Free Mr. Beer, now what?

I was recently given an unused Mr. Beer starter kit with an expired brew kit. I'm torn between a new refill kit or making a cider. For a refill kit I would likely get the Irish Stout. I'm more partial to a hard cider, I have seen cider as easy as preservative free juice+yeast. I'm just concerned about finding the right yeast and the right quantity for a 2 gallon batch.

Yeast quantity (too much) isn't a problem, it multiplies anyway. Your local homebrew shop should have what you need. If you like cider give it a try, it's easy.

Cider is the easiest fermented beverage to make. All you need is preservative free, pasteurized juice and yeast. I did a great holiday cider with spiced cider from Trader Joe's.

Don't worry about too much yeast. There is such a thing, but you're not going to be painfully over pitching. Just go to a home brew shop and get a packet of cider yeast. Liquid or dry, doesn't matter. You'll have twice as much yeast as absolutely necessary. BFD. It typically multiplies by a factor of ~10 anyway.

Your only difficulty is if you prefer a sweet cider over a dry cider. Juice is nearly 100% fermentable. Unless you do something to arrest your yeast, any sugars you add in for sweetness are also fermentable, and you'll end up with bottle bombs.

Slight hijack but relevant. Where would one find the right type of juice for making cider? Years ago, I had the local market squeeze a bunch of apples for me, but I didn't strain it and had issues. I had them do that because I couldn't seem to find any juice without some type of preservative. I assumed that any off the shelf juice wouldn't work.

-Rob

rob_lewis wrote: Slight hijack but relevant. Where would one find the right type of juice for making cider? Years ago, I had the local market squeeze a bunch of apples for me, but I didn't strain it and had issues. I had them do that because I couldn't seem to find any juice without some type of preservative. I assumed that any off the shelf juice wouldn't work. -Rob

Welches juices are popular for cheap home-wino's

rob_lewis wrote: Slight hijack but relevant. Where would one find the right type of juice for making cider? Years ago, I had the local market squeeze a bunch of apples for me, but I didn't strain it and had issues. I had them do that because I couldn't seem to find any juice without some type of preservative. I assumed that any off the shelf juice wouldn't work. -Rob

Off the shelf works fine. Just be sure its preservative free (IIRC most are) farmers markets can be a good source for fresh juice. But then you either have to pasturize it yourself or risk it like you did last time without great results.

I usually use champagne yeast and a few pounds of corn sugar in a 5 gallon batch. Turns out like apply white wine.

In reply to rob_lewis:

I take it you don't live in Apple country. Lots of places here in Michigan have pretty fresh apple juice/cider. Maybe in your local store, you can find a chilled only cider gallon.

As for filtering it- I bet BB will have some ideas- but many brew shops are wine making stores, too- and you can get a small filter for wine making that should do a really good job.

So me as described as BeerBaron- hard cider making is just wine making- with apples. And the few times I've made wine, it's really cool. I'd start with 6 gallons of cider that you like, a fermenter, and a 5 gallong carboy and go from there. That would be fun.

java230 wrote:

rob_lewis wrote: Slight hijack but relevant. Where would one find the right type of juice for making cider? Years ago, I had the local market squeeze a bunch of apples for me, but I didn't strain it and had issues. I had them do that because I couldn't seem to find any juice without some type of preservative. I assumed that any off the shelf juice wouldn't work. -Rob

Off the shelf works fine. Just be sure its preservative free (IIRC most are) farmers markets can be a good source for fresh juice. But then you either have to pasturize it yourself or risk it like you did last time without great results. I usually use champagne yeast and a few pounds of corn sugar in a 5 gallon batch. Turns out like apply white wine.

Adding sugar- it would. There's not enough sugar in apples to ferment it much beyond US beer numbers.

Brian wrote: I was recently given an unused Mr. Beer starter kit with an expired brew kit. I'm torn between a new refill kit or making a cider. For a refill kit I would likely get the Irish Stout. I'm more partial to a hard cider, I have seen cider as easy as preservative free juice+yeast. I'm just concerned about finding the right yeast and the right quantity for a 2 gallon batch.

So a question- what makes a brew kit expired? Other than the yeast.

Do the grains lose some of the starches over time?

alfadriver wrote:

Brian wrote: I was recently given an unused Mr. Beer starter kit with an expired brew kit. I'm torn between a new refill kit or making a cider. For a refill kit I would likely get the Irish Stout. I'm more partial to a hard cider, I have seen cider as easy as preservative free juice+yeast. I'm just concerned about finding the right yeast and the right quantity for a 2 gallon batch.

So a question- what makes a brew kit expired? Other than the yeast. Do the grains lose some of the starches over time?

Crushed malt loses flavor fairly rapidly. Think whole bean coffee vs. ground. Hops lose potency over time too, as both the aromatic oils and bittering acids degrade.

rob_lewis wrote: Slight hijack but relevant. Where would one find the right type of juice for making cider? Years ago, I had the local market squeeze a bunch of apples for me, but I didn't strain it and had issues. I had them do that because I couldn't seem to find any juice without some type of preservative. I assumed that any off the shelf juice wouldn't work.

Most off the shelf is good. Just get apple cider, instead of juice. You're more likely to have luck with something like Trader Joe's or Whole Payche... I mean Whole Foods.

alfadriver wrote:

java230 wrote:

rob_lewis wrote: Slight hijack but relevant. Where would one find the right type of juice for making cider? Years ago, I had the local market squeeze a bunch of apples for me, but I didn't strain it and had issues. I had them do that because I couldn't seem to find any juice without some type of preservative. I assumed that any off the shelf juice wouldn't work. -Rob

Off the shelf works fine. Just be sure its preservative free (IIRC most are) farmers markets can be a good source for fresh juice. But then you either have to pasturize it yourself or risk it like you did last time without great results. I usually use champagne yeast and a few pounds of corn sugar in a 5 gallon batch. Turns out like apply white wine.

Adding sugar- it would. There's not enough sugar in apples to ferment it much beyond US beer numbers.

Yes exactly, ended up around 10% ABV usually. With 2lbs? (its been awhile since I made a batch)

Non Pasteurized (sp?) ciders seem to work the best for making hard cider iirc.

I used to have a Mr. Beer. I made some great beer with it. The town where I was had a brew shop so I had a good resource. One of the things he suggested when using the one-step kits was to double the mix. I bought a canadian lager style mix, doubled it, and it was delicious. The first batch was a bit sweet (more sugar than the yeast could consume) so I simply bottled it with less sugar in the bottle. The final conditioning (carbonation) then was able to use most of the sugar. It made a really flavorful beer in the 7% ABV range. The next time I made it I added a bit more hops and it was perfect.

It won't be long until you are boiling up your own recipes and trading your Mr Beer for a 55-gallon drum.

I also noticed the 59-72 degree brew range on the kit. My most temp stable location is my basement at low 50's. I think this would also mitigate the smell, as that can be a concern.

This thread is timely and relevant to my interests. I just scored an unused kit off of Facebook for $10. I'm not sure what ingredients come with it, but they are expired. I'm going to get some fresh yeast and have a go at it with the included ingredients.

Brian wrote: I also noticed the 59-72 degree brew range on the kit. My most temp stable location is my basement at low 50's. I think this would also mitigate the smell, as that can be a concern.

That will actually be a good temp. You want the liquid temperature to be 59-72 degrees. The yeast will generate plenty of heat on its own once it gets going.

Give it 12-18hrs in a warmer part of the house until the yeast is definitely active. Then move it to the basement where the ambient air will help cool your yeast.