Beer! At home! What could be better?
Written: Dec 17 '08 (Updated Dec 18 '08)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: A great, inexpensive way to brew at home.
Cons: Look at the expiration dates on replacement kits in stores. Can be old.
The Bottom Line: Really a fun, easy way to make beer and hard cider at home.
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| jspahn's Full Review: Mr Beer. Prem Beer Brewing Kit |
I started using the Mr. Beer brewing kits about 6 years ago. Since then, I have brewed probably over 100 gallons of beer for my friends and family. Let me share with you what I have found from trial and error.
Cleanliness is Key
If you don't keep everything clean, your beer will not turn out as good as it should or could. The chemical reaction caused by the yeast that turns sugar into alcohol works best when there is no contamination. This means clean water, clean utensils and clean hands.
The beer kit (and replacement kits) come with One Step Sanitizer that will do a very good job of cleaning everything and ensuring you don't start with germy utensils, bottles or keg. Be sure to follow the cleaning instructions included with the brewing kit closely and your results will be much better. If you do happen to run out of One Step, there are instructions on how to make a sanitizer out of unscented household bleach.
Making the beer
This process is pretty straight forward. The same steps apply for beer and hard cider. I can't speak for root beer as I have yet to make that.
Fill your keg with 4 quarts of cold water (markings are on the side). Dissolve the pack of booster in cold water (if you use warm water it will clump and take forever to dissolve, trust me). Bring the water/booster mixture to a boil and add the can(s) of beer mix. Fill the keg to the 8.5 quart mark (8 for cider) and stir. Then sprinkle on the yeast, wait 5 min and stir again.
Let this mixture sit at room temp for a week. Dispense this into primed (small amount of table sugar primes a bottle, you'll see when you brew) bottles and let sit at room temp for a week to 10 days. Refrigerate, drink, repeat.
It really is that easy.
Once you get a little wet behind the ears, you can venture into the flavored beer arena with fruit or fruit flavorings (available from online beer houses).
Pumpkin ale at Halloween, cherry beer in the Spring. Let your imagination run wild.
Aging
The flavor of the beer will improve and get smoother as it cold lagers in the fridge. Don't worry about letting it sit around for too long. I have had some as old as 6 months and it tasted just fine. 2+ weeks after bottling seems to be the ideal time to drink the homebrew.
Alcohol Content
The alcohol content can be varied with your beer by varying the amount of booster you put in the intitial mix (wort). Read the instructions on the Mr. Beer kit to see how each package of booster will affect the specific brew you are making.
Durability
My kegs have lasted all this time with no leaks or any other problems. For the price, this is a cheap way to get into beer making. Who knows, you might just find you want to take it up a notch and make your own brew mixes (beyond the scope of this review).
Pricing
As I bought the kit more than 6 years ago, I may have paid a little less than the $39 or so they are going for now. I seem to remember paying $30 for the kit and around $10 for the brew refill kits (I bought 50 or 60 of the brew refill kits at the time), which I think sell for around $14 or $15 now. It sounds like I am on the road to opening a Microbrew but I'll explain.My family owns a chain of lumberyards in the Midwest. I saw the Mr. Beer kits at our semi-annual supplier show. I figured with 25 locations this would be a pretty good addition to our product mix. Contractors are do-it-yourself kind of guys and they like beer. Well. I bought a pallet of beer mix and 20 or so kits. I told my father if they didn't sell. I would buy what was left over.I bought what was left over and got into brewing beer.
You don't need an ATF permit to brew beer for consumption in your own home as long as you stay under something like 100 gallons a year. I have never made enough to worry about it.
All in all, Mr. Beer is a great way to make your own beer, from a Pale Ale to an Oatmeal Stout and every imaginable flavor in between, Mr. Beer can do it all.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
jspahn
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Member: Jeffrey Spahn
Location: Dubuque, IA USA
Reviews written: 43
Trusted by: 1 member
About Me:
Just your basic consumer who likes nice things
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