"One of these things is not like the other..."

Today is day 14 of the Bewitched Red Ale's fermentation in the Little Brown Keg.   There is still a fair amount of particulate matter floating on top of the wort, as well as some floating in suspension near the top.  It is clearing up slowly, but my research tells me it won't get as clear as the West Coast Pale Ale (WCPA).

This goes along with my theory that Mr. Beer ships the WCPA with the kit since it ends up resembling a popular style of beer in both color and clarity.   Also, I suspect the WCPA would taste pretty good after a 7 day fermentation and 7 day conditioning period, which is one of the big selling points for Mr. Beer.

Visibly, the Bewitched Red Ale doesn't resemble the WCPA at this stage in any way.  The experienced brewers have been telling me to trust my taste buds and not my eyes, so I have been taste testing it over the past couple of days.  It is still a tad on the sweet side, so I am planning to give it a few more days in the keg to let the yeast gobble up as much remaining sugar as possible.  I am a little impatient, though, since I am eager to try out my bottling wand and 1/2 liter bottles I bought with the kit last time.

I also decided to take off the training wheels for my next batch.  I am going to start with the Mr. Beer booster kit, but I am going to upgrade the yeast and increase the malt extract.  More on that in a subsequent post...

Carbonation Testing & Cold Conditioning

Today marks day 28 of my Mr. Beer homebrew expirement.  Following the 2-2-2 pattern (fermentation, warm condition, cold condition), that makes today the first day of cold conditioning.  I put half of my 1 liter bottles in the fridge, and left the other half in the pantry for extended warm conditioning.
 

I also put the trub bottle I collected during bottling in the fridge so I could test the level of carbonation.  Once the trub bottle got cold, I cracked it open.  Here's a video.

As you can tell, it is is carbonated, but it doesn't hold a head together very well.  Also, the bubble streams continued for at least 15 minutes  (might have gone longer, but I drank it by then!).   The best comparison of the carbonation is that it's bubbly like champagne.  You can see the little streams of bubbles on the photo below.

I posted a question on the Mr. Beer Fans community web site to determine if this is normal for this stage or if there is something wrong with the batch.  The pros told me that 6 hours was by no means long enough, and that I lost most of my carbonation when I opened the bottle.  Cold conditioning for at least 48 hours allows the CO2 to absorb into the beer, and I just didn't give it enough time.

Bubbles aside, the beer tastes like... beer!  Slightly sweet, light bodied, and totally drinkable.  I am curious what it will taste like once it has fully conditioned, and also when the extended warm conditioning is complete for the remaining bottles.

As you'd expect, there is quite a difference between the color of these two brews at this stage.  The photo on the left is from my first batch of West Coast Pale Ale at 10 days in the Mr. Beer fermenter.  The photo on the right is from the currently fermenting Bewitched Red Ale, now in its 9th day in the Little Brown Keg.
In addition, there is still a fairly thick layer of krausen on the top of the wort.  This was not the case with the West Coast Pale Ale, which had almost no krausen on the top from the start.

The Bewitched Red Ale will continue in the keg for 14 days.  The West Coast Pale Ale has been warm conditioning in the bottles for 13 days, so tomorrow I will put half of them in the fridge for cold conditioning.  The other half will continue in the pantry for another week or two, since I'd like to compare how the flavor changes over time.

I also visited a home brew shop, The Magnolia Square Market in Sanford, FL.  As I figured, they cater to the more experienced brewer, but they did have some custom kits that were hand-picked for Mr. Beer brewers.  They also offer home brewing classes, and I am considering signing up for a session.  You actually brew, bottle, and take home (yes!) a batch of beer during the course. 

Brew #2 In The Little Brown Keg

Today was brewing day #2!  I received my Bewitched Red Ale booster kit from Mr. Beer yesterday.  I decided to keep it simple and use the kit as shipped.  Before venturing into uncharted territory with different yeasts, extracts, etc., I'd like to visit my local home brew shop and get some pointers.  I now have a couple of weeks to wait, so I'll have some time to take a field trip.

After running by the store for a couple of things, I mixed up my new batch of beer and popped it in the fermenter.  The couple of things I picked up were from my lessons learned in batch #1, both for a grand total of $6.

First, I bought a small whisk for use in mixing the booster and water that gave me so much trouble last time.  Boy, what a difference.  It still takes a while (NOTHING about this hobby is fast), but the clumps break up more easily which allowed me to increase the frequency at which I could add the sugar.  I also chose a whisk that would fit into the keg during the sanitizing step.

Second, I bought a small, all metal can opener.  The only hand-driven can opener we had prior had plastic handles, and the instructions emphasize the use of metal utensils.  It also fits nicely into the keg for sanitizing.

In addition, I put my 4 cup measure into use in lieu of the baking dish.  This worked out perfectly.  I put all my utensils into the keg with the recommended amount of water for 10 minutes.  I then drained the solution through the spigot until the cup was almost full, but the utensils were still covered in solution.  I let that sit for another 10 minutes.

After cleaning everything and draining the solution, I was off and running again.  I poured cold water into the keg, mixed the corn sugar and water in a pot to make syrup, brought it to a boil, stirred the hopped malt extract into the hot syrup, poured that into the keg, added more cold water, and added the yeast.

In the can, the extract smelled like dates or prunes, but after mixing in and activating the yeast, it had a pleasant squash or pumpkin aroma.  Quite unlike batch #1, which smelled like bread from day 1.  Also, batch #2 was much richer and darker in color.  The batch #2 extract also had much more particulate matter in the can.

The pantry is looking good!!  The Bewitched Red Ale should be ready to bottle in two weeks, and the bottled batch of West Coast Pale Ale will be ready to drink a few days later.  Batch #2 will go into the smaller, 1/2 liter bottles like the one with the black cap below.

Decision Time

I opted for a completely different flavor for my second batch.  I ordered the Bewitched Red Ale refill kit from Mr. Beer, which is a contrast to the West Coast Pale Ale that is currently in the bottles. 

From everything I have read, it appears the basic booster refill kits from Mr. Beer are not overly flavorful on their own.  Experienced brewers often customize these kits by adding more or alternate ingredients to enhance the flavor and body of the beer.

As much as I like flavorful beer, I don't quite fall into the "experienced brewer" category yet. My next kit should be arriving this week, so I will have a decision to make.  I am leaning toward just using the "stock" kit so I can get a real sense of what the basic Mr. Beer kits have to offer.  But, 5-6 weeks is a long time to wait for beer that *might* be good.

First batch in the bottles

I know, I know.... Everyone says to keep the wort in the keg for 14 days until you bottle.  Today is the 13th day of keg fermentation, but since it is Sunday, I decided to go ahead bottle a day early.   I figure it is better to do my first bottling job on Sunday, when I can be more relaxed and not rushed.

The beer is crystal clear now.  Smells and tastes pretty much like a flat domestic mainstream beer.  Safe marketing on behalf of Mr. Beer, I suppose, since this is a taste that most people will be familiar and comfortable with.  I am hoping, and I have read, that warm conditioning will bring out more flavor.

I have watched the videos on the Mr. Beer web site about bottling, along with some others on YouTube.  I HIGHLY recommend watching the videos, as there are some tips there that you won't find in the instructions that come with the kit.  I have also been reading through threads on the Mr. Beer Fans community site to make sure I was going about the process properly.  All of that made me much more comfortable going into this phase.

I sanitized everything per the instructions in the kit and videos.  I used a big bowl to collect the sanitizing mixture for later use.

I let everything dry and then I carefully moved the keg out of the pantry and placed it over my kitchen sink.  Fortunately, I have a deep sink, so the bottles fit almost perfectly under the spigot.  I had read some complaints from users about the last bit of beer not draining properly from the keg, so I decided to use a small shim (1/2" thick book) under the opposite end of the keg to get the largest volume of beer nearer to the spigot.

I put the appropriate amount of priming sugar in each bottle and started filling them from the spigot.  I had expected this to take longer than it did, but it was really only the last bottle that seemed to fill slowly.  I kept each bottle at an angle to reduce aeration.  I was able to fill all 8 PET bottles up to the bend in the neck, per the Mr. Beer instructions.

With the keg tilted at a slight angle, I was actually able to fill up an extra 16oz PET bottle (formerly Pepsi Max).  According to the videos on the Mr. Beer site, soda bottles are OK to use since they are made to contain carbonated beverages.  I had rinsed the bottle thoroughly earlier in the week, and I included it in the sanitizing.  I will say, however, that this last bottle contained quite a bit of sediment, and was not nearly as clear as the other bottles.  I am planning to use it for carbonation testing anyway, and I won't rely on the taste since it had soda in it before.

I tucked the bottles back into the pantry on the baking sheet and will wait 21 days before putting one in the fridge.  In the meantime, my refill kit and extra bottles should be arriving in the mail in the next few days.  I went with the Bewitched Red Ale for the refill, 16 oz. bottles, and I also included their bottling kit with the new spigot and wand assembly.  I had a 20% off coupon, and the discount pretty much covered the bottling kit.  I cleaned and sanitized the keg and spigot with the leftover solution I had saved from the bottle sanitizing earlier.  I am all set and ready to go for batch #2 when my refill kit arrives!

Complete Makeover in 10 Days!

Well, not quite.  But, the first batch has been in the keg for 10 days now.  There hasn't been much change in the look, smell, or taste of the brew in the past 2 days.  It has a golden hue, a slight yeasty smell, and no sweetness. I think the extra few days in the keg will do it good, as it may reduce the final amount of yeasty aroma.  I poured a little bit in a shot glass so I could take a photo of how it looks on the 10th day :

Compare that to the initial wort stage:

Looks like the yeast has done its job!

Condition, ferment, repeat

Once my first batch is bottled this weekend, I'll be warm-conditioning my bottles for 21 days.  Since the keg will be idle and empty during that time, I figured the best use of my conditioning time was to brew another batch of something.

I am looking into some options for my next batch.  Since this batch is a West Coast India Pale Ale (IPA), I'd like something with a different flavor.  I have been considering red, amber, or brown ales, along with German Apfelwein, or "apple wine" (cider).  There is a very popular and easy recipe for brewing Apfelwein that can be modified for a Mr. Beer kit, but it takes much longer to ferment.  I'll probably stick with beer for now, but I'll keep the Apfelwein on my radar as a future project.

There is one issue with getting the second batch started quickly, however.  Beer fermentation takes two weeks and conditioning takes three, so I'll need another set of bottles ready when the next batch comes out of the keg.    With an extra set of bottles, I can always have something bubbling away in the fermenter while the previous batch is being conditioned and consumed.  Otherwise, I'll have to wait until my bottles are empty.

So now I'll start looking into getting another set of bottles, either from Mr. Beer ($15) or some other source.  This time, rather than the 1-liter bottles that came with my first kit, I am planning to use 1/2-liter bottles.  Not that I mind drinking a liter of beer every time I open a bottle, but I would like to have some smaller bottles so I can share with others and get their opinions on my brews.  Half-liter bottles (16 oz. or so) seem more reasonable for this endeavor.

Check it out

Mr. Beer encourages periodic checking of the wort to examine the progress, which I believe is important for beginners like me.   However, even though you should check the progress of your wort, patience is your ally during this process.  

There are a couple of ways you can check the progress of your wort, but there is one way you should absolutely avoid: opening the cap on the keg.  This could introduce bacteria, mold, and/or wild yeasts into your batch and spoil the taste.

The best way to check on your batch is to shine a flashlight through side of the keg to see foam at the top and bubbles rising through the wort.  You'll also be able to gauge the clarity of the batch.  This method helps you eyeball the layer of dead yeast, or trub, at the bottom of the keg.  This layer of sediment should increase over time. 

The second way to check on the progress of fermentation is to sample a little bit.  For a beginner, I think this is very important.  This allows the brewer to visually check the color and clarity of the beer, smell the aroma, and taste the batch.

To clarify, even though my first post was on April 3, I put the wort into the keg on the evening of March 26.  As I mentioned, Mr. Beer's recommendation was a minimum of 7 days for the fermentation stage. The seventh day of fermentation was April 2.

I had been shining a flashlight into the keg every day to check for bubbles and foam.  I never saw bubbles, but there was a very thin layer of foam that clung to the side for the keg first few days.  Beyond that, there were some half-dollar sized foam clumps that formed on the top of the wort.  After reading some forum posts, I was able to rest assured that this is normal for the style of beer I am brewing.

Even though I planned to leave the batch fermenting for up to 2 weeks, I wanted to see what the beer would look like using the minimum recommendation.   I sampled the batch on the evening of the seventh day to see how far along the fermentation process had come.  Since the tap runs very slowly (intentionally), I simply put a spoon underneath the spigot and drained a tiny bit out of the keg. 


The beer was still cloudy, and had a strong, bready aroma.  There was still a slight bit of sweetness in the taste.  All of these indicators told me the batch was not ready.  So, had I used the minimum recommendation, my beer would not have come out as tasty as it could have. However, this encouraged me to continue to sample the batch every day to find out how much the batch would change over time.

I checked the beer again on the evening of the eight day, and boy, what a difference.  My first step is always to shine the flashlight through the side of the keg.   I immediately noticed the clarity of the beer had improved.  Also, there were no floating clumps or foam on the sides of the keg

I put a spoon under the tap and took a sample.  The beer was a clear, golden color.  The aroma was still yeasty, but now it smelled more like beer and not bread.  There was almost no sweetness in the taste, and the overall characteristics were more like flat beer.

I was encouraged by the progress the batch had made, and I am sticking with my original plan of leaving it in the keg for up to 2 weeks before bottling.

Mr. Beer Has Arrived

I have always been interested in home beer brewing, but the entry point ($100 minimum) has kept me from trying the hobby.  In fact, even the cheaper kits from Mr. Beer are in the $40-$60 range for a full set.  Thanks to the internet, however, I am able to try the hobby for a more reasonable initial investment.

I bought a Mr. Beer Premium home brewing kit from Woot at roughly half retail price. As of today, the kit retails for about $40, and Woot offered it for $20+$5 shipping, which is about the maximum I'd want to spend.  $25 is just a little bit more than 2 six packs of quality craft beer, so I figure that is a good trade.

Mr. Beer's kits make 2 gallons of beer, which is approximately 21 twelve ounce bottles.  If I am successful, this will be cheaper (and more fun!) than buying craft beer at the store.  I've decided to document the process along the way for my own purposes, and perhaps help other beginners like me.

Here's the package that I received:

Each Mr. Beer kit comes with the fermentation keg and ingredients you'll need to brew one 2-gallon batch of beer. However, the bottles are not included until you upgrade to the second level (Premium). Here are the contents of the Premium kit:

What you see above, from left to right, is:  Fermentation keg, bottle caps & tap assembly, 1 liter plastic bottles, Hopped Malt Extract (HME), Booster, sanitizing powder, assorted documentation, and bottle stickers.

Step 1 in the instructions is assembly of the fermentation keg.  Essentially, the only thing you have to do is insert the spigot in the hole and secure tightly (more on that later).  Once assembled you move on to sanitizing your beer making tools.

Mr. Beer provides a convenient way to sanitize the items you'll be working with to create your first batch of beer.  Included in the kit is a no-rinse sanitizing powder which kills any unwanted bacteria, molds, or wild yeast that may have inhabited your supplies.  From everything I have read, this powder is essentially an oxygen based cleanser that works in a similar fashion to hydrogen peroxide.  Since the byproduct is oxygenated water, you don't need to (nor should you) rinse the utensils and risk exposing your sanitized gear to a microorganism or chemical in the rinsing water.



Sanitizing consisted of filling the keg half full with water, adding half of the sanitizing powder, and then rolling the keg around to sanitize the interior.  After that, the instructions tell you to submerge your beer making tools (spoon/whisk, measuring cup, can opener, etc.) into the solution inside the keg, cap it, and allow everything to sit for five minutes.  After five minutes, drain some of the solution through the spigot on to a plate or dish so you can have a sanitized surface on which to lay your tools. I chose a shallow baking dish for this.  Once you have a sanitized dish, take the lid off of the keg and pour the remainder out.  It won't hurt to leave some drops of solution in the keg, since it is pretty much oxygenated water at this point.

Two items of note for this step:

• I chose a spoon for my stirring instrument.  In hindsight, the better tool for this task is a small whisk.  Later steps will illustrate why.

• I initially chose to sanitize a 1 cup steel measure.  However, I realized that I would prefer to use my 4 cup glass measure because I was ultimately dealing with 2 gallons of water.  I used the spigot to fill the 4 cupper up with the sanitizing solution from the keg.  The 4 cupper is also large enough for you to rest your whisk, thereby negating the need for a dish.

Now that you have everything sanitized, you're ready to start cooking your wort.  The first (and most arduous) task is to dissolve the booster in three cups of cold water.  This is where the whisk would have come in handy.  The booster is powdered corn syrup, and has a tendency to clump together.   You have to get all of the clumps broken apart and completely dissolved, and although I was able to accomplish this with a spoon, the whisk was clearly a better choice.  It took me 10 minutes or more to completely dissolve the booster with the spoon.  

With the booster completely dissolved, you are ready to apply some heat.  You bring the booster solution to a boil while stirring, and then remove it from the heat.

The instructions tell you to put the can of Hopped Malt Extract into a cup of hot water to improve viscosity.  I let hot water trickle over it while I was dissolving the booster.  I don't know that you need that much time, but I can say that my HME was easy to pour.  Open the can, and pour the entire contents into the booster solution, stirring constantly.






When you have emptied the can and stirred it all together, it should look like this:

Now you're ready to put the wort in the keg and take the final steps to begin fermentation.  Since the wort is hot, you need to add some cool water to the plastic keg.  Fill it up halfway with the water, and then add the wort and stir vigorously.  You'll probably need to add water now to completely fill the keg to 8.5 quarts.

The final ingredient for your batch of beer is the yeast.  Mr. Beer conceals the yeast under the plastic cap of the HME can, so it's easy to miss. 

Pour the yeast right on top of the wort in the keg, cap the keg, and let it sit for 5 minutes.  This procedure activates the yeast.  After five minutes, stir vigorously once again, cap the keg, and store it in an area that maintains 68-75 degree temperature with no direct sunlight.

Turns out that my kitchen pantry was ideal for a storage area.  To be safe, I put the keg on a sheet pan in the event there were any leaks.

Mr. Beer recommends a minimum of seven days for the fermentation process.  However, I have read from other sources that the real minimum should be 10 days, with 2 weeks as a best practice.  I plan to let it go for 10 days and then taste a sample.