Recent content by mattdean4130

Hey guys, Sorry to dredge an old one up but I'm gearing up to have a crack at my first BIAB (always thought it too hard but then did a rye whiskey mash - go figure) and I thought this a good one to start on. Am i right to assume this recipe for a 23l ferment? Cheers

Thanks everyone, a lot of great info. Sp0rk, would love to get to Coutts on the weekend but i was away last and have a lot of catching up to do at home!

I've been wanting to try a very English, "warm" Ale for quite some time now. The kind i believe they serve at room temp (only what i've heard, never been) Wondering where a good place to start would be, using Coopers English bitter kit as a base. Anybody have any suggestions for hop...

I read on here somewhere the worst thing you can do is follow the instructions on the can! What's been said above, but also maybe look at adding some additional hops into your brews? Quick and easy way to improve a kit tenfold!

I would say recipe and priming practice specifics would be a good step in getting some serious answers...

I'm finding a kilo of malt makes mine a little "heavy" when going for a CPA... Just copied a recipe i've been working on with ikg of dextrose only as a comparison. I'm betting a 60/40 mix (not sure which way) will probly end up the sweet spot!

I LOVE having a house smelling like hops! POR & chinook hops are the standout for me... I've contemplated boiling hops just for the smell over winter when there was no brewing..... haha

I just leave mine in. Just be careful when bottling or transferring to secondary to avoid getting too much trub into ya bottles

I do not recommend the Aztec Gold cerveza recipe from the coopers website. Tastes like absolute shit, and it's mid strength. F***!

I made a really nice coffee stout (but its probably more of a porter consistency) 1x Dark Ale (white label) 1x Stout (white label) 500g Brown sugar 3 panella's full (3 double shots) of espresso from a home espresso machine in 250ml Kit yeast. By far the simplest kit i've done in a long time...

I've been basing a Coopers Pale clone on a basic Lager kit as read by one of the Coopers mods on the forum. FWIW i've done identical brews with white label Lager and the Aussie Pale Ale kit and not noticed any great difference. My best brew is a toucan white label stout and dark ale... Only...

I'd bet it was one of the last to be bottled? Perhaps got a bit more sediment from the fermenter than most of the others? I try to stack mine in the cupboard so the last 10 or so bottled are the last to be pulled out and drank - because they always cop a bit more sediment. FWIW i haven't seen...

The short answer to your question; What does adding hops do to your kit, is - AWESOME! In my experience it takes a boring kit beer and can add (if done right) enough of the right stuff to make it a really good batch. I've done a few that my mates say taste on par with a good commercial craft beer.

I just thought i'd pipe in here. Thank you guys, you were right. Carbonation was just very slow, obviously because of temperatures.... These have carbed up ok now. Would've preferred a bit more, but at least they're drinkable now. Thanks for the great advice, i was almost ready to rip the caps...

Thanks guys. I like a pale ale to have some fizz... Stouts and IPA's for me can be lower carbed. You're probably right about the temperature slowing it down. The couple i cracked, literally were on par with tasting straight out of the fermenter in terms of carb... MartinOC thanks. Definitely...