AHB Wiki: Using Coopers Bottle Yeast

[Kleiny]

the yeast from the bottles is the yeast used too produce coopers pale ale
the yeast under the lid may not be the same strain as from the brewery

 

[Mantis]

Be patient, if the yeast had subsided a little it may take a little longer to take off, I don't use airlocks and visibly it usually can take anywhere from 12-24 hours before it really gets going.

Don't let the temp get too high! even 16C for this yeast is what I would normally aim at when using it, but I recommend you don't let it go over 18C.

Just wait and be patient.
Cheers,
BB

Ok, thanks. It has heated up to 18C so have turned off the heat mat and put a blanket around it. Will go pull another yorkshire bitter and calm down :chug:

 

[paul_h]

Ok, today is brew day and this morning the yeast had stopped. Guessing it had already used all the malt as it bubbled away like crazy all yesterday after building it up to 1.5lt, and would still be ok, I pitched it into a CSA kit brew. The temp of the brew was only 16 when I pitched it so the heat mat is on under the fermenter. The airlock has posotive pressure but no bubbling yet and very little foaming.

Q. Does the coopers yeast take longer to get going than say US-05 ??

I wont panic till tommorow. If no action then, a packet of US-05 is going in.

Coopers yeast is quick, mine started bubbling after a few hours, and has not stopped bubbling every few sec for almost a week.
Took about 2-3 days to get a krausen though, so it doesn't foam up quickly

 

[Mantis]

Coopers yeast is quick, mine started bubbling after a few hours, and has not stopped bubbling every few sec for almost a week.
Took about 2-3 days to get a krausen though, so it doesn't foam up quickly

This morning, nearly 24 hrs later and its going beserk. Airlock popping every few secs and krausen closer to the airlock than any other brew I have done.
So I was just panicking again h34r:

 

[drsmurto]

The yeast from coopers bottles is a versatile yeast, i found it is still happy at temps as low as 14C. By keeping the temps low you reduce ester formation and i found at 16C my CSA is a top drop.

Just as an aside, i collected the yeast cake from said CSA clone and washed it and split it in 2 and left in the fridge. Used 1st lot within 2 weeks (in a dark ale) and it was all good, left the other for near on 3 months and direct pitched into a FES. Took 2 days to fire up. Went to rack it on the weekend and a quick taste gave me nothing but vegemite. Opened the lid to see what was going on and had my head thrown back by the smell. Solvent! Apple tree got a 20L feed. Lesson learnt. After too many successes with re-culturing yeast cakes i have got lazy and got bitten.

Will be making starters and tasting/smelling them as i did when i started!

 

[dingodidit]

Mine kicked off nicely as well, seems to have gone really quickly to airlock starting to slow up after 3 days. I'll take an SG reading later today to see how much work has been done. Super stoked it worked first try B) - :unsure: may have been a bit high @18-20C but know for next time cheers Dr Smurto.

 

[braufrau]

IMO ... people are too warey of esters. Coopers makes nice fruity esters at ~20C and not overpowering.
Its an important part of the character of the beer ... IMO.

 

[Murcluf]

This question might of been asked 100 times before but, I haven't come across the answer yet so here goes.
Is the yeast used by Coopers in their Pale, Sparkling, Stout etc etc the same strain or developed from the original strain or are they from completely different origins.

 

[Adamt]

Pale/Sparkling/Mild/Dark/Stout use the same strain.

Edit: and vintage.

 

[Kai]

IMO ... people are too warey of esters. Coopers makes nice fruity esters at ~20C and not overpowering.
Its an important part of the character of the beer ... IMO.

Every now and then a homebrewed coopers will throw up massive banana even at moderate temps. It hasn't happened to me but my olfactories have witnessed it before. Even CSA is susceptible to this problem from time to time.

 

[Murcluf]

Pale/Sparkling/Mild/Dark/Stout use the same strain.

Edit: and vintage.

Cheers Adamt
Thanks for that just wasn't too sure if it was or not

 

[BoilerBoy]

Every now and then a homebrewed coopers will throw up massive banana even at moderate temps. It hasn't happened to me but my olfactories have witnessed it before. Even CSA is susceptible to this problem from time to time.

It, happened to me once and you always remember it, made a pale ale clone that became almost tropical, could have sprinkled it with coconut and put an umbrella in the glass. :blink:
Have brewed with coopers yeast at 16 many times since and never had this problem again.

BB

 

[braufrau]

It, happened to me once and you always remember it, made a pale ale clone that became almost tropical, could have sprinkled it with coconut and put an umbrella in the glass. :blink:
Have brewed with coopers yeast at 16 many times since and never had this problem again.

BB

But it can't just be temperature that causes it to break out the bananas 'cause all my brews with coopers have been at 20C ... well perhaps one day I'll have this unhappy event and then I'll post and you can have a chuckle.
But until then ... esters = tasty ... IMO

 

[BoilerBoy]

But it can't just be temperature that causes it to break out the bananas 'cause all my brews with coopers have been at 20C ... well perhaps one day I'll have this unhappy event and then I'll post and you can have a chuckle.
But until then ... esters = tasty ... IMO

G'day braufau,
You may very well be right, I'm only going by personal experience as are you, I guess its understood by most that higher temps tend to encourage fruity esters, which though a distinctive and desirable character of this yeast it seems to easily punish you if not careful.

If as you say it can't just be temperature that causes bananas I am in no position to dissagree because I feel like I'm in a position of ignorance on this.

At best this yeast is described as giving apple & pear esters :chug:
At worst it becomes intensely banana :unsure:

Cheers,
BB

 

[BoilerBoy]

I'm wondering if the bananas occur at different times because the yeast is under stress, ie if under pitched.

Seems to work that way with WY3068.



Wally

A fair point well considering, particularly when we are trying to reculture yeast that is probably not at its freshest and best.

Cheers,
BB

 

[Mantis]

Day two of the CSA with this yeast and the smell from the airlock is very strong banana. It has been sitting on 18-20C.
Hoping it will settle down as I dont want a banana milkshake here :blink: :lol:

 

[braufrau]

Oh dear!

I don't know if it makes a difference, but I always leave my brews for 2 weeks in the fermenter.
But ... I've never smelled banana coming out the airlock either.

I hope its OK.

 

[Mantis]

Oh dear!

I don't know if it makes a difference, but I always leave my brews for 2 weeks in the fermenter.
But ... I've never smelled banana coming out the airlock either.

I hope its OK.

It should be ok. I just did an SG and was 1032 down from 1058 and although the aroma is very banana ish the taste is ok. :beer:

 

[paul_h]

Every now and then a homebrewed coopers will throw up massive banana even at moderate temps. It hasn't happened to me but my olfactories have witnessed it before. Even CSA is susceptible to this problem from time to time.

I swear I've had that from brewery sparking ale many a time back in the old days, I liked it
I generally prefer darker malty beers, my favourite lighter beers have all been fruity at least once or twice. Be it mid ales, coopers, weistephaner lagers.
If only I could develop that fault, all mine are just plain "homebrew" taste at best, just bad or off tastemore commonly. Still don't know why, I've tried everything recommended, used BE instead of sugar, used DME instead of BE, used specialty yeast instead of kit yeast, used bleach instead of sodium metabisulphate, used starsan no rince instead of bleach. The list goes on, learnt from my mistakes, took advice, spent more money, but the same crap comes out. At this stage I'd settle for VB to come out of my fermenters, so I care little about slightly off flavours, I like them anyway
I'm not a hops fan in general, I either like roasted malt in darker beers, or yeasty fruitiness inlighter beers.

I don't mind hops, I'll drink a LC PA or a JS IPA, but I prefer session beers in general as hops does me in after two of them.

 

[BoilerBoy]

I swear I've had that from brewery sparking ale many a time back in the old days, I liked it
I generally prefer darker malty beers, my favourite lighter beers have all been fruity at least once or twice. Be it mid ales, coopers, weistephaner lagers.
If only I could develop that fault, all mine are just plain "homebrew" taste at best, just bad or off tastemore commonly. Still don't know why, I've tried everything recommended, used BE instead of sugar, used DME instead of BE, used specialty yeast instead of kit yeast, used bleach instead of sodium metabisulphate, used starsan no rince instead of bleach. The list goes on, learnt from my mistakes, took advice, spent more money, but the same crap comes out. At this stage I'd settle for VB to come out of my fermenters, so I care little about slightly off flavours, I like them anyway
I'm not a hops fan in general, I either like roasted malt in darker beers, or yeasty fruitiness inlighter beers.

I don't mind hops, I'll drink a LC PA or a JS IPA, but I prefer session beers in general as hops does me in after two of them.

Where are you buying your tins of extract from?
If its that "Home brew twang" that people often complain about your tasting it can often be the result of using older extract.
Many extract and partial mash brewers have found that "fresh is definitely best" and though often its cheaper to buy tins from the supermarket and a use by date maybe stamped its still no indication of how long its been sitting there.

BB