Mr Beer - Read all about it and ask questions

[flushdrew42]

honestly, if you are just looking for something to ferment in... northern brewer has a 2gal brewbucket w/ grommet lid for less than 10. airlock is 1.10.

i just went and checked, 2gal brew bucket, lid, airlock, $9.59 +7.99 shipping. now, you can't get a recipe kit for the $6 bucks you save... but. if just looking for a fermentation vessel...

also - the brewbuckets are super easy to clean.

but. to each his own.

 

[ValleyBrew]

I think a 3gal BB is harder to clean, you can't reach inside of it at all.

That's why I asked the question. I don't have a problem cleaning carboys. If that is the type of difficulty cleaning, then I should be fine.

 

[soccerdude71]

I think a 3gal BB is harder to clean, you can't reach inside of it at all.

+1 on that.... I don't have any difficulty cleaning the MB LBK.

 

[Mike37]

Really, when the MrB three packs are on sale, it's THE cheapest way to brew that doesn't involve buying ingredients in bulk. I know this is a gutsy statement, but gallon for gallon, the basic three pack kits are the cheapest out there.

Now, I should say I'm planning on trying a Cooper's kit next to see if the quality is worth the extra price. Those are about $30 for 5 gallons whereas MrB is $30 or less for 7.5 gallons.

 

[two_hearted]

Mr. Beer's back on Woot today. FYI.

 

[ValleyBrew]

honestly, if you are just looking for something to ferment in... northern brewer has a 2gal brewbucket w/ grommet lid for less than 10. airlock is 1.10.

i just went and checked, 2gal brew bucket, lid, airlock, $9.59 +7.99 shipping. now, you can't get a recipe kit for the $6 bucks you save... but. if just looking for a fermentation vessel...

also - the brewbuckets are super easy to clean.

but. to each his own.

You must have posted just as I did. I don't have anything against buckets, I just prefer carboys, but at that price, I would ve fine using them for small batches. Thanks for the info!!

 

[Justibone]

honestly, if you are just looking for something to ferment in... northern brewer has a 2gal brewbucket w/ grommet lid for less than 10. airlock is 1.10.

i just went and checked, 2gal brew bucket, lid, airlock, $9.59 +7.99 shipping. now, you can't get a recipe kit for the $6 bucks you save... but. if just looking for a fermentation vessel...

True, if you just want a fermentation vessel, but you also need to consider the spout. Racking canes are pretty cheap, IIRC, and tubing is dirt-cheap if you get it at the hardware store (not sure about at the HBS), so you could still come in under the $20 price and the $5 shipping.

You could also use MrB ingredients/kits in a brew bucket. You also wouldn't have a problem with putting it in a water bath to keep it cool. It's also taller rather than longer, so it might store better in your situation (or it might not; it would be better in a closet than a shelf, IMO).

So, there are tradeoffs, but all-in-all, MrB is not necessarily a bad way to go... especially for $25.

 

[Justibone]

I don't have a problem cleaning carboys either. I spray them out with really hot water right away, and everything comes out fine. I've also used Oxy-Clean when I had to, but it's not always necessary. Where you get problems is when the kreusen dries on the side... that can be a bear. Only a straight-walled-bucket is easy to clean in that circumstance. Still, soaking it overnight with the OxyClean goes a long way towards busting even kreusen loose.

 

[BrewinHooligan]

OxyClean goes a long way towards busting even kreusen loose.

+1 on this! My last batch left quite a bit of kreusen that had caked on pretty well. I shot it with hot water from the sink sprayer with no luck at all. Soaked it with Oxyclean and hot water for 30 minutes and it had mysteriously vanished!

 

[flushdrew42]

So, there are tradeoffs, but all-in-all, MrB is not necessarily a bad way to go... especially for $25.

Amen!

 

[dmoore714]

What would happen if I did the whispering wheat as per the instructions. Then put it in a secondary fermenter with a second batch of booster?

If you want to improve your beer, add malt. Don't add adjuncts.

I'll go a step further and say that one can of WW + 2 packs of Booster is going to taste like crap.

Thanks for the advice. Glad I asked before I tried it. Based on your advice, I looked up some recipes and ordered some more ingredients to improve on my last 2 cans of Mr Beer HME. I'll experiment with my second and third batches... and then maybe upgrade to a 5gallon starter kit

 

[Helm]

First and foremost, I have read a lot of this thread and have gotten a ton of very useful info, so thank you to all.

I am a new brewer about to make only my second batch with mr.b and was going to make a stout with their base st. patrick's stout hme and with 2 cans of the ume creamy brown.

Based on this amount of malt extract I am obviously planning on having a high gravity sweet creamy beer. I have columbus and cascade hops (1oz each) that I have been thinking which to use to balance the additional malt. On top of that I purchased nottingham yeast (11g) because I was unsure of the generic yeast provided under the cap of the extract that is bought with mr beer. A couple questions come up:

When should i bring the hops into the wort (before, during, or after the boil)? and which style of hops would be best for a stout, columbus or cascade?

Is the yeast amount of 11g fine to use with a 2gallon mr beer kit? or would it be better to adjust the amount because I feel that the 11g is usually used for a 5gal batch.

Again, all the info is appreciated and look forward to brewing much more.

Cheers.

 

[bpgreen]

First and foremost, I have read a lot of this thread and have gotten a ton of very useful info, so thank you to all.

I am a new brewer about to make only my second batch with mr.b and was going to make a stout with their base st. patrick's stout hme and with 2 cans of the ume creamy brown.

Based on this amount of malt extract I am obviously planning on having a high gravity sweet creamy beer. I have columbus and cascade hops (1oz each) that I have been thinking which to use to balance the additional malt. On top of that I purchased nottingham yeast (11g) because I was unsure of the generic yeast provided under the cap of the extract that is bought with mr beer. A couple questions come up:

When should i bring the hops into the wort (before, during, or after the boil)? and which style of hops would be best for a stout, columbus or cascade?

Is the yeast amount of 11g fine to use with a 2gallon mr beer kit? or would it be better to adjust the amount because I feel that the 11g is usually used for a 5gal batch.

Again, all the info is appreciated and look forward to brewing much more.

Cheers.

I don't know stouts very well, but I can answer some of the questions. If you want to get bitterness from your hops, you'll want to use some of the UME when you boil the hops. I'd use one can of UME and increase the amount of water to 6-8 cups. Bring it to a boil and then remove it from the heat. Add the UME and sir until it's dissolved. Bring it to a boil. Add the bittering hops and set the timer for 40 minutes. When the timer goes off, add the flavor hops and set the timer for 13 minutes. When it goes of, added the aroma hops and set the tiger for 7 minutes. When the tiger goes off, turn off the heat and proceed as with other Mr beer kits.

You can use the full 11 gram packet of Nottingham yeast. If you'll be brewing in another week, you can use half a packet, tape it shut and refrigerate the rest of the yeast.

 

[gtlaw10]

When should i bring the hops into the wort (before, during, or after the boil)? and which style of hops would be best for a stout, columbus or cascade?

Is the yeast amount of 11g fine to use with a 2gallon mr beer kit? or would it be better to adjust the amount because I feel that the 11g is usually used for a 5gal batch.

Again, all the info is appreciated and look forward to brewing much more.

Cheers.

entering the single can of stout hme and 2cans of brown ume into qbrew gives you an OG of 1.062 assuming you fill the keg up to the 8.5qt mark for 2.12 gal total volume. the stout hme gives you ~23 ibus. not sure how bitter you want to go, but IMHO i would use the columbus to bitter (i love it as an all purpose hop). since stouts usually don't have hop flavor or aroma additions you could skip it, but since you have cascade lying around a small addition of cascade @ 20 and 7 mins would add a nice note of citrus flavor and aroma.

all in all i would suggest this on your brew day:
add the suggested amount of water to your brew pot, bring to boil and add some of a can of the brown ume, bring to boil again then add an 1/8 oz (3.5g) columbus and start the 60 min countdown.
at 20 mins remaining add 1/4 oz (7g) of cascade for flavor.
at 7 mins remaining add 1/4 oz cascade for aroma.
at 5 mins remaining take off heat add the hme, and remaining ume then bring to boil for the last 5 mins.
according to qbrew you will get ~44ibu, ~50srm, and 6%abv (1.062 OG), big for a dry stout but right on the money for the ibus.

as for the 11g of yeast, totally split it between two batches as bpgreen suggests.

good luck with your decision!!!

 

[Justibone]

...set the tiger for 7 minutes. When the tiger goes off....

Wow, we brew differently! (I only use leopards.)

Hee-hee. Sorry to poke fun at typos, but this made for a pretty funny visual!

As for the recipe, I don't think stouts generally have aroma hops. If it were me, I would just add a bit of bitterness with the 40 minute boil. A calculator for IBUs within the style (aim for the midpoint, I'd say, unless you know you like it either more malty or more bitter) is the way to go.

http://www.recipator.com

 

[RTPalmer]

Hey guys and gals. So I finished the cherry wheat mrbeer kit and have become a sad panda. It seems to have an off flavor, that flavor being a cider taste. I have heard that this flavor can be due to overaged LME. Has anyone else ever come across this or something similar? I always sanitize like a fiend so I don't think it was a bacteria problem at all. Also, the recipe was followed to the tee so no added ingrediants.

 

[Kealia]

It's not too much LME, it's too many adjuncts (in short, too much sugar, not enough malt).

That recipe would be good with Wheat HME + wheat UME (or wheat DME/LME if bought elsewhere) + cherries. One can of HME + Booster + cherries is just asking for a cider taste IMO.

The good news: It will get better (maybe not GREAT, but better). Put them away for another month, brew something else then come back to them.

 

[flushdrew42]

@ RTPalmer - i agree 100% w/ Kealia (+1000)

when i first tried my MrB kit, it tasted very alcohol-y. and after a few weeks of bottle conditioning, it mellowed a TON. It's not perfect, but if I was served it in a BrewPub, i wouldn't send it back.

 

[Justibone]

Hey guys and gals. So I finished the cherry wheat mrbeer kit and have become a sad panda.

Full props for the South Park reference.

It seems to have an off flavor, that flavor being a cider taste. I have heard that this flavor can be due to overaged LME. Has anyone else ever come across this or something similar? I always sanitize like a fiend so I don't think it was a bacteria problem at all. Also, the recipe was followed to the tee so no added ingrediants.

My first beer ever had a cider taste. It was too much adjunct.

Fruits are *very* fermentable (what do yeast eat in the wild?), so they can dry a beer out. When brewing a fruit beer with MrB, one should expect more of a light beer with a hint of the fruit, rather than a good and malty beer with plenty of fruit flavor.

Time should cure this ill, though. Don't lose heart.

 

[soccerdude71]

So what is the best way with MB to have a beer taste more fruity? I am going to start a Cherry Crush lager that is 1 Can Whispering Wheat Weizenbier HME, 1 Can Pale Export UME and a can of cherries.

What if I want more cherry flavor to come out?

thanks
G

 

[renzokuken]

So, I take it this is a good buy?

What model should I start off with? I see the "Mr. Beer Gold Edition Homebrew Kit" as well as a few others.

 

[Kealia]

Best advice: Don't add the cherries until 7 days into fermentation. Let the primary fermentation go hot and heavy and then add the cherries. More flavor will come through to the final product.

 

[jankdc]

Hey all. Excited to start in on the obsession here and I've spent the past few weeks researching and reading here and other places. I think I've read 1000 pages of forum posts here so far (200 of this thread) and I still feel like I have an elementary grasp! Hopefully getting a few of these Mr. Beer brews off the ground will give me a better idea.

Bf and I drink maybe 3 bottles of beer a week, total, so Mr. Beer and the occasional 1 gallon experimental brews should be enough for the pipeline once I get it going. The MB was originally for a gift for him, but he doesn't seem to care much. *shrug* That means I get to pick what brews!

We both love porters, stouts and rauchbiers. He's more into IPAs and bocks while I like my ESBs and lambics.

I have the WCPA in primary, been there for two weeks, it goes into bottles to carb next weekend. Not too excited about this, I'm not much for pale ales.

In the MB pipeline (I did an amazon 4 for 3) is Junkyard dog IPA, Cowboy Honey Wheat and the Eyeopener Sumatra Stout.

I've found a few neat partial mash and all grain recipes here that I want to try 1 gallon brews of on non-MB weekends. The Vanilla Bourbon Porter recipe is calling my name but it seems a little complex for a newbie!

Thanks to everyone here for their guidance, you've made getting into this hobby a lot less intimidating.

If you are looking to do 1 gallon brewing, check out Beer Craft: A Simple Guide to Making Great Beer. I got it from the library and found it really interesting. As for next steps, check out some recipes that you are interested in (click on recipes at the top) and adapt it for the Mr. Beer fermenter (or one gallon fermenter). Look for extract recipes with specialty grains first before trying all grain recipes. Also check out the book: How To Brew which is available online at http://www.howtobrew.com.

I picked up several extra Mr. Beer kits at Bed Bath and Beyond on closeout for $15(you can get it for less with a coupon). I just got one Saturday so check your local stores. It doesn't have the bottles in them, so you may want invest in a capper and bottle into glass.

I've been putting some recipe's together on Hopville that are Mr. Beer sized. You might want to wait on my tasting notes before trying one though. (Hopville is free and is a great tool).

I've been having fun with the Mr. Beers, but truly they are just fermenters. You can do anything with them. For me they are the perfect size, easy to carry and store, and very easy to adapt recipes to (just cut it in half). I looked at the 2 gallon fermenters at my LBS and didn't get one because I think that the Mr. Beers are just a nice size and less of an eyesore sitting on top of the fridge.

 

[FreshZ]

Here is my first beer from the Mr. Beer. 15 days in the primary and 15 days in a bottle plus 2 more days in the fridge. The good news is, IT WAS BEER. It had a strange bitter flavor that wasn't hoppy bitter but bad bitter. Maybe they will get better in the next few weeks.

 

[Helm]

Here is my first beer from the Mr. Beer. 15 days in the primary and 15 days in a bottle plus 2 more days in the fridge. The good news is, IT WAS BEER. It had a strange bitter flavor that wasn't hoppy bitter but bad bitter. Maybe they will get better in the next few weeks.

I am currently waiting on the same. I have my first batch of MB WCPA bottled now and am about 5 days in--post bottling. Hope that yours turns out well, time should make it better. Keep posted on quality though, would be nice to know since yours in about a week older.

 

[soccerdude71]

I am currently waiting on the same. I have my first batch of MB WCPA bottled now and am about 5 days in--post bottling. Hope that yours turns out well, time should make it better. Keep posted on quality though, would be nice to know since yours in about a week older.

I Just opened up my first batch of WCPA and everyone liked it! I fermented 3 weeks, bottle carbed/conditioned for 2 weeks and fridge for 1 week.

success!!

 

[Justibone]

So what is the best way with MB to have a beer taste more fruity? I am going to start a Cherry Crush lager that is 1 Can Whispering Wheat Weizenbier HME, 1 Can Pale Export UME and a can of cherries.

What if I want more cherry flavor to come out?

I have found that artificial flavoring is the most reliable and repeatable way. It's available at wine-making stores, so probably your LHBS would have it.

Too much fruit flavor can be cloying, though, and makes the beer end up tasting more like a Mike's Hard Fruit Punch or something. Subtle is generally better, unless it is for SWMBO.

The exception, of course, is lemon flavor in a shandy. 1:1 beer and lemon flavor is actually pretty good.

 

[Justibone]

So, I take it this is a good buy?

What model should I start off with? I see the "Mr. Beer Gold Edition Homebrew Kit" as well as a few others.

Whether or not it is a good buy depends on three things:

1) What price you get it at.
2) How deep you want to get into the hobby.
3) How much time/ease you want in brewing, with the tradeoff being control/quality.

The first is price. Don't overpay, just don't.

The second is how deep you want to get into the hobby. The price of the MrB kit is half the price (approximately) of a 5 gallon brew kit, so if you are going to be making large amounts of beer -- say you or your friends drink pretty often -- then the 5 gallon kit is the way to go. If you just want to dip your toe, or if you are tight on space, or if you just want to learn how to brew before going whole hog, then MrB is definitely a good choice.

The third is control. The MrB kits can make good beer (but their timeline is a bit unrealistic, IMO). If you get some non-MrB kits or extracts, and a few extra tools, using a MrB is pretty much exactly like a half-volume 5gal set up... but then you don't get the 20 minute brewday, which is a very nice feature of MrB. So, it's up to you. The MrB kits trade the OCD-level control and higher ingredient quality of all-grain for higher cost kits that are pretty hard to screw up along with a shorter brew day. YMMV.

 

[Justibone]

Here is my first beer from the Mr. Beer. 15 days in the primary and 15 days in a bottle plus 2 more days in the fridge. The good news is, IT WAS BEER. It had a strange bitter flavor that wasn't hoppy bitter but bad bitter. Maybe they will get better in the next few weeks.

Nice head on that brew.

Yeah, I'd cold-condition it a bit longer to try to get rid of the bitter. Also, do a more strict "homebrew pour" to make sure you're not getting any sediment in the glass at all.

 

[renzokuken]

Whether or not it is a good buy depends on three things:

1) What price you get it at.
2) How deep you want to get into the hobby.
3) How much time/ease you want in brewing, with the tradeoff being control/quality.

The first is price. Don't overpay, just don't.

The second is how deep you want to get into the hobby. The price of the MrB kit is half the price (approximately) of a 5 gallon brew kit, so if you are going to be making large amounts of beer -- say you or your friends drink pretty often -- then the 5 gallon kit is the way to go. If you just want to dip your toe, or if you are tight on space, or if you just want to learn how to brew before going whole hog, then MrB is definitely a good choice.

The third is control. The MrB kits can make good beer (but their timeline is a bit unrealistic, IMO). If you get some non-MrB kits or extracts, and a few extra tools, using a MrB is pretty much exactly like a half-volume 5gal set up... but then you don't get the 20 minute brewday, which is a very nice feature of MrB. So, it's up to you. The MrB kits trade the OCD-level control and higher ingredient quality of all-grain for higher cost kits that are pretty hard to screw up along with a shorter brew day. YMMV.

Thanks! I picked up the Mr. Beer Premium Gold Edition Home Brew Kit. Came with everything. Bottles, sanitizer, 2 extracts, booster, yeast, etc. $50 shipped to my house (Canada). Including tax. Cheapest that I could find.

 

[Garyx]

If you are looking to do 1 gallon brewing, check out Beer Craft: A Simple Guide to Making Great Beer.... Also check out the book: How To Brew which is available online at http://www.howtobrew.com.

I've been putting some recipe's together on Hopville that are Mr. Beer sized. You might want to wait on my tasting notes before trying one though. (Hopville is free and is a great tool).

I've been having fun with the Mr. Beers, but truly they are just fermenters. You can do anything with them. For me they are the perfect size, easy to carry and store, and very easy to adapt recipes to (just cut it in half). I looked at the 2 gallon fermenters at my LBS and didn't get one because I think that the Mr. Beers are just a nice size and less of an eyesore sitting on top of the fridge.

Thanks for the advice jankdc! I've bookmarked your Hopville profile and can't wait to see your brewnotes. I've already started reading the How to Brew website, but I hadn't seen the Beer Craft book. That seems to be right up my alley.

I have a capper, hydrometer and glass bottles already, so I'm already priming myself for leaping into partial mash land. Unfortunately, the nearest Bed, Bath and Beyond is currently a little over an hour away from me, but maybe Target or its ilk will have a clearanced kit.

 

[TaylorInOK]

Hey all. Just wanted to add my "tip-o-the-hat" to Mr. Beer.

It's the gateway drug of brewing.

 

[Mr_Shinkai]

Anyone else have the Mr. Beer cider kit? I've had mine for about 6 weeks, and I've been here on HBT for about a month. My first batch turned out fairly dry, and I experimented with several types of sweeteners to back sweeten. The only ones that really turned out the way I truly hoped were carbonated with carb tabs. I'm hoping someone out there has a bit more experience with the kit, and maybe has some pointers. Right now, I'm taking recipes from the cider forum and modifying them for Mr. Beer. Just looking for a "mentor" on this system with hopes of upgrading to serious equipment later this year.

 

[Mr_Shinkai]

I'd also like to get cranking on all 4 cylinders, literally. (My fiancé liked the look of the clear barrels, and wants to use them as drink dispensers at the wedding this summer, so I got 3 more last week. Until then, I'd like to put these to good use).

 

[Justibone]

I've use lactose to sweeten beer before. Can't say I liked it too much, though. Maybe it would be good in cider, though.

 

[soccerdude71]

What is a good nonfermentable? And where to get it? I will be starting a cider next week and want to be ready!

 

[beathookup]

Have my 2nd batch in the fermentor, a Witty Monk, going on day 7. My first batch of American Red Pale Ale, has been bottled the same amount of time and plan on waitin until the 21st day to enjoy my first taste.

For my 3rd batch I want to expand my horizons a little and possible add a little extra but have no idea about which way to go.

I'm a big IPA or DIPA guy and possibly want to go this route for my next batch. I'd like to add something more then just what would come with the Mr. Beer HME's. Any input would be great

 

[bpgreen]

Have my 2nd batch in the fermentor, a Witty Monk, going on day 7. My first batch of American Red Pale Ale, has been bottled the same amount of time and plan on waitin until the 21st day to enjoy my first taste.

For my 3rd batch I want to expand my horizons a little and possible add a little extra but have no idea about which way to go.

I'm a big IPA or DIPA guy and possibly want to go this route for my next batch. I'd like to add something more then just what would come with the Mr. Beer HME's. Any input would be great

How much do you want to expand? You can add LME/DME, but those will reduce the bitterness. Since you like IPAs, you would probably then need to do a hop boil to offer the sweetness. Adding steeping grains or doing a partial mash will give you more control and also improve your beer. As with adding additional extract, you'll probably want to add a hop boil with either of those.

If you want full control, you can go all grain. The next step down from that would be a partial mash, but using unhopped extracts, so you are in control of the hop choices and some of the grain but give up some control with the extract.

Your choices are really unlimited, or limited only by your comfort level.

 

[Helm]

entering the single can of stout hme and 2cans of brown ume into qbrew gives you an OG of 1.062 assuming you fill the keg up to the 8.5qt mark for 2.12 gal total volume. the stout hme gives you ~23 ibus. not sure how bitter you want to go, but IMHO i would use the columbus to bitter (i love it as an all purpose hop). since stouts usually don't have hop flavor or aroma additions you could skip it, but since you have cascade lying around a small addition of cascade @ 20 and 7 mins would add a nice note of citrus flavor and aroma.

all in all i would suggest this on your brew day:
add the suggested amount of water to your brew pot, bring to boil and add some of a can of the brown ume, bring to boil again then add an 1/8 oz (3.5g) columbus and start the 60 min countdown.
at 20 mins remaining add 1/4 oz (7g) of cascade for flavor.
at 7 mins remaining add 1/4 oz cascade for aroma.
at 5 mins remaining take off heat add the hme, and remaining ume then bring to boil for the last 5 mins.
according to qbrew you will get ~44ibu, ~50srm, and 6%abv (1.062 OG), big for a dry stout but right on the money for the ibus.

Thanks for the advice, I hope it turns out well. I followed most all of it with an adjustment to the hop use and times.

I boiled 6-8 cups water; added 1 can of the MB brown LME and stirred in; Kept on boil and added .5oz of columbus hops (about 12% aau) for 20min.; Continued on boil for 10 more min adding 1 can Stout HME and 2nd can of brown LME during final 5 min.; Poured wort to cool around 80deg. w/ water in keg; Pitched about 7g Nottingham dry yeast but followed MB directions (dumb) and didn't re-hydrate...just stirred vigorously in.

This showed signs of fermentation close to 24 hours. I am planning on leaving in ferm. for 3 weeks prior to bottling.

Additional advice on how this might turn out; best ways to prime (and what sugar to use); Hydrometer use; and was this a good yeast regardless of the incorrect way it might have been pitched.

Thanks for the help, only batch #2

 

[Highridin4x4]

Just got done bottling my second and third batch of Mr. Beer Blonde Ale and Golden Lager. I have been tasting my first batch of Mr. Beer WCPA but it seems over carbonated (bottle primed) so this time I tried batch priming in the Mr. Beer keg with light stirring to not oxegenate the beer. I can see why people keg here beer. Washing bottles is a pain.

Scott