Coopers Sparkling yeast flavour

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reddog

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Hi not sure if this is the correct place to post this I'am a big fan of Coopers sparkling ale but only after all the sediment has been mixed well into the beer. I don't gently roll the bottle I shake it hard for 30 sec's and find the beer lacking if I don't do this.

My question is what is the description of the flavor that this adds to the beer I would love to be able to reproduce this in my home brews but have never been able to get it the same. My best description is white pepper with a powdery full body texture.

I drink this beer most off the time very cold 1 deg C probably the only way I get away with shacking the stubbie but also like it at higher temps.
 
if you want to get close you will have to culture the yeast from the bottles. So you will have to drink a 6 pack and not mix the yeast in and carefully pour the beer out and save the yeast in the bottom (some beer will stay) collect 6 stubbies of this and then make a starter and pitch that into your beer.

Also if you want the sediment depending how you server your beer, In a keg maybe transfer it before it fully clear and if you like the yeast taste rouse it up when pouring but in bottles the natural carb will produce more yeast so just do as you have done with the coopers.

I am not sure of there recipe but if you want to get close to coopers you have to use there bottle yeast and this is the part your more looking for as it gives you that part your missing as you say.

Edit: I should add your best to culture the yeast from the cooper pale ale as its less stressed then the sparkling but I am sure they use the same yeast. Also (been a very long time) I think they used a different yeast to ferment the beer and add this yeast to the bottles but that could be totally wrong its been good 2-3 years since I read it lol
 
Thanks Kelbygreen

I understand that have been using coopers yeast from bottle for 30 plus years and have kept a large yeast ranch of many other variety s on slants for 15+ years what I am after is the correct terminology for the additional flavors how would a BJC describe it.
 
Fruity flavours like apple and pear are mostly esters. You can get fruit from hops and green apple from acetaldehyde too but in the case of coopers, it's esters.
Spicy flavours like cloves and pepper are generally phenolics. Again some hops can provide spice and some phenolics can taste like medicine or smoke while some esters can taste like roses or geraniums or solvent/nail polish in higher concentrations.
Coopers yeast is known for apple, pear and sometimes banana esters.
Red apple = ethyl hexoanate, pear = ethyl acetate, banana = isoamyl acetate.
 
Coopers is a very yeast-driven beer & it depends on the temperature you ferment at (their yeast can tolerate fairly high temps & anyway, it's a fairly fruity yeast).

Low temps (ie. 16-18C), you'll get pears. Higher temps (up to 24C) & you'll get bananas. Both of these are esters ('can't remember the tech. names off the top of my head, except banana is isoamyl acetate), which manifest at higher initial temps in the 1st 24-36 hours of a fermentation.

Occasionally, you'll get a batch that displays a touch of phenolics (which are a bit more floral, but can throw some really nasty ones like acetone). In small doses, phenolics can be actually quite pleasant (think wheat beers, Saisons etc.). Drinking it warmer will accentuate the yeasty-characters.

As far as I'm aware, the same yeast is used for primary fermentation & the batch is then re-dosed with fresh yeast & priming sugars when bottled.

Edit: ^ beaten to the punch by Manticle who can actually remember the technical names for some esters...
 
If you keep bottles of home brewed sparkling - preferably in glass - for a few months, then drink it clear it is a thing of beauty.
 
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