Yesterday (my first real brew day 
) I was able to bottle my first batch (a Marzenbeir/Octoberfest) and start on my second batch.
Yes, I am using a Mr. Beer kit for the time being. I have modified a coleman 52-quart 5-day cooler into a fermentation chiller so my temp stays steady at 65/66 deg f.
The first batch was the "standard" Octoberfest from Mr. Beer:
1 Can (12 liquid oz ?) Dark "Octoberfest" Hopped Extract
1 lb "corn syrup solids" corn sugar?
2g Included yeast
I am slightly worried about that batch because I never got any real Krausen in the fermenter. I saw bubbles and a little foam but nothing spectacular.
I bottled it up after two weeks in the fermenter and it actually looked and smelled pretty good. It tasted like beer but I think it definitely needs some conditioning. The lack of Krausen in the fermenter makes me think that maybe the yeast was poor and that the bottles might not carbonate correctly. I guess we'll have to wait and see..
For my second recipe, I got a little creative. I changed the "Cherry Brown Ale" recipe from Mr. Beer. Instead of using their "booster" (corn sugar) I added a can of their unhopped malt extract. I also added the 1oz of cocoa powder.
1 Can Medium/Amber Hopped Liquid Extract
1 Can Dark Unhopped Liquid Extract
1 Cup (8oz) Clover Honey
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 Oz (dry) unsweetened cocoa powder
10oz (approx) pureed dark bing cherries
2 4g packs of included Mr. Beer yeast
I was careful this time to pay attention to the temperature of the wort before pitching the yeast and made sure to let the yeast hydrate and then I stirred/aerated the wort/yeast mixture.
Now, less than 24 hours later I have a nice 1 inch thick Krausen on top!
Can't wait to try this one
) I was able to bottle my first batch (a Marzenbeir/Octoberfest) and start on my second batch.Yes, I am using a Mr. Beer kit for the time being. I have modified a coleman 52-quart 5-day cooler into a fermentation chiller so my temp stays steady at 65/66 deg f.
The first batch was the "standard" Octoberfest from Mr. Beer:
1 Can (12 liquid oz ?) Dark "Octoberfest" Hopped Extract
1 lb "corn syrup solids" corn sugar?
2g Included yeast
I am slightly worried about that batch because I never got any real Krausen in the fermenter. I saw bubbles and a little foam but nothing spectacular.
I bottled it up after two weeks in the fermenter and it actually looked and smelled pretty good. It tasted like beer but I think it definitely needs some conditioning. The lack of Krausen in the fermenter makes me think that maybe the yeast was poor and that the bottles might not carbonate correctly. I guess we'll have to wait and see..
For my second recipe, I got a little creative. I changed the "Cherry Brown Ale" recipe from Mr. Beer. Instead of using their "booster" (corn sugar) I added a can of their unhopped malt extract. I also added the 1oz of cocoa powder.
1 Can Medium/Amber Hopped Liquid Extract
1 Can Dark Unhopped Liquid Extract
1 Cup (8oz) Clover Honey
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 Oz (dry) unsweetened cocoa powder
10oz (approx) pureed dark bing cherries
2 4g packs of included Mr. Beer yeast
I was careful this time to pay attention to the temperature of the wort before pitching the yeast and made sure to let the yeast hydrate and then I stirred/aerated the wort/yeast mixture.
Now, less than 24 hours later I have a nice 1 inch thick Krausen on top!
Can't wait to try this one
