A. 2-3 weeks depending on the beer.

A. Sprinkle the yeast, bottle, and we do the rest!

A. Even with 2 double beer stations, we do get busy. We need 24 hours’ notice so we can schedule, filter, and carbonate your beer. Please note: once we filter and carbonate your beer it requires bottling within a few hours.

Anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour. It’s always best to use a uniform bottle, we recommend 500ml Plastic, 1 litre Plastic or 650ml glass. You can bring your own non-commercial bottles or purchase bottles at McBarleys. 

A. All bottles must be label free. We recommend 650 ml glass or 500ml Plastic or 1 litre plastic. Our bottle fillers do not accept Stubbies or other 375ml bottles. Please check with the store if you have your own bottles to confirm they are compatible with our bottle fillers. 

A. Yes we do and first-time customers receive a 50% discount on a set of new bottles. Call the store for pricing.

A. Start drinking once you have filled your bottles! 

A. Beer should be stored in a cool, dark location at a constant temperature 35-60F (2- 15C). Storing beer at the warmer end of this scale increases any aging effects since yeast remaining in the beer is more active. If temperatures exceed 60F, refrigerate your beer.

A. We advise drinking McBarley’s beer within 4 months. Please note storage conditions above. 

A. Beer is an alcoholic beverage made from malted grains, hops, yeast, and water. The grain is usually barley or wheat, but sometimes corn and rice are used as well. Fruit, herbs, and spices may also be used for special styles. The term “beer” encompasses two broad categories: Ales and Lagers.

Ales have a broad range of beer styles including bitters, pale ales, porters, stouts and barley wines.

Lagers include Bocks, Munich, Oktoberfest, and the famous Pilsners.

A. This is just folklore that results from the way alcoholic strength is measured. The alcohol of mainstream US beers is measured as a percentage of weight (abw). Canadian beers (and most other countries) measure percent alcohol by volume (abv). A typical Canadian beer of 5% (abv) will be about the same strength as a typical beer at 4% (abw).

A. In the most ideal sense, there are no good or bad beers. The enjoyment of beer is a highly subjective and personal experience. The best approach is to appreciate and recognize the outstanding qualities of a fine beer. You can easily identify bad beer when it has been damaged or spoiled. The two most common occurrences are: ‘Skunking’ this happens when beer has been exposed to strong light (light-struck*), either natural or artificial causing certain components in hops to alter and produce acrid flavours which have a pronounced ‘skunky’ character. ‘Spoiled’ also referred to as going ‘off’, is a more vague term and often refers to beer that has not been properly stored or handled allowing oxidation or other off-flavours resulting from contamination, overheating, etc. *Bottled beer can become light-struck in less than one minute in bright sun, after a few hours in diffuse daylight, and in a few days under normal fluorescent lighting.

A. Yes. First-time customers receive a 50% discount off their first set of bottles, PLUS a $20 discount off your next batch of beer if you start it at the time of bottling. This is a one-time offer and cannot be combined with other promotional sales.

A. We often have beer specials running. Call the store for the seasonal beer offers and discounts for frequent beer makers.