hello all..
Noob here with a Coopers Kit received as a Christmas pressie...
Have done my first batch per the instructions (I hope) with the Coopers Lager kit
Made mix last sat (Jan 12th) that had an OG of 1031...
Left working away in a room at around 22 degrees....
Measured SG on Sat just gone and the hydrometer is near enough sinking to the bottom and am seeing a reading of around 9.95 or 10.00...
does that sound ok or is something up?
Aslo, how do you know if it is too gassy as I heard on the Coopers video??
It should be coming out about 1010. That sounds very low. I'd predict there's an infection somewhere to cause it to go so low but then 22c is quite high. What does it taste like? Have you kept opening the lid to take a look?
Hi and thanks
No I certainly haven't been opening it at all..Only time it has been opened was to take out the krausen collar as per the instructions...
Instructions stated between 22 and 27 and I think I read that better to keep at lower end of scale, hence the temps...The room it is kept in is always around 20 (underfloor heating) so would that be sufficient rather than worrying about getting it to 22?
Haven't tasted it as yet but will do tonight when I get home..How high should I fill the tube before dropping the hydrometer in to check SG...Thinking about 3/4 ways full?
Welcome! This is the second post in as many days about the Coopers kits - without throwing too many details at you there are two types of beer, lager and ale. The difference is down to the yeast; lager yeast ferments cold (say 8-12) and ale yeast ferments warm (say 16-22). So basically these kits aren't producing an actual lager but something that tastes like it - that's to be expected given that lagers are harder to brew well than ales and require good temperature control. The point of all this is that 27 degrees is an absolute mental limit to recommend and I seriously doubt the end product would be drinkable at all. I don't know if they're recommending this as they're supplying a smaller yeast packet or to guarantee the beer will ferment out but 22 should be the max you'd want to go for - 18 or 19 would be better.
How are you measuring the temperature? If it's just ambient (i.e. the temperature of the room) bear in mind that a fermenting beer will be slightly warmer due to what's taking place inside; could even be a few degrees warmer if it's a vigorous enough fermentation.
You should have enough liquid in your trial jar (tube) that the hydrometer doesn't hit the bottom when you put it in. The temperature will also make a difference to it but if it's around 20c you can ignore that. If it's still coming out at 0.995 or even 1.000 then something's definitely gone awry - could be an infection as Pheeel said. Did you sanitise your equipment before doing anything and if so what did you use?
thanks for the detailed reply...
So in answer to your queries, here goes...
I kept observing the temperature scale on the stick-on thermometer provided with the kit...I found it hard to see what it was showing to be honest as it doesn't seem as obvious on my kit as it did on the video! For example, if I shone a torch on it, I think I could just make out the highlighted temp ???
Sounds like i need to go for a lower temperature in future too...Ambient room temperature was around 20 to 21....
I will measure the SG again this evening and report back but will probably be the same I expect..
Because the kit was new, I just washed it with warm water before using for the first time....My bad?
I have since bought a bottle of VWP steriliser for the next attempt :rolleyes:
:-[
Ok, so possibly i was panicking a bit early..
I took another reading last night and filled the vessel up sufficiently to allow the hydrometer float properly i.e not hit the bottom and let it settle and the foam/head subside and I got a reading of 1010.
So will measure again tonight and hope for the same reading and if it is, will proceed to bottling stage..
fingers crossed
thanks for the help and I am sure I will be back with more questions!
Going to do an ale next ;)
Phew! That's better!
I just made my second attempt tonight. I made the mistake of following coopers temperature range for my first attempt and had mine sitting at 26C (weather was very warm). End result was not drinkable but hopefully yours is okay. Brewing a lager for my second attempt and have the temperature at 14C.
I've found that the temperature strip is much easier to read if you shine a light on it as you said.
With an OG of 1031 and a FG of 1010, am I right in thinking that would be 2.75%?
Yes :)
https://www.brewersfriend.com/abv-calculator/ A handy calculator
if everything cleaned and is mixed well. temp kept at a normal room temp coopers kits are tough out. the 1.8kg kit and 1kg DME or 1.5 lme should give about around 4-4.5% no need for too much poking at it. give it 3 weeks and then taste it.
Very handy calculator there DEMPSEY, thanks for that. The reason I ask is that I have a similar starting OG as the original poster and unsure why my beer will end up being so weak.
I am all bottled up now and got a similar ABV as davy there, so weak enough but will see what tastes like.
All in all, I got 30 by 750ml bottles and 3 by 500ml bottles, so now will wait at least 3 weeks before trying one..
Couple of specific questions if someone would answer them please..
On the 500ml bottles that I did at the end when I ran out of 750 ml ones, I still added 2 carbonation drops..What will be impact of this?
It states 2 drops per 750ml bottle so should I have broken in half and added 1 drop and a half one?
For my next brew, I have received Coopers Classic Old Dark Ale and have got Spraymalt Wheat instead of Coopers Brew Enhancer..Is it worth adding/ordering some Hop Pellets to experiment with the taste and usage?
Finally, do many people save glass bottles from beers they buy and re-use with bought caps and a capper? If so, any drawbacks or positives?
thanks again,
You should find the carbonation on the 500ml bottles is higher.
If you add too much sugar you end up with bottle bombs.
I am not being smart here but as a noob, still a bit in the dark
Are they not drinkable? So should I ditch them? wait for them to explode or what?? :blank:
2 drops in a 500ml bottle will produce a higher carbonation level in the beer. They should be ok as a beer bottle is usually strong enough to take the pressure. Big issue would be when you go to open one and it is warm and so ends up being a gusher. People do collect old beer bottles to 're use ok.
Soo..
Reporting back as I now have drank a few bottles of this (I was patient ;D ) and it is okay without being anything special...probably a bit bland if I was to try to define it..but perfectably refreshing and drinkable, so all good!!
I am now ready to go agian and have the Coopers Classic Old Dark Ale kit ..
Can someone help me with a couple of questions pls..
So am going to use auto thermostat and heater to ensure its kept around 14 degrees for fermentation..sound ok?
I am replacing the Coopers sugar with 1kg of Spraymalt Wheat...
I have 1 kg of Colorado Crystal that I was thinking of incorporating into it too..what are the amounts to be used and how much water do I boil what amount of grammes in??
I also have a 1kg bag of Barley Malt chocolate if that would add anything or be better used than the Colorado?
Could I also then add a hop bag in when fermenting..thoughts?
Sure I will also have some more questions :P
thanks in advance
'a bit bland' is a good result. It means you did everything right.
next time replace the sugar with DME. try adding some hops or steep some grain. This'll add some freshness and extra flavor to your baseline beer.
For the dark ale:
- ferment at ~18°C
- Spraymalt>sugar. 1kg is fine.
- 250g crystal should be fine. put it in a zip-lock bag and smash it up with a beer bottle. bring a liter of water to about 65°C. steep off the heat for ~20 minutes, strain through a sieve&cloth, [boil for a few minutes to kill any nasties]. You can also cold steep in the fridge overnight.
- Chocolate is up to you. i hate the stuff. but add it (sparingly) if you want.
- if you have a hop bag, go for it. EKG would probably be good. or go mad with some fruity shit from wherever. it's your beer. do what you like. You could easily turn this kit into a decent black IPA fairly easily. cascade and galaxy spring to mind. Dryhop after fermentation is completed, for about 3 days. one hop 'teabag' thing is barely noticeable, so buying a 100g pack generally makes more sense. store in the freezer and watch your collection of freezer flowers grow slowly and uncontrollably.
Thanks a mill for the reply...Good to know I managed to get it relatively right on first go :)
Few more questions please..
So going forward when ordering new kits, as a general rule, DME would be a better choice than the Coopers Brew Enhancer 1/2/3 for adding a bit more something?
Is 250g crystal to 1 litre of water a good general ratio to use regardless of the type of kit?
If using some barley malt chocolate, is it the same steps as above i.e. smash the grains in a bag and steep etc?
Regarding the hops, when you say after fermentation, I presume you mean to add a bag (or 2) to the vessel after consistent SG readings and leave for a few days and then remove prior to bottling?
"..store in the freezer and watch your collection of freezer flowers grow slowly and uncontrollably".......Not sure what you mean by this as a noob but a guess would be that you keep adding to your collection with different type of hops ??
thanks again
So going forward when ordering new kits, as a general rule, DME would be a better choice than the Coopers Brew Enhancer 1/2/3 for adding a bit more something?
Yes
Is 250g crystal to 1 litre of water a good general ratio to use regardless of the type of kit?
roughly, yes. The amount of water is irrelevant, you're gonna be using 23l anyway. i forgot to tell you to boil it afterwards. good opportunity to add some hops.
If using some barley malt chocolate, is it the same steps as above i.e. smash the grains in a bag and steep etc?
Yup. crack, steep, strain, boil
Regarding the hops, when you say after fermentation, I presume you mean to add a bag (or 2) to the vessel after consistent SG readings and leave for a few days and then remove prior to bottling?
yes
"..store in the freezer and watch your collection of freezer flowers grow slowly and uncontrollably".......Not sure what you mean by this as a noob but a guess would be that you keep adding to your collection with different type of hops ??
Yes. the bits of bags of hops have a habit or lingering in the freezer until you use/dump them.
have a read off this i made ages ago. it should still be relevant
https://www.nationalhomebrewclub.ie/forum/kit-brewing/guide-to-fermentables-(sugars)/msg6929/#msg6929
I reuse bottles from friends and me I have a bench capper that was about 25 to 30 Euro works fine and to save a little few bobs I use the sachets of sugar u get free in deli.s or garages for coffee to carb the bottles works fine for me just weigh one first different brands vary