First brew Bootmaker

[HitmanAU]

So all my new kit turned up on Monday and I'm going to do a boot makers Pale ale for my first brew.
I also got it with the light malt extract can


In the instructions I got it says to empty the cans straight into the fermenter with hot water but I though i would have to boil them with some water for a time. I don't have any extra hops to put in, just the cans. Should I get some cascade for it?

I'm guessing because of tha malt I shouldn't need extra Dex or sugar and for this round I'll just use drops to carbonate.

After just a little advise with what to do with this to get me going. I e done a couple of ubrewit so have an understanding of the process and I've read books etc but still new to this.

 

[peekaboo_jones]

Gday hitman,

I've just made exactly that recipe. Hopefully bottling over the weekend.

Just peel the labels off and put both tins into the clean sink or large pot with hot water from the tap for 10-15 mins (softens the gloopy malt)

Pop the kettle on.

Empty both tins into your sanitised fermenter, use a small amount of kettle water to rinse the tins out (use a tea towel to handle it'll be hot as) and then fill the fermenter with cold tap water to 23L.
Leave overnight if the temp is above 20, then pitch the yeast the next day. I do this all the time, never a problem if all is clean.

No idea if this needs extra hops but it wouldn't hurt!
I'm thinking of adding 25g cascade and 25 Amarillo dry hop myself but kind of want to see how this comes out standard.

Goodluck, any questions fire away

 

[Grott]

Hi, good brew for the first. Now you don't need to boil the ingredients. Just boil a kettle, about 1.7 litres most of them are and pour into fermenter, add the malt and dissolve in the water ( swirling the fermenter helps) and then use the spoon. Heat some more water and stir into empty malt tin to get the rest. Leave that and open pale ale tin and add that to the fermenter again dissolve. Now pour the liquid from the malt tin into the pale ale tin and stir to get remainder and then add to fermenter. Need now only to add water to 23 litre mark ( have chilled water in fridge to get temp arount18-20 degrees.) Stir mixture for aeration then add yeast. 14 days later all should be ready.
Cheers hope that helps.

 

[Morrie]

Hitman - I have done several Bootmakers and have done short hop boils for 10 mins with 500g of LDM + 5 litres of water and added to what you have listed. I wouldn't do any hop boils with the Bootmaker until you find how it tastes re bitterness in its standard form. It is quite bitter and equivalent to OS real ale and I find it a little too bitter after a few bottles. The extra 500 g of LDM will take the %ABV to about 5.6 when bottled along with the 1.5kg of LME. I currently have 2 bootmakers in the brew fridge ATM. I would first try just dry hopping which will not add any more bitterness but some nice hop flavours and aromas. I have done 90g and 60g dry hopping with the bootmaker. The 2 that I am doing now are getting 115g dry hop. One is getting cascade and the other amarillo. It is important to brew at between 18 and 19ºC for ales and I don't pitch yeast in any more than 22ºC. I brew for 2 weeks usually and then crash chill at 0.5ºC for another week before bottling. I don't use any sugar for fermentation and only carb drops for bottling. Below is my latest bootmaker recipe. I have done a 250g steep of crystal grains to try and smooth out the bootmaker bitterness a bit.

Kit: Coopers Bootmaker Pale Ale
1.5 kg of LME Wheat
0.5 kg of Light dry malt powder (LDM)
[SIZE=12pt]250 g of pale crystal grains cracked and steeped[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]115g Cascade dry hop[/SIZE]

 

[wynnum1]

If you have a stock pot use that if not get one sanitise by boiling water in the stock pot remove labels preheat the tins in hot water pour hot water in stock pot open tins with sanitised can opener "can opener may be dirty " Pour into stock pot and rinse tops of cans in the hot water that is in the stock pot then fill tins with hot water stir and pour into stock pot .
When the tins are clean put stock pot lid on and put in water bath of tap water. the hot stockpot will cool Quickly change the water in the water bath this will cool to room temperature quickly and when cool enough pour into fermenter best to have some water in fermenter first to help mixing and then pour fresh water into stock pot to rinse out and pour into fermenter .

 

[Beersuit]

Get yourself a better yeast. US05 works best. Try and keep it under 18℃.

 

[Morrie]

Coopers have fixed the issue with their lazy yeasts (suspected BRY97) they had in some of the TC range. I suspect that the kit yeast for a bootmaker maybe US05 now anyway. I wouldn't discard the bootmaker kit yeast now.

 

[wynnum1]

Bootmaker kit yeast what quanity do they supply .with the kit yeast they do not supply enough yeast and get better results with 2 packets.

 

[Morrie]

Coopers kit yeasts are all 7g to the best of my knowledge. US05 is sold in 11g satchets. I propagate and harvest my own yeast. I prefer to pitch at least 200 billion cells into a wort if it is around 1.050 SG.

 

[HitmanAU]

Thanks for the help guys.
So some hot water into the fermenter,
Then heat up the cans to melt the extract,
Tip extract into the FV then Do the same with the Bookmaker,
Pour boiled water into the cans to get the rest of the goo out then tip all that into the fermenter,
The. Fill with chilled water to 23L

 

[TwoCrows]

HitmanAU that is correct so far.

Fill up to 23 litre mark with the wort temp at around 18 degress C
Then aerate the wort with the spoon ( big foam head) then add the yeast supplied.
I leave the spoon in until the yeast is rehydrated and stir it in to the wort and then remove the spoon
Put the fermenter somewhere cool to hold steady at around 18 degressC .
Do not open the fermenter , leave it for up to two weeks.
It should ferment out In 7 -9 days and the other days to allow for the sulphur and dead yeasties to clean up.
Put the fermenter in a fridge for a day or two , this allows the wort to flock (settle all suspended particles) this helps reduce the junk that will settle on the bottom of your bottles.
Then bootle with coopers lollies , easy.

 

[HitmanAU]

Thanks TwoCrows.
I thought an ale yeast would need to ferment around the 20-24 mark though, I guess I'm incorrect there.
I have a perfectly working fridge in the garage that has been turned off and will be used for the beer. It holds temp right now as it is at 24 with no ice bricks or powered temp control (might look into that off needed).

I'll crash chill it at the end. I'll also let it sit after fermenting to help yeast clean up its crap. I'm in no hurry to get it done as I'll just continue to buy slabs until it's ready to go.

I have about 240 glass bottles to bottle into as well which is good. They've all
Been cleaned with dish soap though so I'll give them another clean in Brewers detergent then sterilise them.

Any tips on setting the height of Superautomatica bench capper?

 

[HitmanAU]

Well it's down. Used 3.4L of water at 80 degrees then topped up with 3L of 3 degree filtered water and then filled to 23L with cold filtered water.

Just waiting for the temp to drop a little so I can pitch the yeast.
It's currently on about 22. I'll let it drop to 20 then pitch and take a hydro reading.

 

[indica86]

If you have a stock pot use that if not get one sanitise by boiling water in the stock pot remove labels preheat the tins in hot water pour hot water in stock pot open tins with sanitised can opener "can opener may be dirty " Pour into stock pot and rinse tops of cans in the hot water that is in the stock pot then fill tins with hot water stir and pour into stock pot .
When the tins are clean put stock pot lid on and put in water bath of tap water. the hot stockpot will cool Quickly change the water in the water bath this will cool to room temperature quickly and when cool enough pour into fermenter best to have some water in fermenter first to help mixing and then pour fresh water into stock pot to rinse out and pour into fermenter .

What?

 

[indica86]

Get yourself a better yeast. US05 works best. Try and keep it under 18℃.

Why under 18°c?

 

[indica86]

It's currently on about 22. I'll let it drop to 20 then pitch and take a hydro reading.

I'd pitch now and let it drop...

 

[HitmanAU]

It was 20-22 so I have pitched the yeast.
The starting Hydro reading was 1044 (silly me had airlock in when I turned the tap on do it got some water in there)

 

[Rocker1986]

It doesn't NEED to be at 20C or whatever to pitch the yeast. It may be preferable to pitch the yeast into wort at the temperature that you intend to ferment it at, but it isn't gonna ruin the beer if this isn't done. Lagers are a little different but irrelevant in this case.

I don't brew kits anymore, but in the warmer months I regularly pitch yeast into ale worts sitting at 25-26C and then bring them down to 18 in the fridge with no problems at all. If the flavour is cleaner pitching it at fermentation temps, I can't really tell with ales. I do prefer pitching yeast into lagers at fermentation temp, but it still won't ruin them if it is pitched a bit higher and brought down quickly.

 

[Beersuit]

Why under 18°c?

I just think you get a cleaner flavour fermented at 16 to 17. Have you tried it?

 

[indica86]

I just think you get a cleaner flavour fermented at 16 to 17. Have you tried it?

No but I have not had any untoward flavours from it either.