Cooper's Bitter Recipe

[coloneldom]

G'day fellas,

I just bought a Cooper's Bitter Can and a kilo of Cooper's LDM and I have heard that using just malt can cause the beer to be slightly sweeter. I was wondering whether or not it would be worthwhile to use some Williamette hops that I had leftover from a JSAA clone I am preparing to bottle? What type of flavour will this add to the beer? How much should I use, how long? Etc, etc

Cheers

 

[SpillsMostOfIt]

I've done two Coopers Bitter kits. Both were very good IMO. I used 500g Light Dried Malt Extract and 500g Coopers BE1 (approximately the same as 1kg Coopers BE2) on each. I also used two packs of Coopers yeast on each.

First time around, I steeped 10g Green Bullet hops for 20 mins. Second time around, I boiled 10g Amarillo for 15 mins.

The second batch was more drinkable earlier than the first batch, but once it came good, the first batch was a winner of a kit beer. Lock it up for a month before you touch it and don't tell your neighbours!

I believe bitterness mellows with age, so if you overdo it, just wait...

I know this doesn't exactly address your query, but I hope it helps.

 

[coloneldom]

Thanks for the help spillsmostofit, but because these are the first hops i ahve used and I am yet to see the results of their use in my JSAA clone, I am not really sure what type of flavour they are gonna add. But i guess experimentation is all part of the fun! I will give 10g or so a crack for around 10- 15 mins maybe?

 

[SpillsMostOfIt]

I personally think that's wise. The Green Bullet hops are very bitter. Your Willamette will be good and flavoursome, but not *as* bitter.

It is (for me) all about experimenting. In this case, I don't think you can go too far wrong.

I believe that there is something in malt that helps bring out the goodness in hops, so it won't hurt to add some or all of the malt to the water you're boiling the hops in. So, if I were to do it all again (and I probably will), I would:

* Boil about half to two thirds as much water as I can fit in my biggest saucepan. Add the malt. Watch for boil-overs (have a cup of cold water handy to add just in case).

* Add the hops (expect another boil-over). Boil for as long as you want, then turf it into the fermenter.

* Proceed with the can, etc as you normally would. If you end up with lots of froth in your fermenter at the end, that's good, because you have aerated it well. Some people reckon you don't need to aerate much with dried yeast, but it has always served me well...

Hope this helps.