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Mr. Beer (yes, again) for family Christmas gift
Afternoon everyone. I'm new, so nice to meet you all.
So i bought my dad and my boyfriend a Mr. Beer kit for Christmas. Now before i hear a bunch of hissing hear me out.
I bought the kit because i figured "If they decide they like the process of making beer, then this exposes them to the experiance and then we can go from there and get a better kit." I did not want to go and put down more than $100 for each of them just to find out, they weren't interested in the hobby.
So, i've read a bit here and there and I have some questions to help them make a better first batch (because it seems that the mix that comes with the kit is so-so).
I read you can use corn sugar, but where would i find this? Would it be sold at a health food store like whole foods? Can you use brown sugar with the first kit (put the brown sugar into the bottles when it carbonates.)
I understand the kid comes with booster, and some say skip it, other say buy it. What do you all say? What should i use in place of "booster"
How do you clean the unit after using all of the cleaning solution?
Any particular yeast you'd recommend for the above beer types?
Any good books I can buy these two fellas?
I guess what i'm looking for is either ingredients I can buy locally (I'm in Northern VA) or a website that sells maybe a good ingredient kit that'll brew 2-5 gallons. My boyfriend likes wheat beers like heffawisen, my father likes fruity stuff like red stripe... me? If i get a chance i always get oxford red raspberry beer. Mead is also something we'd like to try to make.
Thank you all for your time. I hope this turns out to be a present that gets them interested in brewing beer.... And then I can drink it all at my leisure 
I've never used anything but corn sugar to carbonate my beers. Rather than add it to the bottles I add it to my bottling bucket. You can find corn sugar at places like williams brewing for 2 dollars/lb. If you buy it somewhere else make sure youre buying granulated corn sugar and not corn sugar syrup.
If you're out of the sanitizing solution/powder that comes with the kit, the best thing I've found to use is Star San. A bucket of star san and water can last over a month. I think I bought my bottle from some brew supply store for less than 10 bucks. You can also use bleach. Bleach is supposed to be the most effective. You only need 1-2 ounces per 5 gallons of water.
Make sure you let things soak and you might need one of those scrubbing brushes to get inside the fermenter and bottles. Some santizing solutions need to be rinsed afterwards but some don't.
I'm not sure what a booster is. Maybe a yeast nutrient? If that's what it is, I've only just started using one to see what kind of effect it has on my fermention and completed beer. I use a Wyeast nutrient. It was relatively cheap and you only use a little at a time.
For beginners I'd recommend using any type of dry yeast. I've used Safale - 05 Dry Yale Yeast with good results.
And lastly, the books.. I only have two: Charlie Papazian's Joy of Homebrewing 3rd ed. and Homebrewing for Dummies. Both really good. The dummies book is really good for getting to learn how to get started and I found reading that before reading the JoH helped because it can be a litte more technical.
first of all, let me say welcome and you do not need to apologize for the way you homebrew. if mr. beer gets your boyfriend and dad brewing, that good on you.
as to corn sugar, you can buy it at any homebrew supply store. you an also use any fermentable sugar in bottling the beer to carbonate it; this goes for regular table sugar, brown sugar, confectionary sugar, maple syrup...just about naything you can think of can be used. now as to the amounts...it depends on what you use, but nothing can hurt.
the "booster" that they sell is simply extra malt or corn sugar itself, depending on the manufacturer of the kit. it "boosts" the alcohol content, hence it is a booster. it is not necessary, however. corn sugar will boost the alcohol content while not really affecting flavor; extra malt extract will boost the alcohol content and enhance the body/flavor fo the beer.
you can always buy more cleaning solution, in homebrew stores or online. PBW, star san, idophor, bleach...whatever floats your boat.
the yeast type you choose depends on the style you would like to brew. for the time being, i wouldnt worry about ti, let them brew the first brew and see if the hobby is for them. if they desire to go beyond kits and buy the equipment and make up recipes ro brew recipes they find from scratch (extract included), then start to consider different yeasts. in the beginning, keep it simple.
as to books, Papazian's is an easy read, easy to follow, easy to understand, and just about covers anything the first time brewer might have questions on. there are many, many books, just thumb through one to see if the steps are described in a way that makes sense to you.
you can find anything you want online, just google homebrew supply stores in Virginia and feast your eyes on the results.
and goodluck. if you have any questions, feel free to ask us. no questions to simple or complicated, someone will have some advice for you.
and slaince
I'm just starting to brew with the traditional 5 gallon bucket and carboy set up. I've made around 45 batches of Mr beer, and the ale that comes ;with the kit is good, if a little unfinished tasting. The others are better, way way better. premium kits are the best, with two cans of the hopped extract. The Barvarian pilsner is fantastic. Other than that, they make it real simple, and yes, it does get them into brewing almost fanaticly so. I've tried all kinds of fruit, spices, hops, and the unhopped malt is great too.
( BY THE WAY EVERYONE MR BEER MIGHT BE THE ONLY PLACE TO GET YOUR PELLET SAAZ.).
I've used table sugar to prime with, and it's very good, i've also primed with honey, blueberries, and brown sugar. The table sugar was the most consistant. I would recomend getting the sugar measure if you are going to bottle with sugar, makes life alot easier. The most convieniant was coopers carbonation drops, just drop one in, perfect carbonation everytime. Northern Brewery has the best deal, less than 3 dollars for a bag of 60. I've used sugar cubes also very convieniant.
You can buy extra packets of the one step cleanser, I bought 5lbs at northern brewer, and just used that. I just sanitize 8 gallons of water in my kitchen sink, alot easier that way.
Other than that, the kit is great very drinkable beer, and some fantastice ones, the whole premium line is great. I have 3 fermenters, and one batch makes exactly one case of beer. good for experimenting, and having a variety on hand.
I would not buy anything else on the site. it's a waste of money the bottle prices are obcene, and all of the little gadgets, you could pick up at a dollar store. But the hops, the kits, the refills, and the fermenters are great. Also they pay for freight if it's over $100.00
I've never tried another form of yeast other than what they provide with the kit, I didn't see the need, and I never had a batch that didn't ferment, although they do have alot of variety to choose from, including liquid yeast.
bruguru wrote:
( BY THE WAY EVERYONE MR BEER MIGHT BE THE ONLY PLACE TO GET YOUR PELLET SAAZ.).
Yeah, but I wonder how fresh those are.
I got started with a Mr. Beer kit...My wife bought it for me this past father's day... I've made several batches with it and they've all turned out great! In fact it's really spurred my love for this craft and I'm looking at upgrading my equipment after the first of the year and eventually getting into all grain. BruGuru is correct go for the premium kits, they work best...if you have a homebrew store you can even experiment with your recipes. Generally the guys running the store will help you find everything you need... I recently bought their basic bock extract at my homebrew store...and the guys there helped me with the other ingredients I needed to brew a Honey Bock and let me tell you it turned out really good! As for books to buy, I would suggest the Brewmaster's Bible... a friend of mine who wanted to encourage my growth in the craft gave me a copy and it really is a great read...it explains the brewing process in layman's terms and is filled with some great recipes that I am dying to try as soon as I upgrade my kit.
CAmbrose
[brewchez wrote]
[Yea, but i wonder how fresh those are.]
The hops that I've gotten from Mr Beer are from LD Carlson, and have the alpha acid, and lot# on the vacum packed bag. I don't know who LD Carlson is, but the 1oz bags are only 2.50$ each, so it might be worth getting a few to see if there up to snuff.
woops, I should learn to use that quote thing. ha ha
First I want to thank-you all for the warm welcome. I wasn't sure if I'd get flamed for buying mr. beer.
Well i bought some of the premium kits for the Mr. Beer kits.
Cervesa de Cinco de Mayo
Caribbean Lime Lager
3 Spice Lemon Weiz
Holiday Party Ale no.3
Raspberry Lager *for me 
*
Sugar Measure
One-Step™ cleaner
I did go and get Charlie Papazian's Joy of Homebrewing 3rd ed and the Brewmaster's Bible (one of each book. They can swap books if they wish).
Should i go out and get the corn sugar for their first batches?
It seems like for now, they have everything they need. But later down the line if they wanted to do two batches at once, where do you recommend plastic bottles (i figure the first few batches its better to use plastic.. safer than exploding glass ). What's a good price for plastic bottles?
Does anyone mind explaining to me how their beer club works? I'm not sure if I want them to ship beer on a scheduled date. I'd rather order when needed.
Thanks!!!
You can get corn sugar online at any brew supply. You should have a local brew supply near you where you can get it. Yes you can use brown sugar. I've used it to carbontate beer and it does a good job. Just boil it in a pint of water first for 5 minutes.
Don't know about the booster. Couldn't hurt.
I rinse real good and then use a carboy or bottle brush to get hardened stuff off and rinse again. Once you know all the stuff is cleaned off it will need to be sanitized. I use Iodophor. one tblsp per 5 gallons of water. just let it soak for a few minutes and pour off. no need to rinse.
Any particular yeast you'd recommend for the above beer types?
I usually go with what recipes reccommend.
Any good books I can buy these two fellas? Only book I bought is the Joy of Homebrewing. You can also get tons of information on BYO (brew your own) website, realbeer, tastybrew, and this site.
I guess what i'm looking for is either ingredients I can buy locally (I'm in Northern VA) or a website that sells maybe a good ingredient kit that'll brew 2-5 gallons. My boyfriend likes wheat beers like heffawisen, my father likes fruity stuff like red stripe... me? If i get a chance i always get oxford red raspberry beer. Mead is also something we'd like to try to make.
Most online sites sell kits. Midwest in Minneapolis and Norther Brewer are the two I use most. The book Joy of homebrewing has a good section on Mead as well as recipes and there are tons of recipes online.
I found this info on homebrew supplies in Northern Virginia: only know of one physical store (there are some phone/online sellers as well)
My Local Homebrew Shop :
6201 Leesburg Pike (right at intersection of Rt 7 and Patrick Henry Drive, across from 7 Corners and opposite Sears)
Falls Church, VA
703-241-3974
e-mail: Derek@MLHBS.com
But if you are getting into brewing (and especially if you brew often), you should definitely also check out the DC-area homebrew club, Brewers United for Real Potables (umm, "BURP"). They are a great bunch of guys, a lot of them are very knowlegeable, and we have a lot of fun. http://www.burp.org/
Just type in homebrew supply in northern virginia in a search engine and you'll find something.
Have fun
DC