So I inherited a Mr. Beer container and some equipment. Since I’m a big fan of alcohol in mass quantities and not having to pay for things, I thought this might be fun.
I have ingredients for two brews. My first one was a blonde ale. I made it according to the directions, which I later learned are sorely inaccurate. It does not have the right timing, it doesn’t have the right amount of priming sugar to add.
I did some things wrong on my own too. I didn’t sanitize the bottles sufficiently. I may not have cleaned the keg enough. And I have no idea how old the yeast I used was. Still, this is an experiment in beer-making — hence the term: protobeer.
The result? Well… it’s drinkable, I guess. It tastes like mineral water. Or a poor man’s version of Pabst Blue Ribbon. It’s cidery and watery at the same time. Personally, I was just happy that it was carbonated. And there is alcohol in there, so that’s good.
My next phase after following the included instructions is to make beer following the real instructions. I will also be using unhopped malt instead of a booster pouch. I have no idea what the difference is in terms of taste, so that’ll be fun.
