Coopers English Bitter

[Hutch]

But will the yeast S-04 be able to carbonate the bottles after all this time if it flocculates so well? Won't it all be dead/in the yeast cake by then if it takes 3 weeks from pitching to bottling?

Don't worry about the yeast after 3 weeks. Yeast will survive many months/years once it's settled-out in beer. It does eventually "autolyse" (die) at the bottom of the fermenter, but in this short time-frame there is nothing to worry about.

Many experienced brewers do not use secondary fermenters, prefering to leave the beer in primary for extended conditioning after it has reached final gravity. The primary reason is to avoid unnecessary exposure to oxygen by transfering to secondary. There is a perceived risk of fouling the beer by leaving it on the yeast cake for longer (due to autolysis), however a few weeks is not going to do any harm, and basically avoids extra work in cleaning/sanitising a secondary vessel and racking tube.

Transfering to secondary is useful if you need to free up your primary fermenter, re-use the yeast cake, or you wish to dry-hop in secondary.
Do what works for you.

Hutch.

 

[RdeVjun]

No sweat Bjorn, just keep your sachet of yeast cool this afternoon until you get it home, it doesn't _have_ to be refrigerated, but it'll help to keep its viability up until you pitch it. Temperature shock is one way to snot your precious critters so avoid rapidly- changing and/or extreme conditions as much as you can and it'll be fine.

There will still be millions and millions of viable yeast cells per ml in suspension, even after all that crap/trub settles out in primary and secondary, so don't worry. Some firms and even HBers do go with a conditioning innoculant at bottling, sometimes a different strain even, but I really wouldn't be worrying about that, for this brew its just not necessary at all.

Now, just quit loafing about on the net while at work and get back on the job! Good luck with it!

 

[BjornJ]

Just got back from Dave's Homebrew shop, bought the yeast and a teabag of "fuggles" hops.
Will have a read about the hops but probably just throw them in the bottom of the secondary before siphoning the beer into it. That will hopefully give me a fresh, hoppy aroma without adding too much. A little worried about adding hops to a bitter, as it is my first bitter but I am sure it will be ok.

Ok, will brew tonight, if mixing DME and a can of extract classifies as brewing!
(and yes, I am at work but on a break, hehe)


thanks guys,
Bjorn

 

[RdeVjun]

Just got back from Dave's Homebrew shop, bought the yeast and a teabag of "fuggles" hops.
Will have a read about the hops but probably just throw them in the bottom of the secondary before siphoning the beer into it. That will hopefully give me a fresh, hoppy aroma without adding too much. A little worried about adding hops to a bitter, as it is my first bitter but I am sure it will be ok.

Ok, will brew tonight, if mixing DME and a can of extract classifies as brewing!
(and yes, I am at work but on a break, hehe)


thanks guys,
Bjorn

That'd do well Bjorn, it won't add much bitterness unless boiled, even then, its only 12g. To get some flavour and aroma efficiency, I'd first steep the hop teabag in a couple of cups of boiling water from the kettle in a clean jug for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally as the bag floats. Then toss the hop tea and bag into the secondary and proceed as planned. Other than that, its full steam ahead.

Also, it surely classifies- you started with water, hops, yeast and malt and you get beer at the end right? It might even be cheaper and better than many megaswills!

Back to work for you- we have a public holiday up here in sunny Queensland!

 

[BjornJ]

Brewed it last night, am I the only one who always ends up with some mishaps every time I make beer??

Yesterday I managed to put the hydrometer full of beer on the wet table surface, then when lifting it the bottom cap was "stuck" to the table enough to lift only the plastic tubing with the hydrometer in it! All the beer naturally flowed out over the table and made a mess.. hehe.

Anyway, brewed the Coopers English Bitter according to the recipie, 500 gr of Coopers LDME first in the fermenter then a jug of hot water and just swirled and swirled until it dissolved. The box actually specifically says not to stir with a spoon.

Then the heated can of goo, this syrup is very dark and thick, really black and sticky stuff. Much darker than the others I have made, but those have only been lager/pale ale/draught.

Pitched Safale S-04 at 18 degrees and put it away for the week.

OG: 1034

Will leave until Sunday probably then into cube. The cube is only 15 liters, will bottle a couple of bottles from the primary as well as the last couple of batches I have made A and B bottles to see if the extra work of second fermenter, then in the fridge, then isinglass is worth it before bottling.

 

[BjornJ]

Update:

Friday 8.05 today, did a hydrometer reading, coming out at 1014-1016 and not very clear but starting to get more ready.

Will put in a cube and dry hop on Sunday with a teabag of Fuggles, back in the server room for a week and then in the fridge.

Bjorn

 

[RdeVjun]

Update:

Friday 8.05 today, did a hydrometer reading, coming out at 1014-1016 and not very clear but starting to get more ready.

Will put in a cube and dry hop on Sunday with a teabag of Fuggles, back in the server room for a week and then in the fridge.

Bjorn

How'd you get on with this Bjorn? Should just about be in bottles by now? We trust you did the honorable thing and instead of just discarding the hydrometer sample you tasted it? If so, a report please!

Even though I've graduated to AG kindergarten recently, I just couldn't help myself and picked up a can of this EB goop from a local supermarket, $10-something, will bang it on with some carared and caraaroma perhaps, maybe some styrian, or whatever I find in the freezer that suits.
Am thinking Windsor now, even though I originally recommended S-04, and the low flocculation and attenuation should be no biggie for me. The idea of multi- strained, staged pitching (thanks PoMo!) with Windsor to start with and then followed a day later by Nottingham intrigues me, but as this is a new kit I've never tried before, I'd best keep the experimentation to a minimum. I'll be bunging it on tomorrow, any suggestions either way would be welcome in the mean time.

Oh, and Bjorn- sorry mate for hijacking your thread...

 

[manticle]

As for the Secondary, don't worry, there will be more than enough yeast there to ferment out in the bottles.

far less experienced than fourstar but since I started racking and cold conditioning I've not had a problem with carbing except on one occasion when I miscalculated the amount (fixed by recarbing).

It gives a nicer, cleaner brew and is recommended by me.

 

[QIK86]

I'm interested to hear Bjorn's results, as I've just picked up this can. I was thinking about keeping it simple using S04 and increasing the LDME to about 800g if the kit can take it.

 

[Hutch]

I'm interested to hear Bjorn's results, as I've just picked up this can. I was thinking about keeping it simple using S04 and increasing the LDME to about 800g if the kit can take it.

The can can take a lot more than the recommended 500gm DME.
I added 2kg grain to mine (taking the OG up to 1.045) and the result is superb!

Incidentally, I recently had some email correspondence with Paul Burge, Technical development Manager at Coopers in relation to this kit, having questioned the high level of bittering they have used.

I was basically concerned that their recommended 500gm will only take the OG up to about 1.032, which is still a little on the low side for around 40+IBUs.

FYI, Here are some of the details from the correspondence I received...

We quote the bitterness of the English Bitter as 590IBU. If you plug this figure into the formula
(supplied in the FAQ page: http://www.coopers.com.au/homebrew/hbrew.php?pid=4 ) you should get a final bitterness of between 30.5 and 39.2 BU, depending on whether you factor in a 30% loss or 10% fermentation loss. Interestingly, our analysis of the final beer (development versions and the first full production run) shows the bitterness to be generally in the 30 to 32 BU range.
...
We reckon that English Bitter, made to the recommended recipe, fits quite neatly into (BJCP) Style 8A. Standard/Ordinary Bitter
...
We find that the FG, when using 500g of Light Dry Malt and using the yeast supplied, hits around the 1007-1008 mark

My impression is that it is certainly on the high-end of 30-40 IBUs, however it is immensely drinkable!
They've done a great job with this kit.

Hutch.

PS. make sure you carb it on the low-end, as is typical for English Bitters. Makes a big difference to the flavour profile.

 

[RdeVjun]

ker... Bump...! No more reports? Bjorn? Anyone?

BTW Hutch, what did you use- 2kg of what? Could be a partial mash of ale malt?

AFAIK, no bad feedback for this kit yet, so I'll just give it a whirl with some crystal, fuggles and stryian or something. I've got some 1275 cake lined up for this tomorrow, wondering if anyone's had any other ideas for K&B though? I know its only early days though...

:icon_offtopic:
BTW, this is quite OT, that I know. From my early samples, 1275 seems sort of flat or neutral, spectrum- wise but not really in a bad way. Just seems to have everything there across the board, nothing that leaps down the throat and has me gagging. Seems to tone down or limit the graininess from my first few BIAB AGs a shade, which is just fine with me. Good- I'll re-use some of it tomorrow with the Coopers kit.

 

[BjornJ]

Sorry for the late update!

I really liked the resulting beer from the Coopers English Bitter kit, using only the prescribed 500 gr of Dried Malt Extract and a teabag of Fuggles hops for extra aroma. I doubt the dryhopping with Fuggles really made much difference, but added it anyway.

The beer is now several months old and has become more bitter than it was after only a month, it seems the maturation period has somehow made the malt flavors mellow, making it a more bitter beer? I've had this beer at beer tastings at work probably 4-6 times now and I'm not the only one saying the beer seems to be more bitter now.

Anyway it is a good kit beer and nice to have a lower-alcohol alternative,

thanks
Bjorn

 

[AussieJosh]

Im drinking it right now. its about 2 or 3 months old. i made it as is recomended. Very nice!

 

[buttersd70]

hmm. I might have to try this, just so I have a point of reference. As an AG brewer, who is passionate about English Bitters, and particularly about Yorkshire Bitters, my one concern is the time taken for it to, for want of a better term, come into it's own....

@ bjorn.....
it doesn't entirely surprise me that the malt character drops, and the bitterness increases, over time. I'm a big advocate of 'green is best' in the yorkie style....in fact, if it's more than 3 weeks from pitching to blowing the keg, it's too long for me.....slightly more in bottles. Time does no favours to this style of beer, imo......

a recipe I have from the 1850's for farmhouse Mild Ale says "work with barm (wet yeast) for 4 or 5 days, then bottle and use within a week or fortnight"

bless Mrs Beeton.

 

[AussieJosh]

I will be looking forward to your opionion on this one Butters. Will you be making it to instruction? or using other yeast and hops?

 

[zabond]

Just finished a keg of ENGLISH BITTER
Coops eng bit can
1kg BE2
250grm LDME
200grm med crystal
200grm carapils
50grm caroma
grains steeped 40 min@ 70*
willamett plug 15 min boil
brewceller english ale yeast[sao4?]
22ltrs @ 18* og 1060 fg 1026 4.9%
nice red colour- good creamy head- very drinkable :icon_drool2:
next time going to drop carapils to 100-be2 to 750 & add 250 grm goldensyrup to try for a bit more body
Russ

 

[discoloop]

Zabond, I think you'll find the golden syrup will ferment right out and lighten the body. Same effect as using plain old white sugar.

 

[Stagwa]

BjornJ, Where do you work if they ley you put beer in the server room?

 

[tunza60]

Just bought a can of this as well, i have a Coopers brew enhancer2 (1kg) lying around so may as well use this. will post some tasting notes in few weeks.

 

[manticle]

Zabond, I think you'll find the golden syrup will ferment right out and lighten the body. Same effect as using plain old white sugar.

I think golden syrup will give a bit of colour and flavour as well. It is also an invert sugar and has less likelihood of producing flavours associated with using plain white sugar (debatably acetyladehyde).

As an aside - has anyone ever caramelised golden syrup for use as candi sugar (colour, flavour, dryness) in a Belgian or similar high gravity brew?