My sister-in-law gave me one of these things for Christmas. Are they any good? Does anyone have any good recipes they have done with one?

My dad is in the process of brewing his own light stuff now...i'll let you know how it goes!

Me and my friends tried it once and it sucked........ but we suck too so take it for what its worth

My guess is that it takes time, and with that, extreme patience, to make good stuff.

Check out this site.

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/

They sell ingredient kits. You pick the style. They sed you all you need, detailed instructions, and a dvd with pointers.
I make wine like this and it is delicious. I made a raspberry wheat beer from their kit, and it was good. This is an addicting hobby. It is awesome to crack open a handcrafted beer. It is even better to share them with friends. My only advice, cleanliness is essential. Use one step cleaner and be thorough. If you don't sanitze properly, you can skunk a whole batch, not good. Enjoy.

How long do you have to let a batch sit before you can drink it? (wine or beer)

RedIs4Heart wrote: Check out this site.

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/

They sell ingredient kits. You pick the style. They sed you all you need, detailed instructions, and a dvd with pointers.
I make wine like this and it is delicious. I made a raspberry wheat beer from their kit, and it was good. This is an addicting hobby. It is awesome to crack open a handcrafted beer. It is even better to share them with friends. My only advice, cleanliness is essential. Use one step cleaner and be thorough. If you don't sanitze properly, you can skunk a whole batch, not good. Enjoy.

I was going to post this link.

I have been homebrewing off and on for about 2 years now, and I buy kits through this site. They are very affordable and ship quite fast, and all the kits come with very clear directions. I would really recommend the upgrade to the White Labs liquid yeast, it is only an extra buck or two and the yeast works much better.

And I have the Raspberry Wheat batch which just finished about a week ago. Tasty!

ernest_t_bass wrote: How long do you have to let a batch sit before you can drink it? (wine or beer)

It depends on what you are brewing. Many batches need about two weeks to ferment and 10-14 days to carbonate.

Other batches, especially heavier beers like winter lagers, need to ferment anywhere from 2-4 weeks to six months.

Most batches can be brewed on the first of the month and be drank by the last of the month.

Not sure about wine.

Was it a Mr.Beer?

Had some last week. It was delicious.

I brew several batches of home brew per year. Whether you like it or not depends on which style you choose to make. I made a bock last year that was really good, a honey wheat that was decent, and I have a russian imperial stout working right now that should be ready for new years eve. The stout is 9.4% alcohol and makes Guinness look like water, so I will be interested to see how it turns out.

If you like beer, it is an interesting hobby and a lot of fun. I have done enough beers to move away from the kits and start buying the ingredients separate. I have a book called "The Brewmaster's Bible" that has tons of good information and hundreds of recipes, many of them knock-offs of popular beers. I recommend buying it if you think this is something you are going to get into.

Also, you can spend as little as $30-35 per batch or as much as $100 per batch depending on whether you use kits or buy ingredients on your own. My current stout is on the high end of that. Most recipes and kits yield round 6 gallons, which comes out to 50-60 bottles. With a cheaper kit, this comes out to be as low as $.50-.60 per beer, if you don't count the initial equipment investment.

I Wear Pants wrote: Was it a Mr.Beer?

Yep

I've had a lot's of success with a MR. Beer kit...it really is quite simple. The key to making anything good is sanitization. Be sure to follow the instructions very carefully in this regard. With that feel free to experiment. I've made chocholate and caramel stout beers that were fantastic. Some accessories that are good to buy (you can get them online) is a bottle capper and "booster" which can increase the alcohol, content of your beer. I like making the beer in bottles and labelling them better than using plastic two liter bottles or old 20 oz. pop bootles. It just looks more professional.

I've done a Mr Beer kit. Turned out ok. It was the Blueberry Wheat. I still have 2 more kits on hand that I need to do. I recommend doing the advanced kits. and google Mr Beer fans for a forum for many tips.

If you have sold your soul to the large macro brewers and only drink yellow beer, you will not like making your own beer. If you have an open mind and enjoy the finer things in life, take the plunge and try it out. I have been brewing for ten years. I started with the kits now I am an advanced all grain brewer. Mr. beer kits are the bottom entry. Make sure you sterilize everything very carefully. That is your biggest concern. Enjoy!

Brutus 161, if your near Wayne county. You could come to the Wayne County Brew Club and get to taste others beer and get Free tips.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WCBC_Ohio/

RedIs4Heart wrote: Check out this site.

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/
.

This is where I just got my equipment from, cant wait to start brewing. The hardest part is going to be letting it sit before I can crack open a bottle.

Thanks for all of the help. I do like different kinds of beers, so I hope to make something enjoyable. I would like to make something similar to cherry wheat.

The Mr.Beer website is actually pretty interesting to read. They have a bunch of different starter mixes that you can experiment with.

I have a question about the home kits guys, can you bottle in say a growler instead of the smaller bottles? I made a kit once years ago and sanitizing those bottles and filling them were the biggest pain, IMO. I found some growlers on the mr. beer website and would like to get back into it. Or maybe a small keg system, can you guys recommend something, remember the party balls, are those still around?

Never mind, found a kit on the midwest supplies website, now that tap a draft starter kit is for me! Only have to sanitize a couple large bottles, and can use the mini co2 system to dispense! The wife is going to hate me, getting back into the brewing! lol

I still need to do my Barleywine and King Midas kits from Mr Beer. Below is the label a friend of mine made for my BBW (Blueberry wheat, from the Blueberry Thrill Mr Beer kit)

Yes the 'Brewery' name is F.N Abus. (as in F*ckin' A Bus. A comment made about someone where we work by the designer of the label, that made me LOL) You've got to read the Government Warning

Thats just wrong. Love the disclaimer, though.

I would drink that BBW all day !