Coopers- What Gives?

[JesseGray]

I soak them in a bucket with some napisan for a few days and the labels fall off, the glue dissapears from the bottle and the ink on the label starts flaking off. The "Imported by" sticker on Timothy Taylor's Landlord bottles survive a week of this and still need to be scraped off!

Cheers! I thought an hour in hot water with bottle cleaning solution would be enough but the front label hung in there. Honestly I tip my hat to them for having quality labels.

 

[ben_sa]

Coopers are bringing out an anniversery ale this year.. :icon_cheers:

And that came straight from Dr Tim himeself

Yep, I heard this straight from the horses mouth also while on a brewery tour a few weeks ago...

But thats about all they could tell us... I was having a solid look around trying to spot any bottles/labels/cartons, ANYTHING to do with the anniversary ale, but couldnt find a thing

 

[Rina]

After seeing the update I was going to send them a question regarding their Anniversary Ale (since it seemed the most pertinent) but it seems they're purposely holding that one to their chest. I wouldn't mind a good barely wine but an IIPA or a RIS would be more interesting.

Any way I am going to send them a link to this thread since their seems other questions people want answered as well.

Also I've had the Southwark from Dans and can vouch for liking it more than the Coopers. I may have had the sheaf but it was obviously forgettable.

 

[Lecterfan]

Carlton Black. Probably more widely available than Coopers Dark Ale depending on the state.

...and infintely less drinkable. Not even comparable to tooheys old IMHO.

Well on a whole different tangent why do Coopers make the best home brew tallies but the label sticks like **** to a blanket! I just scrubbed about 20 of the bastards off!

I've long been fascinated by the obsession of ensuring the labels come off the bottles...does it really change the flavour of the beer you put in them that much?

 

[emnpaul]

...and infintely less drinkable. Not even comparable to tooheys old IMHO.



I've long been fascinated by the obsession of ensuring the labels come off the bottles...does it really change the flavour of the beer you put in them that much?

Yes. A VB label can taint a beer by being in the same room.


It's getting harder and harder to find but there is another commercial brew called ld". Kent Old is worth a look if you can find it. It's more along the lines of a nut brown ale although I think it's actually a larger. Pretty good session beer though.

 

[Goldenchild]

Yes. A VB label can taint a beer by being in the same room.


It's getting harder and harder to find but there is another commercial brew called ld". Kent Old is worth a look if you can find it. It's more along the lines of a nut brown ale although I think it's actually a larger. Pretty good session beer though.

+1. When I'm back home this is my pub beer. Alot of central coast\newcastle pubs have this in there fridges and is Often cheaper then the standard beers on tap too and much much tastier.

 

[drsmurto]

Coopers is a large brewery not a craft brewery.

Why would they make a craft beer such as an IPA as you suggest that a fraction of a percent of people will buy? It makes zero commercial sense on anything other than a small scale.

The BUL Sapporo is a nice example of a german pilsner. Went on the tour last week and was surprised by it. The rest of the lagers are boring. Dark ale is simply pale ale with a roast barley addition.

Mild Ale is also a very nice drop for a mid (late Saaz addition), other than LC Rogers how many other breweries do a mid strength ale?

 

[pk.sax]

Mild Ale is also a very nice drop for a mid (late Saaz addition), other than LC Rogers how many other breweries do a mid strength ale?

Blue sky do a mid strength ale. Punters seem to like it too.
Literally all the big brewery 'gold' beers are lower strength versions of the full strength mainstays but cost just the same, from what I see, 4x gold sells more up here than 4x. In bluesky's case, I was made to understand that the mashing was done differently to retain a full beer body while doing a mid.

 

[manticle]

XXXX gold etc are mid strength lagers. Coopers and LC mids are more in line with UK mid ale - low alc, full flavoured malty ales.

Not sure about blue sky, haven't tried it (or seen it for sale - are blue sky a major brewery?)

 

[Rina]

I mean if Lion Nathan can see the commercial value of 'craft beer' (James Squire) why not Coopers? Nobody is asking Coopers to be DFH but Coopers do make already beers that are not popular mainstream beers such as the Vintage and the mild. If they are as commercial as you imply they would of gotten rid of the lines long ago but obviously they think it is important to have these lines for the sake of tradition or the 'brand'. Hell manticle thinks they deserve props for the audacity to sticking with ales this day and age. It's not like asking CUB to make an IPA.

 

[pk.sax]

They are the only brewery up here, so as independent major in a regional scale as it gets. Coopers on the other hand have been around forever, yet, they do their best to do as little as possible to cater to the evolving 'Australian' beer scene.

This is not a criticism of their beer, rather a criticism of their sluggishness in giving the customers what they want. Considering so many of those drinking craft beer these days would've picked up a coopers a few years ago, it would've been refreshing to see them keep up to some extent. I was up in port Douglas a few months ago, the only 'craft' beer available was coopers, wouldnt hurt the drinker if coopers pushed some decent beer through their good name.

I suppose, in some day bygone, fosters and cub used to make good beer too...

PS: a lot of smaller names making great beer would kill to get some penetration into the pubs.

PPS: at the risk of another nazi mod, coopers being pretty much the biggest known HB kit maker and also the non fosters/4x brewery in Australia give both HB and craft beer a pretty bad image and actually hurt the uptake of good beer by the masses. who gives a crap what I or you think, it's what the publican and the drinker thinks. And they think coopers is craft and craft is crap so they go back to non-craft crap.

 

[Rina]

I'm no marketing expert but I don't understand 62 Pilsner. Sure the euro lager is a huge market but its competitive as well. I'm not sure who they were trying to 'convert'.

I like Coopers- if I'm not feeling adventurous I'll pick up the PA or SA and think they're a nice introduction to well lets say 'ales'

 

[insane_rosenberg]

Coopers: The largest Australian owned brewery.

And they make ales.

And they introduce (almost) all of us to home brewing.

Seriously, do they need to do more?

 

[pk.sax]

Coopers: The largest Australian owned brewery.

And they make ales.

And they introduce (almost) all of us to home brewing.

Seriously, do they need to do more?

THIS: http://www.yourshout.co.nz/beer.html

We've all had those friends who, in the past, have made brews that only he/she could actually enjoy drinking and they always forced it upon us gentle folk who were too polite for our own taste buds.
Well, things have changed, homebrewing has come of age!!

Brewing your own beer, these days, is as easy as making a cup of coffee and it tastes GREAT !!

No more boiling malt or hops. Just add the concentrate to your sterilised fermenter with 1 kg of brewing sugar, 2 litres of boiling water and top up to 23 litres with cold water.Leave to ferment for about a week, then put into bottles. Mature for at least three - four weeks (longer is better) and it's ready to drink.

CHEERS

The bile kit makers spew.

It's the same crap a majority of HB (water purifying) shops say to sell coopers kits.

 

[Liam_snorkel]

PPS: at the risk of another nazi mod, coopers being pretty much the biggest known HB kit maker and also the non fosters/4x brewery in Australia give both HB and craft beer a pretty bad image and actually hurt the uptake of good beer by the masses. who gives a crap what I or you think, it's what the publican and the drinker thinks. And they think coopers is craft and craft is crap so they go back to non-craft crap.

are you saying that by producing HB products, Coopers is damaging their reputation as an 'actual' brewery?

 

[pk.sax]

No, I just don't get the admiration they get. They make the same crap as everyone else, tooheys whatever. People make crap beer out of it and call HB ****.
It's more agreeing with the OP that for a brewery that claims to be so different, their products are barely so.

Also, I've been relatively sober today.

 

[DU99]

their pale ale rated No16 Hottest 100 Beers Of 2011..rates better than some..and how many HB's use there yeast even their dreg's/slurry

 

[Rina]

To be fair it is because it is viable and cheap.

Are they 'megaswill' or are they 'craft'? Surely the answer is the middle. I don't expect them to become the Samuel Adams or Sierra Nevada of Australia (though it would be nice) but one or two craft lines or a seasonal couldn't hurt.

 

[super_simian]

It would be nice if they canned the 62 Pils and/or the Clear in favour of an IPA or another interesting style, but enough people must be buying it that they are still making it.

 

[mmmyummybeer]

I don't get the 62 Pils either I think Coopers were doing well by keeping there tradition and history as being dedicated ale brewers. Through out history the company stayed true to its belief in going against the mainstream lager breweries and brewing what they were passionate about 'Ales'. Since they started producing lagers it seems like a bit of a sell out of their traditions to me.

 

[drsmurto]

Coopers is a big brewery.

They cater to mass beer drinking public, not to overly nerdy home brewers like you and I who can make our own beers to suit out own tastes.

Once you understand that simple fact you'll understand why they won't be brewing a beer to cater for you any time soon.

But no, let's keep this thread with a bunch of homebrewers debating about what a commercial brewery should be brewing going.

Exactly how many cases of coopers do you buy per week Rina?

Buy a lottery ticket and dream about what a brewery should be brewing.

Until such time brew your own like we all do and stop whinging.

 

[thebeemann]

Picked up some original pick axe stubbies the other day and 1 of the labels was for a coopers old gold lager ..... i havnt heard of it , but the bottle also said i would get 4c refund at marine stores in S.A , anyone remember this brew ?

 

[MHB]

I like Coopers been drinking it for over thirty years, when I first started going to pubs I didnt like the on tap offerings but you could get Coopers most places if you asked.
Coopers have just finished expanding the brewhouse with the addition of the second mash mixing tank, taking their daily capacity to about 12 mashes of 10.5 Tons at dam near 100% brewhouse efficiency. They needed the extra capacity because their sales are growing through the roof.
Right now they are probably the most successful brewer in Australia.

Naturally they are doing it all wrong and should stop all that and start making your version of your favourite beer as if.
Mark

 

[MarkBastard]

I think it's a shame that Coopers don't innovate on what it means to make an Australian ale. For example Coopers should have done Stone & Wood Pacific Ale before Stone & Wood even came into existence.

 

[petesbrew]

Man all these posts keep getting deleted. No reason why.

Lol.

 

[craigo]

I'm no marketing expert but I don't understand 62 Pilsner. Sure the euro lager is a huge market but its competitive as well. I'm not sure who they were trying to 'convert'.

I like Coopers- if I'm not feeling adventurous I'll pick up the PA or SA and think they're a nice introduction to well lets say 'ales'

I was told that the 62 came about because they got the contract to make budwiser so they bought all the ingredients but the contract fell so they made a pilsner instead and named it coopers 62. Dont no if its true or not.

 

[Philthy79]

Coopers is a big brewery.

They cater to mass beer drinking public, not to overly nerdy home brewers like you and I who can make our own beers to suit out own tastes.

Until such time brew your own like we all do and stop whinging.

+1

 

[HoppingMad]

Coopers Stout is awesome.

Invalid Stout is its thinner and sweeter cousin, which doesn't have the yeasty kick and big grain flavour of the Coops.

Try one side by side and you'll see. I'm pretty sure Invalid is brewed with CUB's house lager strain which means it's cleaner in taste but lacks the estery complexity a Coopers Stout has.

Someone mentioned Cascade Stout - now you're talking, a good example there, although some might find it too sweet or porter-like. I do like the roast that comes up on that beer.

Like Mants I haven't tried the Sheaf either, will have to look for it.

Don't understand why so many folks love the Coopers Pilsener 62. We got a case for free at work when they were running a promotion, and the carton we got given tasted like cut apple/acetaldehyde. My office colleagues reached around that beer in the fridge for weeks preferring to drink Carlton Draught & Crown instead - it languished there until I think the cleaner started to drink it. Not a great beer, but I guess if you stick stuff in a green bottle someone out there will think it's sophisticated.

Coopers do Ales well, even Coopers Light is a great flavoursome beer when you compare it to others out there, but Coopers 62? No thanks.

Hopper.

 

[drsmurto]

I was told that the 62 came about because they got the contract to make budwiser so they bought all the ingredients but the contract fell so they made a pilsner instead and named it coopers 62. Dont no if its true or not.

Coopers 62 pilsner

Kroneburg 1662. :icon_cheers:

 

[Nick JD]

Coopers 62 pilsner

Kroneburg 1662. :icon_cheers:

Two years off there, Doc. You mean Kronenbourg 1664?