Coopers selling full kit & bits recipe packs with free postage.

[menoetes]

I just ordered 6 cans of malt off of the coopers website. With free postage and my member of the Order discount it came to $59 for a total of 9kg of malt, good value IMHO.

 

[Kumamoto_Ken]

I just ordered 6 cans of malt off of the coopers website. With free postage and my member of the Order discount it came to $59 for a total of 9kg of malt, good value IMHO.

I ordered 6 hopped tins and 4 tins of malt last Friday. 16.2kg worth according to my abacus.

I'd been pondering whether to do a big buy while they had a $15 flat rate on shipping, when that turned to free shipping I was sold.

Set for a while now, the only problem is I'm almost out of empty bottles and have two brews on the go at the moment!

 

[Cube]

Coopers seem to do free shipping every couple of months or so as long as you spend $50.00. Four or five cans with free shipping and 10% member discount is a winner.

 

[menoetes]

Just looking over the Steam beer recipe again. Hmmm, it's interesting that it uses S-23 lager yeast (2 packs no less) but instructs to pitch and brew @ 18'c.

I don't understand, aren't lager yeasts optimal around 10 - 12'c? I checked the yeast profile of S-23 and it says the range is 9 - 15'c. Maybe that's why they give you two packs, as the yeast is going to struggle.

 

[bbutlerau]

Just looking over the Steam beer recipe again. Hmmm, it's interesting that it uses S-23 lager yeast (2 packs no less) but instructs to pitch and brew @ 18'c.

I don't understand, aren't lager yeasts optimal around 10 - 12'c? I checked the yeast profile of S-23 and it says the range is 9 - 15'c. Maybe that's why they give you two packs, as the yeast is going to struggle.

That is because it's a steam beer. The style is a larger yeast brewed at ale temperatures.

 

[menoetes]

Ah, fair enough and thanks for the info bbutlerau.

I've also just ordered another 4 cans of malt off of the Coopers website, incuding the 6 cans already ordered, that's my next 5 extract beers set as far as malt is concerned. You gotta love that free shipping.

 

[blackbeard2]

So I sampled my first stubby of "Caribbean Siesta" last night after only 2 weeks of bottle conditioning at 20°. Pretty happy with the outcome even though I'm not really a big fan of light flavored beers but it will do the job as a summer session beer.

I deviated from the recipe slightly, adding the remaining hops at the end of the boil instead of as a dry hop addition, which probably accounts for the lack of notable hop aroma, and I bulk primed (my first attempt, which was exciting) with turbinado sugar instead of whatever the priming drops are.

Despite the short conditioning time, I noted that the head (even though small), was made up of quite compact bubbles. I don't know if this is down to it being an "all malt" recipe, my previous two batches of brew have used adjuncts or "brew booster" type sugar and definitely didn't have such compact heads even after much longer conditioning.

So I've now made room in the fermentation fridge for my "Steam Beer" which I will be putting down tomorrow, already have my specialty grains steeping in the fridge as per the coopers method... Looking forward to it!

 

[Bax]

I noticed the same with mine Blackbeard. Very compact bubbles, head disappears really quickly for me also.

My latest coopers order got delivered this morning, on a Saturday! So I'll be doing my chubby cherub tomorrow I'd imagine.

 

[Dread82]

First post here, just done the steam ale kit for my second brew. Bubbling away atm should be interesting how it turns out still learning it all. Pitched a bit warm at 25deg but that was as low as I could get the fv with the chilled water I had. In the temp controlled fridge at 16deg fv temp 18deg hope the warm pitch doesn't hurt it to much

 

[blackbeard2]

First post here, just done the steam ale kit for my second brew. Bubbling away atm should be interesting how it turns out still learning it all. Pitched a bit warm at 25deg but that was as low as I could get the fv with the chilled water I had. In the temp controlled fridge at 16deg fv temp 18deg hope the warm pitch doesn't hurt it to much

Hey Dread, if it is bubbling away as you said, and you have the fv at 18° now then I wouldn't worry too much.

I actually just put down my steam beer and I had to pitch at 24° for the same reason. I had rehydrated the yeast and added some wort from the fv to my yeast and let it sit for about 5 mins before pitching so hopefully there wasn't too much temperature shock.

Just a comment on the 24hr cold steep method described in this recipe, I followed the technique for this batch but have previously steeped specialty grains in warm/hot water for 30 mins on previous brews. I tasted the "grain tea" for this recipe and there was no notable sweetness to it, which I have noticed when steeping in hot water.

 

[hoppy2B]

Are you fella's aware that you can buy DRY MALT EXTRACT and it works out cheaper than tins of goo. A lot of people commonly use a tine of goo and a kilo of dry malt extract as well. 1 kilo of dry malt is equivalent to 1.5 kilo of goo.
And no the DME is different to a box of brew enhancer.

 

[Cube]

what is a fellas?

 

[hoppy2B]

what is a fellas?

Peeps.

Actually the figure on DME to liquid malt ratio is 1.25 - 1.5 kilo of liquid malt to 1 kilo of dry. I tend to be an optimist.

 

[Cube]

is peeps like ****s?

 

[hoppy2B]

It can be. As in, 'You're a ****.'

 

[Cube]

Arr yes i get it now. "Hey, you fellas lost the RLWC last night because you played like a bunch of ****s"

Thanks.

 

[indica86]

Some of us fells don't have an LHBS that sells Wheat DME so buying a can of "goo" at a discount with free delivery can be rather appealing.
K?

 

[Dread82]

Some of us fells don't have an LHBS that sells Wheat DME so buying a can of "goo" at a discount with free delivery can be rather appealing.
K?
Yep I live in lovely Port Hedland WA, all we get is K mart basic coopers kits and brew enhancers so have made the most of the coopers free shipping don't have the luxury of a short drive to a lhbs

 

[hoppy2B]

In S.A. Coles tends to be the cheapest for Coopers goo cans.

 

[Dread82]

In S.A. Coles tends to be the cheapest for Coopers goo cans.
both coles and woolworths here don't sell it probly cos we are in the middle of no where, so makedo withwhat we can get, I'm smashing a few longnecks from my very first brew as we speak so I'm in love with my new hobby!!!

 

[menoetes]

My LHBS sells Light DME for $9.95 a kilo and Wheat DME for $12 p/kg, so coopers tins of unhopped goop still work out cheaper (with members discount and free delivery) and I don't even need to leave the house for it. My local Coles, Woolworths, Kmarts etc only seem to stock kit tins and the usual range of dextrose & brew enhancers. I guess it all depends on where you are and what is made available to you.

I think you South Australians have it good Hoppy2B, in so far as Coopers is your state beer (not like crappy XXXX here) and maybe you have more ready access to their full range products?

 

[pat86]

Got a few cans of the Coopers Un-hopped LME: Light, Wheat and Amber. Ordered last Thursday, arrived this morning in Sydney metro- probably would have been quicker without the weekend in between and worked out at about $9.95 / 1.5kg can with free delivery

 

[Bax]

Mine got delivered on a Saturday Pat. I think I ordered Wednesday or so. Was amazed when the delivery man rocked up

 

[hoppy2B]

In Adelaide we have Brew Adelaide doing free delivery in the metro area of light DME at $8 a kilo. I don't see any bulk price on their webby.
Beer Belly do it at the same price and they have 5 kilo at $36 and 20 kilo at $125 pick up from store. I've been using some lately because its so convenient for making small test batches, so I can trial a range of different yeasts etc.

I'm sorry to hear you lot are unable to find it at similar prices out your way.

 

[pat86]

Mine got delivered on a Saturday Pat. I think I ordered Wednesday or so. Was amazed when the delivery man rocked up

I may or may not have been hoping mine would arrive Saturday...!

pretty impressed with em really- doesn't help with the whole impulse shopping thing though

 

[brad81]

Just read the recipe for the steam beer. I'm confused as to why you would steep the grains in the refrigerator overnight. What does this achieve?

I'm also curious about this method of steeping vs the more common method of steeping of hot water for 30 odd minutes?

I had a quick google earlier, but most sites are blocked here unfortunately. It seems as though cold steeping helps avoid any harsher acrid tastes from dark grains. Don't take my word on this as I'm only paraphrasing what I read earlier.
And on the same note I read another post that mentioned hot water is a lot more soluble, and that you'd need more water, and the end result would be more likely to have less sugars extracted from the grains.

So I've been doing some hunting, and dropped an email to the gents at Coopers and Bax is pretty much on the money.

Best internet "description" I have found is here: http://beersmith.com/blog/2011/11/17/brewing-beer-with-dark-grains-steeping-versus-mashing/

Might try it out with the next stout I make.

 

[Nort]

Hi Guys.
Just wondering. I want to order a pile of Coopers Tins seeing they have free delivery along with our 10% discount. What I would like to know is how long will the cans last before I need to brew them. I have a couple of cans already at home, but do I just leave them, or do I need to put the yeast in the refridge? I usually go the States for 3 months during Feb-April each year, so probably wouldn't brew them before I get back, as I have plenty of beer waiting to be consumed! Thanks in advance. Cheers

 

[indica86]

Should be a used by date on them.
The yeast is pretty hardy, you could also buy some decent yeast when brew time comes.

 

[Scottye]

Fresh is best. Obviously the yeast hasn't been stored in the fridge, but you should pop it in the fridge anyway. When I get a kit I look for the one with the latest BB date possible, and I tend to brew them straight away. Unless you're getting the TC range I'd stick with Big W.

 

[menoetes]

+1 to using the freshest kit possible.

I pretty certain that the coopers kit tins are good for up to a year but like anything preserved in a tin, fresher is better. That's not to say you couldn't make a decent beer from an older tin but if you are not going to have them brewed before you head of to the US for 3 months in Feb then I'd suggest buying them when you get back. Like VonScott, I find Big W is good for kits (here in Brisbane at least).

I am told that coopers do the free delivery deal every 6 months or so and you'll have to weigh the 10% saving on a $13 - 16 kit against the idea of buying fresher kits upon your return.

All in all the difference in taste isn't huge, but neither are the savings on basic kits.