My first batch is in the Mr. Beer!

[user 161678]

I got the little guy for Christmas and I finally started my first batch. I'm über excited! My question is this: I started the batch last Tuesday, (it is Saturday now) the fermentation has appeared to stop my house has been kept between 70 & 75 degrees consistently and the fermenter has been kept in the dark. I tasted it and it tastes fine. Not sweet. Did I screw this up or is it possible that it is just done already?

 

[CBMbrewer]

Most ales require 14 days or so. Follow the directions and you will be fine.

 

[user 161678]

Sorry that I didn't mention it, it is the American light lager that came with the kit. I'm assuming that they modified it being that I've learned that the lagers need cooler temps.

 

[Yooper]

Active fermentation is almost always done within 3-5 days, and at warmer temperatures (and yes, 70-75 is extremely warm for beer fermentation temperatures!), I've seen a beer ferment out overnight.

Ideally, the beer itself would be no higher than 70 degrees, and fermentation itself produces heat so it would be great if you had a basement or a cool spot that was no higher than 65 degrees for the fermenter.

Anyway, it's certainly done fermenting and can be bottled once it starts to clear. If you have a hydrometer, take readings at least three days apart and when it's unchanging, it's fine to bottle.

 

[stevehardt]

Congrats on your first beer! With all due respect to Mr. Beers directions, you'll find that you'll get noticeably better beer if you leave it the fermenter for 3 weeks then bottle it and let it bottle condition for 3 weeks.

Although it's tough to do, avoid the temptation to keep messing with it while it's in the fermenter. The hardest lesson for almost all new brewers is patience.

 

[Colorowdy]

Welcome to the addiction. I still use my Mr. Beer keg all the time.

+1 on three weeks fermenter and three weeks bottle.

 

[user 161678]

Wow, I was concerned that it would sit too long. Is that a possibility? What am I going to do in the mean time? Anyone play poker? Lol!

 

[Tonyctitan]

Wow, I was concerned that it would sit too long. Is that a possibility? What am I going to do in the mean time? Anyone play poker? Lol!

Trying not to obsess over that beer in the fermenter is sooooooo hard! My first batch is now carbing up in bottles and its only been a week since I bottled it. I have at least one or two more weeks to go.

 

[user 161678]

thanks for the input everyone, I will keep it in for the 3 weeks and enjoy making empty bottles to put it in in the mean time!

 

[JohnSand]

What to do in the meantime? Only one thing you can do: Buy more fermenters and make more beer. Time's a-wasting.

 

[ivydog]

Shouldn't it be at a much cooler temperature for fermentation? If it's a lager it usually needs much cooler temps than where you are at. What temp does the kit say?

 

[user 161678]

The kit instructions say 68-76. I am going to assume they adapted their lager recipe to use a different yeast. I didn't think about it too much when I did it, I opened the box and followed instructions, then went on the interwebs.

 

[woozy]

Just follow the directions.

Maybe a lower temperature and longer fermentation time will make a better beer. And maybe this beer shouldn't technically be called a lager at all. But if you wanted to be second guessing the instructions and tweaking your very first batch you wouldn't be doing a starter Mr. Beer kit in the first place.

Enjoy your beer and have fun with the experience. And welcome to the hobby.

 

[user 161678]

I'm not second guessing and I didn't tweak anything, yet! I just understand that there is a lot that I don't understand. The 5 minute directions can't possibly take into consideration all of the variables. I think that part of my problem is that I can't believe that it was so simple after reading up on the hobby/art/addiction and how complex it actually is.

 

[woozy]

Ah, well. There's simple and there is simple. And there *is* a lot to understand.

Yes, you're right. the five minute instructions didn't take into account all the variables and simplified to the lowest common denominater.

It's simple in that if you add yeast to sweet grain juice and leave it at room temperature you will always get some sort of beer. But there's always more control and detail to apply to take more control of the beer. Ex. colder temp, longer ferment and a different yeast may yield a better lager like beer. Always question and always think and wonder. But don't worry about trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear with undisclosed variables. No matter how much you tweak and fine tune there is *always* more you can tweak.

 

[Channel66]

The Mr. Beer American lager is indeed an ale. It's kind of a marketing term to them. It comes with ale yeast, and ferments at ale temperatures. Therefore it is an ale. Just keep it at the recommended temperature for 3 weeks, bottle and enjoy.

If you enjoy the hobby I suggest buying 2 quality 1 gal recipe kits from northern brewer or Austin homebrew supply instead of the mr beer recipe kits. You can still use your little beer keg but the ingredients are of a much higher quality, you will make much much better beer.

 

[DirtyPirate]

Congrats on your first batch. I too started with Mr. Beer it was a good gateway into the hobby. It won't be long and you will be an addict. Sitting down and drinking your first self made beer is a memory you will never forget.

 

[cdelci2]

What to do in the meantime? Only one thing you can do: Buy more fermenters and make more beer. Time's a-wasting.

I hear that. I just ordered a second keg, 8 more bottles and two more cans of Mr. Beer's malt extract. My plan is to try to stagger the various stages. My goal is to be at a point where a day doesn't go by that I'm not either making or drinking my own beer. I think I'm already obsessed, wish I had found this hobby years ago