AHB Wiki: Using Coopers Bottle Yeast

[drsmurto]

Was thinking about your experiences with the Coopers yeast at 20C Braufrau and was wondering just how big a starter you are making. If you are pitching plenty of healthy yeast you may in fact be over pitching which from my reading is likely to reduce ester formation.

 

[paul_h]

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

Nah, it's other problems.
Trying different steps each time, but screwing up somewhere.
I've improved the taste of the stuff out of the fermenter after heaps of infections/off flavours. I've done 4 batches so far, one porter thrown out, one real ale about to be thrown out, one aust. ale still tasting sweet/off, one stout I'm hoping will make it.
Last brew (stout) I think let me down with the bottling. I did everything right and it tasted OK, FG 1012. I filled one PET bottle at the very end with the dregs.
All glass bottles were soaked in a watered down bleach for a day, then rinsed with boiling water prior to bottling (except the PET bottle of course).
One week later, I opened the PET bottle and it seemed like a nice green beer and the future looked good
But two weeks later, all the glass bottles taste like crap. Maybe they were too warm from the boiling water rinse, maybe they had too much left over bleach?
I dunno, they are carbonated, so I didn't kill the yeast off. But they tasted worse than straight out of the fermenter, or the earlier PET bottle that was full of the dregs.

This coopers pale I'm doing now I just sampled, tastes like pale ale, but more bitter and at the same time more sweet.
Used coopers recultured yeast, POR hops, 1.5kg DME.
It's two weeks old and I'll bottle later on this week, I'll try something else with the bottles, like a rinse in starsan.
Just bottled brew#5 today, another stout. Again from the fermentor, it tastes like a green stout like the other stout did and looks promising. I did the starsan rince instead of boiling water for these bottles. I'll guess I'll see whether it turns to crap like the other stout did after bottling

I'mnot giving up, just haven't had anything to show for my efforts yet even though I'm trying nearly everything.
These last three brews (coopers pale ale - fermenting, coopers stout- just bottled, muntons bitter- just put in fermenter)are going to be my last attempts though as I've sunk $300+ into it so far. I only starting doing HB to save some money, I have a real interest in the process and will build up equipment and AG if I get some results, but if it's not to be for me, it's not to be.

I've been patient and tried to learn as much as I cand from all sources of books and web sites, but HB is something I'm no good at it seem, so I'm preying to the beer gods.

 

[dingodidit]

Added my starter to 21Lt last Tuesday, OG-1060 SG last few nights has been 1022 :unsure: . Seemed to be chugging away nicely all week with a good krausen @ 20C. Just want to know if I should add another starter or some packet yeast to get the gravity down. I've done what others have suggested by rolling the fermenter around to stir it up a bit though I'm not too keen on stirring as has been suggested in other threads for fear of infection.

Ingredients: CSA Kit, 1.5kg Liquid Malt, 600g Dried Malt and 400g Dextrose.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated :icon_cheers: .

PS: Hang in there Paul they'll improve with age - that's what I tell myself anyway. Got my first fermenter for my birthday in March and just put down another CSA with bottle yeast last night bringing my total brews to 18. I'm thinking I have Compulsive Brewing Dissorder h34r: .

 

[BoilerBoy]

Added my starter to 21Lt last Tuesday, OG-1060 SG last few nights has been 1022 :unsure: . Seemed to be chugging away nicely all week with a good krausen @ 20C. Just want to know if I should add another starter or some packet yeast to get the gravity down. I've done what others have suggested by rolling the fermenter around to stir it up a bit though I'm not too keen on stirring as has been suggested in other threads for fear of infection.

Ingredients: CSA Kit, 1.5kg Liquid Malt, 600g Dried Malt and 400g Dextrose.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated :icon_cheers: .

PS: Hang in there Paul they'll improve with age - that's what I tell myself anyway. Got my first fermenter for my birthday in March and just put down another CSA with bottle yeast last night bringing my total brews to 18. I'm thinking I have Compulsive Brewing Dissorder h34r: .

I don't know much about the CSA kit, but an OG of 1.060 at just over a week isn't that long.
The ingredients you have listed, is that the kit as you buy it or have you added to it?
Is there still evidence of some activity on top of the beer?
Coopers yeast tends to drop out fairly well when fermentation is complete.

Cheers,
BB

 

[braufrau]

One week later, I opened the PET bottle and it seemed like a nice green beer and the future looked good
But two weeks later, all the glass bottles taste like crap. Maybe they were too warm from the boiling water rinse, maybe they had too much left over bleach?

bleach in beer combines with phenols to make chlorphenols which taste like bandaids.
Does it taste like that?
Bad extract tastes like biro ink.
What does it taste like after 8 weeks?
Do you know anyone with a more experience palate who can help you identify the taste perhaps? Like a good HBS owner.

I've been patient and tried to learn as much as I cand from all sources of books and web sites, but HB is something I'm no good at it seem, so I'm preying to the beer gods.

No no! You have the right attitude. The ones who are no good at HB happily make brew after brew that tastes like bandaids and think its terrific!

 

[dingodidit]

I don't know much about the CSA kit, but an OG of 1.060 at just over a week isn't that long.
The ingredients you have listed, is that the kit as you buy it or have you added to it?
Is there still evidence of some activity on top of the beer?
Coopers yeast tends to drop out fairly well when fermentation is complete.

Cheers,
BB

Ingredients as listed on the kit with 100g extra Dextrose and 100g extra Dried Malt. The airlocked stopped bubbling a couple of days ago and I can't see the brew through the lid from the condensation. I imagine it's still chugging away all be it very slowly, I'll have a spy through the airlock hole this arvo. When you say drop out do you mean settle on the bottom?

 

[braufrau]

I don't know much about the CSA kit, but an OG of 1.060 at just over a week isn't that long.

All my ales (except tripels) I ferment for 2 weeks and then take a SG reading.
All this tinkering with SG readings seems like a waste of lovely beer to me!
I know the idea comes from the coopers instructions, but you don't have to pounce on the beer
as soon as the SG levels out.
In fact, John Palmer says
" Leaving an ale beer in the primary fermenter for a total of 2-3 weeks versus one when using single stage fermentation (i.e. not using a second fermenter) will provide time for the conditioning reactions and improve the finished beer. The extra time will also let more sediment settle out before bottling, resulting in a clearer beer and easier pouring. "
linky

 

[BoilerBoy]

Ingredients as listed on the kit with 100g extra Dextrose and 100g extra Dried Malt. The airlocked stopped bubbling a couple of days ago and I can't see the brew through the lid from the condensation. I imagine it's still chugging away all be it very slowly, I'll have a spy through the airlock hole this arvo. When you say drop out do you mean settle on the bottom?

Yep, coopers yeast tends to drop out of suspension really well and settle when its done.

Don't be afraid to remove the fermenter lid to view the beer if you can't see it it very well through the airlock hole.

Also how did you make your starter? just wondering how much yeast was pitched which becomes important in reaching FG, again not knowing the kit and how much sugar/dextrose is in it, that will your FG.

BB

 

[BoilerBoy]

All my ales (except tripels) I ferment for 2 weeks and then take a SG reading.
All this tinkering with SG readings seems like a waste of lovely beer to me!
I know the idea comes from the coopers instructions, but you don't have to pounce on the beer
as soon as the SG levels out.
In fact, John Palmer says
" Leaving an ale beer in the primary fermenter for a total of 2-3 weeks versus one when using single stage fermentation (i.e. not using a second fermenter) will provide time for the conditioning reactions and improve the finished beer. The extra time will also let more sediment settle out before bottling, resulting in a clearer beer and easier pouring. "
linky

Absolutely agree with this, 2 weeks is a general rule before I take a reading.
There are many variables that can make for a longer or shorter primary, Getting familiar with the different stages of fermentation helps to understand when to take SG readings, but waiting and being patient is better than endless daily SG readings which in the end only wastes the beer and doesn't make it finish any faster.

Cheers,
BB

 

[drsmurto]

Its fun tasting the beer as it goes from sugary wort to beer..... :icon_drunk:

But i do agree, i think i am far to quick to rack the beer once signs of fermentation cease rather than letting the yeast clean up all their side products and then go to sleep......

Patience young skywalker, patience...

 

[dingodidit]

Yep, coopers yeast tends to drop out of suspension really well and settle when its done.

Don't be afraid to remove the fermenter lid to view the beer if you can't see it it very well through the airlock hole.

Also how did you make your starter? just wondering how much yeast was pitched which becomes important in reaching FG, again not knowing the kit and how much sugar/dextrose is in it, that will your FG.

BB

I added about 80mls of wort to a long neck dregs then stepped it up to 600ml in a 2lt coke bottle then up to 1.5lt. Kicked off by the next morning, the latest one I used the dregs of three tallies and it seemed to be a lot more active in the bottle.

I leave my brews for at least 2 weeks after advice from this site and don't usualy worry about taking readings until then. Just extra curious with this one as it is my first attempt at a starter. I have another starter in a tallie stepped up to 600mls maybe I should add that if the Gravity hasn't dropped by the weekend :huh:

 

[Hefty]

Hi all,
I've just collected 2 lots of 2 stubbies of coopers yeast over the past two nights.
Will I necessarily see visible action as the yeast starts up? I'm asking because the first one, after 24 hours, looked like it had produced more yeast in the bottom but it is hard to tell because it is a soft drink bottle with the 5 little "knob"-like things on the bottom. There's no krausen (not even a tiny bit) and no noticeable build up of gases under the screwed-on lid (I cracked it open at different stages to listen for it escaping) but a tiny sample didn't taste or smell foul, just sweet and esthery.
The second one was only started last night so I'll have to check it when I get home. I shook the second one more, maybe the first one wasn't aerated enough?

Jono.

 

[braufrau]

Hi all,
I've just collected 2 lots of 2 stubbies of coopers yeast over the past two nights.
Will I necessarily see visible action as the yeast starts up? I'm asking because the first one, after 24 hours, looked like it had produced more yeast in the bottom but it is hard to tell because it is a soft drink bottle with the 5 little "knob"-like things on the bottom. There's no krausen (not even a tiny bit) and no noticeable build up of gases under the screwed-on lid (I cracked it open at different stages to listen for it escaping) but a tiny sample didn't taste or smell foul, just sweet and esthery.
The second one was only started last night so I'll have to check it when I get home. I shook the second one more, maybe the first one wasn't aerated enough?

Jono.

When i've done it in the past in a soft drink bottle (that was before I had a stir plate) the bottle got really hard.
I shook the bottle every time I walked past it.
I don't usually see a krausen, but I do see yeast building up at the bottom.

 

[Hefty]

Cheers Braufrau.
It turns out I spoke too soon. I got home this afternoon and it had some small patcehs of bubbles at the top and clearly more yeast deposited at the bottom.
Maybe the lack of oxygen made for a longer lag time.

My next question:
When should I step up? (It's 500mL and I'm going to step up to 1L) Right now when it has just started becoming active or should I give it a day or so?

Jono.

 

[BoilerBoy]

Cheers Braufrau.
It turns out I spoke too soon. I got home this afternoon and it had some small patcehs of bubbles at the top and clearly more yeast deposited at the bottom.
Maybe the lack of oxygen made for a longer lag time.

My next question:
When should I step up? (It's 500mL and I'm going to step up to 1L) Right now when it has just started becoming active or should I give it a day or so?

Jono.

500ml is a fair bit to start with, I'd be leaving it another day until you see a bit more activity then step up to 1L.

Cheers,
BB

 

[stevenk]

is just made a starter up for the CPA used 300ml water 2 heaped teaspoons LDME, one dregs of CPA longie.

after one day in 600 ml water bottle, boiled another 600 ml water with 4 heaped tea spoons LDME transfered starter into 2 litre bottle with my other 600ml.

what you guys recon ?? i think i got the recipe off this thread some where??

or do i need more yeats then just dregs of one longneck ??

 

[paul_h]

bleach in beer combines with phenols to make chlorphenols which taste like bandaids.
Does it taste like that?
Bad extract tastes like biro ink.
What does it taste like after 8 weeks?
Do you know anyone with a more experience palate who can help you identify the taste perhaps? Like a good HBS owner.



No no! You have the right attitude. The ones who are no good at HB happily make brew after brew that tastes like bandaids and think its terrific!

Well, I'm not giving up now. This cooper pale ale came out awesome. Very nice, quite bitter and hoppy aroma and taste due to the POR I added. Best beer I've everhad out of a plastic bucket
I don't know how bandaids taste, as I've never eaten one, descriptions of tastes and beer faults just confuse me
But this is the first bottling I've done with starsan instead of bleach and it's the best tasting one.
The fermenter and equipment was still sanatised in bleach though, along with everything in the stout brew I did at the same time which also came out good, so maybe it's something else I did wrong in all my previous 4 brews.
Anyway, I'd be happy if all the brews I do come out like this if I just stick to brewing coopers extract tins of pale ale and stout.
But I've just finished making the pipework and tap on a 50L esky to make a mash tun, so it's AG brewing from now on anyway (when I have the time).

is just made a starter up for the CPA used 300ml water 2 heaped teaspoons LDME, one dregs of CPA longie.

after one day in 600 ml water bottle, boiled another 600 ml water with 4 heaped tea spoons LDME transfered starter into 2 litre bottle with my other 600ml.

what you guys recon ?? i think i got the recipe off this thread some where??

or do i need more yeats then just dregs of one longneck ??

I just used 500ml water boiled in a saucepan with 2tbspn DME, and the dregs out of two stubbies. I shook it 3-4 times a day for 5 days. When pitched it didn't do anything for over a day, then bubbled constantly for two weeks in the fermenter. It was still bubling in the airlock when I bottled it, but FG was 1012, and it's come out a ripper.

 

[stevenk]

that gives me faith cheers man

 

[braufrau]

Well, I'm not giving up now. This cooper pale ale came out awesome. Very nice, quite bitter and hoppy aroma and taste due to the POR I added. Best beer I've ever had out of a plastic bucket

:beer: :beer:

 

[mikelinz]

Brewed an Aust Pale Ale aka droopers pale ale fermented at 22c (fridge controller). Judged at a club meeting and got the comment low fruit aroma. Seems that ppl keep commenting on the banana, but from my reading this yeast has a "fruity character" so should have some banana.