AHB Wiki: Using Coopers Bottle Yeast

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This is the discussion topic for article: Using Coopers Bottle Yeast


Nice work.

Now what do they say about asking a brewer and getting how many answers? :)

I'm just watching my coopers culture going beserk at the moment.

Here's some comments.

*Its handy to remember that the wort is made 1:10 malt to water by weight.
* I cool the wort in a closed vessel in a water bath. Maybe I'm paranoid, but fridges are germy places.
* Stirring makes a huge difference to the quality of the starter. If you don't have a stir plate, shake the fermenter whenever you think of it.
* Stepping up the wort to 1.5l will make sure you have an appropriate yeast population for 23l. I step up from 500ml to 1.5l after 2 day and ferment another 2 days.
 
thanks for opening the thread braufrau,

*yes keep the ratio of ldme to 1:10 with water
*i didn't do it this time, but next time i make one i will cover my hot wort with gladwrap in the fridge
*i don't have a stir plate, i just swished the bottle in a circular motion whenever going past it instead of shaking
*My 23 litre batch kicked off beaut just using the 600ml starter (turns out more like 800ml once you added the bottle dregs), however my beer had an OG of 1.034 so increasing the starter to 1.5 litres after 2-3 days may be a good idea for higher gravity beers. (thankyou for this suggestion i left out braufrau)

cheers
 
Just to confirm - you pitch the entire starter, not just the yeasty dregs?

Do you pitch the starter after it is fermented, or while it is going strong?

Thanks.
 
maybe i wouldn't put the open jug of wort in the fridge. i pour into a sanitised coke bottle immersed in cold water after it's cooled a little, but still covered.
also, try to use coopers bottles dated as early as possible, even before, the best after date, the yeast is more viable.
also, try tipping 85% of a SIXPACK into pint glasses and 15% into the starter to triple your yeast count/enjoyment.
 
Just to confirm - you pitch the entire starter, not just the yeasty dregs?

Do you pitch the starter after it is fermented, or while it is going strong?

Thanks.


The best time to pitch is when the starter is going strong. However, if you can't coincide your brewing with that then chilling the fermented starter and just pitching the slurry at the bottom will also work well.
 
Just to confirm - you pitch the entire starter, not just the yeasty dregs?

Do you pitch the starter after it is fermented, or while it is going strong?

Thanks.


I pitch the entire starter. With 1.5l I have to remember to fill the fermenter within 2l of the desired volume
(23l or whatever I'm doing) and then pitch the yeast. :)

Like Kai said, you pitch when its going strong. Its a bit hard to judge when the peak performance
will be but my procedure is
500ml starter stirred for 2 days
Add 1000ml of wort and stir for 2days.

After 2 days the 1.5l starter is almost climbing out of the 2l bottle I use.

The last brew I did started bubbling in about 2 hours after pitching, so I'm confident the yeast
was doing well.

Oh, and its a good idea to taste the culture before pitching to make sure you're pitching yeast. :)
 
Awesome article Braufrau, i am looking to start doing this myself and you have saved me a heap of time by puting all the info in one spot.
Thanks

Turto
Beer is Life
 
Awesome article Braufrau, i am looking to start doing this myself and you have saved me a heap of time by puting all the info in one spot.
Thanks

Turto
Beer is Life


Don't thank me! Thank Enerjex. He did the nice pdf and went to the effort of posting to the wiki. :super:
 
isn't an uneditable PDF going against the whole point of a Wiki?
I'd certainly like to add some points but I cant.
 
isn't an uneditable PDF going against the whole point of a Wiki?
I'd certainly like to add some points but I cant.

Thought that too.

If you are cooling the mini-wort in the fridge shouldn't you at least cover it with some cling film?

And could we please remove the letter z from sterilise or more correctly, sanitise. If this is meant to be a wiki we need the terminology to be spot on i last time i checked z isn't used to spell either of these words.

Apart from those 2 points its pretty much how i go about this although i will be looking for a stir plate soon...

Cheers for that Enerjex, should help the first timers out.
 
Yes I noted that I will use cling wrap next time in an earlier post, I'll leave the PDF for another week or so then do a revision with the suggestions in a .doc file that can be edited.
 
not a file, just add it in the wiki, then it can be edited.
 
The best time to pitch is when the starter is going strong. However, if you can't coincide your brewing with that then chilling the fermented starter and just pitching the slurry at the bottom will also work well.

I prefer to pitch just the slurry. I don't need an extra 1 litres of plain starter beer to mess up an AG recipe.
 
???

edit - oh you mean the DME starter!?

Yep, that's what I meant.
Nice article, very useful. I cultured a Cooper's yeast a few brews back, although I'm currently working my way through batch of WLP001 cultures.
 
just wanted to mention www.oztops.com.au these packs include lids to fit softdrink bottles, they have a CO2 valve/membrane thingo in the lid so they are so convenient for making starters, I make a starter up in a 750mL plastic longneck, then esccalate to a 1.5 or 2L softy bottle, no need for a rubber band and gladwrap or to unscrew the cap and risk germs getting in. You can get these little packs from Grumpy's and other retailers for about $25, you get 4 lids for softdrink bottles, 4 for juice bottles and 2 containers of dried yeasts.

For the use in making starters alone it has made its money back many times for me.
cheers.
 
Ive had 2 bottles of coopers pale ale that i am planning on using to reculture, i have done what the wiki says and pored into a glass then sealed the bottle quickly. They have been in the fridge like that for about 3 weeks now so do you think they will still be alright to use now?
 
as long as there is some beer over the yeast, should be ok. if it smells ok, give it a try. ive collected dregs over a couple weeks, then built up a starter.
 

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