D Kristof

Are you holding out on us or will you be sharing those tips?

I have used the white labs hefe yeast and will again this weekend. I use this as the base beer for my pawpaw Heffeweizen. I still have 2lbs of frozen pawpaws in the kitchen freezer. SWMBO has requested I use them a.s.a.p.

Ditto.

OK. You've brewed a couple dozen MrB recipes. Good. If you want to learn the science find a copy of John Palmer's book. If you want to make the magic happen, we can help you do that. Malt extracts are made by allowing barley to begin germination and heating it to stop the growth and to dry it out. How they heat it, how hot they heat it, and how long affects the color, the taste and it's ability to convert starch into sugars. There are many sources available online which will explain the processes in detail. For a self education course you only need a few ounces of a base grain such as 2 row, Maris Otter, Pilsner, etc. MrBeer sell them in small quantities for additions to their recipes. The process from there is quite simple actually. If you have a large pyrex measuring cup heat 2 cups of water to 160 degrees. Add the grain to the water in the measuring cup and stir it to wet all of the grains. The next step is the hard part, you wait. After 10 minutes stir the grain and water again with an ordinary teaspoon. Taste a spoonful. Wait 10 more minutes and repeat. What you should experience is an amazing transformation. As time passes, the water will begin to taste sweeter. The malted barley contains enzymes which convert the starches in the barley seeds into sugars. The brewer controls the temperature of his mash to create the types of sugar. At temperatures near 160 degrees the sugars being created are typically not consumed by most brewers yeasts. These sugars give the brewed beer texture (I tell people to think of how whole milk feels in their mouth). At temperatures around 145 degrees most of the sugars created are easily consumed by yeast. The resulting beer will be drier (Think of how skim milk feels in your mouth). Most recipes typically call for the water to be held at 152 degrees to create a balance. The end result is wort similar to what you have with malt extracts. Simply stated malt extracts are dehydrated wort. This is an oversimplification but it's enough to get you started down the path to having a more thorough understanding of brewing.

The only thing that has changed is they're taking a more militant stance on how to brew their products. Over many years people have turned to other MrBeer brewers on this forum. Because we're all brewing under different circumstances, and having different results, the directions were revised to allow more people to have more success. Times have changed. Personnel have changed. The opinion of their long time customers has changed.

If his temperatures are correct, all I can think of is the bottles must be leaking. If his fermentation temperatures were higher than he thinks, there's more off gasing and less residual carbonation when he bottled. If he's lower on his carbonation and conditioning temperatures than he thinks, that contributes also.

No carbonation, no head, or no head and no carbonation?

They still haven't pinned this have they...

One of the most confusing aspects for new brewers. MrBeer products are brewed using an ale yeast. This is because the ale yeast does not require the strict temperature control that a lager yeast requires. The HME with the ale yeast will taste similar to an identical brew with a lager yeast. The intention is for you to brew beer with a taste within the style range of the labeled HME. If you're a stickler on semantics call it Oktoberfest Ale if you like. I have brewed it both ways and none could tell which was which.

The yeast provide the B vitamins which your body normally flushes out when it processes alcohol. No B vitamin deficiency, less chance of s hangover.

There's never a dumb question, unless the resident guru ( @RickBeer) declares it to be so.

"Plus , if you buy MRB yeast on its own, it is half the cost of the oth er yeasts, making me doubt its quality" Don't disparage the Coopers yeast from down unda the lid, because it is a great yeast. I use it more often than I do US04 or US05. I hold my fermentation temperatures at 63 degrees and its a clean yeast. I let my fermentation temperatures rise to 68 and IMO similar to a British ale yeast. If you think about all of the novice brewers using MrBeer products and their kegs are on a kitchen counter probably in the low 70's and they're making passable beer... most other yeasts are more fickle and have a more narrow temperature range.

Now that you've heard a couple opinions... probably more to come. I could show you a youtube link of John Palmer brewing a Belgian Tripel. Watched it a couple weeks ago and he adds 2 lbs of sugar but that would only prove nothing is set in stone. If it was my beer, I would use 1/2 cup of light brown sugar and 1/2 cup of table sugar. My first alternate recipe modifications would be to replace the sugar with MrBeers liquid malt extracts.

Brown sugar is actually processed sugar with molasses added for color. The yeast will readily eat the sugar and leave the molasses which causes the licorice taste. With processed sugar, if you don't control the temperatures it could cause an apple cider flavor. Palmer's concerns if I remember correctly are twofold. First, not all sugars are alike. Some are junk food for the yeast. After eating the junk food the yeast might not be as willing to eat the malt sugars. Secondly is the possibility of the cider flavor.

I would just use them in the LBK. as for a point of reference, I never do a 2 gallon batch, I top around 2 1/2 gallons. the volume difference has a negligible impact on the ABV, I'm interested in the taste differences and bottle count.