# 2 Tins Of Coopers Ingredients, Nothing More.



## ol' matey (9/6/05)

I heard someone say it's possible to use 2 tins of coopers lager for example, with no extra sugar or malt. The 2nd tin makes up for the malt/sugar you'd otherwise use. Anyone tried this?


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## Kai (9/6/05)

Yes, it works. The beer with have a higher final gravity (ie be less thin) and will be a little more bitter.


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## dicko (10/6/05)

Hi Ol' Matey,

If you go here;
http://www.grumpys.com.au/read.php3?id=13472

You will see 314 posts on that subject.

Some, or maybe most, are people talking crap, but the info is there if you read it all.
Your post, I feel, should have been in the kit and kilo section rather than the "common ground" but as you are new to the forum we will all ( well at least me ) will forgive you. 

Cheers


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## ol' matey (10/6/05)

dicko said:


> Hi Ol' Matey,
> 
> If you go here;
> http://www.grumpys.com.au/read.php3?id=13472
> ...


Sorry... unsure about different forums. Thanks for the post though.


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## ol' matey (10/6/05)

Bloody ripper. That'll be my next batch, saving me $ on the yeast, hops and malt. We've got the cans at work, I'm usually able to score some for free, or maybe buy on, score one free. $10 for 2.5 cases... bloody beauty.


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## RichLum (10/6/05)

I did 2 bi-lo lager cans with just the kit yeast and nothing else a while back.
Made up to 20L
tastes alright. Certainly nicer than vb/new etc.
Took a bit longer to mature than kit+brew booster type of brew.

Tasted good after 1-2 months in the bottle

Sometimes the supermarket has sales on the home brew and you can pick up homebrand cans for about $5 each. Even normally they are only $7 I think

Rich


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## Plastic Man (10/6/05)

Just keep in mind that the normal can has been formulated so that the colour of the final beer they are aiming at is achieved when mixed with 22l of water. Double the cans and you darken the final beer.

Same with Hops. If the can is formulated to achive say a 25 IBU when mixed with 22l of water - 2 cans means 50 IBU so you are getting up fairly high in bitterness, (unless you are a hop head!!??).

So - use a light coloured beer and a low hopped beer.

I've done it with the Coopers Canadian Blonde as a bit of an experiment and was really surprised at the results. Lovely honey colour and a nice level of bitterness. If you can score a couple of cans of that go for it. 

I left it in primary for almost 3 weeks, (was moving so didn't have time to do anything with it). SG was 1042 or there abouts and I think it got down to 1014. I racked to bulk prime it and it was very clear. I added about 160g priming sugar which worked OK. I was planning on doing it again next Xmas to boost stocks and use as a "sacrificial" beer for mates. Though I might add a bit of sugar next time as well.

A mates doing a Coopers Draught and Canadian Blonde Toucan Brew now - so will be interesting to see how that comes out.

good luck...


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## NRB (11/6/05)

I once did 2 cans of Coopers Bavarian Lager and it's way overhopped. I don't like it much at all.


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## ol' matey (12/6/05)

I think I'll try 2 cans of draught... thanks for the info, but I have to ask what does ibu mean?


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## kungy (12/6/05)

Its a measurement of bittering units.

taken from howtobrew.com

"The equation for International Bittering Units (IBUs) takes the amount of hops in AAUs and applies factors for the boil gravity, volume, and boiling time. IBUs are independent of batch size"

http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter5-4.html

Will


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## kitchenbitch (1/7/05)

when doing a two can brew do you use both satchets of yeast ?


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## bretto (2/7/05)

after reading this i might do a two can myself this week . would be a lot easyer
. 
so do you not add any sugar/ dextros ? or only 1kg

and what about priming sugar in bottles? same as normal or none at all?

cheers


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## sluggerdog (2/7/05)

Nah, you do not add any dextrose, the second can covers this.

Just remember that the brew will be twice as bitter then normal but nothing drastically. If this worries you maybe try a 2 can brew with something like morgans canadian blonde. This is bittered to about 16 IBU from memory mking it a total of 32 IBU.


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## TidalPete (2/7/05)

sluggerdog said:


> If this worries you maybe try a 2 can brew with something like morgans canadian blonde. This is bittered to about 16 IBU from memory mking it a total of 32 IBU.
> [post="65808"][/post]​



Or if you're feeling flash, 2 cans of Malt Shovel 2-Row Lager. Nothing else to add & the best kit beer I've ever had. :super:


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## Dunkel_Boy (2/7/05)

The MSB ones, you're _meant_ to add two cans though, so that's cheating.
All of the above sounds good, though I'm pretty annoyed you posted in the common ground forum, it really really pisses me off. :angry: 
I can't believe your audacity...

You can pitch both yeasts if you want, it might start a little faster.


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## TidalPete (2/7/05)

Dunkel_Boy said:


> The MSB ones, you're not *meant *to add two cans though, so that's cheating.
> All of the above sounds good, though I'm pretty annoyed you posted in the common ground forum, it really really pisses me off. :angry:
> I can't believe your audacity...



You're not *meant* to add 2 cans of malt Shovel Dunkel_Boy.  One can will do 15 tallie batch. You only use 2 cans if you want a 30 bottle batch & I stand by my statement that was the best-tasting kit beer that I have ever had. You don't add anything else because it is pure malt just as using 2 cans of xxx brand will give you a nice pure malt 30 tallie batch if you add nothing else.


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## Dunkel_Boy (2/7/05)

Two cans in 11.5L = good beer, ok?


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## Brizbrew (2/7/05)

I put down a two can screamer last Saturday, I added a few bits and pieces to spice it up a bit.
It comprised of 2 cans of Coopers stout, 1kg DME, 500g brown sugar, 250g lactose and two sachets of saf04.
Hopefully it will turn out drinkable but if not I will drink it anyway :blink: 

The Coopers was dated best before 12/06 and was on special BOGOF deal, say no more. :super:


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## QldKev (4/7/05)

I've just tried my first 2 can batch, 2 x Farmland Lager and 1/2kg Sugar. I love it, but you must like a fairly bitter beer. :chug: I'm drinking from a keg so it won't be getting the extra few weeks to smoothen out. But a denfinate do again beer.


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## Bidtfaun (6/7/05)

I have actually just started a batch using 2 cans of the MSB Pale Ale, Safale yeast & Fuggles finishing hops.....guess I'll have to see what it's like in about 4 weeks or so....I reckon it'll be quite nice...had an OG of 1.049 (23 L batch)


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## tonydav (6/7/05)

QldKev said:


> I've just tried my first 2 can batch, 2 x Farmland Lager and 1/2kg Sugar. I love it, but you must like a fairly bitter beer. :chug: I'm drinking from a keg so it won't be getting the extra few weeks to smoothen out. But a denfinate do again beer.
> [post="65987"][/post]​



Would be pretty high in the alcohol content with 3.4kg kit & 1/2kg sugar.

And if you want to try bitter try the farmland draught instead of the lager. I found the lager much less bitter.

They still need some aroma hops added IMO. Bitter and full malt but just lacking. OTOH better than your average kit and kilo by far.


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## tonydav (6/7/05)

Has anyone tried a 2 can mix of Coopers Pale Ale? I find this not a bad quaffing beer, and a good one for the mates. OTOH it's a bit light on so might be good as a two can. And it's only 18 IBU.


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## archimedes24 (17/8/05)

Hey KitchBit<h, did you ever brew your 2 can screamer? How'd it go? 

Did you add one sachet of yeast, or both of 'em?


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## Fingerlickin_B (17/8/05)

I put down a 23L with 2x cans Coopers Stout, 500g brown sugar and both yeast sachets on Sunday. 

Came home on monday at 3pm-ish to find foam literally spewing out of the airlock...and it didn't stop until well after midnight!

Brown sticky mess all throughout the hotbox!  

Smells bloody good though  

PZ.


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## archimedes24 (26/8/05)

Hey Fingerlickin,

Have you racked your 2 can screamer yet? What sort of readings were you getting w/ your hydrometer?

I'm interested to hear how your 2 cans PLUS brown sugar turns out.

A


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## Fingerlickin_B (27/8/05)

archimedes24 said:


> Hey Fingerlickin,
> 
> Have you racked your 2 can screamer yet? What sort of readings were you getting w/ your hydrometer?
> 
> ...



Hey Archimedes, 

I tried to find my piece of paper with the readings written on it, but seem to have thrown it out since bottling. 

From memory I *think* the FG was somewhere around 1040 h34r: 

PZ.

*EDIT* - I almost forget (as I'm used to automatically calculating it in my mind now and just have my own "set parameters" ) that my hydrometer reads about 0010 over, so I guess I should have said 1030-ish


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## Fingerlickin_B (2/9/05)

archimedes24 - you wanted to know how it turned out, so here are the results:

After sitting bottled in a fairly cool cupboard for just under two weeks I decided to ask my commercially-brewed-stout-loving friend Trev over for a taste. 

I hassled him bigtime to be honest with me and the only thing he didn't like initially was the extra-strong super-bitter aftertaste (remember 2 cans per brew means double hoppage)...but after about half a pint glass he started to appreciate it  

Comments were that it has a consistency somewhere in between a Guinness poured from a longneck and one from a can (ones with the widget). 

When first poured very carefully and slowly there was no head to be seen and the beer seemed rather flat, so we vigorously stirred our glasses with a spoon and it gained a great head with an accompanyingly better frothy mouth feel. Pouring more quickly and without such restraint as the first pour we found it to give a nice thick brown head and the same thicker drinking quality. 

Sufficed to say, I think this mix would be great on tap and cant wait to try it that wayhell, Trev even take a trio of tall ones home with him and hes never asked for that with any of my other beers!

PZ. 

p.s. As per my experience (noted earlier) I would consider this a fermenter-in-bathtub-only brew and I won't be doing it again until summer...volcanic fermenters full of stout can make a BIG mess!


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## PostModern (3/9/05)

tonydav said:


> Has anyone tried a 2 can mix of Coopers Pale Ale? I find this not a bad quaffing beer, and a good one for the mates. OTOH it's a bit light on so might be good as a two can. And it's only 18 IBU.
> [post="66372"][/post]​



For the price, I'd go an ESB Fresh Wort kit instead.


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## Fingerlickin_B (16/10/05)

Just a little update on my August two can stout escapade...

I've still got a case of this stuff left and gave a bottle to a friend for his mum who has been keen on stout for years and years (she's be about 55 now I guess).

Went down there yesterday to grab a grommet for the fridge and she DEMANDED that I supply her with more of the stuff...she loved it :chug: :lol: :beer: :beerbang: 

PZ.


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## bindi (16/10/05)

(she's be about 55 now I guess) my age  Stout puts lead in your pencil, wait a sec, no pencil. :blink:


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## Fingerlickin_B (16/10/05)

bindi said:


> (she's be about 55 now I guess) my age  Stout puts lead in your pencil, wait a sec, no pencil. :blink:
> [post="83143"][/post]​



Hehehe :lol: yeah she got keen on it when pregnant with my mate and his brothers...they used to say an expectant mother should drink a middy of stout a day! :super: 

PZ.


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## mredgy (4/11/05)

When Talking IBU's, is there any site with a list of the IBU of some commercial brands, so that I can get an idea of what a certain IBU level tastes like?


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## James Squire (4/11/05)

mredgy,

Check TD's post here:

linky link

Cheers,

JS


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## tangent (4/11/05)

> I put down a 23L with 2x cans Coopers Stout, 500g brown sugar and both yeast sachets


did you boil the sugar 1st?
was the stout really dry or malty sweet?

sounds simple, might get my father to try a brew
he's feeding stout into my Grandma and she's 90+


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## Fingerlickin_B (6/11/05)

tangent said:


> did you boil the sugar 1st?
> was the stout really dry or malty sweet?



I dissolved the sugar in a litre of boiled water (in the fermenter), so I didn't really boil it so to speak.

Not particularly dry, but very bitter and exceptionally maltyit has a taste reminiscent of charcoal to it (yes, being a pyro, I have actually eaten charcoal, plus it is supposed to be a good substitute in low-fibre diets :lol: ). 

PZ.


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## Fingerlickin_B (11/12/05)

Plastic Man said:


> I've done it with the Coopers Canadian Blonde as a bit of an experiment and was really surprised at the results. Lovely honey colour and a nice level of bitterness. If you can score a couple of cans of that go for it.



I'm drinking the same right now.

Can't wait 'till the keg runs dry :unsure: 

My mates and family seem to like it, but I'm not so keen  

Not to say it isn't a bad drop, just not to my liking I suppose. 

Bitterness is way down compared to any of the other toucans I punch out (I like my beer BITTER...except for lagers) and it's severely lacking in body...but then again, it is a Canadian Bland :lol: 

PZ.


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## Fingerlickin_B (17/12/05)

Fingerlickin_B said:


> Just a little update on my August two can stout escapade...



I found some bottles this afternoon and popped them in the fridge. 

Drinking one right now. 

OMG this stuff is thick...I'm chewing it :lol: 

This beer is just getting better and better with age. I'll do it again with S-04 this time and toss it under the house for a good six months. 

No way I'd drink more than four in one session though  

PZ.


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## recharge (10/2/06)

I just put down a 2 can with coopers stout and bitter to 20L. Yeast is recultured from coopers best extra stout.
Xmas pressies from my inlaws.

Anyone else done this?

Cheers 
:beer: 
Richard


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## sinkas (25/4/06)

Out of by sheer inability to find time to brew I put down a double Canadian blonde, and chucked in a 1.5 litre of Hoegaarden Forbiddenfruit starter...tastes a little bland after 3 days, but I might let the temp come up tomorrow, to give me some fruityness..


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## petesbrew (18/5/06)

Fingerlickin_B said:


> I put down a 23L with 2x cans Coopers Stout, 500g brown sugar and both yeast sachets on Sunday.
> 
> Came home on monday at 3pm-ish to find foam literally spewing out of the airlock...and it didn't stop until well after midnight!
> 
> ...



I'll be trying this recipe tomorrow, but with a stout and a dark ale.
Looking forward to the results!


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## ads7 (1/6/06)

I just kegged a 2 can 

1can coopers pale
1can coopers draught
fermented 1 week
ccd 4 months
kegged last night


had a taste. not bad at all. very clear orange -red in colour. tolerable bitterness. good flavour. a bit stickier than your usual brew. I'll see how it goes when its ready to drink Tomorrow.

Woohoo i love my new keg setup.


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## devo (1/6/06)

I tried it once as an experiment while my AG set up was in bits/redesigning made. Used 2 cans of coppers real ale and then dry hopped. Turned out shit.

Happy to have my AG set up in full swing again.


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## Hashie (18/12/06)

Kick start an old topic.

I've just started all malt brewing, i.e., tin of Coopers + 1kg LDME, speciality grains etc.

Was thinking of doing a two can brew ( basically the same just liquid instead of dry malt) so searched the forum and found this thread.

After reading through all the posts, most people are saying to be careful with bitterness.

My question, if I boil the second can, say home brand lager or similar, will this neutralise the bitterness in the malt, or will it just neutralise the flavour and aromas from the hops?

Cheers


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## Simon W (18/12/06)

From memory of a similar thread on Grumpy's a few years ago(toucan brews?), it's the flavour and aroma that get driven out and the bitterness stays behind.
Maybe someone has found a solution since then?


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## chimera (18/12/06)

Probably to use two cans of something with low bittering like a lager/draught kits, add your own flavour & aroma hops.

Done a toucan of farmland lager with hop additions - not a bad drop, full coloured, could have done with some more bittering, decent budget swill beer.

Also done a toucan of coopers real ale - not likely to repeat that one


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## chimera (18/12/06)

devo said:


> ... Used 2 cans of coppers real ale and then dry hopped. Turned out shit.



Ill second that, first beer I ever fed to my laundry trough.


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## Hashie (18/12/06)

Thanks for the speedy replies.

So so long as I stick to low bitter cans (no frills lager) and provide my own aroma and flavour hops, all should be good.


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## Wortgames (18/12/06)

Yep, Simon W is correct, boiling will do the opposite of what you want.

I have to confess the toucan is what I'm mostly doing these days, as a cheap way to turn out large quantities of reasonable beer for the holiday season using only Safeway ingredients.

I disagree that you get a 'double bitterness' brew. Malt extract has a fair amount of 'malty sweetness', so most of a kit's hops are really there to balance out its own malt, if you get what I mean.

You also probably want to go up to a slightly larger batch to keep the gravity in line, say 26L as opposed to 22L - so I reckon you actually only end up with about 50% 'more' hops, which probably isn't a bad ratio given the blandness of a lot of the cheaper kits.

If you stick with the more tame kits you can turn out some tasty, general-consumption beers with very little effort.


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## voota (20/12/06)

I've also taken the step back from AG for now... and two can brews have served me very well, I just make sure I add something flavoursome to the boil. I usually use 1 wheat kit and 1 bitter kit, then add either american hops and a SAF-USale yeast for an american amber ale, or add loads of roasted barley, chocolate malt, brown sugar, cocoa, molassis or whatever for a sticky imp stout.


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## wildschwein (4/4/07)

I have been doing two kits almost since I started home brewing, as I never like the results I got when I used sugar or dextrose with one can of hopped extract. The next day I always felt I had been drinking nasty cask wine (=a headache).

As plain liquid malt extracts are more expensive than hopped extracts (over $11 Aus as opposed to around $9 Aus hopped) and I really enjoy very bitter beers like authentic Pilsners and Bavarian Lagers etc, it just seemed to make good economic sense. I nearly always boil the cans of extract with 2-4 litres of water though, which I guess, reduces the bitterness a little because it changes any aroma hop flavours.

I just do a bit of math to bring the brew up to 23 litres. Usually 2-4litres of hot + the two cans contents (3.4kg which approximately equals 3.4litres) plus whatever cold tap water is required to make up to 23 litres of brew. I find I usually have to try and reduce the temperature of the wort before pitching the yeast and I have only ever pitched one yeast packet, as the other is kept for backup. Admittedly though, I sometimes keep a cup or so of extract back to boil up later with a little water to add to the bottles for priming although dextrose is almost okay for this too. Generally, I like all malt brews so I formulate that cup (or 0.25 litres) into the equation.

If you’re really hard up though, you can get the same result with just one can by taking the 23 litre formula above and halving it all. So you get one can at 1.7kg + 1-2 litres of hot and whatever you need to bring the brew up to around 11.5 litres. If you don't like the strong bitterness you can also add an additional 1-2 litres of water which mellows the flavour a little. In the 23 litre version you could add a little more water, but fermenter space is sometime limited. Even if you’re not hard up, sometimes a small batch of beer is good because it doesn't use up too many bottles and you can brew more variety more frequently.

Over the years I have done lots of two can mixes. Some that come to mind are a Wander's Pilsner (I think) + a Munich lager which tasted great, aged well and satisfied lots of discerning continental beer drinkers I know. I have also done a few "Half and Halfs" by using Cooper's light (real ale) and dark ale together which results in a strongly hopped, fruity tasting ale that also seems to keep very well. Wander's Munich Lager makes a pretty impressive 11.5 litre batch too: my girlfriend and I are currently finding it to be very drinkable.

I really recommend the two can method, as it makes for a very pure product which is not as cheap as the can and sugar (or dextrose) method but is cheaper than a hopped can of extract plus an unhopped 1 kg can of plain malt extract. Perhaps another way to reduce the bitterness in a two can brew may be to boil the hell out of one of the cans of extract with water and add the other one after the wort has cooled to around 70C. This would theoretically give you one can with more aroma hops flavour and one that is not as stronly flavoured which may result in a more balanced brew for those who don't like the extra bitterness.

Anyway...sorry about the rant and thanks for the interesting thread..Prost!!!


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## saturn (4/4/07)

I have used t2 cans of coopers stout and it was excellent. Big and flavoursome

I would use another yeast. The one provided with the kit gets far too excited. We had big black sticky mess in the garage after an overflow

Alternatively just use one yeats sachet


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## drsmurto (4/4/07)

wildschwein said:


> As plain liquid malt extracts are more expensive than hopped extracts (over $11 Aus as opposed to around $9 Aus hopped)



I pay $10 for an unhopped extract and use a tin of hopped extract and then use hops to adjust bitterness etc. I also like using 2 tins of unhopped liquid malt to do the extract method. Unless you are comparing homebrand kits to the malt tins, its not that bad. Hells bells, you can pay upwards of $15 for a hopped kit. 

I dont use dex etc anymore, only malt (and the occasional honey or golden syrup). 

Cheers
DrSmurto


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## Brooksy (4/4/07)

Coopers Toucan Stout - In the fermenter now. Just needs 1 additive - 300gms Corn Syrup. Hopefully I'll be able to serve it as a dessert. :lol:

Really good beer can be produced from the cheapies if a little effort is applied.

I boil a kit to 7 litres for 45 - 60 mins cool and into the fermenter. 
Then do the second kit adding hops to this brew, cool and into the fermenter.

Cool to 24, and pitch.

I'd like a bigger boiler, but also an ocean going ketch and a Mercedes..... But we get by....

All the ales/Lagers mentioned in my signature are all toucan brews...


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## wildschwein (4/4/07)

Yes DrSmurto you're quite right; some of the kits in home brew shops can even be up to $20, especially ones from the UK like Muntons. Sometimes though I can't get to my homebrew shop as its fair distance from me and I have to use whats at the supermarket, so the two hopped can brew is kind of convenient.

I guess there is only a couple of bucks difference between adding a 1 kg tin of unhopped to a 1.7kg of hopped. But perhaps thats just it: for less money you get 1.7kg of malt as opposed to the 1kg you get in the plain unhopped tin. I think this extra malt adds a little more body to the beer which I appreciate. Its all subjective though, and I can't claim I'm some sort of authority on the subject although I'm sure you'll admit that using all malt produces a far better end product.

Thanks too Saturn, I'll give your recipe a try sometime and I know what you mean about the yeast: most kits have pretty poor yeast strains that seem to ferment way too fast. I've read that most them are actually just ale yeasts or in some cases baker's yeast.

Prost!!!


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## drsmurto (4/4/07)

wildschwein said:


> Yes DrSmurto you're quite right; some of the kits in home brew shops can even be up to $20, especially ones from the UK like Muntons. Sometimes though I can't get to my homebrew shop as its fair distance from me and I have to use whats at the supermarket, so the two hopped can brew is kind of convenient.
> 
> I guess there is only a couple of bucks difference between adding a 1 kg tin of unhopped to a 1.7kg of hopped. But perhaps thats just it: for less money you get 1.7kg of malt as opposed to the 1kg you get in the plain unhopped tin. I think this extra malt adds a little more body to the beer which I appreciate. Its all subjective though, and I can't claim I'm some sort of authority on the subject although I'm sure you'll admit that using all malt produces a far better end product.
> 
> ...



The tins of coopers liquid malt extract are 1.5kg not 1kg so not a huge differenc ein price but i hear what youre saying. I havent done a 2can yet but sounds like those making dark ales and stouts swear by it! Especially when you can get the coopers original kits on special form the supermarkets for $9. 

As for all malt - i agree except when i add honey or golden syrup......

Cheers
DrSmurto


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## wildschwein (4/4/07)

Yes Drsmurto I saw your post on the other site about Cooper's malt extract being 1.5kg just a while ago. Apologies for that. I would definately buy Cooper's plain malts if I saw them for sale. I was at my brew shop the other day and they only had 1kg tins of Morgan's and some other UK brand and they were both $11. 1kg bags of dry malt were the same price. Thanks for the info though as I will look out for Cooper's stuff.

Prost!!!


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## drsmurto (4/4/07)

You can buy the coopers stuff online from their website - not sure of delivery charges. Price seems to be the same as most HBS


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## Henno (6/4/07)

> For the price, I'd go an ESB Fresh Wort kit instead.



I hate it when I have to ask a question I probably know the answer to.

What is ESB?


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## Wortgames (6/4/07)

themooks said:


> I hate it when I have to ask a question I probably know the answer to.
> 
> What is ESB?




http://www.esbeer.com.au/category25_1.htm

:beer:


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## pint of lager (6/4/07)

ESB can have two meanings in the brewing world.

Eastern Suburbs Brewshop, in the eastern suburbs of Sydney. Run by Mel. Good website, good range of goods.

Unfortunately, there is some confusion for newer members as there is a style that uses the same acronym, Extra Special Bitter which is an English style of beer.


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## SDHBrewing (9/4/07)

I've started doing mostly 2 can brews, and reckon they taste heaps better than just kit and kilo. First was 2 Coopers Pale Ales, and I pitched both the yeast packets for good measure (don't mind a clouder Coopers Pale Ale. Let it sit in the bottles for about 2 months and it turned out real nice. 

Also tried a Coopers IPA with a tin of Coopers amber liquid malt extract, and a half kilo of dry dark malt extract to darken it up a bit, fermented with a Brew Cellar English ale yeast (this was a sort of English special bitter to celebrate winning the ashes back from them), also turned out nice. I also used a hop tea made with some spare hops to balance the malt. And my last one was a stout made with Coopers Irish Stout tin and a tin of Coopers liquid dark malt extract, plus a few other bits, but probably getting off topic. 

However, the what surprised me was that the 1.5 kilo tins of liquid amber malt extract and dark malt extract were cheaper than a kilo of dried malt extract, and I find the liquids much easer and quicker to brew with. All in all though I reckon two can brews rock :super: , so I'll be doing more, and if the prices stay ok at my home brew shop then I won't bother with dry ingredients except for priming or making up the gravity. :beerbang:


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## JCG (10/4/07)

Im glad I stumbled on this tread, It has inspired me to go away and try this method. I just dont believe dextrose or sugar have a part in brewing other than primming.

Cheers JCG.


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## RobboMC (10/4/07)

You could always dilute it by making the volume more than 23 litres.
Be careful not to reduce the headroom too much as the brew can froth a bit on the top. I often squeeze 28 litres into my fermenter.


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## pacman (22/4/07)

My best kit brews by far and away have been a Coopers 1.7kg can brewed to 11 litres in a Malt Shovel 11.5kg fermenter. Only additives have been water & Safale yeast.

Bavarian Lager my favourite to date, although the Bitter turns out very nice. The latter a bit too bitter for some of my friends after 6 weeks in bottle, but this tends to mellow after a few months. Friends with more mature tastes have, however, been very impressed from the word go.

Extra bitterness has so far only been an issue with Coopers Bitter, but am waiting for a Thomas Coopers IPA to bottle condition. This could be a challenge for both me and my friends who appreciate that extra bite. Will post results in a few weeks.

Cheers,

pacman


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## wildschwein (23/4/07)

Yeah, 

I just finished up drinking a batch of Wander Munich Lager made up to about 13 litres (just water, kit extract and yeast) and the flavour was perfect. You can usually get this product for the same price as generic Hombrand Coles kits and the quality is very good and the yeast is usuable too (unlike generic brand beer kits). I couldn't help thinking that when I was swilling on this really tasty beer that it seemed a lot like a Beck's or a Heineken. Quite bitter and aromatic but damn refreshing and easy to drink.


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## JCG (24/4/07)

I have been thinking of doing a 2 can for last week, I wanted to try the coopers larger or draught (undecided between the 2), my question is what IBU is the Larger and Draught ? Or is their a website which lists different kits and their IBU? Finally if adding additional malt to a 2 can mix will that hide some of the hop bitterness?

Cheers JCG


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## Brooksy (25/4/07)

JCG said:


> I have been thinking of doing a 2 can for last week, I wanted to try the coopers larger or draught (undecided between the 2), my question is what IBU is the Larger and Draught ? Or is their a website which lists different kits and their IBU? Finally if adding additional malt to a 2 can mix will that hide some of the hop bitterness?
> 
> Cheers JCG



Have done both, the Coopers Lager is very good. The Draught IMHO turns out a bit sweet.

Doing the standard versions of both I found the Lager a bit lame but that was fixed by "toucanning" and the draught (IMHO) was always sweet (too sweet for me anyway). Hops addition though fixes both draught probs.

Don't have a clue what their respective IBU ratings are, never found them, but I'd reckon it'd be stretching the truth if I gave either of them a 25. Have to be less.

To save expense brew 1 can to 11.5 litres - start with the Lager.

*Off Topic:* Then boil the worts and add back your flavouring and aroma hops.


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## JCG (25/4/07)

Thank you for your reply I think I will try the 2 cans of Larger and some saaz for aroma. Will let you all know how it turns out.

JCG


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## Tony (25/4/07)

I dont know if this link has been posted yet......... i didnt read the whole thing but here is a 3hundred and something post long thread from grumpys forum that stretched over 2 years on the subject.

Its a good read if you have a while

cheers

https://www.grumpys.com.au/read.php3?id=13472


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## Brooksy (26/4/07)

Great link Tony!!

I am supposed to be bottling today, now half the day has gone and I've been reading that link. Good info.

Now off to bottle........ lol


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## shamus (26/4/07)

when you add 2 kits, does anyone know how the IBU is affected? If you add 1 kit at 21IBU and 1 at 23, does the total IBU come in at 44 or does it add up differently?


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## brettprevans (26/4/07)

Use a tin of draught and a tin of stout. get a nice easy 'black and tan' brew.
or if you like a bit more betterness use a bitter and a stout.


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## Brooksy (27/4/07)

shamus said:


> when you add 2 kits, does anyone know how the IBU is affected? If you add 1 kit at 21IBU and 1 at 23, does the total IBU come in at 44 or does it add up differently?



With an inexperienced pallete (about 6 toucan brews), I think the IBU increased by 1.5 rather than total or double. 
Saying this I believe the final IBU of your brew would be about 33 (0.75*IBU1 + 0.75*IBU2).

I've done a few toucan Lagers and Bitters and the IBU doesn't seem to double. 
Getting ready to do another Toucan Bitter on the weekend, it really turns out nice but I might add some extra hops (Fuggle teabag) for more hop flavour.


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## shamus (27/4/07)

cool....I'm doing a high alcohol Toucan screamer on the weekend with a Coopers Draught and Farmland Lager and adding 1.5kgs of dextrose and some extra hops for flavour and aroma. Just hoping it won't turn out too bitter


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## Luka (30/4/07)

I've got a toucan in primary atm thanks to this post. I thought I would experiment a little and went for a Coopers Draught/Coopers Lager mix. Pitched both yeasts and just added water!. Lovely golden amber colour and after sampling the wort after taking a hydrometer test its not a bad drop. It doesnt seem to bitter to me as some have mentioned, I mean the bitterness is there, which I found in the straight Coopers Lager was almost non existent. 

My one question, I was thinking of bulk priming with a malt sugar that I picked up at the supermarket to add some more maltiness and body as this seems to be lacking a bit. For 20 litres I was thinking of 220grams, any thoughts? because this is a pretty cheap brew and I'm still fairly new at this Im willing to experiment, just dont want to over-prime it thats all.


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## Brooksy (30/4/07)

G'day Luka,

I don't bulk prime but the 220gms for 20ltrs seems a bit much to me. Hopefully someone will advise on a more appropriate measure. I'm sure I've read somewhere here that 160 - 170 gms per 23 litres was the norm.

Please don't take this as gospel but more as a warning to check further.


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## Luka (30/4/07)

KegDrainer said:


> G'day Luka,
> 
> I don't bulk prime but the 220gms for 20ltrs seems a bit much to me. Hopefully someone will advise on a more appropriate measure. I'm sure I've read somewhere here that 160 - 170 gms per 23 litres was the norm.
> 
> Please don't take this as gospel but more as a warning to check further.



I could have explained better, the reason I thought 220 gms was becuase its not straight dextrose, its "Extra Malt Brewing Sugar" and in the ingredients it lists dextrose, malt and maltodextrin. After reading through numerous topics and posts here, I was lead to believe more of this type of sugar was necessary for bulk priming. Im open to being corrected, in fact I should start a new topic for this and not hijack this one.


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## Slurpdog (30/4/07)

Put my first Toucan down yestertday after reading that 2 cans of the Coopers stout makes a great, and smooth beer.
I've changed it a little as it's the first time I've used a liquid yeast and so at the moment there's a WLP1214 Belgian Abbey ale yeast gobbling up all the malt. An unusual combo I've been told but judging by the airlock activity those little guys are having a wow of a time!
Can't wait to sample it!


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