Good deal on a home brewing kit?

[MIDAD]

Friday only sale..

Seems like a good deal....maybe one of the brewmasters could check it out. Good reviews, of course it is free shipping over $25...:roll:

http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Beer-Deluxe-Microbrewery-System/dp/B00005O68L/ref=br_lf_m_548166_3_25_ttl/002-0488180-4444019?%5Fencoding=UTF8&s=kitchen&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-5&pf_rd_r=164D9CR1XB9N34GNGDPK&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=310564901&pf_rd_i=548166

[MADDOX626]

Thanks I just ordered one... Great deal.

[tt3]

Mr. Beer. No comment.
Sorry I didn't see this sooner.

[MADDOX626]

Just tasted my first batch from Mr. Beer and it tasted great. No complaints here.

[tt3]

Dude, care to write up a quick review for me? I'd love something other than hardcore brewer's view of the mr beer.
interested?

[poppadopolus]

Hey guys,

I started with a Mr. Beer my wife bought me ten years or so ago. I had never brewed before and made the 3 or 4 kits it came with then moved into carboys and 5 gallon extract batches and more recently to all grain.

The mr. beer is a good introduction to brewing. It suggests, and I did, using plastic soda bottles for bottling - that's the weird part. You add the sugar to each bottle depending on size. Other than that, it was the same process as extract - add the small (3 pounds, maybe?) liquid extract to boiling water, add hops, cool down and pitch into the little plastic keg- add yeast, wait. Several problems. 1) refills. Hard to find then, don't know about now but I came up with (and never used) my own recipe using homebrewstorebought extract so you can avoid needing to buy mr. beer kits. 2) tons of gunk in the bottom of keg when draining out to bottle. This could be solved by using funnel with filter when pouring the cooled boil into the 'keg'. 3) extract taste - what can I say, I prefer grain now but then I didn't notice 4) Variable carbonation levels due to pouring sugar into each bottle rather than into a bottling bucket. Again, you could do this with the simple addition of a bucket with spigot.
All in all, a great intro to brewing along with Papazian's book or similar and certainly lit a fire under my belly but after using the ingredient kits it came with I was ready to make beer that tasted better. AND, the materials to move up to 5 gallon batches really aren't too expensive or complicated.


PD

[PatGlennon]

I might have to add Mr. Beer to my Christmas list. I have always been intrigued by home brew, but it seems such a daunting undertaking. Looks like a good entry point

[poppadopolus]

indeed, patg,

I'm up to around 30 batches post-Mr.Beer and it's been a slow and ghetto investment. You can make really good beer for not much time and energy and it's soooooooooooooooooooooooooo satisfying. I'm living proof that Mr. Beer is a good gateway to a lifetime hobby.

pd

[poppadopolus]

just noticed that they are selling mr. beer and accessories/refills at bb&b.

[Bollux]

yeah for the holidays they always do

[MADDOX626]

I order the refills through Amazon.com. Any order of $25 is free shipping.

[TuffDogStudio]

Mr. Beer and the American Devil IPA kit are on my Christmas list.

[PatGlennon]

Mr. Beer officially went on my Christmas list!

[PatGlennon]

as mentioned elsewhere. Santa brought Mr. Beer.

Cooked up my first batch today.