2nd Brew - Coopers Real Ale

[guerd87]

Hi all,

After finishing off my first brew with my Coopers Micro Kit I got for my birthday, its time to hit up another.

The first batch turned out ok direct from the kit, didnt have my tastes in mind though. Storing it for a while, aparently that brings it out a bit more.

After heading down to the LHBS, I picked up a few things and hopefully they should get me a decent beer.

Coopers Real Ale tin
500g Dextrose
500g Un-hopped Malt - looks like honey

Im a real fan of most types of ales either light or dark. Coopers pale ale, James squire ale etc etc

Will what I have here create an ok brew or should I be looking to add something else in? Any comments would be great

Also, is the un-hopped malt fermentable? If it is then I should be getting around 4.5-5%, if not with only 500g Dextrose around 3%ish? I have been reading about dry hopping by just using tea bag style methods in the fermenter, could anyone shed some light on this or what I should use and how long to put it in for?

Cheers,
John

 

[Coach_R]

Hey bud if you like James Squire Golden Ale throw some Armarillo in there for the passionfruity goodness of a JSGA... :icon_cheers:

 

[Pennywise]

Yep, malt extract is fermentable, just not as fermentable as dextrose. From memory it's about 80% fermentable where dextrose is 100%. Those ingredients will turn out a fine brew. If you can get your hands on some Styrian Goldings hops then I'd suggest dry hopping after about 4 days into ferment, and even better if you're up for steeping some grain 100-200g (depending on taste) of a medium/dark crystal malt is pretty good with this kit.

 

[stm]

The real ale kit is one of the better ones, so I suggest just go with the ingredients you've got rather than make another trip to the LHBS and wasting more precious fermenting time! You can always plan (and prepare) to improve the next batch with some extra hops into the fermenter, or steeping specialty grains, or maybe try a better yeast, while you're waiting.

One thing you can do now is temp control. Try and get it around 18 degrees, rather than in the mid-20s recommended in the instructions. That's one of the biggest improvements you can make to your beer.

 

[manticle]

The real ale kit is one of the better ones, so I suggest just go with the ingredients you've got rather than make another trip to the LHBS and wasting more precious fermenting time! You can always plan (and prepare) to improve the next batch with some extra hops into the fermenter, or steeping specialty grains, or maybe try a better yeast, while you're waiting.

One thing you can do now is temp control. Try and get it around 18 degrees, rather than in the mid-20s recommended in the instructions. That's one of the biggest improvements you can make to your beer.

Agreed. Make it as is first up then work out which ways you'd like to improve it. Any suggestions I make will be based on my tastes but we can make suggestions based on your tastes when we know what they are.

As for malt/dex - you will get a slightly lower alc brew than straight kk but it will have more body and be slightly less dry which suits the style the tin is supposed to be.

 

[guerd87]

Ive started writing down my findings in a little notebook, so I think I will just use what I have and then take notes etc form when tasting. If i like the taste I can always improve given the suggestions above ^^ Thanks for those guys.

I was just getting on here to ask about temperatures + yeast, but seems my question already got answered without even asking it

My best bet I guess would just be to use the yeast that came with the kit, My wardrobe in the house keeps around a 22-24c ferment from my last batch, I will move it to a different room to get it a bit lower this time. How long would you expect for it to ferment @ 18-20c? Last batch took 6 days @ 22-24c

Lower % is not really a problem for me, I drink anywhere from 3.5-4.8% usually

Is there any set guides to storing my ingredients before brewing? Only picked up my stuff today, But I cant start until Monday (Next day off, 14 hour days dont give much time for brewing + sleep :\ ) I have all my stuff sitting in the drawer in the shed, ive never measured but current weather I would guess it gets down to 10c in there at night. Is this a problem for my Yeast or Malt?

Thanks again for all the replies, I have noted down the recommendations above and will experiment with them after tasting this batch. This will give me a good starting point then I can learn what different hops and processes do to the beer.

 

[manticle]

The yeasts that come with the kits are good because they are tolerant to varying temp ranges. They are not good because they are only 7g and because they are kept under the lid rather than in cool conditions.

Other yeasts may be less tolerant of wide temp ranges but will contain a better amount of yeast (11-12g for a single batch) and should be kept in the fridge from the homebrew shop. best to check if they are within useby and by how much.

As for how long - it's a bit like a piece of string. Depends a bit on the yeast and probably a load of other stuff. Use the hydrometer to see when ferment is finished and when it is - leave it a bit longer. The yeast is like a responsible teenager. It has parties and makes a mess when you go away but if left alone, it tkaes responsibility and cleans up after itself. If you bottle immediately once ferment is finished, you deny it the chance to do this (within reason - it will clean up in the bottle but it takes much longer at smaller volumes).

 

[Pennywise]

=[/b]'626473']
The yeast is like a responsible teenager. It has parties and makes a mess when you go away but if left alone, it tkaes responsibility and cleans up after itself. If you bottle immediately once ferment is finished, you deny it the chance to do this (within reason - it will clean up in the bottle but it takes much longer at smaller volumes).

One of the best explainations for newbies on this issue I've come across so far

 

[ajoesmith]

The yeasts that come with the kits are good because they are tolerant to varying temp ranges. They are not good because they are only 7g and because they are kept under the lid rather than in cool conditions.

Other yeasts may be less tolerant of wide temp ranges but will contain a better amount of yeast (11-12g for a single batch) and should be kept in the fridge from the homebrew shop. best to check if they are within useby and by how much.

As for how long - it's a bit like a piece of string. Depends a bit on the yeast and probably a load of other stuff. Use the hydrometer to see when ferment is finished and when it is - leave it a bit longer. The yeast is like a responsible teenager. It has parties and makes a mess when you go away but if left alone, it tkaes responsibility and cleans up after itself. If you bottle immediately once ferment is finished, you deny it the chance to do this (within reason - it will clean up in the bottle but it takes much longer at smaller volumes).

So When fermented, i should leave in the fermenter for longer instead of bottling straight away?

Im currently on my first brew and fermenting is slowing down so i should leave it in there for a few more weeks before bottling?

 

[michaelcocks]

Hi all,

After finishing off my first brew with my Coopers Micro Kit I got for my birthday, its time to hit up another.

The first batch turned out ok direct from the kit, didnt have my tastes in mind though. Storing it for a while, aparently that brings it out a bit more.

After heading down to the LHBS, I picked up a few things and hopefully they should get me a decent beer.

Coopers Real Ale tin
500g Dextrose
500g Un-hopped Malt - looks like honey

Im a real fan of most types of ales either light or dark. Coopers pale ale, James squire ale etc etc

Will what I have here create an ok brew or should I be looking to add something else in? Any comments would be great

Also, is the un-hopped malt fermentable? If it is then I should be getting around 4.5-5%, if not with only 500g Dextrose around 3%ish? I have been reading about dry hopping by just using tea bag style methods in the fermenter, could anyone shed some light on this or what I should use and how long to put it in for?

Cheers,
John

That will be pretty "malty"
Probably OK if you like Scottish 80 shillings, Irish Ales, or Yorkshire Bitter
Go to the LHBS guys and tell him what commercial beers you like... Or tell us we can point you at some recipes that will make something in the same style...
Welcome to the forum BTW

 

[manticle]

So When fermented, i should leave in the fermenter for longer instead of bottling straight away?

Im currently on my first brew and fermenting is slowing down so i should leave it in there for a few more weeks before bottling?

That's what I'm suggesting. Not necessarily a few more weeks but at least a few more days up to a week. Brews can be left for much longer with no ill effect but you're new, you want to drink your beer and 5 days will make a huge difference. If you have a fridge you can bung the lot in for a few more days following that then even better.


However you should be measuring finished ferment with a hydrometer THEN leaving it a bit more, not estimating. Fine to work out how the ferment is going without a hydrometer if you have a good level of experience and know the risks but for a noob I'd suggest measuring and making sure it's stable.

 

[carl_p]

So when fermenting at say 18deg instead of 22deg what difference does
that make to the finished product?

 

[BjornJ]

at the higher temperatures the yeast eats through the malt/sugar faster, creating flavor parts that you may or may not like.
At 18 degrees the yeast will leave a "cleaner" flavor, meaning less esters/fruity tones.

Not saying there is anything wrong with fermenting beer at 22-24 degrees, only that often we want the "cleaner" taste profile and aim below 18 degrees. The one I have in the fridge now (a brown ale) I started at 16 and ramped to 18 after 4 days.

thanks
Bjorn

 

[carl_p]

ok so does the same apply once bottled or is it not as important?

 

[manticle]

While it's better to keep finished beer at a stable temperature, it is not as crucial. During the early stages of fermentation the yeast produce esters and various volatile and flavour compounds. Some of these are desirable in some types of beer, some are not. Once ferment is finished there won't be much in the way of ester production but if the bottled beer is too cold it won't carbonate - if it is too hot it starts to affect the flavour and maybe stability.

 

[guerd87]

Man this site is full of useful tips and info

I started the batch today using only the base ingredients and, like I said before, will modify to learn more about hopping

Ive just used the coopers can yeast. AFAIK this still comes with a larger yeast so needs the warmer temperatures? I have it sitting at 20c right now, dont want it to get to cold and stall. Next time should I be looking at using a different yeast?

This 'Real Ale' extract is super thick and has a much stronger smell then the last one, much darker too. One before this was just the Coopers Larger.

Measured the OG and came out to 1035, so a little lower % then normal, thats around 4.6% on my Hydrometer. Should i still expect 1008 - 1012 for the final reading?

John

 

[manticle]

Other way round. It will be an ale yeast (or a hybrid) which needs the warmer temps (between 18 and 22 optimum but will tolerate either side of that). Lager yeasts are fermented lower (unless making steam beer)