# Can The Yeast In Coopers Stubbies Be Used For Fermenting Home Brew?



## lemonaed (1/12/08)

Hi All,

I've heard that if you take the yeast at the bottom of a standard stubbie of coopers pale ale and use it to to ferment your home brew (say the coopers pale ale syrup) that the result you get is an ale that tastes just like the real thing! Is this fact or fiction?

Many thanks,

Aed


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## Pennywise (1/12/08)

You can use the yeast in the coopers bottles, you'll need the dregs of about 3 or 4 stubbies, you'll need to make a starter to build up all those good yesties. I think CPA uses POR hops so if you're after something quite close to it you'll need to use them too


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## MartinS (1/12/08)

lemonaed said:


> I've heard that if you take the yeast at the bottom of a standard stubbie of coopers pale ale and use it to to ferment your home brew (say the coopers pale ale syrup) that the result you get is an ale that tastes just like the real thing! Is this fact or fiction?



Using the yeast from a Coopers bottle will get you close (you'll certainly get more of those fruity and bready flavours out of it), but there are many other factors that affect the flavour. 

You don't want to just throw yeast from a Coopers bottle into your fermenter. You need to build up the yeast population first. There's a great article on how to do that, written by one of the AHB locals, available here (just open the attachment)

You should try to ferment at about 16-18 degrees to get the most out of the CPA yeast. If you've got access to a temperature controlled fridge, then that's easy. Otherwise, you'll need to play around with wet towels or freezer bricks.

Picking the right kit is important, too. I can't help you with that, but I'm sure others will be able to chime in with suggestions there.


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## lemonaed (1/12/08)

MartinS said:


> Using the yeast from a Coopers bottle will get you close (you'll certainly get more of those fruity and bready flavours out of it), but there are many other factors that affect the flavour.
> 
> You don't want to just throw yeast from a Coopers bottle into your fermenter. You need to build up the yeast population first. There's a great article on how to do that, written by one of the AHB locals, available here (just open the attachment)
> 
> ...


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## lemonaed (1/12/08)

Great news. Thanks guys for your advice.


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## Fatgodzilla (1/12/08)

lemonaed said:


> Great news. Thanks guys for your advice.



I've done my first attempt at cultivating the Coopers yeast and building it up. In fermenter now and looking and smelling okay. In his "How To Brew " book John Palmer rates this yeast as a favourite so I'm looking forward to the results. For the record, I used it on a wort of a can of Thomas Cooper unmalted pale ale extract, 1kg DME, 250g cane sugar and hopped with POR to 25IBU. (with some carapils thrown in). My first extract (and last) after 18 months of AG. Unless the results speak for themselves :icon_cheers: 



> I've heard that if you take the yeast at the bottom of a standard stubbie of coopers pale ale and use it to to ferment your home brew (say the coopers pale ale syrup) that the result you get is an ale that tastes just like the real thing! Is this fact or fiction?



I'm looking for something that tastes BETTER than the original ! That's what you should aspire to, young Lemonaed !


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## peas_and_corn (1/12/08)

pdf describing how to use Coopers yeast


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## lemonaed (1/12/08)

If i get a pale ale any way close to the coopers stubbie i will be happy! 

Is it possible to store the cultivated yeast to use in other batches? I only ask because i have moved back to ireland and was only able to take a 6 pack of pale ale stubbies with me! once they are gone i won't have any more yeast left to cultivate!


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## Weizguy (1/12/08)

lemonaed said:


> If i get a pale ale any way close to the coopers stubbie i will be happy!
> 
> Is it possible to store the cultivated yeast to use in other batches? I only ask because i have moved back to ireland and was only able to take a 6 pack of pale ale stubbies with me! once they are gone i won't have any more yeast left to cultivate!


Absolutely! In the same way you can store other yeast cultures...in the bottled beer (this generation or next gen) or under water in the fridge, or a slant or any number of other options.

Always make a culture to re-start the yeast and taste the culture to assure the right flavours are there before pitching to the beer/wort.

Les


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## cozmocracker (1/12/08)

Go Lemonaed

i have just started the process to culture the coopers yeast a couple of hours ago, i am following the pdf file mentioned above. this will be my second brew(havent even tasted the first batch yet). sorry to highjack your thread but i have a question. i am using a 1.5 litre grolsch bottle to ferment in, i bought an airlock but no rubber bung so i have just left the lid of the bottle resting on top. if i seal it it would explode im guessing, my concern is for the sanitary of the wort because its not properly sealed, but then theres the gas escaping? maybe keeping some of the nasties out? what should i do?

and yes once you get the yeast started you can keep it going for years, not sure of the proper process for that.


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## dc59 (1/12/08)

Hey cosmo, I'd personally just glad wrap it and put an elastic band over the lip. Great way to keep life simple and keep the bugs out.

Best of luck with the reculturing, one of the funnest parts of the hobby.

Dave.


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## raven19 (1/12/08)

cozmocracker said:


> my concern is for the sanitary of the wort because its not properly sealed, but then theres the gas escaping? maybe keeping some of the nasties out? what should i do?



With the pressure of CO2 releasing, minimal bugs will be able to enter. Others here use a balloon over the bottle, which will keep any nasties out of your yeast.

Or grab a bung with an airlock hole in it.


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## cozmocracker (1/12/08)

thanks for the responces, i will use some gladwrap until i get a bung tomorrow.

Cheers!


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## Thunderlips (2/12/08)

And apparently, for those thinking about it, the yeast from the Pale Ale is supposed to be better than that from the Sparkling ale.
Due to the higher alcohol content in the Sparkling, or something like that.

I've been meaning to try the yeast for years but have never got around to it.
As far as megaswill goes, I'm a big fan of their Pale Ale.

Next up though is a try of the Ezybrew clones of Little Creatures Pale Ale and James Squire Amber Ale, which I think are 5 litres of fresh wort.
Postage on these things from up north costs a fortune. I wish we had more fresh wort variety down my way.
Pretty much all that's available is the Artisinale from Grain&Grape, which are ok but they don't come ready made to a particular style like the Ezybrew or Brewers Selection.
I see even Morgans are selling fresh wort now.

If anyone knows of fresh wort down Melbourne way apart from the Artisinale I'd be glad to know.


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## geoffi (2/12/08)

I have a CPA clone using the bottle yeast on the go now. Tasting and smelling great. (~65% JW pilsener, 25% JW traditional ale, 5% wheat, 1% med crystal, 4% sugar, 23IBU)

This yeast has a number of advantages. It ferments fast and strong. Clears up quickly, but still attenuates well (I regularly get down to 1.005). And for the same price as a WL vial or WY smackpack you get six top beers to boot!

Try to keep the fermentation temp down below 20c. Above that you start getting some pronounced fruitiness.


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## fergi (2/12/08)

no need to mess around with a bung for reculturing coopers yeast, i use a fowlers vacola jar , holds about 1.5 litres of liquid but i only make starter up to 1 litre, every time i add a bit of malt/water to build the numbers of the yeast up i just tear off a new bit of glad wrap and pop the rubber band back on,dont have the rubber band too small but just tight enough to hold the glad wrap and as it builds up pressure the co2 escapes between the glad wrap and rubber band, the best thing about the fowlers jar or any jar for that matter is it has a big opening on the top and its easy to add to and to get your hand in to clean it out properly when finished.i used to use the airlock on a bottle but found it too messy, go straight to a big sterilised jar and glad wrap
cheers
fergi

ps, when i have added the xtra wort to the jar and put new glad wrap on i just give it a quick spray with no rinse sanitiser


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## Bribie G (2/12/08)

First of all, I should state that I have never used a Coopers yeast although I have done something identical in the old Dart with Worthington White Shield, Jennings pale ale of Cockermouth, and even Guinness that used to be bottle conditioned from certain regional bottlers up to the 1980s (long story about Guinness but a bit off topic here).

So I know what's involved but something nags at me, the fact that the beer is fermented using a primary fermentation yeast, then filtered/pasteurised to get rid of the 'real' yeast and a second conditioning yeast added to the beer on bottling.

Now I bet London to a brick that the 'real' yeast is locked up tighter than a fish's proverbial and that whilst the bottle conditioning yeast no doubt echoes Coopers house yeast(s) you are never going to get the actual clone of a CPA or CSA. Also I expect it's low flocculating as the Adeladians like to have their bottle rolled at the bar and the draught CSA is served cloudy whenever I've had it in QLD.

Again never tried doing it and might get a pleasant surprise but I imagine Coopers brewers smiling at each other re our efforts.

Not trolling, just my 2c. and willing to be proved wrong 

Edit: personally if I was attempting a Coopers I might see if there's a liquid ale yeast out there that would give great results in Primary, drag it out with finings prior to bottling, and THEN use the Coopers bottle yeast.


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## Adamt (2/12/08)

This question comes up time and time again. It is the SAME strain in the bottle as used for primary fermentation. It's even on the Coopers website somewhere.

Edit: Go to the "Virtual Brewery Tour" on the Coopers website and read Step 11.


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## staggalee (2/12/08)

that would be about the 1,000th time on here, actually,

stagga.


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## geoffi (2/12/08)

I believe, based both on statements from the company and the striking similarity in flavour profile of beer brewed from the recultured yeast to the original, that it is the same strain.


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## Bribie G (2/12/08)

staggalee said:


> that would be about the 1,000th time on here, actually,
> 
> stagga.



Agreed, thought I'd give it another whirl for those who came in late


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## Barge (2/12/08)

Geoffi said:


> Try to keep the fermentation temp down below 20c. Above that you start getting some pronounced fruitiness.



+1

Brewed 2 ales within a week of each other in July using CPA yeast. The first fermented at 20C and was banana dominated. The other fermented at 17C and was subtly bready and malty. I drank the 2nd one in a couple of months and still have at least 12 largies of the fruit salad. It's mellowed somewhat and is drinkable but I won't give it to mates to try.

:icon_cheers:


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## samhighley (2/12/08)

BribieG said:


> Also I expect it's low flocculating as the Adeladians like to have their bottle rolled at the bar ...




Actually, I find that the yeast I harvest from CPA/CSA flocculates really well, which I find puzzling.


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## geoffi (2/12/08)

Sammy said:


> Actually, I find that the yeast I harvest from CPA/CSA flocculates really well, which I find puzzling.



I don't think it's that strange. The yeast in a commercial bottle sticks to the bottom pretty well. As long as the bottle has been kept upright for a while you can easily pour off a clear beer.


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## Adamt (2/12/08)

I think you'll find that this is because Coopers put a fresh dosage of yeast in before bottling hence more yeast makes it into the bottle.


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## Bribie G (2/12/08)

Sammy said:


> Actually, I find that the yeast I harvest from CPA/CSA flocculates really well, which I find puzzling.



Hmm when I get my AG setup running smoothly I'm tempted to come over to the darkside and give it a try. h34r: I must admit that the Jennings ale yeast I got in the UK turned out to be a superb brewing yeast, and my Dad and I kept it going for years.


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## Mantis (2/12/08)

Tried it once and got banana. Didnt even finish the keg. I did brew it at too high temps so am going to try again and start it at 18 and try to keep it there.
Damn , i really need a fridge


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## Bribie G (2/12/08)

Mantis said:


> Damn , i really need a fridge



A dead fridge with a couple of frozen 2L PET bottles should keep your brew at ale temperatures. A number of posters have sworn by it. I got the stepdaughter's garage fridge off her a few days ago (she switched it on for its annual Christmas tour of duty and it was dead as), currently cleaning it up and will do a trial run and report. I'll start a new thread in the 'gear' section if I have anything useful to report.


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## geoffi (2/12/08)

BribieG said:


> A dead fridge with a couple of frozen 2L PET bottles should keep your brew at ale temperatures. A number of posters have sworn by it. I got the stepdaughter's garage fridge off her a few days ago (she switched it on for its annual Christmas tour of duty and it was dead as), currently cleaning it up and will do a trial run and report. I'll start a new thread in the 'gear' section if I have anything useful to report.




Even better is a clapped-out old chest freezer. Much more efficient, as the cold air doesn't escape every time it's opened. Only drawback...lifting full fermenters in and out!


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## Thylacoleo (3/12/08)

Hi all. I'm new to brewing and this forum, and I noticed this question as one I've been pondering myself. Having read through the responses, I've arrived to a new related question. What would be the cons of just tipping the dregs from two coopers stubbies or indeed two whole stubbies into a newly prepared wort? I understand fermentation wouldn't begin straight away because the yeast needs to reactivate, but wouldn't that just add a couple of days to brewing time?


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## fergi (3/12/08)

ok, well i guess the main point would be that you wouldnt have sufficient yeast numbers to start your fermentation quickly enough and therefore a good chance of infection, also why waste 2 good stubbys of coopers pale ale when you can drink them and save the yeast on the bottom to make a descent starter, not sure also if that would ferment out your 21 litres of wort properly. there are some good articles here on AHB that will show you how to reculture coopers yeast, i do it and i only use one stubby and build it up to a litre starter over about 4 days. use the search icon and you will find a few ideas for yeast reculture

cheers
fergi


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## Thylacoleo (3/12/08)

Fair point, I suppose I was just looking for a short cut. I've already had a look at the article posted earlier in this thread. By the sounds of things, reculturing coopers yeast is a worthwhile venture. Something I'll be trying with one of my next brews. So long as things are kept clean, it doesn't sound too hard, really.


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## cozmocracker (4/12/08)

I have been fermenting the CPA yeast, it will be four days tomorrow, if it smells good and taste good i will pitch it tomorrow night. Now i was going to do a basic CPA can with the brew enhancer 2 from coopers, but im tempted to grab some hops or something on the way home tomorrow. Any suggestions or should i keep it simple for my second brew. bought a fridgemate during the week and have the stand up freezer set at 18 degrees in preparation. ha ha ha cant wait!


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## Mantis (4/12/08)

BribieG said:


> A dead fridge with a couple of frozen 2L PET bottles should keep your brew at ale temperatures. A number of posters have sworn by it. I got the stepdaughter's garage fridge off her a few days ago (she switched it on for its annual Christmas tour of duty and it was dead as), currently cleaning it up and will do a trial run and report. I'll start a new thread in the 'gear' section if I have anything useful to report.



That sounds good too Bribie. I'll go check out our local transfer station (rubbish dump) tommorow. Those guys have a shed full of old stuff they have scrounged from the people who pay money to dump their rubbish. :icon_offtopic:


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## Bribie G (4/12/08)

Mantis said:


> That sounds good too Bribie. I'll go check out our local transfer station (rubbish dump) tommorow. Those guys have a shed full of old stuff they have scrounged from the people who pay money to dump their rubbish. :icon_offtopic:



Another avenue might be to try your local electrical stores like Betta Electrical or Retravision who often have a deal 'buy a new fridge and we will take away your dead fridge no charge'.

I've been in touch with guys on the forum about how they are going with their fridges and got a response today:

_28* ambient here at the mo, 12* in my dead fridge.
One 4l, three 2l. bottles. {both outside side walls of fridge insulated with styrofoam and acoustic tile material}
cheers_

Floats my boat :lol:


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## cdbrown (5/12/08)

cozmocracker said:


> I have been fermenting the CPA yeast, it will be four days tomorrow, if it smells good and taste good i will pitch it tomorrow night. Now i was going to do a basic CPA can with the brew enhancer 2 from coopers, but im tempted to grab some hops or something on the way home tomorrow. Any suggestions or should i keep it simple for my second brew. bought a fridgemate during the week and have the stand up freezer set at 18 degrees in preparation. ha ha ha cant wait!



If you check other threads on this brew, seems like pride of ringwood is the hop of choice. Boil 15g for 20mins. I'll be doing
1.7kg coopers pale ale goo
1kg BE#2
200g LDME
15g PoR
Recultured yeast


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## Supra-Jim (5/12/08)

I did a brew with this recently and am currently drinking the sweet rewards!!!

1 x Coopers PA tin 1.7kg
1 x Coopers light malt tin 1.5kg
1 x teabag of Cascade boiled in 1 ltr of water for 10 mins and added to fermenter (teabag and water)
Yeast from 2 stubbies of CPA

Very nice drinking at the moment, big burst of flavour from the Cascade.


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## cozmocracker (5/12/08)

Thanks for the ideas Supra-Jim and cdbrown. i didnt make it to the LHBS and decided to pitch the yeast(which tasted really nice) without any extras. i figure if i wait till i go to the shop next, i could almost be done with another batch. the question now is what next!


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## Fermented (6/12/08)

Geoffi said:


> Even better is a clapped-out old chest freezer. Much more efficient, as the cold air doesn't escape every time it's opened. Only drawback...lifting full fermenters in and out!


Yeah, but it builds your muscles so you can hoist those massive Oktoberfest steins! 

Prost! - Fermented.


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## cdbrown (8/12/08)

cozmocracker said:


> Thanks for the ideas Supra-Jim and cdbrown. i didnt make it to the LHBS and decided to pitch the yeast(which tasted really nice) without any extras. i figure if i wait till i go to the shop next, i could almost be done with another batch. the question now is what next!



The good thing is - when it's finished, save the yeast cake for another pale ale brew! The next one can have the hops, then compare the two to see what differences come through at the end.


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## Spartan 117 (11/12/08)

Homebrewer79 said:


> You can use the yeast in the coopers bottles, you'll need the dregs of about 3 or 4 stubbies, you'll need to make a starter to build up all those good yesties. I think CPA uses POR hops so if you're after something quite close to it you'll need to use them too



Awesome thats one of my favourite beers im so gonna try it !!

Aaron


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## cdbrown (11/12/08)

I've made a 1L starter from this yeast the other day. 100gm LDME in 1L water, added the dregs of 3 stubbies. It took about 2 days to fire up but it sure did fire. If using PET's make sure to check often and release the pressure, my bottle became severely deformed as I didn't think it had started and didn't check it for about 24hours. Hopefully it'll still taste ok when I put the new brew down tomorrow or sat.


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## Supra-Jim (11/12/08)

I had a spare air lock and oring to i ended up modifying the lid of my starter bottle. No deformation.


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## Sunshine_Brewer (11/12/08)

cdbrown said:


> I've made a 1L starter from this yeast the other day. 100gm LDME in 1L water, added the dregs of 3 stubbies. It took about 2 days to fire up but it sure did fire. If using PET's make sure to check often and release the pressure, my bottle became severely deformed as I didn't think it had started and didn't check it for about 24hours. Hopefully it'll still taste ok when I put the new brew down tomorrow or sat.



some oztops might help out 
http://www.oztops.com.au/


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## lemonaed (30/10/09)

Fatgodzilla said:


> I've done my first attempt at cultivating the Coopers yeast and building it up. In fermenter now and looking and smelling okay. In his "How To Brew " book John Palmer rates this yeast as a favourite so I'm looking forward to the results. For the record, I used it on a wort of a can of Thomas Cooper unmalted pale ale extract, 1kg DME, 250g cane sugar and hopped with POR to 25IBU. (with some carapils thrown in). My first extract (and last) after 18 months of AG. Unless the results speak for themselves :icon_cheers:
> 
> 
> 
> I'm looking for something that tastes BETTER than the original ! That's what you should aspire to, young Lemonaed !



Hi fatgodzilla. 

I know a year has passed since I first made this post, but I'm curious, how did that extract batch of Pale Ale mentioned above turn out? Was it pretty good considering it was an extract?

Cheers,

lemonaed


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