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DaKing

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9/7/03
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Hiya!

First post from a new Homebrewer.

I realise that you guys probably frown upon making homebrew out of a can
But I have a question....

I've noticed that my first 2 batches (a lager & stout from a Coopers can)
have a bit of a bi-carb soda after taste...

Would this because I've added too much priming white sugar?
(it is quite gassy) Or is it likely to be the below par quality you
get from just using the can without any extra malt/hops?

Cheers
Chris
 
Mate no shame in kit brewing. You can make great beers with kits. Just ask GMK on this forum, who has won awards with his kit beers.

My first kit beers tasted pretty much as you describe with your first two. I suspect it's a combination of things. Assuming you used dextrose in the brew, and not sugar (for fermenting that is - not priming: sugar is ok for priming), the flavours you are experiencing could be from either stale malt in the can, cheap yeast, high brewing temps, infection, or just plain bland beer. Having said this, my first Coopers Stout tasted like crap first up, but was nice after a year, if low in body and no aftertaste.

For your next beer, I would suggest checking out a few websites for some good kit-based recipes and develop your brewing skills from there, as you experiment with different ingredients. It's amazing what just an extra kilo of malt and some hops can do to a kit beer. Some good starting points for recipes are:
http://www.members.optusnet.com.au/~bjaus/
http://www.geocities.com/lesjudith/
http://www.homebrewandbeer.com/

For a great overview of brewing skills and science, with good beginners sections, try John Palmer's site at:
http://www.howtobrew.com/

Happy brewing!

Cheers - Snow.
 
Chris,

All of us either started with kits or are still using them, and as Snow says you can make some very good beers that way.

Perhaps what you're describing with your first two batches could be the 'greeness' (is that English?). Most of the beers we make improve with age, some keep improving for a year or more and some peak in less time than that. The difference between an ordainary beer and a good/great beer can very often be just a matter of time.

Give them a few months to improve and try them again. The only problem with this is that you need to get ahead of the game by putting down quite a few batches and resisting the temptation to knock them all off too early.

Best of luck with it all.

Trev
 
I concur.
Slow and steady from go to Whoa! is the only way.

I find that over-cleanliness can actually be more of a hindrence than a help. Again, take your time and don't get carried away.

Today is 12 July, and I jst had one of my "Rooster Ales" (I name all my beers), which is 9.3%. It was bottled on the 1-1-03, it is a Coopers Dark Ale with 1kg dextrose and 1kg light malt I also added a a couple of hop bags in the fermenter at the time.

I have two fermenters going all the time, this way I always beer of good maturity at all times. Just don't fall back on the regime, as if you have beer that is too immature, well, it taste like fruity alka seltzer.

I usually have a six month turn around, and keep a couple out for Christmas- New Year.

Remember, the more Brewing sugar, the more ZINGG!!


Spanner. :blink:
 
Hiya Guys!

Thanks for all your helpful tips & advice!
Especially Snow - those sites are very good!
Not sure how many bottles would last 6mths (lucky to last
3mths @ my house)

As for hygene, I was surprised @ how finicky some are & all the
chemicals they were using....I just use bleach.


I've just chucked down another brew...since I live on the sth side
of Brizzy, there's not a homebrew shop nearby, so I grab
what I can from Big-W in the city

Trying Coopers Stout, Pacifc Brew Stout Combo, ~500g of brown sugar
Goldings teabag hops, ~100g of cocoa...cost me about $23
so we'll see if it's worth it.


Anyone tried adding Coffee to their stouts?
not sure if you're better adding 1/4 a teaspoon when bottling or
a heap @ the primary stage....(I suspect you'd get better flavour
during bottling)...also wouldn't mind trying a dash of liquorice extract.

anyway thanks again guys!

Cheers
Chris
 
I'd suggest you'd get more consistent flavour by adding the coffee during the boil (if you boil?) for much the same reason as bulk priming - you get an equal amount distributed throughout the brew, regardless of the size of the bottles.
 
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