Brewing Cooper's Stout Kit

[Phil_the_ale_man]

Hi Guys!

Being a relative new-brewer with only a few under my belt I was wondering what advice you guys have on brewing a good thick but not too bitter stout. In the past I have done a mainly normal cooper's kits.

Cheers,

Phil_the_ale_man.

 

[Stuster]

Since you are in Adelaide, why not give one of the Grumpy's stouts a go. Link here

I made one last year and have got one long neck left. Very nice, a step up from kits but not that hard. Very yummy too, just wish I had a few more left. :chug:

 

[pint of lager]

Stuster's suggestion is an excellent idea. The Grumpies masterbrew kits have had rave reviews.

Otherwise have a search of the forum, there are already some excellent topics full of good info on this subject.

To use the search function, click on the word search in the navbar, just below the "au" in aussiehomebreer near the top of the page.

Fill in "coopers and stout" in the search word or phrase box. Click on search. This returns three pages of topics including a couple that have Coopers stout in the heading. Lots of excellent advice and recipe suggestions.

 

[Phil_the_ale_man]

I did a slightly more difficult one last time - irish red ale using morgan's amber ale and some malt extract and specialty grains and hops. Hasn't finished fermenting yet but tastes damn good so far. What's involved in the Grumpy's stout, and are there ways to make a cooper's stout much better by adding grains/hops or even something like golden syrup?

 

[Stuster]

I did a slightly more difficult one last time - irish red ale using morgan's amber ale and some malt extract and specialty grains and hops.

[post="114489"][/post]​

If you can do that, the Grumpy's kit will be fine. I did the Belfast Gold Stout. Just involves a short boil. The instructions are pretty easy. As PoL says, have a search. There's heaps on how to improve a stout. :super:

 

[Phil_the_ale_man]

Cheers guys.

I did a search earlier but couldn't find much stuff on golden syrup (how much to add etc). I may have to find my way to Grumpy's then!

 

[lunanick]

quick tip for the cooper's stout - only fill the fermenter to 18 litres, otherwise you may awake to find your brew has gushed through the airlock and is now all over the kitchen floor. (this tends to be frowned upon by wives and so can bring home-based brewing careers to an abrupt halt.) or you could use a blow-off tube. or use a lager yeast, like in a carribean dragon stout.

 

[Phil_the_ale_man]

Good tip! My first brew was a bit warm (26 deg) so I had some mess then. I've got a blow-off tube on stand-by now, as well as a 100-can cooler to keep the temp in the 18-22 range. With the 18 L that you mentioned, what did you add - all DME, or some dextrose, or even a syrup?

 

[Stuster]

IMO golden syrup may not be the way to go with a stout. You are aiming for a thick, full body with a stout, while sugars (including golden syrup) will tend to make for a thinner body. Maybe try steeping some crystal malt.

 

[PostModern]

Some crystal would not go astray, and neither would a better yeast than the one under the Coopers lid. The ESB stout kits are great, largely I think because they ship with SafAle S-04. This yeast is great for a thick syrupy stout because it is a low attenuator.

For the same flavour as Coopers Best Extra Stout, I make a 2Kg minimash with pale ale malt, crystal and chocolate malt and a handful of roasted barley. I also add about 500g of white sugar. Ferment with yeast recultured from a Coopers Pale Ale. This gets me close to the 6.8% of Coopers Stout and with the distinct flavours of the original.

As I type, I'm sipping a brew made with the Coopers kit, 1kg of light DME, 100g castor sugar and 150g light brown sugar. Fermented on S-04. It is fairly ordinary.

 

[Velophile]

Some crystal would not go astray, and neither would a better yeast than the one under the Coopers lid. The ESB stout kits are great, largely I think because they ship with SafAle S-04. This yeast is great for a thick syrupy stout because it is a low attenuator.

For the same flavour as Coopers Best Extra Stout, I make a 2Kg minimash with pale ale malt, crystal and chocolate malt and a handful of roasted barley. I also add about 500g of white sugar. Ferment with yeast recultured from a Coopers Pale Ale. This gets me close to the 6.8% of Coopers Stout and with the distinct flavours of the original.

As I type, I'm sipping a brew made with the Coopers kit, 1kg of light DME, 100g castor sugar and 150g light brown sugar. Fermented on S-04. It is fairly ordinary.

[post="114539"][/post]​

For your Best Extra clone, do you use a Coopers stout kit with the 2kg minimash?
What split of grains? 1kg pale, 500g Crystal, 400g Choc, 100g Roast???

I've just done a Stout based on this recipe.

I used,
1 Coopers Stout kit
1 Tooheys Lager kit (got a few of these real cheap)
~500g JW dark Crystal malt
~200g JW Wheat malt
Stout kit yeast.

It was my first attempt at using grains & would say it went OK. I had to use more water though (aprox 1.5l), the 500ml in the recipe hardy wet the grain.

I'll be doing another simular stout & may change yeast & add some different grains based on your ideas.

 

[Phil_the_ale_man]

Sweet, except I'mm pretty sure a mini-mash is out of my league at the moment. The last brew I made I used a danstar windsor ale yeast and it seemed to work well, so I've moved on from kit yeasts.

Anyone make a nice guiness clone without a mash? (Steeping grain and adding hops are ok cos I've done them).

Cheers,

Phil.

 

[PostModern]

For your Best Extra clone, do you use a Coopers stout kit with the 2kg minimash?
What split of grains? 1kg pale, 500g Crystal, 400g Choc, 100g Roast???

[post="114676"][/post]​

Maybe half the Crystal and replace it with Munich, now that I think about. I'm at work atm, will check my notes at home sometime (sorry not tonight - 11pm finish for me).

 

[Mr Bond]

Sweet, except I'mm pretty sure a mini-mash is out of my league at the moment. The last brew I made I used a danstar windsor ale yeast and it seemed to work well, so I've moved on from kit yeasts.

Anyone make a nice guiness clone without a mash? (Steeping grain and adding hops are ok cos I've done them).

Cheers,

Phil.

[post="114695"][/post]​

Get up to grumpys and grab 1 of each of the stout Master brews and try em.

If you think you can improve on them then move on to partial mash.

 

[Paleman]

Why not try a Grumpys Stout Masterbrew ( Belfast Gold Stout )with a Coopers Stout can.

Would be a top brew, ready for winter.

 

[reveler]

My next brew will be a stout. I have bought a Coopers Stout kit but have a few questions.

I wouldn't mind using some grains for this. What would go well? I just want to steep some specialty grains.

Also what hops and yeast should I use?

I was thinking some Choc Malt, maybe some crystal.

 

[MSR]

My next brew will be a stout. I have bought a Coopers Stout kit but have a few questions.

I wouldn't mind using some grains for this. What would go well? I just want to steep some specialty grains.

Also what hops and yeast should I use?

I was thinking some Choc Malt, maybe some crystal.

Did a coopers stout other day, like someone else mentioned earlier be careful with it foaming up. Mine hit the lid then spurted out the airlock all over the place. The wife was not impressed!!!

Mine was filled to 22Lt.

 

[HeXa]

I just finished making a Stouter Stout (see coopers website for recipe).... tide mark is twice as far up the sides as all my other brews.

If it wasn't for the recipe being only made up to 18L, I would have been cleaning the bathtub (three cheers for ensuites making the main bathroom a brew room)