First batch about to go down, advice needed on my recipe?

[ChefKing]

After much advice and deliberation I have made up my mind!

Final Recipe:

1 x can of coopers pale ale

1 x can of coopers amber malt extract

1 x 25 gm of cascade hops (3 days dry hopping)

1 x US-05 yeast

Licking my lips thinking about it!

I have found this forum to contain a lot of invaluable, excellent advice.

A lot better advice provided here than the home-brew shop in Singapore offered... They would have happily let me add it all to the fermenter!

Thank you all very much!

 

[manson81]

Did you have to go all the way to Singapore to find the home brew shop?!

I'd recommend steeping 20g cascade in some boiling water for 10 mins and tipping the lot into the wort before pitching the yeast as well as the dry hop...

But your recipe as is sounds solid for your first brew!

 

[ChefKing]

Hi Manson,

No, luckily the shop can send it all from Singapore to KL for around 25 AUD extra.

Not to bad really everything delivered to my front door...

The cascade hops will be pellets, you think I should just steep them after the water reaches the boil, take from the heat and steep then tip into wort?

Do I need to bag them first?

Cheers

 

[unclebarrel]

Hey chef,

have you decided what purpose you want to use the cascade for ?
I think if you were to boil the hops you will be extracting the bittering acids, if you were to steep in boiling water or if you were to throw them in in the last 5 mins of wort boil, or at flamout, or even after primary fermentation, you will get their flavour/aroma.
Bag them if you want, makes for easier cleaning of your fermenter in the end, but you will have bags to clean !

Balls in your court, the best thing is you can do whatever the heck you want too !
You will hopefully have many brews ahead of you to sort out which methods you want to use according to how you want your brews to come out.
I have noticed there are A LOT of different opinions when asking advice on a forum, my usual plan of attack is to try something different most times I brew, if I like it I keep using it.
As you have probably noticed here, the guys do know their stuff and will be helpful.

 

[manson81]

Uncle is right, it really just depends on what you're using them for. I tend to prefer using them for flavour since the can is bittered already. So I add them to the last few minutes of the boil or just steep and pour the lot in.

I like putting them in unbagged. But it does make a mess of the fermenter!

 

[ChefKing]

Cheers guys, as I like a hoppy flavoured beer I am using the cascade to extract some more flavour to the brew.

Just so I am hearing your right your refer to a "boil", even when using extract and about 2 ltrs of water.

Actually is 2 ltrs of boiling water is enough to mix my beer extract and malt extract cans into or should I use more?

Even this process is called a boil too?

 

[bum]

No. Adding boiling water to a fermenter to dissolve fermentables is not considered a boil.

Your last recipe looks like a pretty great starting point to me. Let us know how she goes and how you might want to tweak it once she's done.

[EDIT: yeah, 2L always seemed like enough when I made similar brews.]

 

[manson81]

No, you wouldn't really need to boil the cans of goo. I only do a short boil when I've steeped some crystal, and that's just to kill anything nasty in it. But I'll chuck some LDME and some hops in too.

 

[ChefKing]

Yah, that is where I was getting confused.

Some of the previous posts they are referring to the boil. Never heard of boiling extract... I think maybe he was doing a partial grain wort.

Which does very interesting to try later!

I think most of you here have grown out of extracts and moved onto more advanced brews.... Which hopefully I can get the confidence/experience to do after a few of batches!

 

[bum]

Some of the previous posts they are referring to the boil. Never heard of boiling extract... I think maybe he was doing a partial grain wort.

It is fairly common to do a boil for a kit brew but I think that with your recipe it is unnecessary and would be good for you to play with in later brews. Right now, you've got a really good looking first brew and if you can keep on top of your fermentation temps (let us know if you've not done much reading on this) then you will make a significantly better beer than than nearly all of us would have first time around.

 

[ChefKing]

Hi Bum & AHB Crew,

Yah temps worry me a bit cus it is rather hot here outside...

During the day outside it is around 30/32c and a night it drops down to about 25/23c

A lot of ppl have said I want my recipe to be around the 18c mark for my fermentation period *gulp*!.

I am pretty sure though where I am doing mine in my house it will be around 20c (waiting for my smick thermometer to arrive).

So I will do some readings for a few day around the house during the day and at night to see what I will be dealing with.

If it is too high I might even just point the fan at the brew for the fermentation period, thoughts?

 

[manson81]

You can wrap a wet towel around the fermenter to try and keep the temp down however not sure how well that will work in the horrible Malaysian humidity? Worth a go through. But if your house is aircond to 20 you should be right.

 

[bum]

Bung a wet towel around the fermenter and the fan might work. I'd consider using the kit yeast (if well within use by) if I didn't think I could keep the temps low enough. The kit yeast will be a bit more forgiving than the US05.

 

[ChefKing]

Ouch......... running the AC for 5/7 days straight, hahaha!

So what yeasts are much better to brew with at warmer temps?

The coopers supplied one & anything others that might have a bit higher quality?

 

[bum]

I won't say it is the best quality but the Coopers lid yeast is pretty heat tolerant.

There are saison yeasts that like proper heat but I don't think they'd do your beer any favours.

 

[Black Devil Dog]

Never used them and can't say how they would go with your recipe, but Wyeast Belgian Saison 3724 or White Labs WLP566 are very tolerant to fermenting at high temps.

 

[ChefKing]

Getting worried now, do you think I am going about this the wrong way.

Perhaps I should be doing a different beer?

Something that would appreciate the low 20's?

Can anyone recommend any beer kits that would prefer that temp range?

 

[manson81]

Nah, you'll be right with the coopers kit yeast. I'm in brisbane, so we get some heat in summer and before I had my brew fridge I'd have to brew in the mid 20s (inside the house) with the coopers lid yeast

Another trick is to put the fermenter in the laundry tub and surround it with some frozen water bottles.

 

[bum]

do you think I am going about this the wrong way.

Not really.

Perhaps I should be doing a different beer?

Not really.

Something that would appreciate the low 20's?

Can anyone recommend any beer kits that would prefer that temp range?

Coopers kits with Coopers yeast are pretty much made for that if you can maintain a constant low 20s. If you can't? It'll just be a bit less than ideal. It'll still be beer and it'll be marginally less worse than US05 at hot temps.

 

[ChefKing]

OK looks like I am going with supplied yeast...

Thanks for the tips!