# Coopers Extra Strong Vintage Ale (2006)



## Adamt (17/7/06)

Bought a 6-pack of it the other day at Dan's and cracked one tonight.

Much darker in colour than pale/sparkling, the typical low head retention of Coopers bottled ales.

Tastes a LOT maltier than sparkling ale and goes down a lot smoother. Warms the throat going down as you'd expect with the 7.5% alcohol content. 

Love to tell you a bit more about it but my young palate fails to describe it any further. Definitely more than a breakfast beer and i agree when it suggests it should be "savoured in moderation".

I think I'm going to buy a carton and let it sit for a few years!

-Adam


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## GMK (17/7/06)

What was the price for the six pack / Carton.


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## Adamt (17/7/06)

Not cheap; $17.99 a 6er, $64 (i think?) for a carton, metro Adelaide.


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## Ash in Perth (17/7/06)

$18 a 6er is a good price for it! i have a few bottles of the 2004 ($90 a case) left and it jsut keeps getting better. unless they have changed the recipe. ill kepe my eye out for it and see how it compares!

Cheers, Ash


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## Gerard_M (18/7/06)

I am still going on Batch#2. still got about a dozen cases to go. Great with Roast Beef.
Cheers
Gerard


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## Ash in Perth (18/7/06)

a dozen cases? who needs roast beef?


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## mike_hillyer (18/7/06)

Ash,

You are the bearer of good news. I must grab atleast 6 and age a few (cricky that's the hard bit  ) My homebrew supplier in Toodyay made an copy of Coppers ESVA using the Munton's 1.5kg barley wine. What temperature would you sup it at? 

I've got a huge piece of beef to roast in the freezer, I love it when a plan comes together.


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## Ash in Perth (18/7/06)

not sure about the lastest one but the 04 is great at anywhere up to about 10-12DegC to my palate. above that the alcohol gets a little strong.


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## mike_hillyer (18/7/06)

On that advise Ash I may be able to drink a couple at the current "night" cellar temperature.


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## Ash in Perth (18/7/06)

If you chill it a little first, to about 6-8 then you can pour and slowly enjoy as it warms up, thats what i do with beers i havent tried before to make sure it isnt too warm when i first pour it.


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## dflower (20/7/06)

Had it on tap at the Adelaide Airport on Friday. Went down very nicely! :beer:


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## mycle (20/7/06)

Funnily enough I found a case of the 02 in a bottle shop last week and bought it to stop me drinking the 04 (which is bloody fantastic already).

Anyway if you want some tips on brewing your own, the following is from the press release on the coopers site (http://coopers.com.au/media/files/1582.pdf)

Tasting notes
Coopers 2006 Extra Strong Vintage Ale contains a predominance of South Australian Gairdner barley malt from the 2005 season, which was of exceptional quality.
Wheat malt, roast malt and crystal malt have been used as supplements, producing an appealing red hue and some burnt toffee notes.
This has been balanced by multiple hop additions. Australian Pride of Ringwood bitter hops and Czech Saaz aroma hops were added in the brewhouse and again in the later fermentation stage to provide ample bitterness for long life and fine hop aroma.
The ale was pitched with Coopers traditional yeast strain and underwent an extended primary fermentation. It was then pitched again with specially nurtured yeast that had been vitalised to enable longevity of bottle conditioning.
Slow secondary fermentation in the bottle completed the development of the required alcohol and flavour characteristics and imparted a refreshing sparkle and dense foam.
The resulting ale has a smooth, well balanced taste profile with plenty of distinctive hop characteristics balancing the full bodied maltiness and pronounced fruity ester flavours.
The beer is expected to develop a creamy-fruity aroma with a honeyed palate after one year of careful storage. After two years, the hop bitterness will have softened and malty toffee notes should come to the fore.
Vintage Ale has a hefty 7.5% alcohol by volume and would complement strongly flavoured cheeses and hearty winter dishes.


Mycle.


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## tangent (20/7/06)

is anyone else getting the horn? :beer:


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## mike_hillyer (20/7/06)

It really is a masterpiece!


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## goatherder (20/7/06)

yep, totally. I'm off to buy a case.

i had an 04 last night, it was a ripper.

Wow, i'm impressed that they used the standard coopers yeast, so much complexity. I might have to experiment a bit more with it. maybe in a belgian.


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## andrewl (20/7/06)

Me thinks mycle works for Coopers!  

Cheers,
Andrew


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## mycle (22/7/06)

andrewl said:


> Me thinks mycle works for Coopers!



I wish! I'm just waiting for all my usual sources to get some in. A check yesterday revealed nothing. However the 02 I had last night was rather nice but not a patch on the 04. If the 06 follows the trend of more flavour and complexity then it's going to be a ripper.

Mycle.


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## mike_hillyer (22/7/06)

I like goatherder's idea about using a Cooper's yeast for a Belgium Ale. Does anyone know where to buy (in Australia) the Belgium brewing sugar candi? It is reputed to aid head retention.


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## Sloth (22/7/06)

I beleive Grain and Grape sell the candi sugar

No affiliation etc....

Sloth.


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## mike_hillyer (22/7/06)

G'day Sloth, where are they located ?


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## goatherder (22/7/06)

keep it real said:


> I like goatherder's idea about using a Cooper's yeast for a Belgium Ale. Does anyone know where to buy (in Australia) the Belgium brewing sugar candi? It is reputed to aid head retention.



Chinese yellow rock sugar is a good substitute, readily available at asian grocers. You can also make your own. There's a bunch of info at oz.craftbrewer.org about doing it yourself. There's also plenty of good belgian style brews being made without the candy sugar - just use plain old table sugar. "Brew Like a Monk" by Stan Hieronymus is a great book if you are interested in making belgian brews.


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## Weizguy (22/7/06)

I mentioned this is previous "Coopers Vintage" threads, but for completeness:

- on the Coopers forum, there was a post by one of the Cooper's brewers who advised that they change the recipe for each vintage.
The yeast may vary, too.

I still have some Batch 1, but it's well past it's prime.

BTW, I have stashed a case of Squire strong ale. Best at 18-24 months, IMHO.

Anyone care for a Cooper's Vertical epic?

Seth out


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## mike_hillyer (22/7/06)

Cheers mate!

I'll be checking out both sources. I agree on your earlier comment, Vintage Ale is complexity central. I really do think, as Australians, we take Coopers for granted at times, well I certainly have in the past.


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## Thunderlips (22/7/06)

keep it real said:


> G'day Sloth, where are they located ?


They are in Yarraville, Vic.
http://www.grainandgrape.com.au/index.html


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## littlebrews (23/7/06)

CVA runs from $60 - ^& here in Pittsburgh, PA, USA. I'm trying to clone it.


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## Trev (23/7/06)

Has anybody seen this latest vintage available in Sydney?

I've tried a few places with no success  

Trev


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## Ash in Perth (24/7/06)

If any one in perth is looking for some, i got a 6 pack at the international beer shop for $22 or something. $82 a case.

I dont think candy sugar will help head retention at all, it is basically a way of increasing the alcohol without making the beer really full bodied form 100% malt. also means you can push past the highest gravity possible with your brewhouse.


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## tangent (24/7/06)

> Anyone care for a Cooper's Vertical epic?



Testify!
Bring it on!
I've been trying to find enough different vintages to do just that.


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## mike_hillyer (24/7/06)

Ash I must confess I don't know if candi would aid head retention either, I read it in Laurie Strachan's book "Great Beers of the World" and he is claiming that the Belgium brewers believe it. That is where my research end, perhaps if anyone is keen to go further they could e-mail Laurie, I know I found his website last time I searched.

I have not purchased my CESVA yet.


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