First toucan brew

[James85]

I made my first toucan brew today used a Thomas Coopers selection wheat beer tin 1.7 kg and a Morgans master malt wheat extract tin1.5 kg, made it up to 20 litres. Being in the mid thirties today in toowoomba I put some ice in the fermenter to get it down to 20 degrees before pitching the yeast. Couldn't get a sg as I dropped my hydrometer this arvo and it smashed into a thousand little pieces. Has anyone done this kind of brew before and how did it turn out?

 

[Rocker1986]

I wouldn't really class that as a toucan brew. Toucans are usually two kit cans mixed in a single batch (eg. Pale Ale + Dark Ale), as opposed to a kit plus a tin of malt extract.

Never done a wheat beer as they aren't really my thing so can't really offer anything as to how it might turn out.

 

[yum beer]

Not a toucan, just the preferred way of making kit beer.
Master malt is unhoped malt extract, same as LDM just not dried.
Should be fine.

 

[Alex.Tas]

As others mentioned, not a toucan, even though you used two cans... sounds silly huh.
i made a similar beer a few weeks ago. I used the coopers wheat beer tin, coopers wheat extract and 150g of carafa special 2 and some wyeast 3068. Its still conditioning, but i had a taste at week 1 and week 2. Almost fully carbed by week 2.
I like the taste, but the lady friend prefers the one i made without the carafa special 2.
If you are gonna add ice to your fermenter, you gotta realise that unless you sanitise (boil) the water first, and sanitise the ice cube mold you add the chance of infection. Its probably a better bet to freeze a few milk bottles and then use some rope to tie them to the outside of the fermenter. the contact between the two should give you a temp drop. Just make sure you have a towel underneath the fermenter!

I've smashed heaps of hydrometers too, feel your pain.

 

[James85]

Dam and I thought I had taken the next step in the brewing cycle . Oh well at least now I know how too make better beer from kits and next brew I'll do a proper toucan. Any suggestions as to a good first proper toucan brew, I like pale ales so any ideas along that line would be helpful.

 

[James85]

And I did sanitize my ice mould and freeze boiled water. I keep it all in a separate freezer just for brewing in summer.

 

[eungaibitter1]

I reckon the hydrometer looks like she might bounce too. Unlucky mate, i hate that.

 

[yum beer]

Personally I've never tasted a decent toucan.

 

[Forever Wort]

I have become curious about this toucan business. Are there any known dependable combinations? I saw that the Coopers Saison recipe currently on their site is a toucan.

 

[Mickcr250]

I did a great toucan once I used a tin of coopers APA and canadian blonde with 500g of ldm 200g crystal malt, 30g Nelson sourvin at 5 and 30g cascade at flame out and fermented with us-05. It was a real crowd pleaser and about 6 percent

 

[mwd]

I have become curious about this toucan business. Are there any known dependable combinations? I saw that the Coopers Saison recipe currently on their site is a toucan.

http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/15630-battle-of-the-toucans/ Lots of examples in this thread. One very popular toucan is Stout and Dark Ale. Makes a cracking beer. I did one with Muntons Export stout and Dark Ale it was superb except I had drunk most of it before it really came on song. The last bottle was the best.

I am a kit and bits brewer but now only do toucans gives a big bodied beer. Good IPA can be produced with 2 x Coopers Draught and your choice of hops.

 

[bmarshall]

Just had my first bottle of black rock APA + Golden Ale with galaxy, mosaic and amarillo. Not a bad IPA, maybe a tad too bitter.

 

[pcmfisher]

So you have to boil your water to make ice to cool down the unboiled tap water you have just filled your fermenter with?