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I received a MrBeer kit as a regift. It had been in a hot attic for several years. Yeast was still good. Dry yeast is tougher than we're lead to believe.

@Cammanron no worries. i would just use table sugar then. 1/2 tsp for every 12 oz. i have a little funnel that i use, or you can make one out of paper or something like that.

my wda is a success. i bottled on tuesday 11/12 after cold crashing for 3 days. filled 10 750ml bottles and i had about 8 oz left over. it had a great taste. i'll try the trub bottle after 4 weeks. thanks for all the help folks, i was close to tossing this batch.

Boy i tell you, this week... unexpected $800 car bill, my toilet is clogged, we got put on mandatory overtime, ITS WINTER ALL OF A SUDDEN. All these things dragging me down. But then the ups man shows up with an early xmas present from a friend and theres two beer kits in the box. Things are looking up

Final brew day notes: I added a little more than half a tsp lactic acid near the end of the boil to target a pH of 4.5. OG was 1.053. K-97 fermentation wasted no time taking off and it looks like I have made beer.

I'm just a little surprised that I liked this post before @MRB-Pat, @MRB-Robert, @MRB-Tyson, @MRB-Zach, or @MRB-Rick did.

This always reminds me of the 2018 MUG meet up

I would say that the Mr. Beer yeast that came with the can is fine to use.

Oh, I wouldn't fully say that... I mean, the beers that I make that I know I love, I hated how fast they would with a 5 gal batches, let alone a 2.5 gal batch. There is something really nice about having the ability to do much bigger batches of the ones you want, while still being able to do smaller batches if you chose. True that! However, I like to think my time is worth something as well and it is MUCH faster to keg than it is to bottle...

First of all, What @RickBeer said above. There is no reason to go away from 2.5 gallon batches. I do All Grain brewing with a propane burner and still 90 percent of my batches are 2.5 gallon. If I find something that I really like and I am totally satisfied with the recipe, then I will make 5 gallons of it the second time. Incidentally, I have 1 beer that I have reached that point. I hear lots of brewers say "2.5 gallons is a waste, it takes just as long to brew as 5 gallons. This is true but if the recipe isn't right you only have 1 case of bad beer to choke down or give away. Also, your heart may be whispering "Keg, Keg your beer young man" but I'll bet your wallet is still screaming "bottle". Also, some things to consider with Kegging. Unless you invest a small fortune in a 6 or 8 tap kegerator. You will be stuck drinking one or two beers until gone and then you can put something else on tap. I also, still bottle and will for as long as I still want to go to the fridge and choose from 10 to 12 beers at any given time. Just my $.02.

I have two pieces of advice. 1) Slow down. 2) Utilize Google. In the world of professional breweries, if you ask people that opened a brewery what one of their top regrets is, the answer often given is "We should have gone bigger to begin with". Yes, they regret putting in a size X brewery when they quickly needed a size Y brewery. #2 on the list would be they regret not properly sizing the building to fit their size Y brewery that they now need... In the world of homebrewing, you'll find time and time again where people buy X, then soon after realize they should have bought Y. Many then buy Y, and X sits in the basement or is sold at a big loss. I know a professional brewer that has an entire storeroom at home full of homebrewing equipment demonstrating his impetuous nature. While it's fun to race forward, unless you're made of money you should slow down and read more. There is a ton of information out there. Then, when you know what you want to buy, research prices, and possibly wait for a great sale.