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Coopers Original series stout kit

Started by Daydo, November 20, 2014, 03:21:44 PM

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Daydo

Alrite Ladz,

I am starting my Xmas brew nd went for a stout , I like Guiness nd thought why not give it a go....

Why I choose the stout kit and not the Irish stout kit, mainly for liquorice notes in the Irish stout...
I never got any in Guinness or maybe my senses are fucked up from too much partying in my earlier years nd I don't like aniseed at all ....

So just stout kit it is with espresso like creamy head with coffee and chocolate notes, I luv gd coffee nd dark chocolate, so perfect combo for me....

I do hav a questions tho before I make my brew, I notice in the coopers kit yeast guide it already comes with a commercial ale yeast but wile online I bought white labes wpl004 irish ale yeast .....

Any recommendations wich would be better ???
Any thoughts much appreciated .....

Daydo

This is why I bought the white labs yeast .... See below

WLP004 Irish Ale Yeast
This is the yeast from one of the oldest stout producing breweries in the world. It produces a slight hint of diacetyl, balanced by a light fruitiness and slight dry crispness. Great for Irish ales, stouts, porters, browns, reds and a very interesting pale ale. 
Attenuation: 69-74%
Flocculation: Medium to High
Optimum Fermentation Temperature: 65-68°F
Alcohol Tolerance:  Medium-High

Daydo

Story everyone,

So I startd my Xmas brew last night nd can wait for final results... Iv read gd things online bout this kit...

I ended using the wpl004 yeast nd performed my very 1st kit hack... Nothing drastic but I added vanilla extract and thanks again to Parcky for ur advice on this....

The vanilla I used was an Aldi Madagascan vanilla extract, it contained invert sugar syrup, glucose , water nd vanilla extract (labelled in that order).... I used 2x 35ml bottles =70 ml altogether
This vanilla has luvly notes to it but not overpowering

I poured this vanilla (it's a bit syrupy) nd dark spraymalt into bucket 1st nd poured 1,7 Ltrs boiling water on top to dissolve both completely.... Then finished the rest as usual....

Completed everything last nite bout 9pm nd this morning fermentation had begun.....

I keep ye guys updated

Slainte 😉

auralabuse

Sounds tasty,  I made this kit but brewed short and am drinking it on tap now,  it's a great stout.  Would say the vanilla will be damn nice

LordEoin

i prefer their irish stout, but it's good alright :)

darren996

Sounds nice, vanilla is interesting, keep us posted on how it turns out, might have found my next kit

Daydo

Alrite ladz,

So bottled my stout 2day after 2wks in my FV, OG 1039-1040 nd FG 1012.... So Alcohol should be about 3.9% ... Enough for me .....
I did fill my Fv nearly 24 Ltrs, cause I always loose s bit bottling so alcohol content could been more.. Lost gd bit this time as me missus distracted me just at the final transfer nd syphin tube sucked in air 😡😡...

There was def lot of sediment at bottom of the bucket way more than I have cn before it looked like light brown mud nd think could be due cause I used a healthy yeast this time nd not the one provided in the Kit..

Either way I filled 28x 750ml bottles for Xmas 😋😋😋... They hav 3wks to settle nd it be hard not to taste it....

I had a quick taste while doing my job nd mmmmhhhh
I def tasted like a stout SCORE.... Lots toasted notes nd a long lingering bitterness... Def got a very strong coffee note, reminded of that dolce gusto espresso we do drink in my house ....
On other hand didn't get much chocolate nd didn't really notice any vanilla but hope during next 3wks that will develop....

That's me for time being

Slainte 😋

darren996


Daydo

Hey Guyz,

Happy new year to u all nd here is my update on Coopers stout...

Good news is it all drank nd woz really tasty, got confirmation from several people it woz 1 best stouts they had tasted... 1 even said he be willing to pay for this in a pub nd drink all day.... Abv% woz only 4% so not strongest beer...

I used brew head carbonation calculator nd gave the beer 2.2 Co2 at 18 deg temp, used Demerara sugar for carbonation...

Drink : after 3 wks head retention woz ok but not special bit more fizzy than ur average stout due to large carbonation, even settled but like a Guinness but head in end wasnt like-cream more like a lager .... Great roasted malt after taste that lingered on the inside of ur cheeks nd pallete (more than a Guinness) full on coffee aroma dominated nd did not get any choc or vanilla notes as hoped but all in all the beer woz extremely well balanced...

Would def recommend this kit, my girl don't like stout but said woz my best brew yet, prob would add maybe 1 more bottle vanilla to make total of 3 bottles nd think could giv it the vanilla edge I looked for....

Slainte 😄

auralabuse

Try oak chips soaked in spiced rum in the secondary,  it's damn good