I began writing this journal to document my attempts at
making some beer. My first attempt will
be made using the famous Mr. Beer home brewing kit!
DISCLAIMER: I have never made beer or anything like it
before. I have no knowledge of brewing
science or application. I am a complete
newbie. If you are looking for secrets of brewing beer, you will NOT find them
here. Essentially this blog is a tool for
me to document my beer making trials.
DISCLAIMER2: I don’t expect anyone to read a single word of this.
I recently recieved my Mr. Beer Deluxe Brewing Kit in the mail and have been anxiously waiting to try this product. The kit came with two batches of extract: Aztec Mexican Cerveza and Bohemian Pilsner. I chose to brew the cervesa first. Initially, the instructions that came witht the kit seemed a bit vague and I didn't want to ruin my first batch of beer. Luckily, I found an excellent video on youtube.com that demonstrates the entire process. After watching the video, I was ready to start brewing.
Wow, the video makes it look easy. That's because it is. Honestly, brewing with Mr. Beer is very easy to do. I think the vagueness of the instructions is due to the fact that it is a simple process that is difficult to botch up. (The deluxe kit comes with everything that you need to make beer, but I would recommend a decent sized funnel and a cooking thermometer to make the task a little easier. )
After following the instructions in the video, I stored my LBK in the closet for primary fermentation. I tried various techniques to keep the closet at a consistent 20 degrees C. Placing an oil heater into the closet with the LBK ended up being the solution for me . Within 24 hours, the LBK was covered with krausen and a thin layer of foam, nothing crazy but it let me know that everything was working as intended. After 48 hours the foaming action subsided and the surface of the wort was 1/2 covered by bubbles. I read somewhere that the action may last longer if you use more yeast but that faster fermentation is never better.
After waiting 6 weeks- 2/2/2 ( 2 weeks fermenting, 2 weeks conditioning in bottle, and 2 weeks lagering, it was time to see how the beer tasted. I thought that I surely must have made some big mistakes and I was fully prepared for a disaster. However, the cervesa surpassed my expectations and I became a believer of the Mr. Beer brewing system.
Wow, the video makes it look easy. That's because it is. Honestly, brewing with Mr. Beer is very easy to do. I think the vagueness of the instructions is due to the fact that it is a simple process that is difficult to botch up. (The deluxe kit comes with everything that you need to make beer, but I would recommend a decent sized funnel and a cooking thermometer to make the task a little easier. )
After following the instructions in the video, I stored my LBK in the closet for primary fermentation. I tried various techniques to keep the closet at a consistent 20 degrees C. Placing an oil heater into the closet with the LBK ended up being the solution for me . Within 24 hours, the LBK was covered with krausen and a thin layer of foam, nothing crazy but it let me know that everything was working as intended. After 48 hours the foaming action subsided and the surface of the wort was 1/2 covered by bubbles. I read somewhere that the action may last longer if you use more yeast but that faster fermentation is never better.
After waiting 6 weeks- 2/2/2 ( 2 weeks fermenting, 2 weeks conditioning in bottle, and 2 weeks lagering, it was time to see how the beer tasted. I thought that I surely must have made some big mistakes and I was fully prepared for a disaster. However, the cervesa surpassed my expectations and I became a believer of the Mr. Beer brewing system.
Beer Name: Aztec Mexican
Style: American Pale Ale
Flavor Profile:
ABV- 3.7%
SRM- 2
IBU- 13
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