Coopers Bottled Kit Questions

[Mr Flibbles]

I'm looking to brew my very first batch and have decided to start with a Coopers Kit. Some questions:

1) Is it all reusable once I move beyond extract?

2) Should I add more malt extract to increase the abv? My target is a variation of Cooper's Best Extra, around 6.5%, rich and hearty.

3) Do any of these extracts/mixes contain any additives or preservatives?

I'm looking to start with these:

http://www.bigw.com.au/home-garden/home-br...brewing-kit.jsp

http://www.bigw.com.au/home-garden/home-br...mixes-stout.jsp


Thanks!

 

[loikar]

1) Is it all reusable once I move beyond extract?

Yes, all your non-consumables, or 'hardware' are re-useable.

2) Should I add more malt extract to increase the abv? My target is a variation of Cooper's Best Extra, around 6.5%, rich and hearty.

There's a guy called IanH on this forum somewhere. He had a great spreadsheet for extract\Kit&Kilo brewing.
one of the people here should be able to provide you with a link.
It'll help you understand and design a beer you're looking for.

Edit: Spreadsheet here: http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...st&p=802806

3) Do any of these extracts/mixes contain any additives or preservatives?

I know the Coopers tins contain no flavour or preservatives, I'm not sure about other producers, but I doubt it. Best bet is to check the tin

I'm looking to start with these:

http://www.bigw.com.au/home-garden/home-br...brewing-kit.jsp

http://www.bigw.com.au/home-garden/home-br...mixes-stout.jsp


Thanks!

The Coopers starter kit is fine for a beginner.
You can get away with it cheaper, but no point squabbling over penny's.

If you like a the darker beers, have a look through some recipes http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...od=3&sort=5

Cardinal rules:

Clean is not Sanitised and you need plenty of both
So clean and sanitise
and then CLEAN AND SANITISE
The yeast under the tin lid is average, but It will make beer.
Keep that fermenting beer under 20 degrees C and try to keep it at a stable, steady temp.


Do plenty of reading. sift through the shit and find the common theme and go from there

You'll be fine.

Cheers,

Andy

 

[d3vour3r]

hey mate. for starting out in homebrew, ebay is your friend. look at what is in those starter kits, then buy it off ebay, you will save alot of money as there are always people selling heaps of the basic home brew gear. I wish i did this when i started out.

you will probably find a coopers starter kit new in the box on ebay for half that price.

anyways, read up heaps on this site and get smarter about the craft, and use the search function before asking questions, as it will probably already been asked before

 

[Pennywise]

1. All the stuff in the HB kit is re-usable, as long as you clean it well after each use (with a soft non abrasive cloth), I like to use the no frills napi san with hot water to get any crud off.

2. Adding more sugars with the kit will increase the ABV, for a stout kit, I'd suggest going all DME (dry malt extract), or a liquid un-hopped extract. To reach your desired OG (original Gravity) I always found This calculator pretty good for simple kit beers.

3. AFAIK, no, the Coopers kits are preservative free. The only preservative I know of in these kits is the emulsifier (sp?) in the yeast packet

A major key to brewing a good beer is fermentation temperature control, a good temp for ales is 18c, a lot of people on here use a fridge with a temp controller (I'm one of them), but if you don't have that, I always found a couple of frozen PET water bottles and a towel wrapped around both them and the fermenter kept a nice 20c, still a fine temp. Change the bottles each morning and each night, or dependant on how hot it is on the day.
The Coopers kits are generally pretty good, personally I don't like the Lager kit that comes with the brewery set-up, but YMMV

Edit: Slow fingers

 

[Mr Flibbles]

1. All the stuff in the HB kit is re-usable, as long as you clean it well after each use (with a soft non abrasive cloth), I like to use the no frills napi san with hot water to get any crud off.

2. Adding more sugars with the kit will increase the ABV, for a stout kit, I'd suggest going all DME (dry malt extract), or a liquid un-hopped extract. To reach your desired OG (original Gravity) I always found This calculator pretty good for simple kit beers.

3. AFAIK, no, the Coopers kits are preservative free. The only preservative I know of in these kits is the emulsifier (sp?) in the yeast packet

A major key to brewing a good beer is fermentation temperature control, a good temp for ales is 18c, a lot of people on here use a fridge with a temp controller (I'm one of them), but if you don't have that, I always found a couple of frozen PET water bottles and a towel wrapped around both them and the fermenter kept a nice 20c, still a fine temp. Change the bottles each morning and each night, or dependant on how hot it is on the day.
The Coopers kits are generally pretty good, personally I don't like the Lager kit that comes with the brewery set-up, but YMMV

Edit: Slow fingers

So, 2 cans of extract to up the abv?

 

[Pennywise]

2 Cans of un-hopped extract along with the kit will get you up above 7% in 23L, so maybe a tin of exrtact with the kit, and make up the rest with DME. I'd also be thin king of pitching more yeast so they can deal with the work they have ahead of them with the higher OG. Or you could reduce the volume of the brew to say 20L, and use the kit, a tin of liquid extract, and about 300g of DME

 

[Mr Flibbles]

2 Cans of un-hopped extract along with the kit will get you up above 7% in 23L, so maybe a tin of exrtact with the kit, and make up the rest with DME. I'd also be thin king of pitching more yeast so they can deal with the work they have ahead of them with the higher OG. Or you could reduce the volume of the brew to say 20L, and use the kit, a tin of liquid extract, and about 300g of DME

So 1 can of the stout extract and 500g of the light dry malt will do it?

 

[MaltyHops]

If you feel like reading previous questions from new brewers
like youself, the New brewer questions - Preparation page
has been updated recently. Related pages on fermentation and
bottling will be updated soon also.

T.

 

[Pennywise]

So 1 can of the stout extract and 500g of the light dry malt will do it?

It will make beer, but not to the strength you're after.

The kit is your base, it has been pre bittered and has (arguably) flavor hops, you'll need to add more malt (from a tin or in dry form), this should be plain extract with out the hops in it

So, the stout kit + a tin of plain liquid malt extract + 300g dry malt extract to a volume of 20L

 

[loikar]

So 1 can of the stout extract and 500g of the light dry malt will do it?

1 can and 1 kilo of LDME
then boil 4 cups of DME in 2L of water
as soon as it starts boiling, throw in 15g of hops and let it boil for 20min
at the end of the 20min, throw in your tin of goop and turn off your heat and throw in 10g of hops and then cover the pot and sit it in an ice bath.

when the liquid cools down to about 20c, throw it in the fermenter and top it up to 23L
when it's at 20c, throw in your yeast, seal it up and away you go.

Head spinning yet?

Just get a tin of stout and a tin of real ale.
throw them in your fermenter and make it up to 23L
in with both packs of your yeast at 19c and keep it at that temp.

getting the cold side (or the fermenting stage) of your brewing down can make or break a beer.
Just make beer first mate, don't let yourself get too confused, do some reading and you'll be fine

Andy

 

[bignath]

I know the Coopers tins contain no flavour.....(snip)

You're not wrong there, particularly the cervesa can. h34r:

Sorry, couldnt help myself...

Coopers cans are certainly one of the better manufacturers.

 

[loikar]

Sorry, couldnt help myself...

You have No Idea how hard it was for me Nath....

YOU HAVE NO IDEA!!!

 

[Mr Flibbles]

1 can and 1 kilo of LDME
then boil 4 cups of DME in 2L of water
as soon as it starts boiling, throw in 15g of hops and let it boil for 20min
at the end of the 20min, throw in your tin of goop and turn off your heat and throw in 10g of hops and then cover the pot and sit it in an ice bath.

when the liquid cools down to about 20c, throw it in the fermenter and top it up to 23L
when it's at 20c, throw in your yeast, seal it up and away you go.

Head spinning yet?

Just get a tin of stout and a tin of real ale.
throw them in your fermenter and make it up to 23L
in with both packs of your yeast at 19c and keep it at that temp.

getting the cold side (or the fermenting stage) of your brewing down can make or break a beer.
Just make beer first mate, don't let yourself get too confused, do some reading and you'll be fine

Andy

Thanks. I'm off to do some more reading and buy everything. What would the rough abv be from a tin of stout and a tin of real ale? Wouldn't a tin of stout and a 1KG of LDME be better overall?

 

[loikar]

Thanks. I'm off to do some more reading and buy everything. What would the rough abv be from a tin of stout and a tin of real ale? Wouldn't a tin of stout and a 1KG of LDME be better overall?

It's called a "toucan".
Probably one of the easiest beers to brew.
Here's a shitload of toucan recipes for you to peruse:
http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...0&hl=toucan

You'd be looking at around 6% ABV, maybe 6.5 if you're bottling.

The one constant in home brewing, regardless of you're doing All Grain, All Extract or Kit and Kilo is the ferment.
every brewer has this process to go through and it can make or break a beer.

that's why I suggest to do a toucan first. Not to limit you, or to insinuate you're mentally incapable of doing a straight up K&K (if I had my way, those tins of goop would be banished and everyone would have to make beer from grain) but more so just to get your head around what happens during ferment and conditioning.

you'll only need to go through the process once to get it.
taste it every 3 days to see how the flavour changes, what the yeast does and how much difference bubbles make.

Of course, if you feel like it, you can tell me to go and get well and truly fucked and do what you want.

:icon_cheers:

Cheers,


BF

 

[enuun]

Hi,

And read this too
http://www.howtobrew.com/

 

[szopen]

3. AFAIK, no, the Coopers kits are preservative free. The only preservative I know of in these kits is the emulsifier (sp?) in the yeast packet

A bit on the pedantic side but emulsifier is an ingredient that makes product easier to mix or flow better, it's not a preservative.
(normally it will be soy based lecithin)

 

[Pennywise]

Cheers, I just assumed it was a preservative

 

[Mr Flibbles]

I'll be brewing this as my first brew with the kit this week:

2 x Coopers Stout tins

1kg LDME

1kg Brew Enhancer 1

Looking for a rich burnt bitter strong export stout. Fingers crossed.