Customer Reviews

Mr. Beer Premium Gold Edition Home Brew Kit

5 star:		(47)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

My wife got me this for my birthday last month, and I was really excited about trying it out...which, like a kid with a new toy, I did almost immediately. The instructions are easy to follow and the components are easy to assemble and use -- I had my first batch (of 'Cowboy Lager') sitting in the keg after about 45 minutes of reading and work in the kitchen.

The minimum amount of time the mix needs to sit in the keg is 7 days -- I let this first batch sit for 11. The longer the time in the keg, the more flavor it's supposed to develop. I bottled the mix -- 8 liters in all -- and that was another simple process, going exactly as described in the instructions. The beer has to ferment in the bottles for no fewer than 7 days in order to carbonate. My 8 bottles are still sitting, after 8 days. I plan on letting them sit for another week before putting them in the fridge so they'll be 'conditioned' in time for Christmas.

I did, however, make an extra bottle from the first batch, in an extra bottle I had. I drained the keg almost dry to do it, even pouring in some of the sludge that had settled at the bottom. The stuff was orange and cloudy! I let that sit for the minimum 7 days, and let it condition in the fridge for only 1 (although the instructions recommend at least a week). I wanted to try something close to the minimum standard for the mix and the kit in general...and I have a mug of the stuff next to me as I type. Final verdict on this 'minimum mix' -- it's quite good! It was adequately carbonated, and produced a smooth head that had a nice smell and flavor. The beer itself is about the same color as a typical American brew -- Coors or Michelob -- and has a very light flavor, with a slightly dry aftertaste. It's something I could enjoy in the middle of summer. And remember: this, according to the instructions, is the swill. The better stuff will come out of those bottles that are going to ferment for another week before I cool them.

I'm fired up! I made my next mix today -- American Blonde -- which was also included in the set. I'll let that sit in the keg even longer to see how the flavor develops. All in all, I'm really happy with this as a present, and even happier about what's it's produced. This isn't just a gift that seems cool: it's already exceeded my expectations.

This section added on 8 June 2009: I'm now carbonating my 17th two-gallon batch. Yes, that's a lot of beer, considering that each batch makes 20-24 bottles, depending on how much water I decide to add (sometimes a little more if it's a heavy brew with a lot of ingredients). ANYWAY, I'm still as fired up about this thing as I was when I got it. We've bought two six-packs and one twelve-pack of beer from the store since December, and that was mostly to harvest bottles for future use. I do not miss buying beer at the store...mine is better, and cheaper, too. My only recommendation is to get 12-oz brown glass bottles, a hand-held capper, and O2 barrier caps -- then you can bottle your own 'normal' bottles, and you can reuse them. The 1-liter PET bottles that came with my set are fine, as they keep the carbonation well, but I don't like opening that much beer at once unless I have people over. Standard bottles are far more convenient. Mr. Beer rocks. That is all.

The Mr. Beer Premium Gold Edition Home Brew Kit plus Amazon's free shipping equals beer-making's Keep It Simple and Sweet solution. As a beginning home brewer, I didn't want to spend hundreds of dollars on an elaborate home brew kit nor have to read tons of books on how to do it. My goal was to try it, and if I liked the finished product, play with it some more.

Well, after my first two batches of Mr. Beer brew, a lager and a pale ale, I can attest to the simplicity and convenience of this product. The beer making process was somewhat simple. I followed the directions that came with the kit about sanitizing, brewing, bottling, and conditioning almost to the letter. Almost anyone with a high school reading level can make their own beer using a Mr. Beer kit without terribly screwing anything up. The beer that is fermenting in the Mr. Beer keg doesn't make your entire house reek of a micro-brewery. As a matter of fact, the only time you do smell beer is when you're preparing the wort and when bottling. Although I'm not really a fan of the light beers, I was quite happy with my first couple batches of home brew and have subsequently ordered more Mr. Beer refills from Amazon.

If you want fast, effort-less beer, visit BevMo! My own bit of advice to getting optimal flavor in your brew is to be patient. Let the beer brew (ferment) in the keg for two weeks to give it favor and alcohol content. Then after bottling, let it sit for two more weeks to fully carbonate. Finally, let it chill in the refrigerator for 2 weeks before enjoying your home brew. It's the 2-2-2 rule! Bottoms up!

Rather than using glass bottles, which probably look better and feel more like beer in your hands, I prefer to use the plastic bottles. I think plastics are easier to clean, not prone to bursting or breaking like glass, and you can easily tell if your beer is fully carbonated by squeezing the bottle. Since this brew kit only came with 8 1-Liter bottles and I had multiple fermenters, I needed to get more bottles! Rather than paying $14.99 for the Mr. Beer empty bottles on Amazon, I decided to buy the 16 oz. plastic 7-Up bottles instead. One Mr. Beer fermenter will yield 16 of the 16 oz. bottles of beer. As long as you use plastic bottles made to hold carbonated beverages, you can use it to bottle your Mr. Beer home brew. If you want to use the smaller 12 oz. soda bottles, you will require 21 12 oz. bottles for your 2 gallon batch of Mr. Beer.

My only complaint is that Amazon doesn't sell the other ingredients nor accessories sold only on the Mr. Beer website, such as the Unhopped Malt Extract which allows you to add additional flavor, body, alcohol and malt characteristics to your beer. At [...], you have to pay quite a bit for shipping, and you only get free shipping if your order totals $99. However, with their Brew Club, members get $5 shipping on all club orders over $29.99. Happy green brewing!

We purchased this kit last year. It is inexpensive and easy enough for a beginner. The kit includes EVERYTHING so there won't be the apprehension that you might have more money to put into this project. The bottles and barrel are lightweight. The barrel can easily sit on your counter as it takes up little space. I didn't even notice it was there! My husband was thrilled to be making HIS OWN brew! Truly macho! The first bottle wasn't the best but after fermenting for a while the rest of his first batch of beer was quite drinkable. I know he will be making beer all winter long! You can give it to him for Christmas, unlike that cashmere sweater, this won't get stuck in a drawer! AND, if you are lucky, he may make some bottles to give to friends as gifts. If you are creative, there are even labels you can download from online that he can use to CUSTOMIZE his labels, just search google! I am so impressed with the happy look on my husband's face, I stopped to write this review! Have a happy holiday...drink up!

I give this item five stars, not because it is the best homebrewing kit out there, but because it is probably the most economical choice for a person looking for an introduction to homebrewing.

I finished making my first batch of beer, and have the second batch fermenting now. My first batch was the American Blonde Ale that came with the kit. Being a pretty avid beer drinker, I will say it here that the beers that come with this kit are not going to knock your socks off. But I WILL say that it is still decent beer, and just knowing that you made the beer makes it all that much better. You can indeed buy better beer mixes from the Mr. Beer website, although it can be a little costly. Much of them are available here on amazon as well, and if you take advantage of 4-for-3 (buy three and get one free), it's not too expensive. Anyway, I would still prefer to drink the basic beers that came with the kit than buy a pack of Coors/Bud in the store, because the experience of creating and eventually tasting your own homebrew is very enjoyable :)

The good news about this kit is that, if you decide to "graduate" from making basic kits from Mr. Beer, you can still use the supplies (the fermenter, the PET bottles) while customizing your own ingredients, instead of buying Mr. Beer refills. The fermenter is great because it's just 2.5 gallons. It will make about twenty 12-oz. bottles of beer, and quite honestly, this is the best way to go for a lot of people. Most beer kits make 5 gallons of beer (or 45 12-oz. bottles), which is great if you are a hardcore beer drinker or really know what you are doing. But for beginners, making smaller batches is a great way to get your feet wet, and if things go bad (or you don't like a batch for some reason), you are wasting less beer.

My recommendation: If you want to start understanding the basics of brewing beer without forking over a boatload of cash, get this kit. It can always be customized at a later date if you decide to get into more complex brewing. This is a small price to pay to begin learning the homebrew process, and to start enjoying your very own beer.

Also, if you get this kit, take note that although Mr. Beer says its beers are ready to drink within two weeks, you need to give them at least four. They should ferment for two weeks, then transfer to bottles to carbonate/condition for two weeks. It's even recommended to then put them in the fridge for another two weeks before breaking them open.. if you have the self restraint to wait that long :) This is additional conditioning time that allows the flavors to mesh together. You will definitely taste the difference. This is called the 2-2-2 rule (two weeks per stage of brewing).

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!

With the majority of online reviews being positive, decided to give MR. BEER a try. With the first keg arriving Dec., 2010, here's a review with results from using both the Premium & Premium Gold Kits to brew the 3-Beer Mix Variety Pack American Series, the 3-Beer Mix Variety Pack and a West Coast Pale Ale.
Procedures used were: - strict adherance to the sanitizing process - exclusive use of Spring Water (not tap) - fermenting temp. observed above 65 deg. F - minimum bottling temp. 70 deg. F - careful to use all the ingredients (spatula to get every drop from the canned contents) - use of exactly measured plain white sugar for bottling - fermenting and bottling gestation done in complete darkness - used the recommended 2 week interval between all 3 stages.
This is the first time to brew and unlike other reviewers, am no expert but enjoy drinking beer when watching my NFL football games.
The results:
3-Beer Mix Variety Pack American Series
- Classic American Blonde Ale - Being the first brew, the anticipation had me opening the 1st two bottles after 1 1/2 weeks of cold lagering. Clear golden color, good carbonation, good head retention, a tad sweet but extremely tasty. My favorite beer.
- Cowboy Golden Lager - Clear golden color, good carbonation, good head retention, pleasing bitterness w/ nice hoppy aroma. My second favorite beer.
- Bewitched Red Ale - Perfect deep color, good carbonation, excellent head retention, this is the best tasting of this American Series Pack. Enticing aroma and a smooth, tasty beer.
3-Beer Mix Variety Pack International Series
- Oktoberfest Vienna Lager - Dark Ale color, good carbonation, good head retention, almost no bitterness w/ full hoppy aroma (my wife's favorite). Easy drinking beer and my favorite of this series.
- High Country Canadian Draft - Clear golden color, good carbonation, good head retention, pleasing bitterness. Another tasty beer and my second favorite in this series.
- Whispering Wheat Weizenbier - Deep golden color, good carbonation, good head retention, caramel finish. Flavorful but the slight sweetness makes it not one of my favorites.

West Coast Pale Ale - Clear golden color, good carbonation, good head retention. Tastes in between the Classic American Blonde Ale and Cowboy Golden Lager. Weakest flavor among all the brews made but still tastier than light beer.

Preferring American style light (Coors, Bud, Miller) beer, the quality from all the Mr. Beer brews I've made are all tastier. Despite the low published alcohol content, the actual "hit" is very smooth. Don't know were some of the reviewers got their "watery" taste and no "head" opinions. More likely, these sub-standard results were due to their using less than ideal sanitazion conditions, using tap chlorinated water, and/or rushing the brewing process.
Got a lot of good tips from various online reviews, which minimized/eliminated mistakes. When one batch of beer is ready for bottling, reserve yourself 3 hours to bottle starting from a fully fermented keg, then re-clean, re-sanitize and have another brew batch inside the keg to start re-fermenting. My greatest advise would be to take your time in all aspects. It will result in a home made beer you can be proud off. Am using 3 fermenting kegs to get brewing into full production. Saving money is one thing, but drinking terrific tasting beer is the all-important consideration. My days of buying retail beer are history thanks to Mr. Beer and Amazon's great service.

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.

This was my first attempt at home brewing. The process is incredibly quick & easy since all you need to add is water - no need to buy your own hops, barley, etc since this all comes in the beer mix.

For optimal results, wait the full 4 weeks (if you have enough patience!). Let the initial mix sit for 2 weeks, and then let sit in the bottles for another 2 weeks for optimal flavor, alcohol content & carbonation.

The only negative is the top cover which is not water tight. You really need to thoroughly stir the beer mix or a lot of sentiment will float to the bottom which will take away from the flavor. But a lot of liquid seeps through the top during this process. Also, the included plastic bottles aren't very pretty to look at. I'd recommend going to Mr Beer's website & picking up some of their glass bottles with the flip tops.

This is a good inexpensive and easy to use home brew kit. The only recommendation I would make is to go with the 2-2-2 principle. You should ferment for two weeks, carbonate for two weeks & condition for two weeks for best flavor. You can try it sooner but, it won't have the best flavor. Also, the deluxe refill packs are easier to use & they taste better. Furthermore, remember to sanitize everything that will come in contact with your brew and enjoy your beers!

If you are seriously interested in creating great homebrew beer, then this kit is NOT for you. I've been making homebrew beer for about 1.5 years. I was given a Mr Beer kit as a gift and tried making two different styles of beer. The first was a pale ale, and the second was an oatmeal stout. The pail ale was just OK, and the stout was undrinkable. To make a long story short... the Mr Beer kit cuts some important corners in the brewing process at the expense of the quality of the beer.

Mr Beer Kit Pros:
- The plastic bottle are actually pretty good. I still use them with my 5 gallon homebrew kit occasionally.
- The kit is small and doesn't consume as much space as a standard full size homebrew setup.

Mr Beer Kit Cons:
- Must purchase the Mr Beer ingredients, as the kit is not a standard size. Standard kits make 5 gallons.
- Has a very, very, crude air lock on the fermenter, so Oxygen gets to the beer and spoils it quickly
- Don't know the quality of the ingredients. The yeast could be old and useless resulting in ruined beer
- Lots of other basic issues, but the three above are enough to not to buy this kit...

Other Thoughts:

I was ready to give up on homebrewing after my Mr Beer experience, but my wife convinced me to try a "real" kit. Since getting a real 5 gallon kit, I've had great success (9 very good brews, 0 bad) and actually enjoy brewing and so do my family and friends who partake in the end result. Consider putting your money towards a 5 gallon kit sold by any homebrew supply store or here on Amazon. Consider the following:

Basic but acceptable kit that has everything needed for your first brew, and can be upgraded later: New Brewers Complete Homebrew Beer Making Kit by Monster Brew

Better kit... but bottles (48 needed per batch), caps, and beer ingredients not included: Gold Complete Beer Equipment Kit (K6) with 6 Gallon Glass Carboy

If you like to read and really want to learn about beer... How to Brew: Everything You Need To Know To Brew Beer Right The First Time

Finally, I recommend additional ingredient kits from Midwest supplies (google it) out of St Louis Park, MN. They are excellent quality and have lots of options.