Boiling Kits?

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potof4x

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Hello.

Have just started brewing after 4 year break. Used to brew in the garden shed @ 26 degrees plus and never got good results. Have insulated my house and now have a constant 18 to 20 degrees up here on the Darling Downs. Hoping to do better at this temp, have done plenty of research on here, have just ordered some US-05 yeast looking at getting hops and grains shortly, after i figure out what i like of my current brews.

Ok. Have just bottled a coopers real ale kit made, 1kg csr brew sugar kit yeast to kit directions, primary for 3 weeks. Tastes out of the fermentor better than any of my previous "high temp" efforts of years ago. Patiently waiting now for carbonation and condition to improve. Looking to improve next batch I boiled Real ale can and a BE2 with 8L of water for 15min, looking for "hot break' then chilled in tub of ice to form 'cold break'. When added to fermentor I noticed in bottom of boil pot 1mm spheres of fatty stuff, which went down the sink. 3rd brew and more research bought me to a 'toucan' of coopers draught. When boiled with 8L of water then chilled, as before, in addition to the fatty spheres there was a cupful of stuff about the constinency of cold lumpy gravy, into the drain it went too. Both cans did not expire until 2011.

So my questions are What are these two substances? Am I wasting my time boiling extract cans if I am not adding hops or brew enhancers? What is the best/ easiest method then for mixing a toucan?

Looking foward to tasting the results anyway, and improving technique and BEER using a few more bits with the help of this forum.
 
I have no idea what the splooge is but if you boil for any length of time you will go toward removing any flavour or aroma hopping within the kit (bitterness will be permanent) This is a great opportunity to add some of your own flavour profile using your own hops additions. I can't imagine that boiling without adding your own is going to be much good unless you prefer beer that's just bittered malt.

I think you're on the right track with boiling but you should think about adding extra hops and some better yeast (kit yeast can be thrown into the boil for extra nutrients). Also it's generally recommended to use dextrose or brew enhancer rather than simple white sugar if you're doing straight kk.

Second thoughts leads me to surmise that the goop may just be undissolved malt. Keep an eye on it and stir frqently as malt can stick.
 
cheers manticle. Going to have a go with some hops addition next brew and will take up your suggestoon of adding the kit yeast to boil also. May try dry hopping also on the brews I already have down to help them along some.
 
Dry hopping will give you that characteristic typical of little creatures - flowery, citrus type aroma. It won't add much to flavour but used judiciously it can be a winner.

If you are boiling you should think about adding some hops about 10-15 mins before the end of the boil (flavour hops).
 
Ok, at the Coopers factory they mash grain malt in water at a certain temperature for an hour or so, then drain the resulting 'wort' into the kettle, or boiler, and boil it. This cracks out proteins and other stuff in the wort to form 'hot break', which is separated out and the clear wort is concentrated to make beer kits.

If you do this yourself you will find that when the wort cools you get another lot of stuff breaking out, called the 'cold break'. It's entirely harmless and looks like little white jellyfish lurking in the bottom of the vessel. Coopers on their website declare that you will often see it on reconstituting their kits and don't worry. It's probably a good yeast nutrient :icon_cheers:

I'm an all grain brewer nowadays and cool the wort down in a jerrycan overnight to get to brewing temperature, then pour the wort into the fermenter. I always get crystal clear wort going in, then as I pour more and more, eventually towards the last bit of the jerrycan I can see the jellyfish coming through and think "aha, cold break". Nothing to worry about.
 
I never boiled my kits.... should i have?
Anyhow glad i moved to AG
 
Should have mentioned that in my post above, absolutely no need to boil kits, they have been boiled to buggery at the factory anyway.
 
Should have mentioned that in my post above, absolutely no need to boil kits, they have been boiled to buggery at the factory anyway.

Except in cases as mentioned above where you prefer to add your own flavouring and finishing hops.

Almost better off just getting LME and doing the whole thing I'll grant but if you have a tin or two lying around...........

I just need to figure out what to do with my tin of brigalow cider that's been sitting around for a years. Maybe I'll throw it at my neigbour's dog next time it yaps?
 
I've read recipes where one is directed to boil the kit first. It is supposed to remove/reduce flavour/aroma. Haven't done one of these recipes yet so I can't comment either way on whether it is worth doing or not. Definitely wouldn't do it if I wasn't making any hop additions though.
 
I have no idea what the splooge is but if you boil for any length of time you will go toward removing any flavour or aroma hopping within the kit (bitterness will be permanent) This is a great opportunity to add some of your own flavour profile using your own hops additions. I can't imagine that boiling without adding your own is going to be much good unless you prefer beer that's just bittered malt.

Be careful with this statement, a lot of beer styles are just that, bittered malt. Most styles (except american ales) only really need a 60min addition, with most of the flavour coming from malt complexity and yeast character.
 
Be careful with this statement, a lot of beer styles are just that, bittered malt. Most styles (except american ales) only really need a 60min addition, with most of the flavour coming from malt complexity and yeast character.

I'm on a very steep learning curve so I don't mind being corrected in the slightest.

It will help me develop my own recipes too.
 
I'm on a very steep learning curve so I don't mind being corrected in the slightest.

It will help me develop my own recipes too.

I'm by no means an expert, I only stated that because out the list of recipes I've compiled lately, its only a few american pale ales and a RIS that has late hopping. All the lagers and wheat beers I've looked at as well as the english irish and scottish ales all just seem to have a 60min addition. I'm sure you can late hop any or all of those styles and still get a great beer, but certainly isn't uncommon not to :)
 

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