Yes, Santa supprised me w/ a Mr Beer Kit! Looking to brew my first batch. Using 1 can HME & 1 can UME and want to use some Wyeast liquid yeast (145 grams), but do I use 1 pack or two??

Also, should I throw the Booster in there for a higher Abv??

Thanks for the help, and sorry if these are covered somewhere already.

One pack of Wyeast is more than enough for a Mr Beer sized batch.
You could use the booster to up the ABV but you are thinning out the malt and could cause some cidery flavors.

And reading this post http://www.mrbeerfans.com/ubbthreads/ubb...html#Post207387 might be of assistance to you.

Great, thanks Banjoman!

Well, if he's got 2 cans of malt, and a full pack of Wyeast Activator, he's shouldn't get cidery flavors if he has anything resembling good temp control and aeration, just by adding one package of booster.

Nor is he really "thinning" out the malt...he's just adding more fermentables (and unfermentables...remember, booster is 20% dextrins). With enough malt and yeast; and good aeration, sanitation and temp control, adding a package of booster to an already good recipe will do very little other than add some extra ABV. The flavors will only very slightly change, and it may need a bit more conditioning time.

The problems with booster almost universally arise when using it INSTEAD of malt...like using it with just one can of HME and nothing else. That WILL result in a thin beer. But if you add it to a recipe with TWO cans of malt, and pitch enough yeast, you'll end up with an excellent beer that isn't any thinner than the recipe would have been if you hadn't added the booster!

Oh, and welcome to the forum! Don't hesitate to introduce yourself over in the welcoming center.

Thanks Jon.. I may try my first batch w/ two cans of malt, and then another batch w/ 2 cans of malt and the booster to compare.

Oh and I'll be sure and stop by the welcoming center. Thanks again to you both.

Sorry Banjo but I totally agree with Jon. I think the main difference will be the buzz factor (more alcohol).

Well I just bottled my first batch last night. My recipe was one can West Coast Pale, one can Pale Export, one bag booster, some Wyeast German Ale liquid and fermented for 15 days. I tasted the brew prior to bottling and tasted a non sweet flat beer like flavor with a slight plastic taste. Will this plastic taste dissipate during the carbonation or conditioning period? Also, the brew was not 100% clear more reminiscent of a Hefeweizen.

It's not uncommon for the beer to not be clear at bottling. During carbonation as the yeasties carbonate and go dormant some will drop out and clear the beer, but it also depends a lot on the yeast used. Wyeast German Ale is #1007, and they list it as low flocculation, so yeah, I wouldn't expect the beer to get terribly clear on its own. Ones that claim high flocculation are more likely to go clear without intervention.

The plastic taste could be from a number of things, including possibly the water you used. Did you use tap, filtered, bottled, or distilled water?

The taste may condition out. Guess it's best to wait and see.

I used Ozarka bottled spring water.