Hello, I received a home brewing kit (MR Beer LBK 2 gallon batch) with the "Classic American Light Standard Refill" http://www.mrbeer.com/classic-american-light-standard-refill I didn't want to brew my first batch and receive a non-descript, low abv (kit estimates 3.7% abv) beer as my reward. So I have been thinking on a few things to amp things up a bit. 1. The first thing I wanted to do is add more hops to the boil. The kit comes with some hop pellets and I was thinking on adding those in during the boil. I also ordered 3 oz more of simcoe pellets. I wanted to add an additional 1 oz. of hops during the last 10-15 minutes of the boil. Then I read somewhere I could add the other 2 oz. around day 10 of fermentation. 2. I wanted to add some grapefruit zest ( about one whole grapefruit worth of zest.) I assumed I would add this during the boil (I assume in cheesecloth, essentially like steeping tea). Or should the zest be added during fermentation?I was also curious if I should add grapefruit juice during fermentation, if so how much? 3. Lastly, I wanted to up the ABV in this beer to about 5-6%. I was wondering how much sugar should I add? (I have read this will dry out the beer, but I'm hoping the grapefruit will balance it out). How much sugar should I add to the 2 gallon batch to up my abv? Does this mean I need more yeast? Should I also lower the amount of water I use to allow for the space the sugar will take up? I tried my best to get answers by searching around, but I couldn't find any clear answers on what I am trying to do. I appreciate any input you all can give. Cheers!
You need to add more malt. Worry about that before adding hops! Please don't use sugar... find a home-brew shop or order some malt online. You can get a bag of dried malt extract and use what you need, or just use it all - but you should try to find a recipe that will fit what you're going for. Too many brewers think that hops are the answer, but getting the malt right is the first step, and you need to learn that first. I also like the idea of grapefruit zest but you're clearly not ready for that yet. And please do not add any grapefruit juice! That will affect pH and probably contain bugs that you don't want in your beer. If you want some grapefruit character you can get that from hops, but Simcoe is a great hop (pine & some citrus) and I'd recommend you just try them out first to get an idea of what they'll give you. You need to learn your ingredients before you start messing with them. I'll tell you the same thing I'd tell any new brewer (including myself way back when) - keep it simple, learn the basics, and build from there - and I eventually made a career out of it so I must be onto something. Stay focused and Good luck!
Sugar is not the way to do it. Your beer will be too dry. And I don't see how grapefruit would "balance" a lack of sugar. As NeroFiddled said, use more malt extract, proportionally. Possibly. How much yeast did your kit come with?
Buy another kit if you are going to bastardize the one as it stands. You atleat stand a better chance at a better outcome. Maybe not what you want to hear, but you are wanting to a take a light beer, add tons of extra IBU's, and a different hop profile, and then add a whole grapefruits juice and zest to the boil of a 2 gallon batch, and then add sugar to up the abv. Sounds like an extremely bitter, thin beer in the making. The zest boiled will give you some bitterness if you end up using some pith as well.
Two things; 1) MrB kits are not designed for boiling. 2) Bullshit. BA's Homebrewing forum has at least a dozen threads about brewing with MrB.
I guess HerbMeowing has called it. I didn't realize that MB was a "Mr.Beer". I would never have any involvement with a beer that is not 'brewed'. What exactly are the ingredients? Are they useable?
Oh Christ, I clicked on that and it hurt my eyes! Is there really that much information flowing around a clearly flawed product? Why? That effort could be put into actually learning to brew... it's not that hard!!!
Thanks for the comments thus far guys. It seems that I need to go back to the drawing board on this one. I guess I have underestimated the finesse that is needed for this process. It just seems to be quite the task to brew a beer at home . I'm hoping to make sense of it all soon.
You might consider using less water so that your beer is slightly more concentrated. Using 25% less (1.5 gallons) will add about another percentage point to your predicted ABV, and you should have more flavor.
Don't be disheartened. A lot of finesse is needed to brew really great beers, but you can get away with brewing decent ones without too much trouble
That is a really good idea. I guess I wouldn't have really thought of that. Instead of stretching my ingredients (or adding sugar), just reduce the liquid! Thank you! (If this sounds sarcastic, it is not supposed to be. I appreciate your help). But there is my problem, as an individual who loves experimenting in the culinary arts, the idea of adding as much flavor as possible my first go seems like a "brilliant" idea in my mind. Sooo.. If I am reducing the amount of water by 25% (which would improve abv, flavor, and I would like to assume the thin/thickness (mouth feel) of the beer). Would it still be an okay idea to add the 3oz of hop pellets I have purchased to this kit to improve it?
You're taking a slight risk by reducing the water so that the beer could already be a little out of balance, hops to malt, but you can't predict which way. The recipe was written with 2 gallons in mind, and changing the water amount will have some slight effect. The other concern would be that 3 oz. will definitely throw your beer out of balance for only a 1.5 gallon batch. And you won't have much water into which the hop volitiles can disperse since the recipe does not call for a long boil. If you want it to be hoppier, it would be a true experiment to first boil the hops for 45 minutes in water that is around 1.75 gallons (some water will boil away and leave you with 1.5 gallons) and then add your DME at flame-out per the instructions. But I'd only use an ounce of the hops so that you won't be way out of whack. You might be out of balance anyway because we don't know how much hops are already in your DME.
I think i will try your method of boiling hops first, i dont think it will be too out of whack since the kit only estimates the outcome originally to only have 11 ibus
No offense intended here, but I have to ask the question that kept resonating in my head as I read through. What makes the Mr. Beer kit attractive in the first place - is it the "just add water and yeast", so instant beer concept? Or is it cost avoidance? That said, for the same $90 (and twenty-ish bucks to get a decent home brew book) you gain flexibility to run any recipe you want and get to make new friends at the LHBS. My LHBS does "recipe kits" that aren't hideously expensive and are pretty foolproof. There's some cost with sanitizer and empties if you don't have them, I suppose, but it isn't a huge differential. Even if you look at that link to the "Mr. Beer Fans" page, it seems those kits are outgrown pretty quickly. If they are posting links to Jamil's recipes, are they are adapting them and doing the Mr. Beer method??? Just wondering - and again to anybody who does use it regularly good on ya if you make good beer with it. I never used one of these MB kits, but I know people who have, made one batch, and put the thing in a yard sale.
I've always been intrigued on how an American Light home brew recipe tastes, but have never wanted to spend the money on a kit.. I think if you're wanting more IBUs, to add grapefruit zest, and are wanting a maltier body, than buy a new kit. I'm thinking an IPA would work well for what you are wanting to do. Brew the Mr. Beer kit for what it is, an American Light. Then buy an IPA kit, where adding grapefruit zest can really benefit the flavor.
It's really not. Read up around here, pick up "How to Brew", and use your MB kit as it is. Drink it up, enjoy it, and learn from it, and then get another kit that has some extracts and steeping grains, and other varitals of hops.
No offense taken, I simply received this as a gift and I want to get the most out of my first few batches before I upgrade to something a little better. You're probably right. I guess I am just excited about trying to make something a little more flavorful, but I think it would be a shame to let the ingredients I already have from the kit go to waste. Thank you.
You are taking it in the right direction. Use the MB kit, and use the fermenting keg, even keeping it around for small batches if you like that size batch.. Use the kit and learn some of the processes, like checking your volumes and you gravities. Paying attention to being sanitary and using your sanitizers. But no reason to waste the kit, or the gift. Learn with it, and then move on to a kit that you think might grow with you, and find a recipe kit that sounds something close to what you want in a beer, or have a homebrew store put something together for you.
Hahaha, I know what you mean... My first brew was by-the-book (bland but not terrible), but the second brew was an absolute mess (Amber ale with Molasses, Milo, Cinnamon & Cardamom added). I went back and re-read everything & did a lot of online research about ingredients etc. With the help of the local homebrew shop, my third brew was almost commercial quality good. Doing a really rough calculation (don't blame me if this doesnt work!): Add 1lb of Light Dry Malt Extract and 0.2oz Simcoe to 2 gal water, boil for 15min, then add 0.2oz more Simcoe at flame-out (turn off the heat and start to cool). Then add the tin of Mr Beer extract. This should give you and OG of ~1.060, FG of ~1.015, ABV of ~5.8%, IBU of ~26 Someone correct me if I'm wrong (not unlikely )
