Mr. Beer Home Brewing

[SouthernSVT]

My sis bought me a Mr. Beer home brewing kit. I vaguely remember a conversation on the old board about it a while back leading me to believe that a couple of our members may have done this before. I'm kind of excited about trying it out, but have never seen it done before or know anyone who has used one. Any advice would be helpfull other than the directions themselves. Any common mistakes that I should be aware of, things to avoid, or anything that has helped ya'll out before and other things of that nature.

Also with all the flavors it's hard to know which kind to try next after the origional kind that comes in the kit. Any of ya'lls favorites would be nice to know. Especially if there is anything close to Shiner Bock, or Shiner Blonde since those are my favorite beers.

[JP135]

I used to do homebrew. I don't know about the Mr Beer setup, but you can find kits that brew 5 gallons of just about any beer style you want including bock and blonde. I had a pressurized mini keg called a party pig - it was awesome and saved some of the mess of bottling the beer. The primary thing is keeping your equipment clean so that the yeast does its thing properly. Homebrew can come out a little bit cloudy - don't let it worry you. Google homebrew and you'll be amazed at the results.

The winemaker shop on W Vickery used to have a good selection of supplies and kits.

[YALE]

MY buddy used to brew some amazing shit, and suggested these guys for mail order:

http://www.highgravitybrew.com/

[Bad Religion]

My sis bought me a Mr. Beer home brewing kit. I vaguely remember a conversation on the old board about it a while back leading me to believe that a couple of our members may have done this before. I'm kind of excited about trying it out, but have never seen it done before or know anyone who has used one. Any advice would be helpfull other than the directions themselves. Any common mistakes that I should be aware of, things to avoid, or anything that has helped ya'll out before and other things of that nature.

Also with all the flavors it's hard to know which kind to try next after the origional kind that comes in the kit. Any of ya'lls favorites would be nice to know. Especially if there is anything close to Shiner Bock, or Shiner Blonde since those are my favorite beers.

The most important thing to remember is sterilize everything. If you are serious about brewing beer do not get a Mr. beer. Get a 5 gallon setup, with the link above. Also for starting out I would suggest a book called "Clone Brews" which has recipes for like 140 name brand beers. Start off simple. Also when you bottle beer it can take up to 3-6 months for it to be ready and carbonated. If you run Co2 you can have it ready in 3-4 weeks.

[SouthernSVT]

The most important thing to remember is sterilize everything. If you are serious about brewing beer do not get a Mr. beer. Get a 5 gallon setup, with the link above. Also for starting out I would suggest a book called "Clone Brews" which has recipes for like 140 name brand beers. Start off simple. Also when you bottle beer it can take up to 3-6 months for it to be ready and carbonated. If you run Co2 you can have it ready in 3-4 weeks.

My sis bought it for me, i'm not sure if i'm serious about it or not yet. Figured since it's free i might as well try it out. Will definatly remember the sterilizing part though, n if I do start doing this more I may check out that book.

[clevelandkid]

... Also when you bottle beer it can take up to 3-6 months for it to be ready and carbonated. If you run Co2 you can have it ready in 3-4 weeks.

This is why I could never get into home brew. There is no way I'm waiting 3 weeks to 6 months to have a beer.

[SouthernSVT]

This is why I could never get into home brew. There is no way I'm waiting 3 weeks to 6 months to have a beer.

lol don't worry, i'm sure i'll drink plenty of store-bought beer while i'm waiting. Just thought it might be a fun little side hobby. I keep Shiner in business.

[johnboy]

I had one of these several years ago, and with a little practice you can make some awesome brew. You should use corn sugar instead of regular (buy it at a home brew store, I used Homebrew Headquarters if they are still around) and sterlize everything you use. i just filled sink and used a little bit of bleach and water. Use the dark bottles with the kit and store in a dark place. I kept mine in a closet. Homebrew is only good for a couple of months since it is unpasteurized. Your kit should make 20 12 oz beers. You can buy bottles and caps and a cap installer at homebrew store or reuse your glass bottles, but it has to be a non-twist off to recap. Just read the book and experiment and have fun!

[MutherjuggZ]

lol don't worry, i'm sure i'll drink plenty of store-bought beer while i'm waiting. Just thought it might be a fun little side hobby. I keep Shiner in business.

Kegger at Stephen's house!!!

[SouthernSVT]

Kegger at Stephen's house!!!

Downstairs neighbors put an end to those but i'm always ready to contribute

[YALE]

I had one of these several years ago, and with a little practice you can make some awesome brew. You should use corn sugar instead of regular (buy it at a home brew store, I used Homebrew Headquarters if they are still around) and sterlize everything you use. i just filled sink and used a little bit of bleach and water. Use the dark bottles with the kit and store in a dark place. I kept mine in a closet. Homebrew is only good for a couple of months since it is unpasteurized. Your kit should make 20 12 oz beers. You can buy bottles and caps and a cap installer at homebrew store or reuse your glass bottles, but it has to be a non-twist off to recap. Just read the book and experiment and have fun!

It's pretty easy to pasteurize at the house. Any cultured product, with the exception of yogurt, should be pasteurized.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=home+beer+pasteurization&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=

BTW, OP, If you have any sanitation issues, and need any help keeping things clean, let me know. My whole job is processed dairy sanitation.