The Beer Machine Model 2000

This is one of the best ideas I had for my husband, ever. He's a proper beer monster, and it has brought him great joy to be brewing his own beer.Initially, I was worried... you see it on tv all the time; a couple of friends decide to turn their shed or outhouse into a brewery, which always ends up in disaster... I was convinced he would blow up the house, or at least the spare bathroom!I have to say that the Beer Machine 2000 makes it so simple, and the pressure gauge on it lessened my concerns of any eruptions. He has beer... the house is still standing... he's a happy camper... what more can I say? ;)

I received the item with the edge of the cage cover (plastic part) broken. The cage thus wasn't able to be properly closed (water would leak when closed). I have never even seen it working and it's just sitting in my kitchen now.

Folks, just as other reviewers have stated, this thing is frustrating as all Hell to set up. And it poses a few questions:- If the machine needs to be an air-tight piece of technology to brew beer, then why does it come in several plastic pieces only held together by a cheap rubber seal and other various plastic pieces?- If the pieces are so "high quality", then why is this process getting harder each time I try as if the pieces are bending/wearing down?- Wasn't this supposed to be "Fun"?Luckily, Brookstone has fantastic customer service and return policy. I'm using my refunded money to buy a DIY Coopers "Mr. Beer" Craft Beer kit which, Get This!, is pre-assembled. Yeah, one piece. I know, right? Pretty cool.The Beer Machine's customer support will stick by their product and offer to replace your defective parts with equally defective parts. But I bet that their next product (if they survive long enough to do so) will be The Beer Machine 3000, which will closely resemble Cooper's product.But you have to ask yourself: Why? ---- Why would I spend that much effort to make the same decent beer that their competitor makes?UPDATE: Yes, the Mr. Beer product works and I've been using it for 4 months now. I recommend that 500 times over this.

Recieved as a Christmas gift. Put it together according to instructions and had no problems. Kit comes with 1 pouch of beer mix and it came out just fine. Here's my problem: You can only buy the mix from the manufacturer, and they charge $32.95 for a 3 pack (you can't buy them seperately - strike 1), and they charge $10.00 for shipping (strike 2!) . There is absolutely no reason whatsoever for them to charge $10.00 for shipping, other than to gouge you for a few extra bucks. And as far as I can tell you can't use another brand of beer mix in this machine - if someone knows otherwise please let me know as I refuse to purchase from the company.

I've read all the posts here and I'm puzzled by those who call it junk. I've been brewing in my machine for several years and I'm considering a 2nd machine so that I don't have to wait for my batch to finish to enjoy good beer economically.To be certain, one must get the process down to an art. By now I don't much have to think about what I'm doing, I just do it and complete my work in about 40 minutes. Learning curve issues are these: you must do the pressure test. My first batch I thought I'd save some time by skipping that. Not good. I ruined the batch because the seal wasn't good. The seal is the most important thing to get right. Do it carefully and triple check your work. My first few batches I had some difficulty getting the seal right, but now I virtually never have a seal issue because I've got the process down. An important tip to getting the seal right is to make sure the seal is dry before you try to apply it to the seating. I've never gotten a good seal when trying to apply it with even a drop of water anywhere on the seal. Just make sure it is completely dry and you'll be a much more successful and happier brewer.Once you've done your pressure test it gets pretty easy. Do your sanitizing, (I use a bit of bleach with a 1/3 keg of water and rinse it well) and then add the room temp water about 1/3 full the add the mix and then complete the fill of room temp water. I have found that if I use water that is a smidgen warmer than room temp that I'll get a quicker fermentation process. I've got that part down to where it will be bubbling in about 8 hours after mixing. I imagine that if you use water that is too warm you can create problems. Generally in three days the fermentation subsides, but it can be as long as 5 days. Each batch depends on what you do temp wise. Then I chill it for at least 3 days, but you'll get much better clarity in 5 days. I just can't wait that long.Equipment issues: I had to replace a seal once in several years. I think that is pretty reasonable. The co2 unit, on the other hand, I replace about everty 15-20 batches because the unit seems to let the cartridge bleed itself empty after it gets old. Perhaps there is a solution to that, but I haven't found one.Beer quality: I'm a beer snob. This is good tasting beer, it really is, and I think I've tried all the mixes. There is a down side however. The beer tends to be flatter than I would like it to be. I called the manufacturer to see if perhaps I was doing something wrong and his response was that it is supposed to be that way. I disagree with his assesment that beer is supposed to be that way, but whatever. I tolerate the low carbonation because the taste is good enough to overlook that aspect.Oh, I recommend a spare bathtub to put your batch in while brewing, just in case you have a seal issue. Also you can control the temp better there. I use a space heater and pull the shower curtain closed to keep the temp around 75F. The bathroom smells like fresh bread, mmmm. Using the spare bathtub doesn't thrill my other half, but we have an understanding.To those who have harsh words for this machine I can only surmise that they didn't have the patience to get it right. Yes I had a couple of frustrating mishaps in my first few batches, but it is clear sailing now. To call this junk is a complete misrepresentation IMHO.After several years of using the Beer Machine I would not hesitate to recommend it to the patient learner.

I think it's the greatest thing since sliced bread, because I love beer I think this is so cool. The only problem is 10 days seems like too long. but I love it and I'm going to purchase 3 more so I can keep up with my beer.

My son in law loved this gift. He made a fruity beer and enjoyed it very much. He experiments with different recipes. It is a nice hobby to have for him.

Our Beer Machine arrived on time and try to go... Instructions could be a little more detailed but customer service was very helpful... I have recommended to my friends...

parece cerveza, huele a cerveza, tiene el color de la cerveza y un sabor muy parecido pero, después de haber fabricado más de 50 litros siguiendo las instrucciones tanto de la ,máquina como de la web del fabricante os digo que sale más barato comprar 50 litros de la mejor cerveza que esto. mira que tenía ganas de que funcionase bien y tener cerveza en casa pero no ha habido forma. pierde la fuerza por mucho CO2 que inyectes y cuando te has bebido el primer litro que no está mal lo que queda después es el líquido que queda en los botellines que te dejas abiertos. no lo recomiendo.