The beer may be okay, but the real question is what's the point? This is basically "instant" beer, add water and yeast, then wait. It is nothing like home brewing; the malt and hops are premixed and in a can.

I've been homebrewing for about five years now and decided to skip the Mr. Beer for a good basic kit. For awhile I've always had two batches going, but now I do seasonals (about a batch for summer, winter, spring, and fall). I also have a batch of mead going, but I'm not sure why you would want to tie up this system for a year with mead.

Anyway, I like brewing because I can experiment and make clones of my favorite microbrews. My friend has a Mr. Beer kit and the beer is always lower quality compared to us that actually homebrew. I'm not a beer snob (like some people I know), but I compare the Mr. Beer quality to PBR over having say a Whitetail Wheat from my favorite microbrewery. If you are happy with PBR then Mr. Beer might be the kit for you.

I don't know how expensive the kits are, but I spend on average $45-$65 on a batch of beer that yields 5 gallons. If they are anywhere near that price you are better off in the long run getting an actual homebrew kit since Mr. Beer only makes 2 gallons. Also the re-sale value on homebrew equipment (if you decide you hate the hobby) is much higher then Mr. Beer. I see Mr. Beer being sold at yard sales for $5 whereas I sold my beginner kit about three months ago for about $20 less then I paid for it originally ($80 for primary fermenter, 5-gallon stock pot, Better Bottle carboy, bottle capper, hydrometer, and I threw in a couple boxes of bottles since I don't need eight cases anymore).

Oh and one other thing...do people REALLY need a kit like this to make rootbeer? I do that all the time to, but I just throw the sugar, yeast, extract, and water into some 2-liter, 1-liter, and 20 oz. plastic bottles, then let them sit at room temperature in a dark cupboard until they are done (about 4-5 days). It is always fizzy and tastes really good. Plus our brew store sells different kinds of rootbeer and sarsaparilla extracts. I just wouldn't tie up any of my homebrew supplies for something as simple as rootbeer. Hard cider I make the same way (minus the extract).

njkrut wrote:Ha ha ha ha. I've been wanting these since they posted them back in 2010!

Late Christmas present to me maybe... Any opinions on whether these are better than DIY? I know Boulder, CO has a store all about brewing your own I've considered visiting but this seems easier?

I started with this and got a really good product.After two batches I went with a"real"homebrew" setup.This is a great way to see if you are interested.Think of it as a cake mix instead of scratch made.Making a cake from scratch is really about as easy and just takes a couple more minutes,and from scratch you have more control of the ingredients and variety in the final product.If you really like beer and can spend about 90 minutes to start a batch and a couple of hours to bottle it(much less with a helper),just skip Mr.Beer and hit the Hombrew store.
If you can boil water and stir a pot that's about all that's needed using spray dried malt extract and real hops,plus you get 5 gallons for $25-$40 dollars.Enjoy!

A friend of mine made hard cider with this and it was awesome.

veronikaa wrote:i have this. followed the instructions and the beer came out flat and crappy.
but maybe it was just me..

Perhaps you missed adding the priming sugar or did not add enough? Other possibilities are that you exhausted your yeast or that you did not have a good seal.

I've been brewing for about 5 years now. Lots and lots of internet forums on the topic if you are interested in more help. Good luck!

Bought this a few years ago from woot. Yes it is a very basic kit, the main think you are missing is an airlock, though it has small gaps in the screw on lid to release pressure but I don't trust it for longer than 2 to 3 weeks, though I transfer to a secondary in my "real" homebrew equipment after 2 or 3 weeks anyway. I made some decent beer in these and technically you can do the same in these as with the real stuff, though smaller quantities. If you want tot try it out, its not a bad deal. I used mine this fall to make some hard cider. These are marginally easier than typical extract brewing as well. If you really want to get into it, I would probably skip this and get a typical 5 gallon extract kit and pick up papazians book.

Why doesn't everyone realize that we get it, okay? We know that you spent hundreds of dollars to make your own beer, and we're awfully proud of you for doing that. However, spending 250 dollars on a hobby that we haven't tried yet instead of spending 270 dollars on the hobby, but being able to back out after 20 dollars of it if we don't like it? That's the more sensible way. So please stop acting like avoiding this 20 dollar purchase is going to ruin your fun somehow.

An avid homebrewer myself, I thought I'd offer some information. I do agree that it's a good introduction to brewing, deciding if you like it before investing in some decent equipment. Most homebrew shops will sell you a starter kit for $150 or so that has just about everything you need to brew "real" beer.

The issue with these "no-boil" kits is generally that they use table sugar, which leaves behind some flavors that don't ferment out. I'm sure it's kit-specific, but if anyone does pick this up, replace the table sugar in the recipe with malt extract. The flavors that don't ferment out leave the beer tasting cider-y. Pleasant surprise on your first batch, disappointing on your next 3.

Yes, you can make hard cider with this. Probably end up with better cider than beer anyways.



A wise old man once told me that there were three secrets to making great beer. Lots of patience, super sanitary conditions, and great ingredients. The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978) ingredients make The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978) beer.

It looks like a good starter system and a good woot price. I have concerns that liquid malt extract needs to be very fresh or you get an odd tainted flavor. These extracts won't have the fresh hop aroma since the hop spicy aromatics won't make it into the liquid malt extract, only the hop bittering components.
I also question if you don't boil the liquid you won't get a "protein break" but thats not a deal breaker for a first batch.


If you like this move up to dry malt extract, and add fresh hops, boil it. Join the American Homebrewers Association and make bigger batches.

Disclaimer: no interest other than I'm in the craft brewing industry and teach brewing.

WARNING!
This is a gateway fermenter. I brewed two batches of beer in my Mr. Beer, and moved on to a full set-up. I've since passed my Mr. Beer kit on to my brother-in-law and he's already looking into upgrading.

My recommendation is that if you want to try making beer, start here. If you want better beer, follow everyone else and head to your local homebrew shop. Or check out the multiple online stores for starter kits.

I have 2 Mr. Beer kits going.

This holiday season, I cracked a recipe that I whipped up with it that was a 10.2% mocha stout. I also shared a chocolate porter, souped up doppelbock, and a triple hopped pilsner. I only did a basic recipe once...and have modified the kits since then. I just brewed an ocktoberfest that should hit 12.4% thanks to modifiying a recipe on mrbeer.com.

For those of you who knock this set...move on. You can have a lot of fun with it. When I am brewing a 5 gallon batch, I usually do a Mr. Beer at the same time.

My dad started home brewing with this kit and now the dude practically runs a brewery in his basement.

It may not be a professional setup, but it will certainly let someone test the waters in beer brewing.

got one for christmas ten years ago. Beer was crap and I poured it down the toilet. Still have the plastic barell downstairs. I see it once or twice a year. I wonder what I can do with it. I prefer to drink cheap beer in cans.

Dude...here's my chance to make coffee flavored beer Drew Carey style.

I had one of these kits for about 2 years and made some pretty good batches with it. Best, part, this does retain some value as I sold it back, with bottles and everything, on ebay for more than half of what I paid.

Bottom line, if you're even thinking about home-brewing, this is a very safe, economical way to go.

This isn't beer, it's Kool-Aid. I wouldn't even recommend it as a starter.

ekummel wrote:Umm...No they're not....There is not a homebrew shop within 30 miles of where I live, and I live in the Shadow of the Nation's capitol...in Virginia Whiskey country! Nope, no homebrew shops here!

Falls Church, also "in the shadow of the Capitol". http://mylhbs.com/ Derek knows his stuff.


If you want to make hard cider, if you're not starting with your own apples, be sure to purchase cider that lists only apples as the ingredient. Any preservatives inhibit fermentation. I currently have two five gallon kegs of the stuff...

Don't listen to the naysayers here. For the price, this is an excellent introduction to homebrewing.

Yes, it's essentially 'Brewing For Dummies'. And yes, you're not gonna make world-class microbrews with this setup.

You will get a reasonably drinkable beer out of it, though. You will get a feel for if you might like to try this on a bigger level. You will get that special joy that only comes from cracking open a bottle of beer that you've made yourself.

Just remember that what this puts out is to a 'proper' setup what Bud is to Sam Adams, but if it turns out you don't like brewing, you're only out $25 as opposed to $200.

Just want to reiterate a couple of points previously made. Don't listen to the snobs! You CAN make good beer with this... you just need to tweak a few things from the instructions that come with the kit:


First, throw out the beer kit that comes with it... in fact, stay away from all of the kits that use "booster". That's just sugar, and that's not gonna taste as good as a kit that uses malt extract.


Second, get some real sanitizer that stuff that comes with it is a good CLEANER, not a sanitizer! Iodophor works nice...


I do not like the 1 liter b
ottles that come with it get some flip top grolsh style bottles.

Don't prime with table sugar, use priming sugar from a homebrew shop. Really, you should mix your sugar in a bottling bucket instead of priming bottles individually.

Bottom line you'll pick all this up as you go if you have any internet savvy.

Btw, I'm doing all grain 5 gallon batches in glass carboys and plastic "better bottles".

Bought one last year on here, wasn't impressed. Sure it was beer, was it good? No. Save your time and just support a local brewery.

meep116 wrote:Has anyone used this to make hard cider?

As for the container itself, you would have no problem. The yeast would be next to useless if you were looking for a traditional cider. Something closer to wine in dryness would not be accomplished by using the VERY basic and bland ale yeast that is provided. I have made almost all of my cider using Champagne yeast, which allows for a much cleaner fermentation without the residual sugar.

But if you like a sweet, somewhat beerish, cider then this ale yeast might be OKAY. Again, this dried yeast is very basic and pretty much only creates alcohol out of sugar with no personality at all.

As a homebrewer, I would not hesitate to pass on this and just throw the $20 into a decent starter kit. You could be up and running on 5 gallon batches for about $80.

skywarrior3 wrote:Not a huge fan of beer. I wonder if you can use this to make mead (honey-wine)?

Probably, but mead takes much longer to ferment and age, like six months in the fermenter, and another six to 18 months in the bottle, before it is ready to drink. It also smells really bad in the middle of the ferment, but that's okay. You will also need some extra ingredients, like yeast energizer and a wine or champagne yeast, that I'm not sure if Mr. Beer provides. I'd try a beer first just for learning's sake.

The single most important thing to get the most out of this kit is to keep your fermentation temps low. Ideally mid to low 60's. Fermenting above 70 degrees can introduce esters and fusels and other undesirables into your beer that will cause you to think the kit is worthless.

Be diligent with your sanitation, control your temps, and find your patience. You can make ok beer with this. Like others, I'd highly recommend a starter kit from a homebrew supply store, but this is an inexpensive way to break into the hobby.

If you are interested in homebrewing and go this route, don't let the limitations of this kit disuade you from that if the final product isn't what you were hoping for.

This is a good inexpensive way to see if you like brewing your own beer. I bought one about 12 years ago and enjoyed it so I ended up getting a better setup at a local brew supply and have been doing it ever since.
Most brew packs for 5 gallons (not the equip, just the ingredients, sanitizer & caps)will run $30 - $35 so the price here for 2 gallons and the equip is good.

No wonder so many Wooters don't read stats, posts etc, they are drunk on their home made beer/or Woot wine.

Slagging Mr. Beer for not being authentic enough is like the "Uber-cool" punk kids slagging Green Day for not being punk enough.

Mr. Beer is a good, cheap way to see if you're interested in making your own beer. I started home brewing on a Mr. Beer kit a few years ago. I enjoyed it very much. I got better at it...and made some really good beer. I eventually graduated to a real home brew kit.

If you made lousy beer while using a Mr. Beer kit...it was probably your fault.

Fairly simple if you're looking to get into brewing I suppose, but this honestly takes all the fun out of it. You're reduced to powders. Where's the fun and experimentation in that?Where are the real ingredients? You can't even change the hops. I'll pass and stick with my full set-up.

A tip to those who do decide to buy this... any cleanser that comes with this is not a substitute for a sanitizer! The powder cleanser will clean it out well but it will not kill off harmful bacteria that could ruin your beer. I recommend you go out and buy a bottle of StarSan (from any homebrew store or website) to use for sanitizing your equipment after having cleansed it. You'll save yourself many a worry about spoiled batches.

Bed Bath And Beyond has this for $14.99 in stores. At least the location I went to yesterday did.

These kits got me started on home brewing. It's not much money to risk to see if you really have a passion for brewing beer. Then for a couple hundred bucks you can get the equipment to make extract brews that, if careful, can taste good.

And if you're curious about how difficult it is to make beer from grain, I did a write up (with pictures!) for a buddy of mine who couldn't quite wrap his head around the process. I probaby wrote this at least five years ago and have streamlined my process quite a bit since, but the fundamentals are the same.

All grain brewing - A novice's perspective

oh thank heavens - living in Germany has left me dying for some American style beer...

I went in for one. I had a $10 coupon from Jumbo Woot, figured for $15 (with shipping) it was a decent price to try it out. I know this won't be "real" micro-brew beer. But something fun to play around with that won't cost me an arm and leg. I'd rather spend $15 and ruin a batch then spend $300 and ruin a batch. Besides, if I do ruin a batch, with the money I saved with Jumbo Woot, I can just run up to the store, grab a sixer of Short's Huma-Lupa-Licious and enjoy some real good micro-brew!

It's probably worth the $25 to see if you want to try out home brewing, but if you want to do it the right way, you might as well get a kit with real equipment.

If you want to do it once buy this thing.

If you think it's cool and want to continue, throw it away and look-up your local home-brew shop and go there if you really want to make your own beer. They will help you, other home-brewers will help you. Before long your beer will be as good (if not better) than most commercial micro brews.

I have a kegerator with three of my homebrewed beers on tap right now. My family wiped out a 5 gallon keg of Saison on Christmas. It's a great hobby with lots of great people doing it.

"Give a man a beer and he wastes 5 minutes, teach a man to brew and he can waste a lifetime"

I bought this kit for me and my brother, and we both started about the same time. His beer turned out pretty good. The kit comes with a Budweiser clone, and his was pretty good.

Mine, on the other hand, had the distinct flavor of sadness with the sharp undertones of failure.

I could tell I f-ed it up on the primary fermentation as it smelled sour. This was confirmed upon completion of the bottle fermentation stage.

I'm pretty sure I didn't clean it enough even though I followed the directions. Which is my biggest critique of Mr Beer. The kit doesn't provide enough of the sanitation mix stuff, and the keg isn't hardy enough to go completely nuts cleaning it. It's a fun toy, but I think next time I'm gonna invest in glass and metal so that I can go to town cleaning it and really get my beer on.

alhaz wrote:You could also just buy malt extracts from a local homebrew shop. Just don't tell them you are using the Mr. Beer kit. Recipes are available all over the interwebs and you can scale them down from 5 or 10 gallon with brewtarget.

Making wort from grain takes a couple hours, yeah, and you need a few more tools to work from grain, but making beer from extracts just seems a bit like making mac & cheese from a box.

But by the same token, home brewers spend a ton of time cloning commercial beers. What's the point?

I purchased one of these a few years ago from amazon (I think) after I missed out on a Woot. I brewed a pale ale that came out pretty well. I have a cider kit on my shelf that I'll probably start fermenting this week. I paid on the order of $35 for my kit and I'm happy with it.

Yes, it's cheap. Yes, it might be a good thing for someone that has only a passing interest in making beer. No, don't buy it if you plan on making more than the one batch they give you ingredients for.

Mr. Beer is horrible. If you plan on making beer spend the extra money on supplies that will provide a higher quality product. I tried several times and the beer just never came out well.

Wow... there's a lot of hate from the homebrew snobs in this thread. Doesn't it make a hell of a lot more sense to tell a newbie going into this "Sure, try it out. You may not get the best beer out of it, but it'll be a good learning experience and if you like it I can give you some pointers" (which I have seen a few of you saying) instead of "NOOO YOU MUST AVOID THIS LIKE THE PLAGUE AND GO SPEND $$$$ TO BE ABLE TO BREW AT HOME CORRECTLY!!!" - potentially chasing them away from a hobby they may have loved?

I'm not going to tell someone who has never played games on a PC before that they need to go drop a couple grand on a gaming rig to get the ball rolling. Someone who is trying to get their friend into fishing isn't going to tell them to go buy a bass boat and an expensive rod for their first trip out. The same goes for this - even if a home brewing kit will only run you $150 at the nearest shop, that's still a good amount of money to throw down on a hobby you haven't tried yet.

I think most of us who have been interested in homebrewing but haven't taken the plunge already know this thing isn't going to crank out anything that'd take a prize at your local craft beer competition. But it's going to be a good way for me to get my feet wet and try my hand at brewing up a couple batches of beer, and if I have a good time doing it then there's a pretty good chance that somewhere down the road I may end up laying out the cash for a full "real" homebrewing setup. I'm in for one.