# Coopers Pale Ale Yeast only good for their pale ale?



## maxim0200 (2/10/13)

New brewer and Im on my 3rd brew ising coopers goop and all malt so far (no dextrose appart from priming ofcourse).

I currently have my seccond batch of Coopers Pale Ale currently fermenting on top of a recultured Coopers Pale Ale commercial bottle yeast.
I wouldnt mind using the yeast once more to fill another of my new kes up.

As the title suggests, is the coopers pale ale recultured yeast good for any other beers appart from their pale ale? 

Thanks!

@admin pease move if this is in the wrong section.

Edit: typo


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## Yob (2/10/13)

Take a cup or so of the trub when you have bottled, either rinse it or pitch it directly (Standard gravity/volume), People report no bad effect from this, Ive always rinsed the yeast personally...

I dont use coopers yeast though personally as I like to eat bananas and not drink them


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## damoninja (2/10/13)

Why not? I've even heard that it's really good yeast!

Naturally you wouldn't throw it in a lager but I reckon many ales would go alright from this. 

Purely an assumption - but I would imagine the yeast is quite dry without any fruitiness... I'm sure there's a profile on it somewhere!


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## damoninja (2/10/13)

Yob said:


> I like to eat bananas and not drink them


Lol. Does this shoot down my assumption that the yeast doesn't leave you with a fruity beer?


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## jimmyfozzers (2/10/13)

When using recultured CPA yeast I've made the following observations:

- First brew after reculturing from bottle yeast throws more banana than subsequent brews (possible underpitching due to unknown quantity of viable yeast in bottle sediment?)
- Fermenting at 16-17 degrees (and pitching slightly below this) definitely favours pear over banana
- No need to cold crash as leaving some yeast in the beer contributes to flavour IMO
- It's a beast! Fermentation typically complete in 2-3 days


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## Cube (2/10/13)

I get huge banana first brews. So bad I could barely drink it. Even fermented at 16 it throws banana at me. Haven't used it in ages because of this.


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## O-beer-wan-kenobi (2/10/13)

Id be interested to hear what other beers people have made with this yeast and the results.
I have a 6 pack of CPA in the fridge and I'm planning on re-culturing the yeast for a clone but would consider using it in another beer


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## jimmyfozzers (2/10/13)

Cube said:


> I get huge banana first brews. So bad I could barely drink it. Even fermented at 16 it throws banana at me. Haven't used it in ages because of this.


This has also been my experience, but repitching slurry or using a starter from washed trub has greatly reduced the amount of banana for me. I also think that pitching cool helps.


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## mwd (2/10/13)

Coopers use the same yeast for all of their ales so should be compatible with a number of styles. Saying that I don't see any cloudiness in the latest Vintage Ale so maybe it is not bottle conditioned like the others.


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## maxim0200 (2/10/13)

Hmm i will have to look out for the bannana taste in my first 2 CPA's.
The first was pitched at 22degC and fermented at 17degC and the seccond was pitched at the same temp but is fermenting at 19degC.
Both used light liquid malt extract with no dex so maybe i can report back to say if 2degc makes a difference.

@tropical brews, 
Thats good to hear i might 'wash' the yeast and I was thinking of trying a coopers dark ale.


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## fletcher (2/10/13)

jimmyfozzers said:


> This has also been my experience, but repitching slurry or using a starter from washed trub has greatly reduced the amount of banana for me. I also think that pitching cool helps.


what's the lowest temp you've successfully fermented it at mate? i'm about to use it in a vienna/galaxy smash and didn't want to have too much banana if it could be helped. pear would be great. first recultured pitch and i'm doing about 200ml in a 10L test batch.

edit. mr malty suggested 50ish mL for the job but i wanted to make sure it wasn't underpitched given the unknown quantity of vialble yeast.


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## Mikedub (2/10/13)

I use it in Ales, Stouts and wheat beers (thanks to Bribie), love it, finishes dry, no banana isse so far re- pitching , ferment at 17
I cant think of a hop I'd want to late hop with it though, bittering only


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## OzPaleAle (2/10/13)

This is from the byo.com yeast reference guides, I assume its the yeast that comes in the kits

http://byo.com/resources/yeast


Coopers Pure Brewers' Yeast
Type
Dry

Lab
Coopers

Floc.
High

Atten.
High

Temp.
68-80°

Desc.
Clean, round flavor profile.


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## mosto (2/10/13)

It's my yeast of choice in my house ale which is a pale bittered with POR and late hopped with Galaxy. Interesting, my palate rarely picks up any banana with it, but I do get the pear coming through which compliments the Galaxy nicely. I used S04 with this recipe once when I couldn't be bothered re-culturing and the beer suffered for it.

I've never repitched it before, always built up from stubbie dregs, but the last brew I did I saved a jar of the slurry to re-pitch.


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## mwd (2/10/13)

Yes the kit yeast is different. I think the OP is reculturing Coopers Commercial yeasts.


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## jimmyfozzers (2/10/13)

fletcher said:


> what's the lowest temp you've successfully fermented it at mate? i'm about to use it in a vienna/galaxy smash and didn't want to have too much banana if it could be helped. pear would be great. first recultured pitch and i'm doing about 200ml in a 10L test batch.
> 
> edit. mr malty suggested 50ish mL for the job but i wanted to make sure it wasn't underpitched given the unknown quantity of vialble yeast.


The lowest I've gone is 16.5, but I know that Coopers ferment at 16, so with a decent sized starter 16 should be fine. Even at 16.5 my last batch was fermented out to 1.007 in about 4 days.


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## maxim0200 (2/10/13)

Tropical_Brews said:


> Yes the kit yeast is different. I think the OP is reculturing Coopers Commercial yeasts.


Just to clear up any doubt, its the coopers pale ale yeast recultured from 2 longies.
I woud want someone to put me into line if i was trying to re use their dry packet kit yeast or 'shotgun yeast' as i like to call it :lol:

Also great insight guys its good to hear the different ways you guys use it.


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## jimmyfozzers (2/10/13)

On a related note, was on the Coopers tour a few weeks ago and asked Frank the tour guide whether they had backup stashes of yeast anywhere in case of disaster etc. He just looked at me straight faced and said "Yeah, we have thousands of samples all over the country". Then the penny dropped. Made me smile anyway


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## GABBA110360 (2/10/13)

I pitched a starter into a brew on Friday last.
the starter was 1.8 l from the dregs of a dozen pale ale stubbies
I must have done something right cos its the most aggressive start ive had going off it's face sat morning
it was in a 46l brew.
it started at 1.038 om Friday arvo todayall over at 1.002
put it in first time keg over the weekend
cheers
ken


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## fletcher (2/10/13)

jimmyfozzers said:


> The lowest I've gone is 16.5, but I know that Coopers ferment at 16, so with a decent sized starter 16 should be fine. Even at 16.5 my last batch was fermented out to 1.007 in about 4 days.


thanks. yeah i'll try it at 16 i think. i'll hopefully get no (or little) banana with a decent starter size


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## Pickaxe (2/10/13)

I don't get huge banana from it. Great pear at 17-18, bit of a touch of banana at 20-21, but not overpowering. I mean a really slight hint. Not sure now the temps are getting up (SEQ), and i don't have temp controlled fermenting, ie. Fridge. Might stop using coopers yeast when I get bananaman pissed in my bottle brews.


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## Pickaxe (2/10/13)

3 long necks in 600 ml 1040 starter for 2-3 days btw.


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## A3k (2/10/13)

I've only brewed a few of beers with the yeast from the bottle in the past. I've had a bit of bananna before.

not from experience with this yeast, but from other yeasts and reading, increasing oxygenation and pitching rate can reduce the banana. I can imagine many people underpitching when repitching from a bottle, and also I doubt homebrewers oxygenate as well as commercials.

So i guess i'm suggesting that maybe coopers put more emphasis and have better control over their pitching rates and oxyenation than most of us at home.

I've had similar issues with belgian ales recently. Hopefully i'm on top of that though.

Cheers
Al


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## Pickaxe (3/10/13)

3 long necks in 600 ml 1040 starter for 2-3 days btw.

Wort likes this

Hilarious that Wort likes this post.


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## O-beer-wan-kenobi (5/10/13)

So has anyone used the re-cultured CPA yeast in other beers?
I was thinking maybe a red ale may work, as the yeast attenuates high. I suppose it would work in most pale ales but it would be interesting to see how it goes in other ales?
Maybe I will come up with something using the malts I have and give it a go


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## blotto (5/10/13)

Pickaxe said:


> 3 long necks in 600 ml 1040 starter for 2-3 days btw.
> 
> Wort likes this
> 
> Hilarious that Wort likes this post.


Yeah I suppose it could seem a little Hilarious to some, it seem hilarious that you feel the need to comment on it but each to their own.

I was only trying to encourage a post that has some information that others could build on. Lots of people are commenting on under-pitching and you provided helpful information in what looks to be an after thought post, this would help someone try to replicate your results and avoid excessive banana. So yeah I do like that post. You could have edited you original post that's what I would have done but again each to their own.

If I wanted to increase my post count at every available opportunity I could have commented I suppose. But IMO the "Like" button is very useful for getting rid of rubbish post such as this one


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## bum (5/10/13)

Maybe he was making a pun. "Wort" likes (the yeast).

Yeah? Nah?

Jesus.


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## blotto (5/10/13)

Yeah I can see that Jesus my bad :unsure:

If this was the case I offer my apologies.

Just so we're not completely confused I was referring to my post as the rubbish post.

Wort.


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## eungaibitter1 (8/10/13)

At which stage has the banana become evident? I'm just curious as I've recently done a couple of brews with it and can't say I noticed any banana smell or taste prior to bottling. Is it still a chance to appear after maturing in the bottle?


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## jimmyfozzers (8/10/13)

No, it's usually apparent from fermentation onwards. If anything it should reduce with ageing.


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## Liam_snorkel (8/10/13)

Mikedub said:


> I cant think of a hop I'd want to late hop with it though, bittering only


I recently used it in an IPA with a bunch of fruity hops (can't quite remember, I think galaxy, cascade & citra were in there) and it was great. It was a repitched cup of slurry from a pale ale though, & I didn't get overpowering banana.


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## Pickaxe (9/10/13)

Wort likes healthy pitch advice. So does mine.

All good mate.


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## Pickaxe (9/10/13)

To add to this, it is imperative that with coopers yeast you stay to 16-18 degrees. My last 2 recultured coppers brews exceeded 18, more like 20+ at times and the results are lacking. No more pear, but not quite banana, but not satisfactory. 
My summer is gonna be a real bitch, just having had a 35 degree day if I don't get temp control happening, I might have to start saisons until next autumn/winter. I'm only on ambient ferment temps, ans under my strairs in my new place is untested. Wasnt until this last winter that my brews have become excellent. It's a real bitch, but coppers yeast is outvfor me now. Unless under my stairs can stabilise at 18 max.


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## sticksy (9/10/13)

hi all. newbie here, about to start third batch soon. looking at an IPA kit with some add ins. 

was curious as to whether there are any other bottle conditioned commercial beers out there we can get the yeast from like we can with CPA? 

also, can anyone suggest a good simple method of extracting and growing the yeast for pitching from a six pack?


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## maxim0200 (15/10/13)

Probly wont help you much but i think i saw some yeast in the bottom of an aldi beer i had the other day.


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## Rocker1986 (15/10/13)

There are a number of them I believe. Two I know of are Sierra Nevada and Rogue. You can get yeast out of any bottle conditioned beer, the unknown is how healthy it will be.


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## Liam_snorkel (15/10/13)

Rocker1986 said:


> You can get yeast out of any bottle conditioned beer, the unknown is how healthy it will be.


...and whether it is the primary strain.


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## sticksy (15/10/13)

primary strain? (sorry, noob)

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk


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## Liam_snorkel (15/10/13)

sticksy said:


> primary strain? (sorry, noob)
> 
> Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk


Commercial bottle conditioned beers are often filtered after fermentation, then bottled with a different yeast such as a lager yeast to bottle condition. Little Creatures pale ale and various international wheat beers come to mind.


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