# Pimp a Coopers Ginger Beer Kit?



## carniebrew

My mum, god bless 'er, has asked me a few times if I can make her a ginger beer. I don't think I've ever had one myself, I'm not really a fan of ginger. As it turns out, we're going on an extended family holiday (as in extended family rather than extended holiday) in mid-Jan, and like most of my relatives, my mum is far more bearable once she's had a few...so I'm thinking I should get that GB done in time to take with me.

So I thought I might cheat and just do a Coopers Kit GB, as per their website....but like my first ever kit beer, the thought of a can and kilo of sugar kinda scares me. I'm thinking I might make it around 4.2%, rather than the 3.5% that recipe comes out with...but I'm wondering if anyone can suggest what to use other than more raw sugar?

Also...if anyone's had the Coopers GB before, and reckons it's bloody horrible, I'm happy to be told to NOT cheat, and instead make a real ginger beer as per some of the fancier recipes floating around. But if you reckon the can & kilo makes something acceptable, it'll do me for now....

Oh, and I'll be doing a small batch, probably around 8 litres or so, if that matters?


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## BungBrew

I've made plenty of K&K GBs over the year sand just used LME, the can and some fresh peeled ginger which gives it some bite.

Never done one that hasn't gone down a treat!


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## carniebrew

Cheers for that. So completely sub the sugar for DME? I have a heap of amber DME left over from my extract brewing days. And when/how do you add the ginger? Straight into the mix at the start of fermentation?


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## BungBrew

It all open to experimentation I guess, I believe using LME or DME will give a maltier GB, sugar probably a lighter GB?


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## nathan23v

Hi carnie & bung. I have just bottled 2 batches gb, 1 brigalow & 1 coopers. Only used 1kg dextrose in both. If I use DME will 1kg still give around 3.5%? Also should fresh ginger be peeled & put in wort & left during fermentation or boiled in water for some time then strained into wort?


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## nathan23v

Sorry just realised fresh ginger question already asked


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## nathan23v

Sorry just realised fresh ginger question already asked


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## eungaibitter1

Boil the grated fresh ginger with lemon, lime, cinnamon, sugars ect. Whatever is in the recipe. I've used Coopers as well as brigalow. Neither one seems any better than the other, both turning out a tasty drop. Brown sugar and/or golden syrup are also good.


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## carniebrew

nathan23v said:


> Hi carnie & bung. I have just bottled 2 batches gb, 1 brigalow & 1 coopers. Only used 1kg dextrose in both. If I use DME will 1kg still give around 3.5%? Also should fresh ginger be peeled & put in wort & left during fermentation or boiled in water for some time then strained into wort?


No to the DME question, it's less fermentable than sugar. Oh and for the record, dextrose also adds less alcohol than sucrose (i.e. white sugar, raw sugar etc). 1kg of dex will add 2.7% abv to 17 litres of wort, whereas 1kg of raw sugar will add 3.1%. 1kg of DME will only add around 2.1%. All these numbers are before bottle conditioning, which adds another 0.4% or so.

I'm wondering now if using an entire Coopers GB can in an 8 litre batch might be a bit overpowering, given it's designed for a 17l batch size.....


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## zeggie

I grated and boiled fresh ginger, and used raw sugar. I hate GB but friends who requested said it was a tasty drop.


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## carniebrew

Just to close this out, I ended up going with half a can of Morgan's Ginger Beer, with 400 grams of amber DME and 400 grams of raw sugar, in 10 litres. I fermented it at 24C (can said anywhere between 20 and 30, couldn't bring myself to go any higher than 24). It was fully fermented (OG/FG 1036/1010) within about 4 days, but I left it a little over a week in the primary before bottling. I bottled it nearly two weeks ago, and cracked the first one today. I'm not a fan of GB myself, but it poured crystal clear, and tasted pretty good. The missus gave it a big thumbs up too. Pretty sweet, with a hint of that fake sweetener taste you get in diet drinks, I'm guessing that's how they must sweeten the canned stuff?

It'll be going to my mum in about a week, she's a big fan of the style, so we'll see, but it looks like just the can with a bit of DME and sugar has worked out pretty well.


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## Alex.Tas

Hey Carnie, how did this go down with your old girl? I've been thinking of doing a GB before summer dies here in tassie. I wont be brewing it for a month or so. Worth adding some extra ginger? I would be doing a full scale (20L or so) batch btw.


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## carniebrew

Mum's loving it, especially with this hot weather. She pours it over a glass full of ice then drinks it. Reckons she doesn't want me to change a thing for the next batch, so it looks like a winner...


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## Bennigan

Just started fermenting a batch, as requested from my mate coming back from the US soon.

Recipe is as follows 23L:
Coopers Ginger Beer Kit
2 Lemons zested and juiced
1 Cinnamon stick
1 Large clump of ginger (receipt says 0.117kg before peeled), chopped by processor
2.5kg Brown Sugar

I ended up pouring the boiled ginger and cinnamon stick straight into the fermenter.

It will most likely be in the fermenter for 2 weeks (until I finish a half keg), and then in the keezer until I finish my second keg 

I'll keep you posted when it's ready


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## Bennigan

Kegged it yesterday, and force carbed it today. It tastes amazing.
Next time though I won't keep the sliced ginger in the fermenter as it kept on clogging the tap at the bottom when I was transferring it to the keg. It also seems to be pouring from the keg alot slower due to all the lumps from the added ginger. When I do it again, I am definitely going to do a long boil of the ginger, cinnamon and lemon, then strain it before I add it to the fermenter.
The taste of ginger is fairly strong (slight burning sensation), and the lemon is very mild, so next time will use 3-4.
I can't really taste the 1 cinnamon stick, so I'll try 2 or 3 next time.


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## Nullnvoid

Thought I would give a ginger beer a go, and copied Bennigan's recipe as it looked quite good. Tasted some as I was taking the reading, it's got quite a kick but seems pretty good. See how we go in several weeks time!


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## Nullnvoid

Bottle this last night.....with some interruption, SHMBO was trying to drink it out of the fermenter. She didn't particularly like the thought of waiting for it to be carbonated but it is what it is. In 10 of the bottles I put a chilli in to see if that has any effect on the taste. 

So I'm assuming this will be a success!

There is now talk of getting another one, so I can brew beer and ginger beer at the same time


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## carniebrew

Great work. Everyone I shared my pretty much un-pimped GB with has loved it, and I now have 4 separate orders for new batches! I have a batch down now that is the other half of the Morgans GB tin, some raw sugar, brown sugar and light DME. I used half a pack of BRY-97 (12 litres) as I used all the kit GB yeast in the first batch. Will be interesting to see if it affects the flavour at all, I'm figuing not much. I very nearly used bread yeast in this batch, I've read a few posts that say it can work in a ginger beer, but in the end I just couldn't bring myself to do it.

I do wonder though, I've folded up the remaining half of the BRY-97 pack, will I be able to use that half on another GB in say a few week's time? I have a 250gm tin of bread yeast in the fridge that I open, use a few teaspoons of in the bread maker, then pop the lid back on and put it back in the fridge. Any chance it'll work for brewer's yeast?


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## Brados Brew

Just wondering if anyone has an update on Bennigan's recipe. I am about to do my first GB and this sounds good. About to head out and get the kit and ingredients.

Cheers


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## Nullnvoid

Brados Brew said:


> Just wondering if anyone has an update on Bennigan's recipe. I am about to do my first GB and this sounds good. About to head out and get the kit and ingredients.
> 
> Cheers


I made this and it's bottled and almost ready to drink. 

It took a month to ferment out but I'm putting that down to 2.5kg of sugar. It's also very sweet. Not sure it will be my favourite but it is still nice from what I have tasted.


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## Brados Brew

Nullnvoid said:


> I made this and it's bottled and almost ready to drink.
> 
> It took a month to ferment out but I'm putting that down to 2.5kg of sugar. It's also very sweet. Not sure it will be my favourite but it is still nice from what I have tasted.


Any idea what your gravity reading were and alcohol percentage. I was thinking 2.5kg of sugar would equal rocket fuel.


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## Nullnvoid

Brados Brew said:


> Any idea what your gravity reading were and alcohol percentage. I was thinking 2.5kg of sugar would equal rocket fuel.



Yeah sure do. OG was 1.052 and FG was 1004. That gives me a result of 6.49%

It took 30 days before I was happy enough to bottle and it went crazy fermentation, Tried to bubble up through the airlock. It was intense.


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## Brados Brew

Thanks mate. I have a beer to bottle tonight and will put the gb down hopefully tomorrow and see how it goes.


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## Nullnvoid

Not a problem. If I make it again, I'm going to reduce the amount of sugar. It's nice, but too sweet for my liking. I think it had cut out some of the ginger flavour.

But goodluck, let us know how you go.


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## calobes

Nullnvoid said:


> Not a problem. If I make it again, I'm going to reduce the amount of sugar. It's nice, but too sweet for my liking. I think it had cut out some of the ginger flavour.
> 
> But goodluck, let us know how you go.


That sweetness is probably the artificial sweetener in the coopers kit. Nothing you do will get rid of it. You would need to find a kit with no artificial sweetener or a kit where the sweetener is in its own sachet and not add it.


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## Gigantorus

I too just did a Coopers GB can and kept to the coopers recipe. The result was very much a GB lacking real ginger flavour (like I remember as a kid), though has a nice burn at the end. The only way to give it the right taste is to put a teaspoon of the Buderim Ginger cordial in a glass then top up with the Coopers GB, which makes quite a good drink.

A question to you good folk....I was thinking about buying some ginger powder (ground ginger) from the local Asian grocer and throwing that in with the Coopers kit. Was thinking I'd try 500grams to start. I would stir it in some warm/hot water and disolve and then toss into the main Coopers can mix.

Just trying to find a really simple recipe.

Cheers,
Pete


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## panzerd18

All, after boiling the fresh ginger, lemon zest/juice and cinnamon, should I just chuck it all in the fermenter and let it sit in there until fermentation is complete?


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## Nullnvoid

I strain it out as I fill up the fermenter. Hope that helps.


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## Scottsrx

I threw everything in the fermenter and will most likely rack it to a second fermenter before bottling so I can run it through a hop sock to get some of the sediment out. I think you want a few floaties in there for nostalgic reasons


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## stux

Scottsrx said:


> I threw everything in the fermenter and will most likely rack it to a second fermenter before bottling so I can run it through a hop sock to get some of the sediment out. I think you want a few floaties in there for nostalgic reasons


I've made a nice GB with a mildly pimped coopers gb kit as a keg filler. Awesome afterburn, good mouthfeel/flavour/foaminess, couldn't really taste the sweetener. Tastes like an alcoholic version of bundy gb but with more bite and body. Everyone, even the non beer drinkers loved it. I didn't admit it was a kit 

Tis simple

1 can coopers gb
500g light dme
500g demera sugar

Boil up the demera and DME in a couple of L of water then add to fermenter with the kit. Use some boiled water to get the rest of the kit out. 

Make up to 20L then ferment at 18C for a few weeks. Keg and carbonate to medium/high carbonation. 

So successful it was I decided to made a 60L batch a month later 


(stooped iphone upload is upside down  )


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## Mutaneer

What alternative kits give a much drier finish..?

The Coopers is simply far too artificially sweet for my liking.
Mixing it 50:50 with my dry cider is a great drink though


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## mattyg8

Im looking for a good ginger beer receipe to first try out....dont mind if its a kit to start off


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## Mutaneer

I made a reasonable one from scratch with fresh ginger, but it's very expensive.


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## herman4x4

I'm looking at doing a Coopers GB kit. Might add a bit of fresh ginger etc. When it comes time to bottle, is it safe to use glass stubbies, or should I get some PET bottles?
Cheers,
Andrew.


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