BeerBorg

Hey Gang, not a real new brewer here ,but never paid much attention to rules as such. So, if I use 2 x Mr. Beer HME straight up what will my final results be. For example using a Mr. Beer Pilsner,and a American Lite,do I double the 3.7% abv to make it 7.4% abv or what will the abv be?.And do I add the IBU 27+ 11,and this is what bittering my brew will consist of? My recipes come from adding different hops and steeping grains to brew 2.5 gallon batches,but SWMBO,purchased me the complete Mr. Beer Line and the Hard Cider Kit (bless her heart) for X-Mas,so I have to show her what I'm gonna brew with all of these HMEs. HHHEEEEELLLLLPPPPP

Well it wouldn't have really been a 3.7%, more like 3.2% so you'll probably get 6% or so. I've done this, and it works ok, especially if one of the cans in Classic Amer Light (CAL). The IBU will be additive too, so it may be more bitter than you'll like. I never did the Pilsner, but I've done the Patriot HME with a CAL HME. A very easy way to compute you're final ABV is to take a gravity when you make it (before the yeast goes in the LBK) and one when you bottle it after 3 weeks in the LBK. Then there is a simple calculation that will tell you the ABV. Get a hydrometer, you'll need it eventually, and they are inexpensive.

ALso remember you may need to bottle condition it a bit more than 4 weeks because of the higher ABV.

Monty

Go to www.screwybrewer.com and download Qbrew and you can figure out any combination for yourself. In general, most of us advocating chasing taste, not ABV.

You may also want to go to the recipe section on the Mr. Beer website. They have quite a few different recipes that combine HME's. You may want to use that as a starting point if you have one of everything. Then just fill in the other ingredients (hops, LME, etc) from your LHBS.

Mr. Beer Recipes

RickBeer wrote:Go to http://www.screwybrewer.com and download Qbrew and you can figure out any combination for yourself. In general, most of us advocating chasing taste, not ABV.

I second this. You also have to add the Screweybrewer database, but it's easy and the instructions are right on the website.

Weissbier and CAL (Wild Wheat recipe) is pretty nice.

Hellyeah!~

I use QBrew and I love it's simplicity. Screwy keeps the database updated with all the OLD MR B and NEW MrB HMES and hops combos as well.