malt = better beer.

2) The bottling instructions advise you to pour dry sugar into a bottle and then bottle. Try this instead: calculate the total amount of sugar they're asking you to use for bottling. Boil up a cup of water and add the ENTIRE amount of sugar into the boiling water. Boil for 15 minutes. Let the boiling sugar solution cool for a bit and add the entire thing into your Mr. Beer and stir it very gently but thoroughly. Fill your sanitized bottles and cap.
Click to expand...

For the first couple of batches I dont think its a huge deal to add 3/4 of a teaspoon to each bottle before filling when you are making a Mr. Beer batch. Its only 22 bottles of beer, and it goes pretty quickly when you get it down. I would not want to do a five gal batch this way, but not bad for Mr. Beer. Plus I think you would stir up a lot of trub off the bottom trying to stir in 3/8 of a cup of dextrose. But thats the beauty of Home Brew, you can do it however you want....Just my two cents.:mug:
 
I have never owned a Mr. Beer kit in my life, but I still give it credit for getting me into brewing.

I saw one in a store a few years ago and said "Wow, I'm going to have to buy one of those -- I had no idea that I could brew my own beer."

I was with an acquaintance who--unbeknownst to me me at the time--was a homebrewer. He said "Nah, you don't need that piece of crap, I've been brewing for years. Here's what you need..." and he introduced me to the pleasures of carboys and bungs and airlocks.

If I had not seen Mr. Beer on a store shelf, I never would have brought up the subject, and I would have probably never been introduced to the hobby...

Hooray Mr. Beer! (you piece of crap),
chris.
 
splat said:
For the first couple of batches I dont think its a huge deal to add 3/4 of a teaspoon to each bottle before filling when you are making a Mr. Beer batch. Its only 22 bottles of beer, and it goes pretty quickly when you get it down. I would not want to do a five gal batch this way, but not bad for Mr. Beer. Plus I think you would stir up a lot of trub off the bottom trying to stir in 3/8 of a cup of dextrose. But thats the beauty of Home Brew, you can do it however you want....Just my two cents.:mug:
Click to expand...

This method was more for avoiding contamination than anything else.
 
Similar to a post above, I saw a Mr. Beer kit in a store and it sparked a memory from years ago of a buddy making his own beer. I still remember the beer he made tasted like socks. I told my wife, I want to do that some day...only without the sock flavor. A couple of weeks later I was at the beer store and found a Brewer's Best Starter Equipment kit and bought it along with an ingredient kit and Papazian's Joy of Homebrewing. So I guess I too can credit Mr. Beer for getting me into the hobby. :D
 
A buddy at work gave me his Mr.Beer kit about 4 years ago. It came out like **** but it got my interest up and within a couple of weks I bought a 5 gallon set up from my LHBS. Now I am an all grainer.
 
I have a few of the Mr Beer 2.5 gallon "Barrel-style" Fermentors. I want to try and do some small tester batches in them....anyone ever try doing this?
Would I simply split a 5 gal. recipe in half?
Thanks!
 
newbrewoob said:
I have a few of the Mr Beer 2.5 gallon "Barrel-style" Fermentors. I want to try and do some small tester batches in them....anyone ever try doing this?
Would I simply split a 5 gal. recipe in half?
Thanks!
Click to expand...

Skip using the kegs as fermentors. Use a 3 gallon carboy w/ a carboy cap and airlock. The typical 3 gal water bottle works good for this.

Leave the kegs for service as bottling buckets.
 
I actually made beer I like.

It was the simplest starter with Mr. Beer and the Pale Ale extract.

Might have been their cheapest starter, but it tastes way good enough to cause me to do more.

In six months, I'll probably wonder how I ever managed to drink the Mr. Beer recipe, but it's already so much more flavorful and satisfying than the commercial stuff I think I'm hooked.

I've got a couple more recipes to do, and after the beginning of the year, I think I'm going to buy a little real equipment. Have to have something to fill in the Northern Michigan winters! After hunting, Jan thru April or May are pretty tough months.

Dave
 
i recently recieved one of those "mr. beer" home brew kits, im a little skeptical, but I wanted to try it anyways so I ordered the "Holiday Party Ale no.2" kit off of mr. beers web site.

On the website, it says to ferment i minimum of 7 days - if i ferment longer will it taste better or is it a waste of time?

It also states that the suggested lager time is 1 month. What does that mean? Does that mean it suggests that I leave it to ferment for a month or I bottle it and let it sit for a month? Or if its not one of those then what does it mean?

thanks for the help everyone.
 
Fermentation is only going to take a certain amount of time no matter what. It might take 7 days, it might take more. I think the reason they give you a seven day recommendation is because a Mr Beer doesn't come with a hydrometer to gauge when fermentation is done, so they have you keep it in there for that long because it should be done within that time period.

It will develop it's flavor in the bottle. I definately would not leave it in a Mr. Beer fermenter for a month, as it's not a good idea to let it sit on the yeast that long.

I'm a bit tired so that might not have been totally clear, but if you follow the directions it should work just fine.
 
And don't be too skeptical of the Mr. Beer, alot of us started there and moved on. It's a good, and relatively low cost introduction to the hobby.
 
simster571 said:
… states that the suggested lager time is 1 month. What does that mean?
Click to expand...

Lagering is simply a cool conditioning time. Unless you have another vessel to move the beer into and let it sit, I’d go ahead and bottle it after the 7-10 days.

Then let those bottles sit for 3-4 weeks.

I got a Mr. Beer kit last Christmas and for me it was not successful. But it did give me the bug so I went out and bought a brewing kit and have not regretted a moment of this hobby.

If your Mr. Beer works out…great. But even if Mr. Beer lets you down…don’t be dissuaded from trying this thing called “brewing”.

It’s well worth investigating.
 
Alot of us got our start with Mr. Beer......And most move on to full 5 gal batches...I have had a few good batches from Mr. Beer, only one I didnt like...But the ladies liked it. I bought the 3 pack refill when I bought it, and only have one left. But like many are doing, they use the Mr. Beer to make Ed's Famous Apfelwein....I was going to, but then bought another BB to make bigger batches. Cant have too many Carboys :) Good luck, let us know your progress.
 
Judd said:
This is embarrassing. I never have seen mr beer. Is he the same as festabrew?
Click to expand...


Mr Beer is very mysterious; you have to look fast…Its like trying to find a Leprechaun .
 
My wife, Bless her heart, is looking to buy me the Mr.Beer brew kit for xmas, I was surfing the site and saw they have many recipes, in fact many that sound good!

I know that the Mr.Beer gets mixed reviews and I've heard that you should trash the yeast they send you and buy "newer" yeast from the store or Beer Supply store... but are there any more suggestions?

Right now the Mr.Beer looks like it's going to have to work for me until I can convice my wife (SWMBO) that i'm actually going to need a larger setup (we rent a townhouse with little room to begin with, so I know the Mr.Beer appeals to her b/c it's small).

Anyway, the Mr.Beer site has a lot of great info and they also have "bottling packages" and some other nifty things that might be worth checking out.

I think the Mr.Beer keg might serve as nice dispenser later down the road...
 
Welp the Mr.Beer kit is a success (for now), i know i know, it's a Mr.Beer Kit, boo... but honestly it's just the beginning.

My wife was going nuts hearing me go on and on about buying a kit off the web, so she decided to give me my xmas present early... it's not the 5gal $90 system i was considering, but for $40 the kit comes with the ingredients, bottles, little brewing keg, stickers, caps and everything to make your first beer.

I decided to get started first thing this morning, so I opened up the large box and got to assembling and sanitizing.

Here we are, about 30 mins later with a fermenting batch hidden away from all disturbances and sunlight.

I'm super stoked right now and cannot wait until the day comes for me to sample my own beer!!

I'm soo incredibly pumped right now I want to brew more! :rockin: :rockin: :drunk:

Anyway, thought I'd share my excitement with everyone.
 
by the way, not sure if this helps, but i took a black trash bag and put it around the little Mr.Beer (making sure I didn't cover the lid completely, to let it ventilate properly) and wrapped a few small blankets around it to help maintain temp...

not sure if that helps, but i made sure it was tucked in nicely for the next 14 days.
 
Awesome. :)

Mr. Beer isn't the best thing in the world, but it is a great way to get into the hobby and learn the basics of what brewing is about. There's a Mr. Beer forum here (A lot of people get introduced to the craft from a Mr. Beer as an Xmas present) that other people who've used Mr. Beer might be able to share more advice.

Hope you enjoy your beer and develop the obsession. :)
 
Oh, just wait.

I started with a Mr Beer. I bought it just after Thanksgiving this year. Then I ordered a second Mr Beer fermenter and some refills.

Then, I bottled my first batch. Shortly after...I bought a full-blown plastic bucket kit.

Now, I want glass carboys because I can't watch the fermentation in the bucket. :)

You're in trouble, Mister. Welcome to your new obsession.
 
I'm going to keep my 2 Mr Beer fermenters. It's cheap and easy to make small homebrews, plus I have a friend that wants me to make more of the Mr Beer Cowboy Lager haha.
 
BraeHaus said:
by the way, not sure if this helps, but i took a black trash bag and put it around the little Mr.Beer (making sure I didn't cover the lid completely, to let it ventilate properly) and wrapped a few small blankets around it to help maintain temp...
Click to expand...

Nothing wrong with the trash bag, many of us use towels, shirts, etc.

As for the blankets, the temperature you want to maintain is generally 64-68*. Beer that ferments too hot generates undesirable flavors is most styles. So unless you're house is pretty cold, blankets are probably hurting you more than helping.
 
pldoolittle said:
Nothing wrong with the trash bag, many of us use towels, shirts, etc.

As for the blankets, the temperature you want to maintain is generally 64-68*. Beer that ferments too hot generates undesirable flavors is most styles. So unless you're house is pretty cold, blankets are probably hurting you more than helping.
Click to expand...

i have the Mr.Beer in the Kitchen Cabinets above the fridge, my SWMBO and I left them empty b/c she can't reach above the fridge and they are extrememly high up.

so i stash beer, xmas presents, my 2 cigar humidors and my Mr.Beer up there....

anyway, the cabinet is near a window and my little handy digital temp that measures humidity and temp reads around the 60's so i figured i'd be best to wrap it up to retain heat and to keep from going thru any weird temp changes...
 
Silviakitty said:
Oh, just wait.

I started with a Mr Beer. I bought it just after Thanksgiving this year. Then I ordered a second Mr Beer fermenter and some refills.

Then, I bottled my first batch. Shortly after...I bought a full-blown plastic bucket kit.

Now, I want glass carboys because I can't watch the fermentation in the bucket. :)

You're in trouble, Mister. Welcome to your new obsession.
Click to expand...

now that i've made the first batch, i'm super eager to make more... i won't know until i can taste it, but i'm really stoked to get brewing some more :rockin:
 
BraeHaus said:
My wife, Bless her heart, is looking to buy me the Mr.Beer brew kit for xmas, I was surfing the site and saw they have many recipes, in fact many that sound good!

I know that the Mr.Beer gets mixed reviews and I've heard that you should trash the yeast they send you and buy "newer" yeast from the store or Beer Supply store... but are there any more suggestions?

Right now the Mr.Beer looks like it's going to have to work for me until I can convice my wife (SWMBO) that i'm actually going to need a larger setup (we rent a townhouse with little room to begin with, so I know the Mr.Beer appeals to her b/c it's small).

Anyway, the Mr.Beer site has a lot of great info and they also have "bottling packages" and some other nifty things that might be worth checking out.

I think the Mr.Beer keg might serve as nice dispenser later down the road...
Click to expand...

You can use the yeast that comes with the kit. I've only had one not work, I think, either it was slow to start.

I still use Mr Beer and make good beer with their products. My advice with these kits;
  • Buy extra dry yeast like nottinghams keep 2-3 extra packs just in case you get a bad pack.
  • Buy a 3 gallon PET water bottle from Lowes/Home Depot or the grocery store and orange carboy cap w/ a S-Style airlock.
  • Buy an Auto-syphon for easy syphoning (3/8") w/ some hose too.
  • Buy a 5 gal pail for mixing up sanitzer.
  • Use the keg only for bottling. Rack finished beer to it get it off the sediment.
Extra yeast is good to have on hand. The 3 gal PET bottle w/ a cap & airlock will tell you a lot. The yeast is working or its almost done or just done.

Oops time for lunch...gotta go... This stuff will make it easier for you.
 

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