Customer Reviews

Mr. Beer Sticky Wicket Oatmeal Stout Refill Brew Pack

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I waited to comment on this until the beer was ready- the Oatmeal Stout I ordered is perfect, and cheaper to ship (free, since it was sold by amazon) than any other seller I could find. The premium mr beer refills are a marked improvement from the standard ones. I recommend the "sticky wicket" for anybody interested in Mr Beer homebrewing who enjoys a dark beer.

I like to modify my brews and this one was no exception. I was going for a mocha stout. I added 1/2c molasses 1/2c brown sugar, and 3tbls of dutch process baking cocao. Then at the bottling stage added and ounce and a half of espresso to each bottle. The chocolate flavor is pretty subtle, and the coffee flavor is mostly aroma. I definitely plan to brew this one again with a few modifications. Please note that I fermented for 3 weeks, warm conditioned for 2, and cold conditioned for 1. The flavors mellow out with extra conditioning time. I may have to brew this one as is to find out what mr beer intended it to taste like. Keep in mind whenever you add more fermentable sugars it increases your fermenting time. There are far too many people that rush their beer making resulting in less than satisfying results. I personally have 2 batches going at all times, and may end up doing 3.

This is my first brew with my Mr Beer system, and I'm very impressed! I fermented it for two weeks, had it in bottles for five weeks, and chilled it for two days before opening... It's extremely dark (basically black), and has great flavor. The only downside is that it's a bit lacking in body, which some other Mr Beer users have suggested solving by using "steeping grains". It's a pretty easy thing to do, and should greatly improve the quality... I'll be doing that on the next batch, but I wanted to try one "as-is" so I'd have a baseline.

Overall, highly recommended! Dark beers are my favorite, and this one is great!

This beer is very dark with a tan head that dissipates quickly with some lacing. The smell is of roasted grains. Mouthful is smooth for such a dark beer, an added benefit of the oats used to make the LME. Taste is of typical flavors associated with stout including coffee, bitter chocolate and toffee.

I tweak this kit by steeping 2-3 ounces of roasted grains such as chocolate or roasted barley, adding a pound of dark DME and a 20-25 minute boil of Willamette hops, adding some bitterness to balance the sweetness added by the extra malt, and taking the volume up to 2.4 gallons. It's become a staple in my fridge and all of my friends who enjoy stout love this one.

As far as the kit, as is, at 2.1 gallons, it's a little on the weak side at only 3.9% ABV, but the flavor is all there. If you want an easy way to boost the ABV and add some subtle depth to the flavor, try boiling a quarter to a half pound of brown sugar before adding the cans of extract.

These premium refills are a real bargain if you take advantage of the 4/3 and free shipping offers and the product itself is outstanding.

I purchased the Mr. Beer system, along with this refill pack as a gift for my boyfriend. We expected it to be a fun/funny endeavor but had low expectations for the quality of beer. Wow - we have been converted! This beer was absolutely delicious, and even better than many of the local microbrews that we can buy at retail. We are already brewing our second batch and can't wait to share with our friends!

This is great beer that tastes like an oatmeal or chocolate stout but has a light body more like Guinness. The beer is pretty lifeless if served too cold, but let it warm up to 50 degrees or so and it smooths out a lot and has nice notes of chocolate and a hint coffee.

I all grain. Sometimes I like to brew a one off for a different flavor, or for a specific event. With St Patties coming up, this would be an easy choice. This beer enjoys a bit of extra time in the fermenter, and even an extra few weeks in the bottle to mellow the sweetness. Once ripe, she is better than guiness for my tastes.

The Oatmeal stout is a solid beer on its own and is a step up from the normal Mr. Beer refills. If this is one of your first Mr. Beer batches, leave it as-is. Make sure to let it ferment, condition and lager for at least 2 - 3 weeks on each step. If you've done other Mr. Beer refills, I suggest adding other ingredients (UME, hops etc) as others have mentioned. Check out some of the Mr. Beer forums around the net for other ideas on how to make your Sticky Wicket your own.