Mr. Beer Premium Edition Home Microbrewery System
by Mr. Beer
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List Price: Our Price: $28.99 You Save: $21.01 (42%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Kitchen See more product details |
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Mr. Beer Premium Edition Home Microbrewery System
Customer Review: GREAT BASIC BREW
Summary: 4 Stars
My wife purchased the premium edition system for Christmas 09. (I know... pretty cool wife!) After letting the unit sit for a month, I decided to embark on my very first micro brewing journey. After reading the little book that came with it, I felt somewhat convinced that I may have a partial chance at this. Sterilization! Yes, as you have read a hundred freakin times... STERILIZE EVERYTHING! I did the counters, the sink, the utensils', Mr. Beer keg & even myself... (It only hurt for a week... just how serious are you about your beer?) Tried to sterilize the dog, but he ran away... oh well, just one more reason to drink.
The directions on the little pamphlet are by far the best. Condensed and to the point for this basic brew. I added the 4 cups of water to my pot, slowly stirred in the booster and brought it to a boil. After removing it from the heat you add the can of HME (hops & malted extract) which looks like something that should go right into the compost pile. I filled my Mr. Beer keg with about 4 qts of cold water to prevent it from melting onto my countertop as I pour in the boiling liquid. Continue to fill it to the 8.5 qrt mark with water... stir, pitch in the yeast from the little packet under the lid of the ALPO (I mean HME) and let it sit for 5 min. Stir again, cap it and let it sit for about 10 days. It should be out of direct sun and in a spot that has a stable temp. I found the perfect spot, upstairs; kind of in the middle of the house we have some cabinets that had a whole bunch of family photos on top. I found that by moving half of the photos into a drawer, I had Plenty of room for my fermenting keg! It kinda went over like a fart in a divers helmet... well, I mean... there is a slight smell that comes out of the keg....kinda like a brewery... you know what I mean.
So, after 10 days or so, I got the plastic bottles and caps, sterilized them and added the tablespoon of sugar to each one... yup, plain ol' table sugar. I really thought this was odd, but hey I'm still "green" when it comes to being a master brewer. (Or so I'm told) OK, so I fill each bottle up to the bottom of the neck with my beer, cap it and shake ever so gently. (The bottle, not me. I'm not that excited yet) Now, here's where I blew it, I read somewhere in the bigger booklet something about cold conditioning.... in the fridge.... a month....... DONT do that. The bottles have to sit at room temp for another 10+ days before they go in the icebox.
So, after blindly letting the beer sit in the fridge for 2 weeks, with wide eyes (and a gentle shake) I popped open my first beer. Now, I expected to hear the great whisp of pressurized air shoot past the seal as I opened it (like grandpa as he gets out of the re-cliner), but it was more along the range of a faint little mouse fart. Perplexed, curious and thirsty, I poured the beer into a glass anyway, held it up and partook in this marvel I had created. Just about a second later, my body rejected the nasty sugary swill I tried to pour in. Come to find out......
1. I really need to read the directions better
2. The bottles need to sit at room temp for at least 2 weeks before the fridge so the yeast can dine on the sugar and produce gas. (Just like the directions say)
After taking them out of the fridge and letting them sit for 10 days, they actually pressurized properly.
After all of that... in spite of the biggest hurdle in this process... (Me) the beer actually came out pretty good.
Actually, it came out really good. I am now on my 4th batch and have the process down to 35-45 minutes for the initial brew and about 5-10 bottling. The rest of the time in-between is spent convincing my wife the fermenting keg really looks good up on the cabinet, and looking for my dog.
Pros: VERY easy for first time brewing
Very inexpensive compared to the more serious kits out there.
Great beer that you made yourself!
Cons: Cheap plastic unit. (But hey you didn't buy a Ferrari to learn how to drive...did you?)
Customer Review: Gave it as a gift
Summary: 1 Stars
Would not know how to rate it for the productivity of this item. But I will say that I am highly disappointed on the shipping and handling of this product. When I received it 4 days before xmas, the main ingredient to make the beer exploded all over the box, i didnt have time to return the product and get a new one before xmas. I had to wash all the items, and buy a new powder ingredient from another website thus paying more money for something that should not have happened if the box was correctly packed!Customer Review: Get your man in the kitchen!
Summary: 5 Stars
OK, so he won't ever cook dinner unless you ask, plead, and beg him to. You're just going to have to come to terms with that. BUT you can definitely get him into the kitchen with BEER!
Spend some quality time with your hubby in the actual kitchen, and a few weeks later, after you drink all the beer, you get to do it again!
My husband and I had a lot of fun teasing each other about this, but the truth is it's quite easy and it does make a fun family activity. We don't have kids living at home anymore, but if we did, they could have participated in the beermaking too. Fermentation is a very interesting process.
You can complete the first step (mixing and heating the ingredients) in one easy afternoon, and then it's fun to watch the semi-transparent barrel over the next couple of weeks, to see signs of the yeasty, beery goodness while it ferments. Step two (bottling) takes just a couple of hours, a few weeks later.
BTW: It doesn't take only two weeks for decent beer. That is just a clever marketing ploy (i.e. a LIE). Actually, two weeks is how long it takes to get it into the bottles, depending on your climate, but then you have to wait for the beer get carbonated and to pressurize in the bottles, which can take several more weeks. If you drink it before the magic is finished, it will taste flat and cidery.
Customer Review: Good Brew, Lots of Fun.
Summary: 5 Stars
I have had my Mr. Beer for about 2 years now and I am still having fun brewing my own beer. Mr. Beer provides me with an inexpensive way to experiment with any flavor beer that I can think to make. The fresh flavor and unique taste keeps me coming back for more.Customer Review: Good beer:)
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this for my hubby and he really likes it, Im sure he will upgrade to a larger model once he really gets into it but its good for learning and making enough beer for his friends at get-togethers.