Cooper Pale Ale (kit)

[macneil29]

Hey Guys,

I am new to home brewwing (very new) have my first batch of draught on at the moment, which i hope will turn out ok..

but my next batch will be pale ale, i am using the kit cans because i have no idea how to make beer any other way, but my question is

how do i make the best pale ale..

what yeast should i go and buy?
what temperature?
should i use brew enhancer2 from the coopers range?

also i have read about adding honey/maple syrup to kits? what is the most common beer to add it too?

Cheers,
Dion.

 

[Carboy]

Hey Guys,

I am new to home brewwing (very new) have my first batch of draught on at the moment, which i hope will turn out ok..

but my next batch will be pale ale, i am using the kit cans because i have no idea how to make beer any other way, but my question is

how do i make the best pale ale..

what yeast should i go and buy?
what temperature?
should i use brew enhancer2 from the coopers range?

also i have read about adding honey/maple syrup to kits? what is the most common beer to add it too?

Cheers,
Dion.

Hi Dion, and welcome to AHB.

There's nothing wrong with practicing/learning with a few basic kits first up. Cooper Pale is a very nice drop even when you follow the instructions on the side of the can... i.e. Coopers Australian Pale Ale Can, 1kg Coopers Brew Enhancer2, + supplied yeast.

You will note that the can advises that you can ferment around 21 to 27 degrees. I advise that you try to keep your temp as close to 21 or lower, preferably 18 to 20 is better. I've found the Coopers yeasts to be pretty good, but if you want to give your beer a little kick try using either Safale S-04 or Safale US-05... great yeast.

Once you have a couple of brews under your belt, then you can start to experiment with extra hops, grains and extracts.

I've only been brewing for 6 months and just set down brew number 29, I love this stuff and the gang here on AHB are just fantastic, all willing to help and point you in the right direction where they can.

I'm sure more experienced brews will jump in with some good info as well.

Have fun

Cheers
Carboy :icon_cheers:

 

[Hutch]

G'day Dion,

Just a quick few words of advice to brew great beer from kits:

1. Use the freshest kit you can buy (look at the "Best Before" date stamped under the can). The Coopers kits state 2 years since manufacture, so you can easily work out when it was made. As the kit ages, the malt extract takes on a "twang" that many people identify with kit brewing. I have recently brewed a coopers kit that was 2 months since manufacture, and I cannot beleive that it is as good as similar All-Grain brews I have made.

2. Don't bother with the yeast under the lid - get a better yeast from your HBS , or one of the above sponsors. Us-05 is one of the most popular yeasts, and will do a superior job to the sachet under the lid. A yeast that is appropriate for the style is worth considering (reculture the yeast from a few Coopers Pale stubbies if you REALLY want to make a Coopers Pale clone). And if you want to get the best results, turn your hand to liquid yeasts (WYeast or WhiteLabs).

3. Ferment using a good stable temperature (an insulated box of sorts with the appropriate heating/cooling if you can). Many brewers use fridges, or insulated boxes with frozen bottles of water. A good temp for Ale yests is 18-20deg, while most lager yeasts work best in the range 10-12deg. Obviously a lot depends on the strain of yeast you use, but these are a good "rule of thumb" for a new brewer.

4. Don't go over the top with sugar, malt extract, dextrose, etc. for the sake of making shedloads of alcohol. A good pale ale at around 4% can be made with a kit + 500gm DME + 300gm dex, made up to 21 Ltrs in the fermenter. Too much malt extract can get quite cloying, while too much sugar leads to nasty cidery flavours. When you get more experienced, add steeped grain + hops etc. into your brews to add more complexity and character (the world is your oyster!)

There's obviously a great deal to learn, but these are just a few tips I have learnt over the years that help get the best out of a kit.

Cheers,
Hutch.

 

[macneil29]

Hey guys thanks for your help, i have been keeping my current brew on about 21 - 22 degrees so hopefully it will turn out ok, will do the exact same thing with my pale brew will also try a diffferent yeast, Going to check the best before dates on the cans from now on.. the first one i was so exited i put it on as soon as i got the kit home!

Cheers,
Dion.

 

[corbs]

hi macneil,

Congratulations on doing your first brew .
im very new also and im just about to do my 3rd brew and im going to try a coopers indian pale ale so what i suggust you do before you go out and buy everything is try to read up on the type of beer you want to make and you will get a few different ideas , and i think it has a lot to do with trial and error as eveyone likes different beers and tastes.

i think the most overwhelming part of the home brew is getting to understand all the different ways to make a beer, so just take your time and dont expect to much too soon .

every time i jump on to this web site i learn something different and with a bit of reading and googleing you can work out what everyone is talking about .

for my pale ale im going to be adding in some hops and crystal malt so thats a big step for me as i havent used them before but i have read that they are easy to use and easy to add to a mix with a can of coopers .

so hope you enjoy your brewing as i have and i hope you enjoy that first beer .

corbs

 

[seemax]

+1
I've made this kit a few times will good results. Both using BE2, firs t time Coopers Pale Ale yeast from stubbies and the next S-04. Also added 5IBU or so of fresh PoR. Fermented at 18C, both produced slight fruitiness, the Pale Ale yeast was the better with a nice dry finish. Served cold this was a great quaffer.

 

[Frag_Dog]

If you use a dry yeast, its worth while to give it a bit of a kick start. When ever I use dry yeast I put it in about 500mls of water for atleast 2hrs. This wakes the yeast up and gets it ready to get stuck in as soon as you pitch it.

Not an essential step but one that gets the fermentaton started sooner and stronger.

Good luck!

 

[base2aau]

I agree with Carboy, follow instructions on the can, and use a box of brew enhancer 2. However I strongly recommenced the kit yeast, it is quite a good yeast that brews well at high temp, leaves a nice bit of Banana lolly and gives you the true coopers taste that your friends from Adelaide will love.

At the end of the day stock standard Coopers Pale Ale is great beer for beginners, if you follow the kit instructions you will end up with a very nice lawnmower beer.

 

[Hutch]

I strongly recommenced the kit yeast, it is quite a good yeast that brews well at high temp...

...stock standard Coopers Pale Ale is great beer for beginners, if you follow the kit instructions you will end up with a very nice lawnmower beer.

Agree that the Coopers Pale can is a great base to make a good Pale Ale, although if you follow the Coopers instructions, and "ferment at 21-27 degrees", you may not be so impressed with the results. Coopers (in fact all kit manufacturers) write this $hit in their instructions to make it fool-proof for beginners to make beer. Their yeast strains are generally chosen to tolerate high-temperature fermentation, and large temperature fluctuations typical for an inexperienced brewer. That said, they are not very good yeasts for making "beer". Additionally, being only 7gm sachets they are about half the quantity you should be using to ensure a good start to fermentation.

The typical yeasts that you buy at your HBS (Fermentis/ Danstar), at 11-12gm are closer to the correct pitching rate, which will lead to a cleaner fermentation, and better attenuation. They do add a few $$ to your brew, but the results generally are worth it.

Also, yeasts should be stored in the fridge to maximise the cell-count in your beer. Any HBS that does not refrigerate their yeast (or hops for that matter) doesn't know what they're doing.