Cooper's Irish Stout, My First Try

[mborja]

So I just started a batch of Irish Stout the other night, :icon_cheers: recipe as follows:

1.75kg can Cooper's Irish Stout
1kg light DME
1oz (28g?) Willamette Hops
11.5g packet S-04 Safale yeast

I boiled the DME in about 2 gallons of water, boiled approx 18g (2/3rd of the oz packet) of the hops for 15 min, then the remaining 10g for 5 minutes. Added the can of malt at flame out, etc etc...
The SG of the wort reads 1.044, hope it will finish out around 1.010.

I am simply trying to put together a reliable, delicious brew, which isn't too involved and time consuming. I'll update in a couple weeks when I bottle, then again after I finally crack one open.

Any predictions, comments, questions, feedback, recommendations for next time?

 

[zabond]

done similar brew last year,added 200 grm carafa t2 grains[for an added choc hit] steeped for 30 min,came out very nice,just try and keep ferm temp below 20*c /60f and you"ll have a good brew

 

[Screwtop]

So I just started a batch of Irish Stout the other night, :icon_cheers: recipe as follows:

1.75kg can Cooper's Irish Stout
1kg light DME
1oz (28g?) Willamette Hops
11.5g packet S-04 Safale yeast

I boiled the DME in about 2 gallons of water, boiled approx 18g (2/3rd of the oz packet) of the hops for 15 min, then the remaining 10g for 5 minutes. Added the can of malt at flame out, etc etc...
The SG of the wort reads 1.044, hope it will finish out around 1.010.

I am simply trying to put together a reliable, delicious brew, which isn't too involved and time consuming. I'll update in a couple weeks when I bottle, then again after I finally crack one open.

Any predictions, comments, questions, feedback, recommendations for next time?

Should be good, using S-04 and using extract I would predict a finish of around 1.015 - 16 watch your fermenting temp maintain 20 if possible.

Screwy

 

[mborja]

Yea I figured it'll probably turn out more like 1.014 to 1.016, not that it's a bad thing. I noticed on the yeast packet it has a temp range of 59-75 degrees, and the brew closet is usually at 70 degrees F.

I do have control over the temp and will probably adjust it. Thanks for the advice.

What happens if it ferments at 70 vs 60?

 

[zabond]

the higher the ferm temp the more likely you get unwanted flavours/esters like the homebrew twang most ales like 60-65f, largers around 50f the temps on the yeast packet prob mean pitching temps [not sure] but all my best stouts have been brewed @ 17c-62f

 

[Screwtop]

Yea I figured it'll probably turn out more like 1.014 to 1.016, not that it's a bad thing. I noticed on the yeast packet it has a temp range of 59-75 degrees, and the brew closet is usually at 70 degrees F.

I do have control over the temp and will probably adjust it. Thanks for the advice.

What happens if it ferments at 70 vs 60?

Pretty much from experience 20C (68F) is a good temp for a dark beer using this yeast. At this temp it will produce a typical English profile, slight fruitiness and a tiny bit of diacetyl and a little Acetaldehyde at 7 days. Leave it for a further week after fermentation ceases to clean up, then drop to 37F for a few days to drop clear before kegging/bottling (yes there will still be plenty of yeast left for bottle conditioning).

If you drop the temp to 60F (15.5C) it will go to sleep and can take a bit of effort to get going again.

the higher the ferm temp the more likely you get unwanted flavours/esters like the homebrew twang most ales like 60-65f, largers around 50f the temps on the yeast packet prob mean pitching temps [not sure] but all my best stouts have been brewed @ 17c-62f

The flavours/aromas (esters and phenols) produced by various yeast strains at various temps are not unwanted - unless you/the brewer doesn't want the particular flavour/aroma in THE beer that he is making.

Cheers,

Screwy

 

[zabond]

]


The flavours/aromas (esters and phenols) produced by various yeast strains at various temps are not unwanted - unless you/the brewer doesn't want the particular flavour/aroma in THE beer that he is making.


as the title says My First Try I was just sugesting that its better to keep your ale temps below 20c than play around with different higher temps to get flavours/aromas when you can get it very wrong which can put a lot of new brewers off,I'd hate to think of how many people gave up homebrewing because they read the Coopers instructions and brewed @up to 27c and tasted like crap,I've used saf04 on many Irish ales brewed @ 16c and it hasn't gone to sleep

 

[mborja]

Thanks for the input guys. I would expect it to just take a little longer to finish fermenting at lower temps, which is no big deal. I plan on holding it in the fermenter for two weeks, then in bottle for at least a couple more weeks. I usually only use the secondary carboy to let it clear if I'm going to keg the batch.

It has been bubbling away steadily for the past 3 days, seemed to take off slowly with slow airlock action at the end of the first day. Day 2 and 3 have been quite steady and busy so I'm sure everything is going well.

The funny thing is, I did a batch of canadian blonde ale in another fermenter the night after i did the stout. I used mostly dextrose and the coopers extract, with a packet of us-05 yeast, which took off fermenting within the first hour. This was the quickest I've ever seen so far, after a couple hours it was already bubbling quite often. With both batches in the closet, they take turns, answering eachother back and forth, it's a beautiful thing, or maybe I'm just not right in the head, haha. Cheers!