Coopers Ginger Beer Some Quick And Easy Questions

[simpletotoro]

hi...i've read a few threads on ginger beer but am after specific answers...
just bought my first coopers ginger beer kit...
questions as follows...
[1] the yeast that comes with it what type of yeast is it ?...if its not a ale yeast am i better off using an ale yeast?
[2] it reckons you add 1 kg sugar (cane i suppose) how's this pull up taste wise? am i better off adding dextrose...or even say some LDM/dextrose to 1 kg?...if so what ratio ya reckon?
[3] anyone got a rough FG for one of these kits ?
[4] have read others add freshly grated ginger (boiled to kill any nasties) to the kit to give a kick...how much gram wise ? does it even need it?...
[5] anyone ever added a small boil of hops to this kit (say 10g willamette or cascade or amarillo) if so what did you use ? ...did it work ?...what hops schedule you use ?...
[6] what bulk priming amount of sugar per litre is required ?
[7] any other tips and stuff appreciated please..

cheers simpletotoro

 

[FazerPete]

1) Yes it's an ale yeast. I think it's the standard Coopers yeast but I recommend adding more yeast because it can drop out before it's finished.
2) 1 kg of sugar only brings it to around 3.5% so I do 1kg of dex with 500g of dark brown sugar.
3) Sorry I never bothered with mine so I don't know what the FG would be
4) It's not very gingery so I boil 2 heaped tspns of grated ginger in 2 litres of water for a few minutes, turn off and stir in the sugar and then stir in the can.
5) Never even thought of it
6) I keg so I can't help you with that but I think it should be about the same as beer. Carbing the keg is the same anyway.
7) It's extremely sweet due to the artificial sweetener in it. Be warned if you like a dry GB. I added 150ml of lemon juice into the keg to counteract the sweetness and it worked well enough that I'd probably add it to the fermenter if I make it again. My favourite GB mix is Old Fashioned Ginger Beer that you can buy at the HBS. It's good because the sweetener isn't mixed in so you only need to add as much as you want.

 

[albrews]

hi...i've read a few threads on ginger beer but am after specific answers...
just bought my first coopers ginger beer kit...
questions as follows...
[1] the yeast that comes with it what type of yeast is it ?...if its not a ale yeast am i better off using an ale yeast?
[2] it reckons you add 1 kg sugar (cane i suppose) how's this pull up taste wise? am i better off adding dextrose...or even say some LDM/dextrose to 1 kg?...if so what ratio ya reckon?
[3] anyone got a rough FG for one of these kits ?
[4] have read others add freshly grated ginger (boiled to kill any nasties) to the kit to give a kick...how much gram wise ? does it even need it?...
[5] anyone ever added a small boil of hops to this kit (say 10g willamette or cascade or amarillo) if so what did you use ? ...did it work ?...what hops schedule you use ?...
[6] what bulk priming amount of sugar per litre is required ?
[7] any other tips and stuff appreciated please..

cheers simpletotoro

hi, boiling some hot chillies in water and adding it to the fermenter can improve the ginger flavour.

cheers, alan

 

[barls]

ive had one finish at 995 but that was the one exception to the batches

 

[simpletotoro]

thanks...for the replies...lots of food for though there...albrews how much chilli for an 18 litre brew please?say in teaspoons (is it dried or what?)...
please keep em coming ...
cheers simpletotoro

 

[microbe]

Just waiting for my third batch of this to carb completely
#1 I did a a Non-Alcohol Version and bulk primed (for the first time) didn't record the amount of priming sugar though - sorry
#2 was a recipe I found in this thread johnno started
#3 was done with 1Kg Raw sugar and what was left in the bag of Dark Brown Sugar (about 300g)

to answer some of your questions -
[2] the sugar doesn't leave a nasty taste IMO
[3] the batch I just bottled finished at 1.002 for me but I'm certain my hydrometer is reading about 4 points too low.
[4] the recipe i used with the extras was not heavy handed at all but tasty all the same
[7] I found the artificial sweetener (after)taste overbearing to begin with but it did fade IIRC by about week 6 in the bottle

Cheers,

microbe

 

[0M39A]

Ive made one of these kits up before way back when i started brewing.

made it with 2kg white sugar iirc, let it ferment 2 weeks then bottled.

this is where the problem began, as it was back when i first started brewing and didnt think hydrometers were important, just whenever she stops bubbling.

primed as usual, and bottled into plastic thank god.

they were all gushers. not to an extreme extent, but you had to pour quickly after you opened, and they poured with a huge thin head that died away after a couple of min.

only other thing that i did that was worth mentioning with it was added a bottle of "aussie gold" rum essence (ment to be bundy flavour). didnt really give a whole lot of flavour to it in the end though. was hoping for something akin to bundy dark & stormy taste.

 

[Tyred]

Using kit yeast I have managed to get a final gravity between .94 and 1.001. Unfortunately, I wasn't recording gravities when I started brewing so earlier ginger beer brew information is rather vague.

I don't think I've ever used dextrose, only 1kg raw sugar and up to 200g brown sugar for mouthfeel.

 

[Morrie0069]

I made this kit about a year ago. Can't remember what the FG was when I bottled, but I think I used 1.5Kg of white sugar and kit yeast. I opened a bottle the other day and it had fully carbed up - had been a bit flat at the 3, 6 and 9 month mark when I tested them. Still had the sickly aftertaste of artificial sweetener, so I would do as others have suggested on this site and add a splash of Bundaberg Ginger Beer cordial to the glass when drinking to make it taste better. I think I boiled some ginger up and added to fermenter as well - can't recall how much.

Cheers,

Morrie

P.S. Don't think I'd make this kit again, as the artificial taste lingers too long.