17 responses so far ↓

• 1 Quant

  I used to work in a micro brewery and also brewed several batches of homebrew the standard way. I decided to buy one of these on a whim just for fun. I was more than skeptical about Mr Beer because of it’s simplicity but after finally diving into my first batch i’m more than impressed! It IS very simple (almost completely idiot proof) and the end result is a brew that could easily pass for something bought at the liquor store. A nice light golden ale with plenty of flavor and almost perfect head.

  The only part of the standard Mr Beer instructions that I HIGHLY recommend deviating from is the amount of time given for fermentation and conditioning. DO NOT go with the 7 days on either of these steps. The Mr Beer 2-2-2 rule gets it done to perfection.

  2 weeks in the fermenter
  2 weeks conditioning in the bottles at room temperature
  2 weeks conditioning in the refrigerator

  As long as everything is sanitized properly you really can’t go wrong.

  Enjoy!

• 2 Ervin

  If you are looking at the Mr Beer kits here at Amazon this is the one to get. The cheaper kits come up a little short in my opinion and the next kit up from this starts selling you things you don’t need. Amazon’s price on this item is also good, being $10 lower than the manufacturers own website price.
  Now, down to the beer. I got this kit last Christmas and it sort of sat around for a couple of months. Around March or so I pulled it out and somewhat begrudgingly made my first batch of home brew. I started with the Ale, as I don’t necessarily like ales that much and I figured if I screwed it up I’d still have the Cowboy Lager. Well I didn’t screw it up because it was so simple, and the beer I made turned out to be quite possibly the best ale I have ever had from a bottle! Mr Beer makes it so easy that the most difficult part is just waiting for the beer to brew. It is now close to eight months later and I have turned in to quite the home-brewer. I live in a small place so the two gallon batches are perfect. It does NOT smell despite what I had heard. And every brew is EXCEPTIONAL (and I don’t say that lightly). Some tips if you DO decide to purchase this. FYI, it takes about one hour to sanitize and brew and one hour to bottle (about two weeks later). Let the beer brew for 2-3 weeks (unless it is exceptionally warm in your area). Also, if you really start to enjoy Mr Beer as I did, join their brewclub for cheap shipping on refills. By the way, refills run from $12.95-$17.35 and make two gallons. Two gallons is roughly 21 (12 oz) bottles of beer at 61-82 cents a beer. You just can’t beat this deal for the INSANE quality you get. You just can’t find beer like this in a store. I could go on and on but I’ll stop myself here. Get this for yourself, get this for a spouse or friend. Once you motivate and get the job done you’ll be HOOKED.

• 3 On

  This Kit is a great starter kit or great as second kit to try new beer recipes. We bought this kit to try new recipes without to fill our 7gallon keg.
  Great Gift Idea for friends and family who enjoy to drink a good beer.

• 4 Ongkowardojo

  It took an hour or so to start off, but It went well. I have the wort in the keg and I assume it is fermenting nicely. In two weeks I will transfer to the bottles.

  Everything seems decent in quality, nothing professional, but its a cheap fun way to start brewing beer.

  I will update later if I can figure out how once the beer is done.

• 5 Kendall

  Finally, an easy to use and inexpensive mash tun. I’ve been all grain brewing for about 5 years now and I’ve used several different mash tuns. This kit is the best I have ever seen and at a great price. Now my mashing is done all at the same temperature and I have had the best beer I’ve ever made.

• 6 Ishikawa

  I have to say this kit is cheap and very easy to install and use. However, I found two fundamental design flaws that eventually resulted in me tearing it out of my MLT and buying a steel braid. The first problem is the PVC pipes separate very easily; twice I had a pipe fall out, and grain got into the system and clogged everything. I suppose you could find some food-grade adhesive and fix that issue… I also got stuck sparges from the system even when it held together. I suppose you could use some rice hulls to fix that issue….

  But at some point, why not spend $30 more and do it right the first time?

• 7 Unbedacht

  This is one of the first books I bought when I got back into brewing. I found the variety of recipes exciting and it encouraged me to try brewing different styles of beer. I was a pretty basic brewer when I purchased this book and found my horizons expanded greatly. It has been a great learning tool.

  This book contains a wealth of information about brewing techniques and beer styles. Each recipe has extract, mini-mash, and all-grain versions. The recipes are very detailed which allows the brewer some flexibility in modifying things to their own taste. There is something for every style of brewer in this book.

  The best I can say about this book is that it really got me experimenting with my beer and enjoying the brewing process. Now that I am getting close to opening my own brewery. I still refer to this book for ideas when creating new recipes.

• 8 Osbourne

  what a great book. The authors give you 3 skill levels to work from along with some very tasty brews to chose, making this a very usable read.
  with easy to follow recipes I have managed to make a few really good beers that I like,while saving a few dollars to. My first ale from the book is headed to the state fair this year (it’s that good). A nice resource for someone who doesn’t have a local brew store or access to other local brewers…

• 9 MacIsaac

  I’m rather impressed with this book. I’m a HUGE fan of Magic Hat #9, Yuengling Porter, and also Murphy’s Irish Stout. ALL three recipes are in here.. I’m excited to give them a try.

  My worldly friend was floored to see some of the import recipes he drank when on his travels, so he’s excited for me to brew a few of them.

  Thanks for the most excellent book. DOWN WITH DISTRIBUTORS – LET’S ALL DRINK HOMEBREW!!

• 10 Jang

  book was in really good shape and shipping happened in a reasonable period of time.

• 11 Conner

  There are things to like and dislike about this book.

  Likable: The extract, partial mash, and all grain recipes are presented for all brews, so any level of brewer can attempt to replicate the desired flavor.

  Dislikes: Book lists many ingredients, such as brands of malt extract, that are no longer produced. It is not organized well by beer style, or even alphabetically by brand. Many of the brews listed will be totally unfamiliar to those in the US and the tastes are not described well. The method of producing extract brews using specialty grains mentions sparging them, which really isn’t a problem when dealing with small quantities of specialty grains in a bag, but the method of doing so isn’t covered at all and this is not a common practice that is described in beginning home brew books, so check with a brew forum such as brewers round table if you have questions. To be honest most of the recipes can be gotten for free on home brew forums from other home brewers.

• 12 Robbins

  I am so glad we purchased this kit. It’s a great way to get into brewing your own beers at home. The “hopped” extract included is okay and is good to use for your first attempt at making beer but what’s great is the incredibly large fermenting jug this thing comes with. We now go to our local beer brewing store for our own hops, grains, etc. We’re now making our own beer from scratch and still use the fermenting jug in this kit. This kit is worth it for the fermenting jug alone.

• 13 Dennis

  I’m still drinking my first batch but I love it.Pretty straight forward instructions,I did have to buy a heat belt to keep the wort warm as I made it in my basement in March,in Michigan!It was only 20$ and maintained a constant temp. for the entire fermenting process.I am looking now for my next batch,will probably go with an IPA,,,I highly recommend Coopers products!

• 14 Douglas

  I bought this kit for my daughter and her husband. They were thrilled with the prospect of making their own beer and had been thinking of doing it for some time. They loved the kit and how simple it was and how well explained everything was. Time will tell if they like the beer, as well–I (and they) are assuming they will.

• 15 Oprandy

  This kit is more of a toy then an actual home brew kit. It’s fun, easy, and cheap, but if you’re serious about getting into home brewing you should save the money and invest in a better kit (you can get fairly good ones staring around $75 in some places).

• 16 Gayman

  This kit is great! Easy to use, FUN, and fantastic tasting beer! Highly recommended

• 17 Ogbo

  I just made my first batch of lager beer at home, and it was a complete success due to the excellent quality of this kit. The instructions are easy to understand, and the kit includes everything you need, including bottles and lids. If you need help, there is an 800 number to call. The beer itself tastes as good as any draft or bottled beer, if not better.

  The only problem I had this this kit was keeping the temperature high enough for fermentation. We keep our house cool in the winter, and the beer requires a temperature of around 75F. I solved the problem by setting up a goose necked desk lamp next to the barrel, and then the beer really started fermenting.

  I recommend this kit to anyone who wants to try brewing beer at home. The original cost of the kit seems high, but over time it will pay for itself, and the parts won’t wear out.

  Coopers sells the ingredients for many types of beer, which can all be made with the barrel and bottles from this starter kit. Next on my list is to try making an IPA (India Pale Ale).

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