Mr. Beer or the Beer Machine

[bilder]

I used to homebrew some years ago, but had to give it up due to lack of space. I am still space challenged (wife and daughters tend to take over any space I claim for my hobbies), but am thinking of getting back into brewing small batches of beer.

I have seen the Mr Beer, The Beer Machine and other such gadgets in the past and have scoffed at them, but I am taking another look as a way to make small batches with minimal space. I am pretty sure that I would have to toss the ingredients that come with these things and use quality stuff if I expect to make a decent brew, but I am wondering about the equipment itself.

Does anyone here use one of these things to make small batches of beer? They seem like the answer for the space challenged brewer, but I am leary of any home brew gear sold at the local megamart.

 

[humboldtflyer]

I was gifted one of the Mr. Beer things for Christmas a few years ago... I must say that i was pretty impressed with my results... I mean don't go into it thinking you are gonna win ribbons with it, but for the experience it was well worth the outcome... I enjoyed it.

 

[audilicious]

I got a Mr. Beer as a gift from my girlfriends mom. It made some gross beer.

but that opened the door for me to spend a few hundred more at morebeer.com's b&m and get some decent equipment and ingredients. Now I'm making some great beer that I actually bring to party's and suggest people try, without having to warn them of anything odd.

 

[bilder]

I got a Mr. Beer as a gift from my girlfriends mom. It made some gross beer.

but that opened the door for me to spend a few hundred more at morebeer.com's b&m and get some decent equipment and ingredients. Now I'm making some great beer that I actually bring to party's and suggest people try, without having to warn them of anything odd.

That is what I suspected from the ingredient kits they sell. Seems that they would use the cheapest stuff and then let it sit on a shelf forever before someone buys it.

Does the fermenter itself present any problems? If I were to start brewing again, it would be half batches which is what the Mr. Beer is designed for. I just do not have the room to make and store 5 gallons of brew, but I can probably get away with 2.5 gallons.

 

[audilicious]

I used the mr. beer to ferment 2 half batches and it works just fine. The only problem is it's alot of work to end up with less than a case of beer.

The one step cleanser and the fermenter is all I use from the kit. I use 5 gallon buckets for fermenting now but use the mr beer "barrel" for bottling, the extra transfer and settlling helps get damn near any sediment out of the way.

and another thing, use glass bottles and buy a quality capper, I get shivers at the thought of using plastic.

 

[bilder]

I see the fermenters on Ebay for real cheap. May pick up a couple. I do not drink that much beer so a smaller batch will suit me fine. The local homebrew shop has a great selection of extracts and grains to choose from. Last time I was brewing I made some really great Scottish Red. Been missing it lately. Need a hobby to carry me through the winter.

May have to try some cider while I am at it.

 

[Anthmaestro]

I would not recommend anything in the Mr. Beer kit. If you use the ingredients plus the fermenter that comes with it you end up with a gross tasting beverage that doesn't even resemble beer. On the other hand if you use good ingredients with the sub par fermenter you end up with very little beer fermented in a questionable fermenter. Brewing with the Mr. Beer kit is like buying a 15 count humidor and filling it with dog rockets. You've pretty much outgrown it after the first time you use it. Aside from my kegerator and burner (which of course are totally unneccessary for five gallon batches) I can fit all my homebrewing gear in a closet. Go with your initial instincts and stay away from Mr. Beer. A much better idea would be to keep a bare bones five gallon brewing setup

 

[audilicious]

I hate to defend Mr. Beer in any way, it's not 5 gal., but a sub par fermenter?

dude, it's a bucket. :sign:

But I agree, there really is no reason to use a Mr. Beer for brewing, as I said above I use it as a secondary vessel to allow more sediment to bottom before bottling, and their 1 step cleaner works wonders.

my b&m http://morebeer.com/

 

[Anthmaestro]

I hate to defend Mr. Beer in any way, it's not 5 gal., but a sub par fermenter?

dude, it's a bucket. :sign:

But I agree, there really is no reason to use a Mr. Beer for brewing, as I said above I use it as a secondary vessel to allow more sediment to bottom before bottling, and their 1 step cleaner works wonders.

my b&m http://morebeer.com/

The Mr. Beer kit I tried came with a small barrel shaped piece of crap plastic thing with a screw top lid that I doubt sealed. A bucket would have been an improvement.

 

[audilicious]

you don't want to seal off your fermenter, that'll make for a messy, smelly and sticky situation.

but yeah, buy a 5 gal bucket, or glass carboy if the funds are there.

 

[beyond the band]

My brother gave me Mr Beer for Christmas last year.
I brewed the batch that came with it and no one liked it.
I have to say it was pretty bad.
I saw some Irish Stout in a store a few months back so I picked it up and decided to try again.

This batch was not bad.

Real easy to do. I know it is far from the real deal though