The easiest way to get beer without leaving home – to brew it yourself. Simple, if you know exactly how to do it and in what. The main fermentation of the ready wort can be done at room temperature in absolutely any container. A large tank with a lid, for example, would do. If you assemble the brewery yourself from handy tools, you get something like this:
But there is a solution for real aesthetes: the BeerMachine. Expensive, but beautiful. To make life as easy as possible for amateur brewers, The Great American Bewerage Co. USA has developed a mini brewery BeerMachine with which it is possible to brew 10 liters of beer without bothering about pouring it into bottles.
The BeerMachine has a very respectable and presentable appearance, it is beautiful, airtight, equipped with a valve that bleeds off the excess CO2 – it is perfect as an original and effective gift for a respected boss, business partner or just a good man. The price is appropriate – from 6 000 to 10 000 Dollars.
There is one more best assistant to the practicing brewer – MrBeer brewery USA . This is the “golden mean” between complete bushiness and gift brilliance. A kit of such a brewery contains a set of handy and compact accessories, which are traditionally used by home brewers. Simplicity, ergonomics and, of course, the price – these are the main factors that determined the choice of this model to test the possibility of brewing beer at home.
As a test model we chose a mini brewery MrBeer in its most complete set – Premium Kit, which is cheap, democratic and equipped with everything necessary for our experiments. MrBeer Premium Kit mini brewery features description: volume: 8.5 l., Brewing time: 2-4 weeks, price: 4600-5600 Dollars.
Day by day with our favorite keg
Day 1
We bring home a MrBeer brewery, unpack, study, rejoice with some impatience. General impressions: the brewery surprises by its simplicity.
This small plastic barrel with rather thick walls, to which is attached a tap and a lid, the volume of 8.5 liters is used for primary fermentation, during the prematuration stage beer will be poured into airtight bottles with an addition of sugar syrup.
In the second box – plastic container – 8 liter bottles and a set of additional accessories + instructions.
Day 2
Everything is ready for the important business of brewing.
“Assembling the brewery” takes 2 minutes: the tap is screwed to the vessel with the right side the side with the seal .
The next step is disinfection: we pour water into a barrel, add a cleanser and put all other things – a can opener, a spoon, a measuring jug – into it. Then we shake it all up and rinse with running tap water.
To simplify the process we use ready-made wort: we reconstitute it to the desired volume and pour it into the brewery
It’s better to use purchased or filtered water.
The mash tins should be warmed up first so that it is easier to pour out the wort.
Stirring the contents, bring it to a boil and remove from the fire. We add to the wort dry yeast from the sachet, stir it, close the lid and put the brewery in a place where the temperature will be about the same for two weeks. For example, on the kitchen shelf. Now the most difficult thing is to wait.
Day 3-4-5
Very interesting to check out the process there. Observe: the foam has risen almost 2 cm, the thermometer shows a temperature of 26 *C. Everything is perfect. It’s nice to know that everything is going according to plan, and in my mind, there’s such an amazing drip dripping from a cold glass filled with amber light…
Day 8-10
Seven days after starting the fermentation process the foam has almost settled, it means that the active part of the fermentation is finished. Well, finally. You can finish all the store-bought beer cans and not buy new ones.
Day 11
We are tasting the beer: now we have no sweetness at all, which is good – it means that all sugars are consumed by yeast and we should put the beer to ripening. To make our beer carbonated, we bottle it hermetically, adding a little 2-3 teaspoons sugar, which the yeast will process and release CO2. Bottles we put on the kitchen shelf again.
Day 18
The bottles have become very tight – it means that the secondary fermentation process is finally over. Now the beer is carbonated enough, all the sugars are turned into alcohol and there is only a stage left when the beer acquires its flavor and aroma. We put the bottles in the fridge and forget about them for a while.
Day 27
Guests arrived and everyone drank when the decision was made to start tasting the product.
At the first sip it becomes clear that homemade beer is different from what is bottled: it tastes denser and richer.
There is an interesting nuance in the taste, reminiscent of the fragrance inherent in some white wines, which is quite consistent with a West Coast Pale Ale. This is exactly what our experiment should have resulted in, by the way.
We must admit that the experience was a success: the beer is delicious and just right. There is a pleasant aroma of hops with a slight hint of bitterness, a good degree, the drink is pleasant and warming – the experience was really unique.
Summary: the process is simple and available to everyone, the result is virtually guaranteed if the technology is followed. Recommended to all!
For those who haven’t had a chance to try or try it out
Brewing is new, unpretentious, fascinating and fun. Stimulates creativity and… attracts the weaker sex! At least the girls in our company are very interested in the process.
What are some tips and recommendations for maintaining the quality and taste of the beer brewed with MrBeer home brewery? Is there a specific cleaning and sanitizing routine that needs to be followed to ensure optimal results?
Is the MrBeer home brewery easy to use? I’ve always wanted to have my own keg at home, but is it really worth the investment? How long does each keg last? Is it possible to brew different types of beer or just stick to one? I’d love to hear from someone who has experience with the MrBeer.