G'day All

[greatwombatski]

G'day to all, yet another newbie to the home brew world here.... and newbie to forums too so please go gentle on this poor old p*ss head. lol
keen to get cracking on my 1st brew but got a couple of quick questions before I jump in head first and ruin my first time experience.

Q.1
I have a coopers draught can that came with my kit and have also been given a coopers dark ale can, so I was wondering if I used both in the same brew would I end up with something worth drinking or would I be better off using them to make two separate beers?

Q.2
Before moving on to better yeasts should I use both can yeasts if I use both of the cans in a single batch?

I also have a coopers BE2 and 500g of dry light malt extract to make my 1st batch of beer with.

not sure if it'll help but my regular beers of choice are... coopers pale ale and coopers sparkling ale with coopers dark ale and coopers stout regularly thrown into the mix. (Yes I'm from S.A)
but I do also enjoy fat yak, Sierra Nevada, beez kneez, 150 lashes (the beer too), alpha pale, hop thief etc

look forward to any thoughts/suggestions from all you keen beerologists and many years of happy hoppy brewing.
cheers
wombatski

 

[srm]

Walk before you run !

Use them separately. Using the Cooper's Draught Can, sugar and yeast that came with the kit, follow the kit's instructions VERY CLOSELY for your first brew. This beer will ferment for 1 to 2 weeks before being bottled and then condition in the bottles for 4 weeks before you will actually be drinking it. You will end up with a very drinkable beer and learn a lot of the basic brewing skills on the way.

You can repeat the process using the Coopers Dark Ale when your fermenter becomes free but you will need to replenish the consumables and get more bottles.

Your next step after that may be to get a kit from a home brew store that clones one of your favorite beers.

 

[wereprawn]

One thing. The instructions recommended temp ranges leave a lot to be desired . For much better tasting beer, ferment as close to 18-20c as you can .

 

[srm]

PS Check out the "Kits and Extract" page on this Forum.

 

[spog]

Which part of Adelaide are you in ?
The reason I'm asking is that I could be in town regularly in the not too distant future and would like to meet up with fellow AHB's. I was in town 3 weeks ago and caught up with Aaron from Country Brewer in Clovelly Park.
Grott lives in the same suburb I will be staying and I will catch up with him ( seeing as he has a shit load of bottled beers that would require tasting ) (( ssh he doesn't know yet))..

 

[greatwombatski]

Thanks for quick replys guys
Temp controll shouldn't be an issue as I already have a temp controller and 1 of those strip heaters + my fermenter will also fit in my bar fridge for when the hot weather comes back.

As for bottles I have about 100 coopers longnecks already as that's what I mainly drink.

2 batches of beer sounds better than 1 that's for sure
But any suggestions as to what additions I should use to improve upon the basic kits?

Oh and I'm currently living in livbef but probably not for very long.
Once again guys thanks for the suggestions

 

[wereprawn]

After a few days,when beer is still fermenting but vigorous fermentation has eased, chuck 20 g of hops straight in. Leave for a week.If your gravity reading is stable for 3 days running ,package. Cascade are popular hops (think sierra navada pale ale).

 

[greatwombatski]

thanks beer god, I am a fan of the sierra navada pale. got 25g of cascade ;-) brew day tomorrow or sunday.cant wait

 

[manticle]

Walk before you run !

Use them separately.

Or research toucans in the suggested kit/ extract section of this site. See if you think the flavours would work. Yes use both yeasts or fresh yeast from home brew shop.

Using the Cooper's Draught Can, sugar and yeast that came with the kit, follow the kit's instructions VERY CLOSELY for your first brew.

Really? Including the bits about fermenting really warm? Most would recommend throwing the instructions in the bin.

This beer will ferment for 1 to 2 weeks before being bottled

Presumably you would recommend checking for stable, expected gravity so the bottles don't blow up in anyone's face

You will end up with a very drinkable beer and learn a lot of the basic brewing skills on the way.

Sorry but I disagree with every single aspect of this sentence unless by drinkable you merely mean 'liquid that won't kill you instantly when ingested'.

Your next step after that may be to get a kit from a home brew store that clones one of your favorite beers.

If you're talking about kits like brewcraft/liquorcraft I highly recommend skipping this step. Your advice is something I would expect to hear from an employee of such an establishment and I take issue with it.

 

[greatwombatski]

wow manticle you have some rather strong words to say about other peoples advice but as a moderator I'm guessing you are a beerologist with many many years experience so your words shall not be taken lightly. Having said that I'm guessing the advice from someone labelled as beer god and kit master (as opposed to me as an amateur) should also be taken into account... this is kind of why I joined in the first place after reading conflicting info here, there and everywhere. i'm just after sound advice to get this new world rotating on the right axis.
please don't take this the wrong way, i'm not having a dig, just trying to sort the pears from the apples if you know what I mean.

why do you recommend skipping kits from brewcraft etc?

I got some pretty good info on using the hydrometer with my kit so I'm pretty sure I wont have any beer bombs (fingers crossed anyway)... make beer, fill tube.... take reading at 20c, pitch yeast (asap), take reading after 14 days, take again after 2 days, take again following day and if the same across all 3 then its good to bottle at any stage during the next 2 weeks.... just from memory from yesterday so hopefully (nearly) right. please let me know if i'm wrong. links to the correct info would be greatly appreciated if I am though.

 

[manticle]

If you stick to 20 deg and use the hydrometer, you'll go a long way to avoid the pitfalls common to new brewers.

My umbrage taken with srm's post, as strong as the words may be is that it did not factor in many common issues that affect new brewers.
Forget the status stuff.

I'm normally quite diplomatic and I regret that I couldn't have been more so in the post above (although I could have also been much ruder) but I have to call it as I see it.

As for brewcraft - they are the 7/11 of the home brew world and are renowned for dispensing shit advice (part of the reason forums like this exist although shit advice is not limited to home brew chain stores and not absent on the net). I have not used one of their clone kits but know people who have, have tasted beer made by those brewers, looked at the specified ingredients and scratched my head.

If you drink the beer really cold while holding your nose, having eaten a really hot curry and drunk seventeen 10% woodstocks, you may think the clone kits make beer that resembles the commercial version. Otherwise 'no' is the only appropriate word.

You are on the right track with your initial idea and good sanitation, fresh yeast, temp control, adequate conditioning and patience will go a very long way to making a truly 'drinkable' beer - far more than following those instructions to the letter.

Walk before you can run, yes but no need to crawl backwards first.

 

[manticle]

It's good to bottle when gravity is stable over 2-3 days IF the gravity is within an expected range. If yeast is fresh and temp range good and stable, this should generally be simple but the caveat is regularly forgotten and highly important.

 

[greatwombatski]

fair points all round, will steer clear of the pre packed kits then

as I said i'm new to forums as well so perhaps status labels are not as good an indicator as to real world experience as i thought (no disrespect meant towards wereprawn and srm)

had a quick poke around for toucan and am now thinking perhaps it would be ok with the draught and dark ale.... lets be honest, I drink a lot of beer and 2 batches over 1 is very appealing but at the same time 1 really enjoyable batch over 2 mediocre batches is much more appealing. thinking sunday brew day now so I can asses more info 1st

I have a temp controller and a belt heater so temp should be ok... provided the cheap chinese ebay specials are reliable and also my fermenter will fit my un used bar fridge when needed for the summer.... although after closer inspection this afternoon it will not fit if the airlock is fitted... have seen a vid a while ago about a tube into a bottle of water but i'll worry about that extra hurdle when the time comes

 

[manticle]

Wereprawn's advice on keeping temp around 20 or lower was spot on by the way. Factor in that fermentation generates heat so cooler end of the range for your temp controllr setting is usually better.

Different beer styles/yeasts may have different optimal temp ranges but 17-22 is good for most ales (17-20 better if you can achieve it).

 

[greatwombatski]

It's cold as in Adelaide at this time of year and I'm currently living in an ancient ice box of a house.... Really don't think it has any insulation so no probs with keeping the temp down without the fridge as it gets down to well under 10c in my spare room (aka soon to be brewery) over night and probably barely pushing 15c during the day... For the time being anyway

 

[boybrewer]

As the airlock won't fit when in the fridge leave the lid off and use cling wrap to replace lid . Pull the rubber ring off from under the lid and use it like a rubber band to hold the cling wrap on and no don't pierce it to let the Co2 to escape it will find its own way out . Since you drink a lot of Coopers save the dregs in a sanitised jar and let the yeast settle . Look for yeast washing posts you will then be able to make a closer clone to the beer you like . Welcome to the slippery slope .

Manticle is spot on with his comments . Ask ten home brewers the same question and you will get ten different answers . If you look at the top right of the page you will find the question tab this will guide you to a lot of information .

Cheers .

 

[Rocker1986]

Either glad wrap or do what I do and use the lid but remove the grommet and put some duct tape over the hole where the airlock normally goes and don't screw it on as tightly. I had to do this out of necessity at some point when the grommet perished, but I've been doing it ever since as it allows me to have a shelf above the FV in my fridge for storing bottled beers. Very handy during the cold crashing phase.

 

[greatwombatski]

Cheers for the replays beer belly and rocker [emoji482]

I have a pail fermenter which has no rubber ring but have plenty of old rope etc I can tie around it... Perhaps just not snap the lid down and cover the hole with tape re rockers comment would be the way to go.
Does cold crash do anything taste wise or just settle the sludge down?... I'm a coopers boy, the mixed in cloud is part of the experience

 

[manticle]

Sludge in suspension has a taste so dropping it out will affect flavour.

 

[greatwombatski]

cool, thanks manticle. i'll check out more info re cold crash asap