Mr Beer - Read all about it and ask questions

[olephart]

I was looking around the Mr Beer website, searching for recipes that use Canadian Blond and Saaz hops. I came across Amberosia Tripel.
It sounds yummy, “A cornucopia of fruit, spice and caramel malt, with a little licorice and peat in the background. A tripel such as this could be what they were partaking of on Olympus in ancient times. Ye Gods, it is simply divine!”

http://www.mrbeer.com/amberosia-tripel-recipe

It uses the Canadian Blonde extract and 1 Can Grand Bohemian Czech Pilsner Brewing Extract, and Safbrew T-58 Dry Yeast.

I could get me some Briess CBW Pilsen DME and toss it in with the Canadian Blonde, with some Sterling hops, (looks like the Czech Pilsner Brewing Extract is brewed already with the Saaz hops).

Not sure about adding the 1 cup of granulated sugar though, an extra cup of CBW Pilsen DME sounds better to me.

...So I pulled the hop bag out this afternoon and started to cold crash it, (in the fermenter for three weeks), and I noticed what looked like a ring of slime in the wort.😣 Googled and read about infected beers, then sour beers.etc.😕 I just checked it again before posting a picture of the "slime ring", and I realized the ring is just the reflection of the flashlight beam, in the shape of a circle...😂 doh (insert Homer Simpson face palm GIF here).
Now I just have to wait three to six months to condition as per Mr Beer's instructions...
With the estimated ABV of 9.4℅, (Biermacht app), I can't wait.🍺

 

[fedoradude]

Those are some pretty awful directions, then. That isn't what you want to be doing at all. Let me know how that beer turns out. I don't think it will ever carbonate if you put it in the fridge immediately after priming/bottling.

As you'd requested, here's my notes from my tasting the first bottle from this batch (my first MBK):

Golden color almost like apple juice

Faint smell like beer

Very carbonated, bubbles rising nicely in the glass for several minutes

Glad I let it age the extra weeks in warm and cold stages to eliminate the green apples taste that I was warned comes with minimum aging. (I did notice just a hint of it still as the beer warmed up. I don't know if I would have noticed it if I wasn't on guard for it though.)

And here's a pic of the first glass from the first bottle:

 

[douglasbarbin]

Glad that it turned out well. Which kit was it?

 

[fedoradude]

Glad that it turned out well. Which kit was it?

The one that came with the LBK. I think they called it some kind of ale if I remember right.

 

[brewski09]

...So I pulled the hop bag out this afternoon and started to cold crash it, (in the fermenter for three weeks), and I noticed what looked like a ring of slime in the wort.[emoji21] Googled and read about infected beers, then sour beers.etc.[emoji53] I just checked it again before posting a picture of the "slime ring", and I realized the ring is just the reflection of the flashlight beam, in the shape of a circle...[emoji23] doh (insert Homer Simpson face palm GIF here).
Now I just have to wait three to six months to condition as per Mr Beer's instructions...
With the estimated ABV of 9.4℅, (Biermacht app), I can't wait.[emoji481]

I'd age it in bottles. Less chance for oxidation and infection. Speaking from personal experience here.

 

[olephart]

Going to cold crash it another day or two then bottle. Have to get a capper and caps soon. I want to use some 12oz bottles for this instead of the 25oz Mr beer bottles.
Most of my 15.2 oz Grolsch bottles are full of my Strawberry Wheat.

 

[Dirk_Dingle]

This might have been covered but I'm brand new to all this and there are 645 pages to this thread lol.

But I have a Mr Beer container ( not sure its called that )
and a Coopers DIY Brew kit.

Im wondering if i could brew Mr Beer kits in that Coopers equipment? I would be interested in doing this without messing anything up with the beer, Mr Beer kit looks a little weak to me.

Also any one have any links or recommendations for putting together a kit that I could use with the Coopers system? Im reading up more on the site so forgive my questioning.

 

[brewski09]

This might have been covered but I'm brand new to all this and there are 645 pages to this thread lol.

But I have a Mr Beer container ( not sure its called that )
and a Coopers DIY Brew kit.

Im wondering if i could brew Mr Beer kits in that Coopers equipment? I would be interested in doing this without messing anything up with the beer, Mr Beer kit looks a little weak to me.

Also any one have any links or recommendations for putting together a kit that I could use with the Coopers system? Im reading up more on the site so forgive my questioning.

You can put the wort into any container you want. If the coopers DIY kit is for 2.5gal sized kits then just take any recipe and cut it in half. You'll learn what you have to modify as you go to make the beer you intend to make.

 

[day_trippr]

fwiw....

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=584941

Cheers!

 

[fedoradude]

Last night, I had another bottle of my first MBK batch.

Color, carbonation and aroma all still abou the same, but wow! could I ever taste the green apple taste that I had read about elsewhere in this thread. And I gave it an extra week's aging both room temp and cold trying to ward that off.

Anyone have suggestions post-bottling for toning that green apple taste down?

 

[weirdboy]

It will probably mellow out if you give it enough time.
Just brew another batch and come back to that one in a couple of months and see if they still taste like green apple.

 

[fedoradude]

It will probably mellow out if you give it enough time.
Just brew another batch and come back to that one in a couple of months and see if they still taste like green apple.

I can do that.

 

[Altrez]

Hello,

Of the two Mr. Beer batches I have brewed each have had that green apple taste. I got two more I am getting ready to bottle. I think it might be related to the yeast that comes with the kits.

I have bottled the light beer and the Oktoberfest. It tastes good going into the LBK but has a green apple taste on bottling day. It seems to get better with age.

I will post more results when I have them!

-Altrez

 

[olephart]

Hello,

Of the two Mr. Beer batches I have brewed each have had that green apple taste. I got two more I am getting ready to bottle. I think it might be related to the yeast that comes with the kits.

I have bottled the light beer and the Oktoberfest. It tastes good going into the LBK but has a green apple taste on bottling day. It seems to get better with age.

I will post more results when I have them!

-Altrez

Yea, just needs a little more time to bottle condition, if you can wait.

Acetaldehyde
Tastes/Smells Like:
Green apples, rotten-apples, freshly cut pumpkin
Possible Causes:
Acetaldehyde is a naturally occurring chemical produced by yeast during fermentation.
It is usually converted into Ethanol alcohol, although this process may take longer in
beers with high alcohol content or when not enough yeast is pitched. Some bacteria
can cause green apple flavors as well.
How to Avoid:
Let the beer age and condition over a couple months time. This will give the yeast
time to convert the Acetaldehyde into Ethanol. Always use high quality yeast and make
sure you are pitching the correct amount for the gravity of the wort or make a yeast
starter.

Found that page, https://www.morebeer.com/content/homebrew-off-flavors when I noticed banana flavor in my "Amberosia Tripel" I had just bottled. I don't mind the flavor, I was just curious where the banana came from.

It will probably go away in the suggested 3 to 6 month bottle conditioning period.:smack: Its' gonna be hard to wait that long....

 

[douglasbarbin]

Banana is most likely from yeast esters and will dissipate eventually.

 

[uptonparkfan]

I am just 7 days in been told after 7 days too bottle it.first time ever too brew using cooper's kit

 

[brewshki]

I am just 7 days in been told after 7 days too bottle it.first time ever too brew using cooper's kit

Do you have a hydrometer? That's the only way to definitely know a beer is done fermenting. Your beer could be done in 7 days or it could not be. About two weeks is a safe a bet that it is done if you don't have a hydrometer. Otherwise you risk bottle bombs.

 

[uptonparkfan]

yeah got meter told had too between a figure if so can bottle. but been told aswell if the reading same two days in row ready bottle

 

[uptonparkfan]

I am trying grind good home brew shop in kent

 

[douglasbarbin]

Ease up on the daytime drinking, my friend.

 

[brewshki]

I'm lost.

 

[uptonparkfan]

find

 

[TonyKZ1]

I am just 7 days in been told after 7 days too bottle it.first time ever too brew using cooper's kit

It's recommended elsewhere to go 3 weeks and then bottle, therefore the yeast is done and no risk of bottle bombs either. You could probably bottle sooner if you had a hydrometer and checked it several times, or just wait 3 weeks and bottle. That's what I do regardless of the recipe or batch size.

 

[olephart]

...So I've brewed this high gravity concoction based on briess's "turtle on a log". I call it "turtle falling off a log", OG 1.098.......

It's approaching the second week in the LBK and there is still quite a bit of activity, (see attachment) .

View attachment secondweek.mov

I'm thinking of going a third week before I start checking gravities, hopefully the yeasties will have calmed down by then...

(Next time I'm gonna filter my wort as it goes into my MrBeer LBK)

any advice


thanks

 

[bpgreen]

...So I've brewed this high gravity concoction based on briess's "turtle on a log". I call it "turtle falling off a log", OG 1.098.......

It's approaching the second week in the LBK and there is still quite a bit of activity, (see attachment) .

View attachment 360819

I'm thinking of going a third week before I start checking gravities, hopefully the yeasties will have calmed down by then...

(Next time I'm gonna filter my wort as it goes into my MrBeer LBK)

any advice


thanks

What yeast did you use? And how much? Did you rehydrate?

 

[olephart]

What yeast did you use? And how much? Did you rehydrate?

Safale US-05 in approx 1cup water and dme on stir plate while I brewed the batch, and I oxygenated the wort before adding the yeast.

 

[douglasbarbin]

My advice is to pitch 2 packets next time. For now, though, you are just going to have to wait.

 

[bpgreen]

Safale US-05 in approx 1cup water and dme on stir plate while I brewed the batch, and I oxygenated the wort before adding the yeast.

US-05 had good tolerance for high alcohol levels, so you should be fine on that point.

For future reference, starters are usually not recommended with dry yeasts, and using a stir plate for the time it takes to brew is probably not going to get you much of an increase in cell count in any event.

Rehydrating according to package directions can help you start with more livelive cells, but a starter with dry yeasty can be counterproductive.

For mr beer sized batch, one packet of US-05 should be plenty, even for a high gravity beer like that.

 

[douglasbarbin]

For mr beer sized batch, one packet of US-05 should be plenty, even for a high gravity beer like that.

If it's the Briess recipe, assuming he copied it exactly, it's a 5-gallon recipe and he would need about 330 billion yeast cells for this fermentation.

If he scaled it down, then according to my yeast calculator (BrewUnited), a Mr. Beer-sized recipe would require 140 billion cells. I'd probably pitch a second packet just to be on the safe side.

 

[olephart]

I don't think too little yeast is what's happening, (I guess the video attachment isn't working ). If this high gravity wort is still rolling and churning at two weeks, I'm going to wait another week before I start checking it's gravity.

 

[ericbw]

I don't think too little yeast is what's happening, (I guess the video attachment isn't working[emoji20]). If this high gravity wort is still rolling and churning at two weeks, I'm going to wait another week before I start checking it's gravity. [emoji6]

Not sure why the assumption was too little yeast. Looks like it's working!

 

[douglasbarbin]

Ignore the part about pitching more yeast. I was under the assumption that this was a 5 gallon batch.

 

[BrewinBromanite]

Hi Mr. Beer folks! (I apologize for a long post!)

Doing a double batch next weekend with my younger cousin whose just getting his feet into brewing. Doing a big AG BIAB imperial stout for one, and the other making a mosaic IPA. On the latter, we are using (as an ingredient rather than the recipe), a Mr. Beer Northwest Pale Ale kit that he's had laying around for a few months.

A couple questions. The kit has 2.86 lbs of hopped extract from what I can tell. We'll be using this basically as part of a partial mash (utilizing the Mr. Beer canned HME intended for a 2 gallon batch as I would regular LME in a PM batch. Rest of the batch will come from mashed grains and hops.)

(1) Aside from trying to figure into the recipe how much bittering the HME will add to a 5.5 gal batch -- will the 2.86 lbs of HME contribute roughly the equivalent gravity of regular LME? (I use Beersmith, fwiw). I'm assuming so, but thought maybe someone here could confirm. Not needing to be exact, but hoping the HME is close to un-hopped LME, gravity wise.

(2) the kit comes with a gold packet of Mr. Beer "59 Brewer's yeast" (image attached for reference). Is this just the standard Mr. Beer ale yeast? It has a very wide temp range, so I'm not quite sure from everyone's experience what the best "clean" ferment temp would be (actual beer temp)? Also, since intended for only a 2 gallon batch, I doubt this would be sufficient for a 5.5 gal / ~7% ABV IPA. More inclined to just use the pack as nutrient in the boil, but just curious about the provided yeast.

Any insight from those with experience with these ingredients is much appreciated!

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1469081010.076109.jpg

 

[treacheroustexan]

So I went over to my parents house and finally cleaned out the rest of my junk from their basement from when I moved out a few years back. I found a Mr. beer american light kit I bought and never brewed it since I upgraded equipment. It says best by 2014 on the can but I'm going to brew it anyways and just replace the yeast. Actually looking forward to it. Hope it turns out somewhat okay!

 

[brewski09]

Hi Mr. Beer folks! (I apologize for a long post!)

Doing a double batch next weekend with my younger cousin whose just getting his feet into brewing. Doing a big AG BIAB imperial stout for one, and the other making a mosaic IPA. On the latter, we are using (as an ingredient rather than the recipe), a Mr. Beer Northwest Pale Ale kit that he's had laying around for a few months.

A couple questions. The kit has 2.86 lbs of hopped extract from what I can tell. We'll be using this basically as part of a partial mash (utilizing the Mr. Beer canned HME intended for a 2 gallon batch as I would regular LME in a PM batch. Rest of the batch will come from mashed grains and hops.)

(1) Aside from trying to figure into the recipe how much bittering the HME will add to a 5.5 gal batch -- will the 2.86 lbs of HME contribute roughly the equivalent gravity of regular LME? (I use Beersmith, fwiw). I'm assuming so, but thought maybe someone here could confirm. Not needing to be exact, but hoping the HME is close to un-hopped LME, gravity wise.

(2) the kit comes with a gold packet of Mr. Beer "59 Brewer's yeast" (image attached for reference). Is this just the standard Mr. Beer ale yeast? It has a very wide temp range, so I'm not quite sure from everyone's experience what the best "clean" ferment temp would be (actual beer temp)? Also, since intended for only a 2 gallon batch, I doubt this would be sufficient for a 5.5 gal / ~7% ABV IPA. More inclined to just use the pack as nutrient in the boil, but just curious about the provided yeast.

Any insight from those with experience with these ingredients is much appreciated!

View attachment 362960

1) I don't think BeerSmith has mr beer LME loaded but I'm pretty sure brew road has it (or an equivalent) loaded by someone. It's one batch on a different inferior platform, you'll be fine. Otherwise you can use a stock hopped LME on BeerSmith or do some math and try to figure it out (they give you the bittering amount for a 2gal batch on the mr beer kits)

2) just pitch the yeast into the trash and get something else, you'll thank yourself for it later.

 

[treacheroustexan]

Well just made 2 gallons of the american light. I have to admit, it was kind of nice having a brew day only take 20 minutes haha. I threw the old yeast in the trash and pitched a pack of s-04 because it's all I had laying around. Hopefully I get something drinkable... that's all I ask for!

 

[brewski09]

Well just made 2 gallons of the american light. I have to admit, it was kind of nice having a brew day only take 20 minutes haha. I threw the old yeast in the trash and pitched a pack of s-04 because it's all I had laying around. Hopefully I get something drinkable... that's all I ask for!

Maybe a light dryhopping?

 

[CoSkillet]

I had a friend give me a Mr. Beer kit and have my first batch in the fermentor going on week 2. I plan on using it as I upgrade my equipment over time since I have to save and buy it piece by piece.

My first brew is the classic American light. Has a strong alcohol smell after a week in the fermentor, krusen is gone and a lot of trudge on the bottom of the lbk. Should I wait the suggested two weeks or bottle now?

 

[bpgreen]

I had a friend give me a Mr. Beer kit and have my first batch in the fermentor going on week 2. I plan on using it as I upgrade my equipment over time since I have to save and buy it piece by piece.

My first brew is the classic American light. Has a strong alcohol smell after a week in the fermentor, krusen is gone and a lot of trudge on the bottom of the lbk. Should I wait the suggested two weeks or bottle now?

I'd give it at least a full two weeks before bottling.

Did you have a thermometer on the LBK while it was fermenting? If so, what was the temperature? If not, what was the ambient temperature in the room? A strong alcohol smell may be a sign of fusel alcohols, which are often caused by a high fermentation temperature.

 

[CoSkillet]

Temp in the room was between 68-72 the whole time. No thermometer on the lbk yet.