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New to homebrewing/bad first batch

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by henshawb, May 11, 2013.

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  1. henshawb

    henshawb Crusader (470) May 4, 2013 Wisconsin
    Trader

    So I have been looking into homebrewing a lot. I bought a book about it and my girlfriend bought me a Mr. Beer to get started. Im guessing Mr. Beer doesnt really count as legit homebrewing, but I think it is a safe way to get started. But my first batch was a czech pils. It turned out sweet and tasted awful. Any idea what went wrong so i dont make the same mistake twice.
     
  2. JebediahScooter

    JebediahScooter Initiate (0) Sep 5, 2010 Vermont

    It could be a number of things...folks can help out better if you provide more specifics (recipe, yeast, fermentation time, etc).
     
  3. GreenKrusty101

    GreenKrusty101 Initiate (0) Dec 4, 2008 Nevada

    The conventional wisdom is that you can make decent beer with Mr. Beer...just don't use their ingredients...maybe HerbMeowing can offer more insight.
     
  4. Tebuken

    Tebuken Initiate (0) Jun 6, 2009 Argentina

    Please, give us a detailed descripton in regards your procedure to brew this beer.
     
  5. EdH

    EdH Crusader (449) Jul 27, 2005 Utah

    Or their instructions.
     
    GreenKrusty101 likes this.
  6. bigk84

    bigk84 Initiate (0) Jun 2, 2011 Michigan

    Lagers do NOT hide flaws and you need temperature control, your best bet is to find a local homebrew shop and pick up a beginners equipment/recipe kit. Fresh malt extract, hops, yeast, a couple buckets, kettle for the stove top and you should be good to go. Personally don't worry about a "bad batch", pilsners are more of an advanced style anyway, if you want to keep the Mr. Beer kit go find an IPA or pale ale kit, the hops can hide/mask any brewing flaws/techniques. Don't give up, it's a really fun hobby, just try again and your beer will get better the more you brew.
     
    PapaGoose03 and GreenKrusty101 like this.
  7. GreenKrusty101

    GreenKrusty101 Initiate (0) Dec 4, 2008 Nevada

    I'm sure their instructions say to use their ingredients...but, yes, it's an adequate fermentation vessel in the right hands : )
     
  8. GeckoPunk

    GeckoPunk Initiate (0) Jul 29, 2012 Connecticut

    Not enough information and don't know where to begin...
    There are just so many things that can cause a "bad first batch".
    • Water, water pH, and water additives (city/well water, gypsum, calcium chloride, etc...)
    • Yeast (type, flocculation, pitching temps, etc...)
    • Grains/Malt/Extract used (expired extract, old grain, etc...)
    • Sugars/Honey/Syrup/Additional Fermentables
    • Full boil/Partial boil (Duration of boil, water added, temperatures)
    • Specialty grains (what temp steeped at and for how long?)
    • Sanitation throughout the entire process
    • Hops and hop additions
    • Fermentation (Too warm/cold, too much light, too short of a time left in primary/secondary, etc...)
    • Racking (oxidation of beer, stirring up too much yeast when racking)
    • Bottling (clean & sanitized bottles, oxidation, clear or green bottles vs brown bottles...)
    • How long the beer was conditioned for and how it was conditioned...
    • Note-taking and recording of all procedures and ingredients/additions.
    We need more information to find out how to better help you brew a better batch of beer.

    Please provide all the information above including the process you went through, and we can go from there...
     
  9. kjyost

    kjyost Initiate (0) May 4, 2008 Canada (MB)

    First, if you made this kit from Mr. Beer you made an Ale, not a lager. You can make a clean pager that is pils like, but until you get good at making ales don't expect to make a good pilsner...

    The fact you said it was sweet sounds like it didn't attenuate (amount of fermentation of sugars in the beer) how you would have wanted it to. Why not? It could be the extract. It could be the boil. It could be the yeast crapping out. You have to know that yeast even when healthy don't eat all the sugars in beer, as they are too complex so what likely happened here is that there were more complex sugars in the wort than expected.

    Oh yes, and you should read How to Brew (http://www.howtobrew.com is the first edition & free online!)
     
  10. EdH

    EdH Crusader (449) Jul 27, 2005 Utah

    So is any other food grade container... Including a $13 "Ale Pail".

    No one ever said the "keg" is the problem with Mr. Beer.
     
  11. scurvy311

    scurvy311 Savant (1,111) Dec 3, 2005 Louisiana

    Which book? Did you read it before brewing?
     
  12. henshawb

    henshawb Crusader (470) May 4, 2013 Wisconsin
    Trader

    I read most of "The Complete Joy of Homebrewing"

    I used all Mr. Beer ingredients and equipment. The beer I was making was Mr. Beers Grand Bohemian Czech Pilsner.

    I sanitized all the equipment with a no rinse cleanser. I then boiled water, removed from the heat and added the hopped malt extract and stirred. I then filled the keg with store bought water and mixed in the water and HME mix. I added the yeast packet and applied the lid. I put the keg on a shelf out of sunlight and let sit for two weeks. After the two weeks were up I sanitized the 1 liter bottles and added 2 1/2 teaspoons of white granulated sugar to each bottle. I then filled the bottles from the keg and capped. I put the bottles back on the shelf and let sit two weeks. The bottles were hard when I squeezed them and appeared ready. I refrigerated them and when I tried one it seemed sweet, did not taste good at all, and had very little carbonation.

    I also have ingredients for a Mr. Beer Mexican Cerveza which Im hoping to get right before I consider buying real homebrew equipment.
     
  13. GreenKrusty101

    GreenKrusty101 Initiate (0) Dec 4, 2008 Nevada

    Well, some people who want to brew small batches claim it (the vessel) works just fine.
     
  14. HerbMeowing

    HerbMeowing Maven (1,271) Nov 10, 2010 Virginia
    Trader

    Back in the day...MrB's ingredients left a lot to be desired. To his credit...the MrB roduct line has improved recently now that the extracts are produced by Coopers.

    Brewing with MrB's ingredients is just like home-beerification with any other brand of extract except it cost more per unit volume. The convenience of a small-batch size comes with a cost.

    If the OP's premier batch of homebrew turned out like sweet carbonated puke...chances are it wasn't the equipment or the ingredients. Upgrading to 'better' equipment may simply end up producing more of the same.
     
  15. EdH

    EdH Crusader (449) Jul 27, 2005 Utah

    Repeating myself here, but: No one said it won't adequately contain sugar water while yeast ferments it (as would a lot of other containers). But people who get the kit are going to use the things that came with the kit; that being the whole point of a kit.

    I have some 2-liter plastic bottles that you could use to turn sugar, water and yeast in to alcohol. Do I deserve a pat on the back for that? You could even use a "Boosterâ„¢"!
     
  16. AlCaponeJunior

    AlCaponeJunior Grand Pooh-Bah (3,326) May 21, 2010 Texas
    Pooh-Bah Society

    For a 2-gallon Mr Beer sized batch, you could simply use 2 lbs of light or extra light dried malt extract, an ounce of cascade at 10 minutes (left in the boil), and an ounce of cascade at flameout (with a steep for about 20 minutes before cooling), use US-05 dry yeast, and I bet you'd have a tasty IPA / pale ale.

    It's not the Mr Beer keg itself that's the problem, it's usually the procedure used by the would-be homebrewer (and possibly might be the ingredients used, but as has been mentioned, they are better these days). The Mr Beer kit instructions don't bring home all the most important variables, and how they affect your final product. You need to control some key variables, including sanitation, water, pitching temperature, fermentation temperature, aeration of wort before pitching yeast, minimizing oxygenation after fermentation, proper priming, etc.

    I've seen and tasted Mr Beer, with their ingredients, used to make good beer (it's not going to be great beer, mind you, but the kits can make a decent brew if done right). So if your beer came out poorly, check the mirror first, then review your procedures. If you have the joy of homebrewing you should have more than enough information to make good beer, but you have to read and apply what's in the book.

    Detailed answers on sites like this one come with detailed explanations of exactly what your ingredients and procedures were.
     
    scurvy311 likes this.
  17. Kraeusen

    Kraeusen Initiate (0) Oct 20, 2012 Maine

    No boiling of the extract, just added to hot water?
     
  18. fuzzbalz

    fuzzbalz Pundit (887) Apr 13, 2002 Georgia

    You don't won't to boil hme, it will increase the ibu's and change the intended flavor profile.
     
  19. GeckoPunk

    GeckoPunk Initiate (0) Jul 29, 2012 Connecticut

    Did you dissolve the sugar prior to pitching it in the bottles, or did you just throw in the sugar?
    I am also safe to assume you used plastic bottles for conditioning and carbonating your beer, correct?
     
  20. HopNuggets

    HopNuggets Initiate (0) Oct 8, 2009 Connecticut

    Had Mr. Beer did about a handful or recipes and then stepped up to 5 gallon homebrewing. Mr. Beer makes drinkable beer but not the BA standard for good beer. Jump to 5 gallon brewing before you waste any more money on Mr. Beer.
     
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