Mr. Beer Newbie

Buying, building and using brewing equipment and apparatus. Product reviews and questions.

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fishfool
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Aug 18, 2005 5:27 pm

Mr. Beer Newbie

Post by fishfool »

I just ordered a Mr. Beer kit and was wondering what you guys thought about them. It seems to be a bit proprietry but good for starters. What are your thoughts?
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brewmeisterintng
Strong Ale
Strong Ale
Posts: 384
Joined: Thu Jan 13, 2005 8:47 pm
Location: Clarksville, TN

Mr. Beer

Post by brewmeisterintng »

I got my feet wet with my Mr. Beer. I even went as far as to go to their web page for the extra recipes. Yes, you will learn all the "need to know" basics of extract brewing, however you will be limited based on the kits they have.
I didn't care too much for the containers spout as it leaked a little and it allowed too much air to come in contact with the beer at bottling.
You will have to beef up the fermentables (malt extracts) if you want your beer to have any body/ flavor.

-James-
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Mesa Maltworks
Strong Ale
Strong Ale
Posts: 477
Joined: Tue Sep 11, 2001 11:16 pm
Location: Georgetown, Grand Cayman Island

Mr. Beer... the device most responsible for 1 off brewers!

Post by Mesa Maltworks »

There has been no other device, except the Brew King Brew Sack, that has been more responsible for turning people away from what is an otherwise simple process to get right. It is most often the "Christmas gift that looked like a good idea given by someone not in the know."

If you follow their directions, you will get a potable product, but it will not be very good. To boot, it is expensive to buy their ingredients and the "machine" has a small yield.

It is far too easy to do it right the first time with a small amount of additional investment.

Instructions:

1. Put the unused Mr. Beer in the attic/closet.

2. Find a homebrewing club near you. Commune with the members... they have no problem talking endlessly about brewing and love turning others on to the sport.

3. Search out a LOCAL homebrew shop. On-line stores are great and often times have more choices and sometimes at lower prices. But if you need stuff in a pinch or need advice, the local guys will be better able to respond to your specific needs. Besides... as more and more brewers go to online sources, it is causing the local home brew shops to close. These guys are doing it out of passion, not money. Their scale of economy is such that they can't get great wholesale pricing. So, their profit margins are slim which makes a dwindling customer base even worse of a problem.

The combination of the above will lead you to homebrewing nirvana from which you will never return!
Make your next beer (or spirit) a local one!!!!

Eric Watson
Head Distiller & Brewer

Seven Fathoms Rum
Georgetown, Grand Cayman
Cayman Islands
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