Coopers Original Lager

[willtups]

Hi Guys,

Just a quick question before i start this Coopers Lager Kit. Does anyone know if the cooper yeast is a true Lager YEast (9-12 degrees) or is it an Ale Yeast that will handle the warmer temps, 21 degrees etc?

Cheers

Willtups

 

[Adamt]

Coopers Heritage Lager contains a lager yeast, it will say so on the side of the can. If you have the standard Coopers Lager, ferment it as close to 18-20C as possible.

 

[willtups]

Thanks for the quick reply. The kit has the standard instructions inside for all the coopers kits which stated 21 degrees. I wasnt sure about the lager. Cheers again.

 

[Steve]

Thanks for the quick reply. The kit has the standard instructions inside for all the coopers kits which stated 21 degrees. I wasnt sure about the lager. Cheers again.

willtups - keep the yeast from the kit in the fridge for emergencies and buy some fresh SO4 or US56 and brew a psuedo lager if you cant brew at lagering temps.
Cheers
Steve

 

[pint of lager]

Do you have the Heritage lager or the standard supermarket lager tin?

Heritage lager has a black label with some gold writing and a picture of Thomas Cooper on the side. It contains a lager yeast and can be fermented at correct lager temps.

The standard supermarket tin I suspect, but may be wrong has an ale yeast, brew at ale temps.

Most kits even though they call themselves lager, have an ale yeast. It is cheaper to produce dried ale yeast, plus there is only so much info they write on the tin. They don't want to confuse the brewers.

 

[willtups]

cheers lads, i ended up throwing the yeast in the fridge and buying some saflager s23 instead. seems to be doing the trick but unsure if that was the right yeast to go with. The bloke at the brew shop recommended it.

 

[Steve]

cheers lads, i ended up throwing the yeast in the fridge and buying some saflager s23 instead. seems to be doing the trick but unsure if that was the right yeast to go with. The bloke at the brew shop recommended it.

what temp are you brewing it at?

 

[Velophile]

cheers lads, i ended up throwing the yeast in the fridge and buying some saflager s23 instead. seems to be doing the trick but unsure if that was the right yeast to go with. The bloke at the brew shop recommended it.

I've made one of my best beers to date with the Coopers Original Lager can & S23 yeast. I think I used Brew Enhancer 2 but the biggest thing was getting the hop additions just right. I'm really hoping that my notes make sense & I can reproduce this beer in extract or AG.

Coopers Original Lager
1kg BE2
Casscade hops - Tablespoon?
Chinook hops - Teaspoon?
S23 yeast

I boiled the BE2 & hops. I think the Casscade for ~10min & the Chinook at flameout.
7~10 days primary, 14~21 day secondary

Note that I did this batch in winter & kept the temps as low as possible.

I've since bought a set of scales for weighing hops and set up a fridge & controller to brew in.

 

[willtups]

I am brewing the Lager at 10 degrees in my brewing fridge. The thermostat keeps the temp range between 9 and 12 degrees so i am hoping for a good result. I have done 2 prior lagers using premium kits but i couldnt maintain the temps using the ice and a wet towel method, hence the upgrade to a second fridge (1st Food, 2nd Kegs setup and the 3rd fridge is only for brewing).

Hopefully it turns out alright to renew my faith in HB Lagers.

 

[Trough Lolly]

cheers lads, i ended up throwing the yeast in the fridge and buying some saflager s23 instead. seems to be doing the trick but unsure if that was the right yeast to go with. The bloke at the brew shop recommended it.

S-23 is a good general purpose lager yeast strain - don't be surprised if the fermentation takes twice as long as you expected. But that wait's worth it! When you bottle/keg or rack the beer to secondary, keep 300ml of slurry in a sanitised 600ml coke bottle topped up with pre-boiled cooled water and you can re-use the S-23 slurry in your next lager. It should be good for at least a month. Just decant the clear solution off the slurry before you add it to the fermenter...

Regarding your recipe, you might want to replace the distinctly american hops with some more traditional lager hops next time - maybe Hallertau for a 20 minute boil and a good serve of Saaz hops at flameout... Have fun, experiment and enjoy. B)

Cheers,
TL

 

[willtups]

S-23 is a good general purpose lager yeast strain - don't be surprised if the fermentation takes twice as long as you expected. But that wait's worth it! When you bottle/keg or rack the beer to secondary, keep 300ml of slurry in a sanitised 600ml coke bottle topped up with pre-boiled cooled water and you can re-use the S-23 slurry in your next lager. It should be good for at least a month. Just decant the clear solution off the slurry before you add it to the fermenter...

Regarding your recipe, you might want to replace the distinctly american hops with some more traditional lager hops next time - maybe Hallertau for a 20 minute boil and a good serve of Saaz hops at flameout... Have fun, experiment and enjoy. B)

Cheers,
TL

Cheers for the advice, i hadnt ever considered reusing yeast but after having a brief look around i see that some people swear by it. I have another Lager kit ready to go so would i be alright to dump the new kit on the old yeast cake left by this mix?????? will it need stirring or should i just leave it and wait???

cheers