Brewing beer at home is simpler than you think. If you can follow simple instructions and use common kitchen items, plus a Mr. Beer kit, you can easily brew a batch of great-tasting beer right at home.
The steps below are for brewing the basic ingredients included with Mr. Beer kits. We’ll walk through the full process: preparing your equipment, sanitizing, brewing, fermenting, bottling, and finally enjoying your beer.
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What You’ll Need to Brew Beer
Before you start, gather your brewing equipment and ingredients.
- Brewing pot for use on your stove, at least 1-gallon capacity
- 2-gallon fermenter
- Purified refrigerated water
- Mr. Beer No-Rinse Cleanser
- Whisk
- Stirring spoon
- Mr. Beer Hopped Malt Extract
- Mr. Beer Brewing Yeast, found under the lid of your hopped malt extract
- Mr. Beer Booster or LME, optional depending on your recipe
- Bottles
- Carbonation Drops or sugar for bottling
Prepare
Set out your ingredients and equipment before you begin. Make sure your fermenter, spoon, whisk, scissors, bottles, and any other tools you plan to use are ready to be sanitized.
This small prep step makes brew day easier. Once your water is heating and ingredients are open, you don’t want to stop and search for a spoon, scissors, or a clean workspace.
Sanitize
Your brewing equipment can never be too clean. Sanitizing is one of the most important steps in making good beer at home.
Before you begin brewing, fill your fermenter with one gallon of water and add half of the included packet of Mr. Beer No-Rinse Cleanser. Use this solution on your brewing equipment, including the fermenter, spoon, whisk, scissors, and anything else that may touch your beer during the process.
Save the remaining half-packet of cleanser for bottling day.
Brew
Now it’s time to make the wort. Wort is the unfermented beer mixture that becomes beer after fermentation.
- Place your pot on the stove with the heat off and add 4 cups of water.
- If your kit contains Booster packets, add them to the cool water and stir until dissolved.
- Bring the water to a boil. Once boiling, remove the pot from the heat.
- Open the can of brewing extract and pour it into your pot of hot water.
- Stir with a sanitized spoon until fully combined.
- If your kit includes LME packets, add them with the can of brewing extract.
Ferment
Fermentation is where the real transformation happens. Yeast turns your wort into beer.
- Add cold water to your fermenter up to Line 1. This is approximately 1 gallon of water.
- Pour your wort into the fermenter.
- Add more cold water until you reach Line 2 on your fermenter. This brings your total volume to approximately 2 gallons.
- Stir with a sanitized whisk.
- Sprinkle in your included packet of yeast.
- Screw on the lid.
For most basic Mr. Beer recipes, fermentation is typically complete in about two weeks.
Bottle
After fermentation is complete, it’s time to bottle and carbonate your beer.
- Sanitize your bottles and caps by mixing the remaining portion of the no-rinse cleanser with one gallon of water in a large bowl.
- Rinse each bottle with sanitizer and empty the excess back into the bowl.
- Prime your bottles for carbonation by adding Carbonation Drops or sugar to each sanitized bottle.
- Fill each bottle with beer, leaving about an inch of space at the top.
- Cap each bottle as you go.
- Place your bottles in a warm area, around 72–75°F, to condition for 2–3 weeks.
- After conditioning, place your beer in the refrigerator for 24–48 hours before drinking.
Enjoy Your First Batch
That’s it. You just made your first batch of beer. Once your bottles are chilled, pour carefully into a glass, leaving any sediment behind in the bottle. Then sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labor.
Cheers!
Start Brewing with a Complete KitFrequently Asked Questions About Making Beer
New to homebrewing? These quick answers cover the basics before you start your first batch.
Is it hard to make beer at home?
No. With a Mr. Beer kit, making beer at home is designed to be simple for beginners. The process uses prepared brewing ingredients, basic equipment, and step-by-step instructions.
What are the basic steps to making beer?
The basic Mr. Beer process is prepare, sanitize, brew, ferment, bottle, and enjoy.
How long does it take to make beer at home?
The active brewing process usually takes less than an hour. After that, beer typically ferments for about two weeks and conditions in bottles for another 2–3 weeks before it is ready to chill and enjoy.
What equipment do I need to brew beer?
You need a fermenter, brewing ingredients, yeast, sanitizer, bottles, carbonation drops or sugar, and a few common kitchen items like a pot, spoon, and whisk.
Can I make beer without a full homebrew setup?
Yes. A Mr. Beer kit is designed to let beginners make beer without a complicated homebrew setup or advanced brewing equipment.
When is my beer ready to drink?
After fermentation and bottle conditioning are complete, refrigerate your beer for 24–48 hours before drinking. Chilling helps the beer carbonate properly and improves the final pour.
