Customer Reviews

The Beer Machine Model 2000

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

i have made 3 batches with it and everyone has come out perfect. just add the mix water and a packet of brewers yeast and even a small packet of baking yeast will work. its easy no mess and you dont need to add any sugar unlike its lower priced ugly cousin mr beer. the only recomenation i have is when you pour half of it with water then add the mix stir it untill almost disolved then add more water. make sure its alittle warmer then room tempature. alot of it will disolve. then add the yeast and wait about 5 days then put it in the fridge for 10 and it will be perfect.

There is only one good thing about this product. It introduces a lot of people to the joy of homebrewing. However, after purchasing 3 of these (thinking I would give them away as gifts), and then using all of them due to the ongoing array of problems I had, I decided NOT to pass this poor product on to people I care about. I have lost lots of beer because the gasket leaked; or because the pressure release valve failed, or because the carbonation valve stuck, etc. I have replaced each of these only to have them go out again, in mere weeks. Shipping for these very small items is $10 each time. Ridiculous.

The beer isn't bad. The concept is great. The product really sucks. Get a normal brewing kit. You'll make much better beer, enjoy the fact that everything works, and save yourself a lot of time and headaches. I wish I had paid attention to those who wrote negatively here. I would be hundreds of dollars ahead. I love brewing beer at home. But my miserable experience with three beer machines need not be your own. Get a Coopers or a kit from any homebrewing store. You WILL thank me. If only I had listened...

If you're looking for something that makes decent beer 1 or 2 times, then makes some great brown sugar, THIS IS FOR YOU. Otherwise, pass. Worked well the first couple of times I used it, now it doesn't hold pressure and makes syrup. Customer service is pretty weak as well. I think they KNOW they have a flawed product, but would rather not admit it. This thing is worth about $25. If you can get it for that, go for it, otherwise, don't waste your money

I got this as a gift a couple of years ago. I was able to brew one batch (mediocre beer at best) but never got it to work again.

The barrel is split in half and part of the procedure to make the beer is to put it together with a big o-ring and then pressure test it (a "soap bubble test").

It leaked every time after that! I had them send a new o-ring and everything but never got it to work again. I ended up giving up and throwing it away.

What can I say -- it works! The trickiest part is assembling the unit so as to contain pressure. I had to assemble it twice to get it right, but the patience paid off. Once you are past that hurdle, the rest is simple. My beer feremnted quickly and clarified nicely. The directions are straightforward. The beer tasted real good, like a true microbrew. Very clean and light with a distinct hoppy aftertaste. And the stock formula had quite an alcohol kick! Wow.

The unit suggests bleach cleaning but everyone else on the web says "beware". I picked up some formulas and one step cleaners from Mr. Beer that should work fine in the Beer Machine.

The Beer Machine arrived on Friday, 6-27-08, and by Saturday afternoon I had it assembled and a batch of beer in the works. Before starting on the assembly procedure I thoroughly read the entire manual, not a huge feat as it's only a few pages long, so as to give myself every opportunity to get it right. I had seen the bad write-ups from people whose units wouldn't seal, but I had also watched the video at the Beer Machine homepage from a television news program showing two guys putting a unit together successfully and trying the beer a couple of weeks later. Assembly went pretty smooth except that I forgot to put the float and tube in the first time and had to take it back apart. The keg is in two pieces, an upper and lower half, which join together via sliding locks with a silicone gasket providing the seal between the halves. Getting the seal seated in the bottom half groove is not difficult, but you must pay attention and make sure it really is seated all the way around. There are no helpful photos in the manual to show you just how the seal should fit, so you are pretty well left to guesstimate. The instructions tell you that the seal may be warmed up if needed to make it more pliable, but mine was at room temperature and very workable already. Once put together it was time to pressure test the beast. The only places the manual suggests you check for leaks are around the spigot, the CO2 charger, and the cap on top of the unit. My unit showed no leaks in any of these areas, so it was on to sanitizing. Here I took a side road and used Star-San rather than bleach. Bleach requires an awful lot of rinsing to get rid of the taste and odor while Star-San requires no rinsing at all. Finally, it was time to start my first Beer Machine brew. The unit shipped with a mix called "Golden Lager" and that is what I used. An aside here...the instructions make no mention of fermenting a lager at anything less than room temperature and it became apparent why when I put the mix in the machine: the yeast they supplied is ale yeast. If all of their lager mixes ship with ale yeast, then you will have no real lagers...unless you choose to supply your own lager yeast and ferment at lager temperatures. Of course, you don't have to use their mixes at all...just be aware that you will need to buy defoamer disks and possibly some CO2 cartridges (both of which are packaged with their beer mixes) separately if you make your own wort. Six hours after starting the brew I noticed some very slow dripping occurring along one side of the machine where the two halves join. Since I had set the unit on top of a bath towel it wasn't going to damage anything, but it was disappointing to see the leak. Rather than jumping the gun I ignored it until Sunday morning. Great! By early Sunday morning the leak had stopped and the tank was beginning to build pressure from the fermentation that had obviously started (I hadn't added any CO2 myself). By Sunday afternoon the pressure gauge was nearing 8-psi and I knew I was in business! Monday morning and the pressure has hit 10 psi, but so far no bubbles being released by the regulator. Based on the fact that the pressure gauge is not coded red until 15 psi, I will assume that the regulator is set a couple psi below 15. It wasn't completely odor-free until the pressure built up past about 5 psi; but the little bit of aroma coming from it was much like fresh-baked bread, a smell I like. Ten hours later, after work, it is still at 10 psi. Perhaps it has hit a plateau and will simply remain at this pressure from here on out. Something the directions didn't mention and I didn't do is aerating the wort before pitching the yeast. I have an Oxynater and will try it on my second batch so that I can compare fermentation of the two batches. Tuesday morning, 4:00 A.M., still at 10 psi. This must be the working pressure of this batch and should be high enough to produce good carbonation after refrigeration. I will be out of town for the next three days, so I won't be checking The beer Machine anymore until Thursday night. As soon as I walked in the door Thursday evening I checked the gauge and found the pressure was down to 8 psi. I drew a very small sample of the beer and tasted it. There was a slight sweetness to it, but I am not familiar enough with the recipe to know if this is to be expected or if it indicates the need of further fermentation. I decided to give it another day before putting in the refrigerator. Friday, July 4th: I tried another small taste of the beer and found that the sweetness was gone. The keg pressure was down to 6 psi, so I shot enough CO2 into it to get it back up to 10 psi and then put the unit in the refrigerator. In a week or so I will be ready to do a real taste test. Monday July 7th - I have been keeping an eye on the CO2 pressure daily and adding as needed to keep it up around 10 psi. My first CO2 cartridge is depleted, so I installed a second one. I tried a small glass of the beer and found it a bit low on carbonation and without much head; however, it is beginning to clarify and has a good taste already! A few more days under pressure in the fridge should do the trick. The color is shaping up to be a light golden hue much like Bud Light. The aroma has a slight yeastiness to it, but that is to be expected since the yeast is still in the keg. I know from experience that this beer will improve over the next couple of weeks if it lasts that long (not likely with me around!) and since this review is not about the beer so much as it is about the machine the time has come for me to wrap it up. I am quite impressed with The Beer Machine and believe that it lives up to the assertions of the manufacturer. In just over a week I have a batch of beer that is every bit drinkable right now and will get even better over the next few days. The amount of mess and cleanup involved in brewing with this device is on a par with cooking a small meal...a big departure from the conventional methods of brewing a kit beer! Take your time, assemble it properly, pressure test it, and you will quickly be rewarded with good beer. If you can resist the urge to drink all of your beer at the ten-day mark you will find that an additional one to three weeks will improve it dramatically! Remember: you can bottle your beer and start another batch while your first one is aging. By the time your second batch is ready to bottle your first batch will be ready to drink.

The Beer Machine isn't for everybody. If you are looking to get started in brewing and want to make large batches (5-6 gallons), then there are other systems you should take a look at; but for someone who wants to brew smaller batches and doesn't want to spend a couple hours boiling and then cooling wort followed by some serious cleanup this product deserves consideration. It provides for fermentation and carbonation all in the same vessel and makes bottling your beer a choice rather than a necessity. It's not large and bulky and doesn't require much room while in use...it's also not an eyesore sitting in the refrigerator and is bound to elicit some comments from just about everyone who sees it. The nifty float mechanism inside makes sure your beer doesn't come from the bottom of the keg where trub would be picked up and sent straight to your glass of brew. I already have a good selection of brewery items, including a RIMS, but wanted an easy, non-messy way to do occasional small batches. The Beer Machine fits the bill nicely!

July 25, 2008 Update:
My enthusiasm for this unit was somewhat "dampened" about a week after I initially wrote this review. Fermentation and the first week of refrigeration went without a hitch, but then the unit began losing pressure and I found the inside of my refrigerator getting very wet. I still think it is a pretty good idea and I am going to try some alternative sealing methods in the hopes of finding a reliable solution. On the other hand, I may fit my 3-gallon corny keg with a 12-psi relief valve and use it instead. I know it seals good and is easily pressurized for dispensing and it would be fairly easy to locate the liquid tube high enough to avoid sending trub to my glass, or else fit it with a float like the one used in the Beer Machine.

I hesitated to buy it after I reviewed all the comments here. However because there are only a few choices for homebrew and this one is the best I decided to buy one on my local store instead of online in case I need to return.
After assembling a few times I still saw the slow leak and I almost gave up. In the end I wanted to give it another try before I returned it. I fill the beer machine with water to the mark level on the machine. Injected CO2 to add pressure inside the beer machine. Then I grabbed a bigger storage box and filled water. I put the beer machine inside the storage box full of water. I finally found that the gas leak came from the pre-installed gauge. I just used wrench to tighten the gauge and tested it again in the water and monitored it for a while. This time there was no bubble coming out at all. After that I put the beer mix and sealed the machine. After 12hr I saw the pressure reached 10 PSI and next day the pressure reached its limit 15 PSI. Later the pressure kept 15 PSI and I could smell because the machine valve release gas in order to keep it under 15 PSI.
In the 5th day the pressure was down to 12 PSI and I knew the fermentation was almost done. I tapped a little bit and it tasted flat beer. I put it in the refrigerator and from second day I started to drink my draft beer. It is very good taste and all my hard work paid off.
Yesterday I started my second batch and now the pressure reached 12 PSI. In less than one week I can drink my second draft beer. Cheers!
This beer machine won't work without putting your own effort. It is important to test it before you use it.
Solution:Put the beer machine inside water and find/fix any leak. After that you can enjoy your draft beer.
The review here helped me a lot and I want to share my experience too.

I've read all the posts here and I'm puzzled by those who call it junk. I've been brewing in my machine for several years and I'm considering a 2nd machine so that I don't have to wait for my batch to finish to enjoy good beer economically.
To be certain, one must get the process down to an art. By now I don't much have to think about what I'm doing, I just do it and complete my work in about 40 minutes. Learning curve issues are these: you must do the pressure test. My first batch I thought I'd save some time by skipping that. Not good. I ruined the batch because the seal wasn't good. The seal is the most important thing to get right. Do it carefully and triple check your work. My first few batches I had some difficulty getting the seal right, but now I virtually never have a seal issue because I've got the process down. An important tip to getting the seal right is to make sure the seal is dry before you try to apply it to the seating. I've never gotten a good seal when trying to apply it with even a drop of water anywhere on the seal. Just make sure it is completely dry and you'll be a much more successful and happier brewer.
Once you've done your pressure test it gets pretty easy. Do your sanitizing, (I use a bit of bleach with a 1/3 keg of water and rinse it well) and then add the room temp water about 1/3 full the add the mix and then complete the fill of room temp water. I have found that if I use water that is a smidgen warmer than room temp that I'll get a quicker fermentation process. I've got that part down to where it will be bubbling in about 8 hours after mixing. I imagine that if you use water that is too warm you can create problems. Generally in three days the fermentation subsides, but it can be as long as 5 days. Each batch depends on what you do temp wise. Then I chill it for at least 3 days, but you'll get much better clarity in 5 days. I just can't wait that long.
Equipment issues: I had to replace a seal once in several years. I think that is pretty reasonable. The co2 unit, on the other hand, I replace about everty 15-20 batches because the unit seems to let the cartridge bleed itself empty after it gets old. Perhaps there is a solution to that, but I haven't found one.
Beer quality: I'm a beer snob. This is good tasting beer, it really is, and I think I've tried all the mixes. There is a down side however. The beer tends to be flatter than I would like it to be. I called the manufacturer to see if perhaps I was doing something wrong and his response was that it is supposed to be that way. I disagree with his assesment that beer is supposed to be that way, but whatever. I tolerate the low carbonation because the taste is good enough to overlook that aspect.
Oh, I recommend a spare bathtub to put your batch in while brewing, just in case you have a seal issue. Also you can control the temp better there. I use a space heater and pull the shower curtain closed to keep the temp around 75F. The bathroom smells like fresh bread, mmmm. Using the spare bathtub doesn't thrill my other half, but we have an understanding.
To those who have harsh words for this machine I can only surmise that they didn't have the patience to get it right. Yes I had a couple of frustrating mishaps in my first few batches, but it is clear sailing now. To call this junk is a complete misrepresentation IMHO.
After several years of using the Beer Machine I would not hesitate to recommend it to the patient learner.

Not happy with this product. While I do like the beer mixes associated with this gizmo (makes me feel like I'm a real home-brewer but keeps to my short attention span), the keg itself is poor. Keeping it sealed is extremely difficult; the clamps stretch, requiring a variety of work-arounds (my final attempt involved a dozen C-clamps). I've had it leak on so many tries that I invariably put it in the bathtub for fermentation. If they had made the top lid bigger, and made the keg a single piece, it would be a good design--in it's current setup...lousy!

I have cannibalized the keg, and now use the internal float (that keeps you from drawing sludge into your glass) and the CO2 cartridge adapter (which has standard threads) for use in my new setup.

Do yourself a favor and spend the same amount on a used corny keg...

I lived in Germany for a few years while in the military and a few friends got into the home brewing craze. Back then, I thought it was a waste of my time. After buying this little brewer, I wish I would have jumped on the band wagon a lot sooner! If you're a beer lover and ever considered trying to brew your own, this is a great little machine. This thing is pretty cool and very easy to operate - and it's fun watching people's reactions when you tell them it's your own brew;) I'm just hoping they come out with more types of mixes - a weitzen or dunkel would be nice.