Hello fellow brew enthusiasts! Today, we’re diving into uncharted territory as we brew a Northern Brewer kit in a BeerMkr Machine. Buckle up, because we’re breaking away from the norm, trying a 5-day recipe, and introducing Kveik yeast into the mix. Let the brewing adventure begin!
The Idea Behind the Experiment
Can we make a Northern Brewer extract kit in a BeerMkr Machine — Sure! But will it taste okay? — Let’s find out! Success here with this proof of concept means we can broaden our selection from the usual Beermkr inventory, to Northern Brewer, and beyond to other extract or all-grain recipes. We can buy ingredients in bulk. As long as we adapt and keep the ingredients in proportion, we’re going to have decent facsimiles of the stovetop version but with the hands-off ease of the Beermkr.
Our journey starts with a Northern Brewer Innkeeper 1 Gallon extract kit that promises delicious results. They sell the 5-gallon version of InnKeeper on their Amazon listings. If you prefer to try something else, they have their 1-gallon kits in a 2-pack on Amazon. Since the BeerMkr is built to handle all-grain recipes, you can pick up a Northern Brewer 5 Gallon All-Grain and adjust to scale. They also sell 5-gallon extract kits you can adjust to scale in your machine if you want to do extracts. Today we’re sticking with the 1-gallon just for trying this out before we go bigger.
The BeerMKR Adaptation
Equipment:
Since we are brewing a recipe from a separate company, you will need to purchase Brew & Waste bags from BeerMkr, or co-opt one from another recipe you have on hand.
The Ingredients: Northern Brewer Extract Kit
Given that the BeerMKR and the Northern Brewer kit don’t dance to the same brewing steps, we’re making some adjustments along the way. Our goal is a harmonious blend of BeerMKR convenience and Northern Brewer flavors. Already from the beginning we’re adjusting our total water volume to compensate for the lack of grain. I’ve brought the water down from approximately 2 gallons in a usual Beermkr Mkrkit recipe to 1.25 gallons for the extract kit. The grains aren’t present to absorb the water like it would with an all-grain recipe.
The 5-Day Twist
Most brewing adventures involve patience, but we’re testing the waters with a 5-day recipe. Will it be long enough for the flavors to develop, or are we pushing the limits? Only time will tell, and we’re excited to taste the results of this expedited brewing process. We will be using one of the 5-day recipes from the BeerMkr app to run this beer through.
The Yeast
Now, instead of the usual English yeast that comes with the Innkeeper kit, we’ll be using Kveik yeast. The Kveik yeast can handle higher temperatures and thus a shorter brew time, and thus shorter experimentation. If this goes moderately well, then we can extend brew times or swap yeast next time. In order to support our yeast we are adding some servomyces capsules to add nutrients, you can source these on amazon, locally, or Northern Brewer. I cannot find servomyces for sale any longer on BeerMkr’s website.
Hops
I added the hops on the schedule called for in the BeerMkr recipe schedule along with the Kveik yeast. I was a bit worried that these would perform less than ideal since these are not the steam-hops sold by BeerMkr. You may choose to boil your hops here.
There was not enough water when I added the yeast and hops, so next time I would increase the water from 1.25 gallons to maybe 1.5 gallons. I was able to use the squeezebar in the outer position to push water back up to bathe the hops and yeast.
The uKeg 128
After the brew, I transferred the InnKeeper Beer to the uKeg 128 stainless steel keg and put it in the fridge with a fresh CO2 cartridge. After a couple days of carbonation it was ready to sample.
Why Try This Experiment?
The brewing community is all about sharing knowledge and embracing the unexpected. By taking a BeerMKR off the beaten path and trying a Northern Brewer kit with our own twists, we can have the convenient hands-off approach of the BeerMkr but vastly expand our catalog of available brews. As the bubbles rise and the Kveik yeast works its magic, we’re eagerly awaiting the taste of our unconventional creation. Brewing is an art, and sometimes, the best masterpieces come from daring experiments. Here’s to pushing boundaries, embracing the unknown, and raising a glass to brewing boldly.
Results
Okay, after 5 days, the beer is ready. How did it turn out? Well, great, it’s beer. It did however turn out a bit darker than the expected color and sweeter than I expected. The flavor is great and I call this a success. I think the Innkeeper will taste even better after a little rest in the uKeg. The color difference from the pictures on NorthernBrewer’s website are probably due to the fact that I added the grains at the very beginning due to the way the BeerMkr works. The grains steeped together with the Pilsen DME for much longer instead of the only 10 minutes called for in the recipe. Now the hops turned out okay, but since this beer is sweeter it could use more hops IMHO. Perhaps doing the hops boil would have affected the outcome. Next time I might do a boil or source some steam hops, but overall I can’t complain. The innkeeper is one of the cheapest recipes on NorthernBrewer.com, for the price it turned out fantastic.
What’s next?
Will I continue to experiment, you betcha! I have another extract kit lined up for a Black IPA. And I want to brew my own recipe for Schwarzbier to try to replicate approximately the best beer I ever tried, Graf Arco’s Birnbacher Schwarzbier. Stay tuned for more happy brewing! Prost!
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