Throwing in the towel

[ReaperOnefour]

I'm a newbie. Been brewing for about 7 months. I started on mr beer, but switched to brew demon. I've brewed 4 mr beer recipes, & one brew demon recipe. I got a cider taste from all 5, I can't figure out why. This hobby just isn't for me, so I've decided to throw in the towel. Just wanted to thank everyone that has given me advice in my short time on home brew forums. Maybe I'll go back to playing airsoft. Thanks again, best wishes to all.

 

[jeff62217]

Sounds like you have your mind made up. If you're looking for a reason NOT to quit, I can assure you with more practice your beers will get better. With only 5 batches down there's plenty of room for improvement... and you won't be brewing award winning beer right off the bat.

In this hobby, patience is key. Be patient with your beer, be patient with your ability and with your results. They will get better the more you brew. However, you need to be the one to be challenging yourself to be always trying to take it to the next level. No one else can do that for you.

Keep reading on the things you need to improve upon. Search for 'acetaldehyde' or 'beer off flavor acetaldehyde' for some guidance on that off flavor.
I had a bad case of band-aids/medicinal off flavor that made my home brew undrinkable and instead of giving up I learned what was causing it through trial and error and now everything I brew tastes great.

You can do it, just takes time, patience, persistence, and the willingness to learn.

Don't give up. Look at this as a challenge that you need to overcome, not a defeat.

 

[gromitdj]

I know you said they were Mr. beer and Brew Demon, but what specific kits did you give it a go with? Some of the kits are known for their less than spectacular results.

What is your fermentation set up? What fermentation schedule did you follow. What yeast did you use?

I see you only have 2 posts, so you didn't ask for too many opinions around here. If its something you would like to pursue and are just frustrated, don't give up. Is there someone close you can brew with? If not, and before giving up, you may want to try a kit with better ingredients.

If you have indeed made up your mind, then at least you made it a go! Just remember that your always welcome back should you decide to try again.

 

[CoreyD]

You might try brewing a 1 gallon all grain kit before giving up. They are cheaper than the extract kits, and come with good instructions. And if you still chose to throw in the towel your not out much.

 

[jbunton]

Did the extract kits when I started. Beer was should I say very lack luster. Switched to all grain this year bam what a difference. Beer is coming out excellent and the reviews I've had on most batches confirm that. Don't quit just go all grain you won't regret it!

 

[kh54s10]

You might give up on those "toy" beer kits and brew a real beer kit. I like the kits that Northern Brewer sells. I started with the Irish Red Ale kit, did the Patersbier and the Nut Brown. They all turned out great.

Also make sure to use good water. If you are unsure about your tap water, buy some water a the store.

 

[kh54s10]

Don't think that you need to go from those pre-hopped kits all the way to all grain either. Northern Brewer extract kits use steeping grains for added flavor and use hops in the boil for a "real" beer. IMO, you should see a big difference over the MrBeer kits without the slightly more complex brew day using all grain.

 

[mongoose33]

You're in San Jose. Surely there's a member here in the area.

Perhaps you could find someone local to serve as a sort of mentor. When I started, I watched a friend brew and it made all the difference. Such a person would be able to keep you on track so you produced good beer, and the learning curve would speed up.

 

[h22lude]

You might give up on those "toy" beer kits and brew a real beer kit. I like the kits that Northern Brewer sells. I started with the Irish Red Ale kit, did the Patersbier and the Nut Brown. They all turned out great.

Also make sure to use good water. If you are unsure about your tap water, buy some water a the store.

Was going to say the same exact thing. All those Bed Bath and Beyond kits (like Mr Beer) just aren't all that great. You may be able to make some ok beer with it but you can also make crap beer with it.

If you want to stay small, Northern Brewer sells 1 gallon extract kits. You can use whatever small fermentor you are using now so you won't need to buy anything extra.

If you haven't already done so, read How To Brew. At least read the intro and extract sections. Use bottled spring water just in the off chance your water isn't all that great.

Northern Brewer will give you good yeast. Your cider flavor could have come from using old yeast. Try to keep the fermenting beer below 70° for 2 to 3 weeks.

If you get a good kit, use the right amount of healthy yeast, aerate the snot out of the wort and keep it under 70° I will bet you will change your mind.

 

[shellsbells]

You might try brewing a 1 gallon all grain kit before giving up. They are cheaper than the extract kits, and come with good instructions. And if you still chose to throw in the towel your not out much.

+1 I think this is great advice, if you're still interested in brewing. I never tried Mr Beer or extract brewing, but I started out using the BBS kits and was really impressed with the results from the beginning. You can make great beer with them and they really help simplify the all-grain process. And like CoreyD said, if you still don't like the results and brewing really isn't for you, you can throw in the towel without having invested too much

 

[ReaperOnefour]

What's up coryD? Thanks for the kind words. My wife told me not to quit either. Actually I have a Pilsner that's been fermenting for two weeks. It tastes like it's ready, but still has a slight haze to it. The bubbler is still going, not not very often. Should I bottle it? Or should I wait another day or two? By the way, there's no cider taste to this batch. Which raises my hopes.

 

[akthor]

I started on extract kits so so long ago, the extract ones that included steeping grains and other special grains then went all grain. My beer has been fabulous all along. Well water, city water it didn't matter. What I know was the difference for me from my friends and other home brewers I knew. TIME. They were all about getting it in the bottle and drinking it ASAP. 3days in the fermenter and then in the bottle. Their beer had that "homebrew" taste. I was never like that. When people drink my beer they don't believe I made it.

Its not wine but it ain't soda either. I have one friend who bottles that I don't taste yeasty homebrew but he is like me. He bottles his Octoberfest beer the March before.

 

[applescrap]

I'm a newbie. Been brewing for about 7 months. I started on mr beer, but switched to brew demon. I've brewed 4 mr beer recipes, & one brew demon recipe. I got a cider taste from all 5, I can't figure out why. This hobby just isn't for me, so I've decided to throw in the towel. Just wanted to thank everyone that has given me advice in my short time on home brew forums. Maybe I'll go back to playing airsoft. Thanks again, best wishes to all.

I hope you hang in there. I made 40 or so mr beer kits and I dont recall any of them as being even slightly good. I think the best one would still be waaay worse than worst all grain I have made. Check this simple recipe out. I would probably brew this way if extract was cheaper. You can scale this recipe to any size you want. A 20 dollar 8 gallon tamale pot will allow you to make up to 5 gallon batches and doesnt have to much commitment. I used my mr beer kegs for 2.5 gallon batches. Best of luck.

https://youtu.be/qv82HsMN-hA

 

[TasunkaWitko]

Another vote for the Brooklyn Brew Shop all-grain 1-gallon kits, or similar kits from Northern Brewer etc. I asked my wife for a Mr. Beer kit a couple of years ago, and she got me a BBS kit instead. All I can say is that I am dang glad that she did, because it opened up a whole new world for me, in which I went from a kit to some of the pre-packaged grain mixes, to some of the recipes in their books, to trying my own hand at recipes. All from a simple 40$ investment.

http://brooklynbrewshop.com/beer-making-kits

Take a look, find one that interests you, and give it a shot. The one that my wife got for me was Grapefruit Honey Ale, and it was fantastic. In fact, I recently bottled another batch of it.

Above all, don't give up. Lots of folks here willing to help. You've got nothing to lose, and everything to gain.

 

[CoreyD]

What's up coryD? Thanks for the kind words. My wife told me not to quit either. Actually I have a Pilsner that's been fermenting for two weeks. It tastes like it's ready, but still has a slight haze to it. The bubbler is still going, not not very often. Should I bottle it? Or should I wait another day or two? By the way, there's no cider taste to this batch. Which raises my hopes.

Glad to hear you tried again. My 1st kit was a BBS 1 gallon and it turned out great. Only bad thing was, I bottled at the 2 week point like the instructions said. Problem was it was still bubbling a little, like the one you have going now. It was not quite done. No bottle bombs, but I got massive gushers causing me to loose almost half the bottle. Wait a little longer until it stops bubbling. It'll be worth the wait. The haze won't hurt it either. There's lots of info out there on clearing, but if it tastes good and you don't mind how it looks don't worry about it.

 

[Gerry_P]

OP: Just out of curiosity, what are your fermentation temperatures?

 

[kh54s10]

Don't "wait until it stops bubbling". Instead get a hydrometer if you don't already have one. Take a gravity reading, wait 24-48 hours and take another reading. If they are the same and the beer is reasonably clear, that is the time to bottle. The hydrometer will also tell you that you did or did not get a good fermentation.

 

[fatherdan]

Start all over again by reading How To Brew. It's available free online.
This stuff is not rocket science.

Understanding what your doing will help you brew beer.

Good luck.

 

[Yesfan]

I agree with Fatherdan. Read How To Brew. The 1st edition is free online.


Another thing, and am surprised no one here has mentioned it, is find and join a brew club. Online forums like this are worth their weight in gold, but joining a club has really took it to another level for me.

Don't give up.

 

[lschiavo]

I'd say just throw in the towel. There are way too many brewers around here already

Seriously, When I think back, I learned the most by sitting in on a brew day. I had read a bit but seeing the progress first hand really made the difference for me. It shouldn't be too hard to find someone willing to show you the ropes.

 

[Aristotelian]

What's up coryD? Thanks for the kind words. My wife told me not to quit either. Actually I have a Pilsner that's been fermenting for two weeks. It tastes like it's ready, but still has a slight haze to it. The bubbler is still going, not not very often. Should I bottle it? Or should I wait another day or two? By the way, there's no cider taste to this batch. Which raises my hopes.

Yes, wait until bubbling has stopped completely. It could be 4 weeks before it is done. The only way to know for sure that it is done is take a gravity reading, but if you don't have a hydrometer I would let it keep going until there is no activity, and then wait a few days after that.

I agree with others, unless you are completely done, you should try a Brooklyn Brew Shop kit or maybe even design a small system. It's not a surprise that you are having a negative experience when you are brewing with a Mr. Beer. It would be like playing baseball with a wiffle bat and then giving up when you have a bad experience.

Make sure you are sanitizing everything.

 

[billl]

Well, you aren't alone. Basically nobody can make good beer with a MrBeer kit. The ingredients are subpar/old and the yeast is always stored improperly.

The apple/cidery taste is almost certainly due to poor yeast health and/or bottling prematurely. Fixing that will dramatically improve your beer.

General beer kit advice: Only buy kits with ingredients. eg malt extract, some steeping grains, and hops. If it's just a can you mix with water, pass. If it tells you to add a bunch of sugar, pass.

 

[brewcat]

Have you visited any local homebrew shops? They should be able to get you going in the right direction. If nothing else, Northern Brewer has good extract kits.

Cider taste would be yeast health and/or time conditioning.

 

[TexasDroughtBrewery]

You're in San Jose. Surely there's a member here in the area.

Perhaps you could find someone local to serve as a sort of mentor. When I started, I watched a friend brew and it made all the difference. Such a person would be able to keep you on track so you produced good beer, and the learning curve would speed up.

This is great advice....plus it gives you a friend for brew days.

 

[Homercidal]

Don't give up yet! Cidery beer is often cause by being impatient, or not treating the yeast they way the should for best results. Yeast will go bonkers at the wrong temperature for beer production. You need to keep the temps in a range that is not optimal for speed, but rather for producing the best flavors. Generally that means targeting the lower end of the strain's temperature range.

It could also be just young beer. If you chill the beer before the yeast has a chance to clean up after itself, then you might be risking getting certain off-flavors. Here is an excerpt from How to Brew, the online version:

Acetaldehyde
A flavor of green apples or freshly cut pumpkin; it is an intermediate compound in the formation of alcohol. Some yeast strains produce more than others, but generally it's presence indicates that the beer is too young and needs more time to condition.

I do recommend trying a few things to improve your brewing results.

First: Try a quality kit from one of the big supply shops, like Norther Brewer, Midwest, Homebrew Supply, etc. They have lots of customers, and the ingredients are going to be fresher, and they get a lot of feedback on the beers made with those kits.

Second: Use only good tasting water with no chlorine/chloramine. Chlorines will react with the fermentation process and cause phenols, which results in a plasticky flavor. If you are using tap water, try a batch with spring water bought from the store.

Third: Fermentation temp. Control your temps to keep them close to the optimal range. Maybe use a Swap Cooler or something if you haven't tried that yet. They are cheap to set up, and not a lot of trouble to use.

Fourth: Pitch plenty of ACTIVE yeast. Kits are often handled in suboptimal temps, which can greatly reduce the number of viable yeast. For anything less than 1.060 you can probably get away with a single packet of dry yeast. Anything over that and you might consider pitching 2 packets. It's better to err on the side of too much yeast. This will also shorten the time it takes for the yeast to ferment the beer, improving the chances of not getting off-flavors. If you use liquid yeast, build a starter.


I noticed you said you were brewing a "pilsner". If you are actually using lager yeast, then you must pitch a TON of it. Lager beers generally work best with a lot more yeast then normal. Ferment mid fifties for like 3-4 weeks, then raise the temp for a few days to allow them to clean up a bit (D-rest), then lager at just above freezing for a few more weeks. Unless conditions are perfect, lagers can take about twice as much time as most ales.

That should be enough for now. Brewing isn't exactly difficult, but there are some things you can try to improve from where you are now.

 

[skraeling]

I did an extract kit that surprised my friend who I do all grain with... biggest change temp controlled fermentation for me made a large difference. My basement is over 70* even on a mild day and being able to hold 66* was amazing.

Also I still **** stuff up which is why this is a hobby and not my job haha. And I say this as a scientist, my undergrad was microbiology. Rushing is usually what has caused most of my mistakes.

Sanitize sanitize sanitize.

Temp matters... a lot.

 

[bobeer]

Seeing the OP hasn't been back since he said he was quitting I don't think he'll read any of our awesome encouragement not to quit which is a shame. I think if he was a little more patient with his batches he would have been happily surprised that even a mr beer kit can make drinkable beer. A lot of folks have issues with that though. With that said the more you read about the hobby while you're waiting on your beer the better. Beer is a living thing and needs it's time and environment to do its thing correctly.
Maybe he'll give it another go one day and he'll see the amount of support and help he has here in the HBT community. Brew on brewers!

OP, if you come back, let us know and we'll be here to help again!

 

[ReaperOnefour]

What's up guys? Thanks for all the encouraging words. After much thought about all that you had said ( & my wife's encouragement as well) I've decided not to quit. I was gonna dump a 2 gallon batch of pilsner that I had, but bottled it instead. When I brewed the brew demon hme I didn't boil the wort as long as I did before. The guy at brew demon said over boiling can give off that cider taste. I also did an experiment with the priming sugar as well. Adding less cane sugar in some bottles to see if that was the problem, or part of it. What do you guys think?

 

[ReaperOnefour]

Thanks bro. Hey do you think that using to much priming sugar can do it too?

 

[passedpawn]

What's up guys? Thanks for all the encouraging words. After much thought about all that you had said ( & my wife's encouragement as well) I've decided not to quit. I was gonna dump a 2 gallon batch of pilsner that I had, but bottled it instead. When I brewed the brew demon hme I didn't boil the wort as long as I did before. The guy at brew demon said over boiling can give off that cider taste. I also did an experiment with the priming sugar as well. Adding less cane sugar in some bottles to see if that was the problem, or part of it. What do you guys think?

I'd stop listening to that guy. ASAP.

The amount of sugar to add to beer to carbonate in the bottle is well known and tried. If you followed normal amounts and had problems, either your initial wort wasn't finished fermenting, or you have had an introduction of spoiling microbes (sanitation issue). That's it.