Mr beer north west pale ale how do I enhance it?

[frankjones]

I was given a Mr beer north west pale ale can.

I also have some carapils and pale ale malt.

Could I do this as a sort of hybrid.

How much pale ale malt and carapils should I steep?

I don't want the can to just sit here and go out of date.

Thanks in advance.

 

[mdindy]

pale malt would need a partial mash for conversion, you could try the carapils. I would consider just getting some fresh yeast (us-05) and maybe a dry hop.

 

[kh54s10]

I agree, the pale ale malt would need to be mashed. The carapils would not add much to the beer. Good yeast and a dry hop would be easiest to do.

 

[frankjones]

Oh I was going to do a mini mash and boil on the pale ale malt and carapils, just not sure how to do that, I just have only done full blown five gallon all grain batches. How much of each would I use ? The can itself is for a 2 gallon batch.

 

[revco]

If the can is for 2 gallons, and you want to do 5, you'll probably need/want to enhance with some DME or LME as well, not just grains. Otherwise, you'll pretty much have a really low alcohol beer because the grain additions won't add a ton of sugars to the mix. It might help to look at some pale extract recipes and consider their grain and malt additions, just consider your kit as a DME addition and a bit of hops. I also think that fresh(er) hops and yeast would most benefit these kits.

 

[frankjones]

No I just want to do the 2 gallon batch, make that decent with a good flavor, mouth feel and a nice head.

 

[frankjones]

I think keeping it at 2 gallons and just adding a little pale ale malt and carapils should work, but how much pale ale + carapils for the two gallons.

 

[SmokeyMcBong]

Make 3 gallons of a wort of your choosing. At flame out add the Mr.Beer malt and top up to 5 gallons. Proceed as per your normal 5 gallon beers...

Edit: you beat me to posting...

 

[frankjones]

Thanks folks!

 

[JohnSand]

I haven't done it. But there are plenty of brewers on the BeerBorg and MrBeer forums that regularly modify those cans. You might ask or search there too. Even a google search will probably yield some tested results.

 

[chickypad]

I think keeping it at 2 gallons and just adding a little pale ale malt and carapils should work, but how much pale ale + carapils for the two gallons.

Per their website the base beer is 5.5% ABV and 43 IBU's. Pale and carapils is likely what the extract already contains, are you saying you want to make a higher gravity beer? If so you need to figure out how much you want to bump it by to calculate the grain needed. Then you'll need to figure the hop additions - it's probably easiest to plug it in software or a calculator with the LME as a late addition, you may need to manually add in the IBU's it contributes.

Otherwise if you want to keep it as a pale ale strength and do a partial mash I would just do what Smokey suggested - calculate a 3 gal wort of similar strength (probably about 6 lb of grain) and bitterness then just top off with the LME and water to reach 5 gal.

 

[frankjones]

Actually I think I'm just going to make it as is, and see what it tastes like.

 

[rodwha]

I've heard they've been improved since Coopers bought them. I used to doctor up the older kits by ditching the crappy booster for DME and boiling that for 20 mins adding hops at 20 and 5 for more hop flavor, and then using US-05 yeast.

Unfortunately my very first attempt was bad as I wasn't well schooled, and the last time I did this was with barely out of date refills that apparently weren't stored well as they all had a bad taste, some like molasses.

 

[frankjones]

I have the us 05 and cascade hops I think I'll dry hop the batch after its been in the fermenter for a week. I can't do a large brew because I can't lift anything right now.

 

[Subdivisions]

I did them just like rodwha. Use a pound of Light DME instead of the rock hard booster pack and use S-04 or US-05 yeast. I was thinking of dry hopping with cascade when I read your initial post so go for it!! Depending on how old it is you may want to toss some hops in the boil. I did a 5 year old west coast pale ale of theirs and it was more like a malt bomb than anything.

 

[frankjones]

Not sure how old it is but was given to me so worth trying

 

[rodwha]

The can ought to have a date.

 

[Subdivisions]

If it has a yeast pack that usually has an expiration date on it also

 

[banks741938]

I was in the exact same way boat as you. Found some American Classic light refills at a kitchen store for $3. I bout 3 of them and figured out they were going out of date in about 4 days from purchase. I emailed mr beer to ask how long the yeast and malts were good for. They said 4 months for both past experation. Didn't trust them about the yeast so I just brewed up the hme and pitched us 05... She's bubbling away right now on the closet.

 

[worianxun]

The carapils would not add much to the beer. Good yeast and a dry hop would be easiest to do.

 

[frankjones]

I checked the can exp 12/2015. I made it as is used my hydrometer came in at 5.4 % it's cooling now going to add us o5 and dry hop in a week then give another week for 14 days total then I'll cold crash in the fridge for a few days. Then just bottle, probably test one in ten days later but I usually give my beers a month or so in the bottle before I judge them

 

[frankjones]

So I did the the other day, I added the us o5. It hardly took off. Followed it to the letter. Cooled to 64 added fresh yeast. Hardly a krausen. Using us05 it should of exploded.

 

[frankjones]

I did this batch four days ago it should have taken off. I have done many. Extract and ag batches.

 

[frankjones]

Actually just dry hopped it with cascade and used 05 yeast. Bottled it today... It was in the fermenter for 15 days. I'll let it sit for a month... Then I'll report back. Thanks folks.