Harvested Coopers Yeast

[KHB]

i just harvested a coopers pale ale yeast. Im gonna make a pale ale up and was looking for some feedback on my recipie.

Coopers pale ale can
1kg ldme
30gms POR hops 10min boil
pitch harvested yeast
Ferment at 18 degrees

Dry hop 20gms POR hops

Feedback would be appreciated cheers
ben.

 

[drsmurto]

Too much POR. Dont know if Coopers add much if any hops after 60 mins. Certainly no dry hopping. At most i would use 10-15g in a 10 min boil. And if you only use LDME you will end up with someone maltier than a CPA.....

 

[KHB]

Too much POR. Dont know if Coopers add much if any hops after 60 mins. Certainly no dry hopping. At most i would use 10-15g in a 10 min boil. And if you only use LDME you will end up with someone maltier than a CPA.....

ohh ok how much ldme would you use and would you substitute with dextrose???

 

[shamus]

I dry hopped a Coopers Pale Ale with PoR. It worked really well.

 

[Hutch]

Hi KHB,
I won't give you my opinion of POR late or dry-hopped. Some seem to like it though.

I recently made 2 different attempts at a CPA clone using Coopers kits, and had very good results with the following recipe:

1can Coopers Bavarian Lager (nice light coloured malt extract)
300gm DME
300gm Dex
200gm wheat malt
40gm Saphir & BSaaz (because I wanted to try them out!)
large (2Ltr) starter of cultured CPA yeast

The hops were simmered with the dry extracts in 4ltrs water, just to add slightly more bitterness and flavour to the basic kit.
I would recommend using less hops (maybe 20gm all up), as mine turned out slightly more "Euro" hoppy than a CPA.
The REAL key to this brew is the yeast iteslf.
I got plenty of the beautiful banana character by fermenting at a steady 18deg, and this is certainly dominates the European hop character in the background. 18-20deg is what I've read is the best range for this yeast.

I also tried a similar clone using the CPA kit, and found it to be quite good, though slightly too dark, and a little to much "extract twang" for my liking. I think the malt base in a Bavarian lager kit (fresh) is lighter and dryer, and allows the yeast character to do its thing.

I kegged mine less than a week ago, and it's drinking beatifully already!

Good luck.

 

[BoilerBoy]

KHB.

For a 23L batch add 600g dme 400 of dex or inverted cane sugar ie - Boil sugar in 1L of water for around 10 min with a pinch of citric acid.
BB

 

[BoilerBoy]

Actually I agree with Hutch adding the wheat would be better as well.
Cheers,
BB

 

[KHB]

i think im gona go

600dme 400 dex
20gms POR Hops
5litres water
with a ten minute boil cheers

 

[KHB]

well i put my brew down last night, pitched the yeast and got up this morning and nothing!!!

i think i may have left it to long before i used the yeast pitched it at 24 c it wasnt as active as it was 2 days ago. so i pitched the can yeast and that has got it going.

Might try and make my brew at 4 days after starting the starter.

gotta learn from mistakes!!

 

[Kleiny]

KHB this should make a good beer i made one similar about half a year ago and it was fairly nice brew

mmmm think i might make that one this week and keg it this time

coopers on tap !AWESOME!

 

[KHB]

KHB this should make a good beer i made one similar about half a year ago and it was fairly nice brew

mmmm think i might make that one this week and keg it this time

coopers on tap !AWESOME!

I will be kegging this one too. I also bottle a few down so i can drink later when i run out of the keg!!

 

[Hutch]

well i put my brew down last night, pitched the yeast and got up this morning and nothing!!!

i think i may have left it to long before i used the yeast pitched it at 24 c it wasnt as active as it was 2 days ago. so i pitched the can yeast and that has got it going.

Might try and make my brew at 4 days after starting the starter.

gotta learn from mistakes!!

Hey KHB,

No surprise at all that your coopers yeast culture hadn't fired within 12 hours. It takes time, and depends on how much you aerated your wort. When I made my CAP clone last month, I pitched a huge starter from the previous fermentation, and it took a good 24 hours before there was Krausen and fermentation activity. It all depends on how active your starter is when you pitch. If the starter is allowed to finish its job and settle out, it will take a little longer getting going again in your wort. As long as you maintain good sanitation, then there's nothing to worry about a long lag time.

To be honest I have not used the coopers dried yeast sachet for about 15 years, so it might be better than they used to be.
If you can be bothered, definitely have another go at culturing it - the results are well worth it!

Edit: Pselling

 

[BoilerBoy]

i think i may have left it to long before i used the yeast pitched it at 24 c it wasnt as active as it was 2 days ago. so i pitched the can yeast and that has got it going.

Might try and make my brew at 4 days after starting the starter.

gotta learn from mistakes!!
[/quote]

KHB

How long was it between making the starter and brew day?

What I have with starters for a while now is having let the yeast chew through most of the starter wort I then place it in the fridge the day or evening before (or even a couple of days if delayed) and that settles the yeast to the bottom.
On brew day I take it out of the fridge before brewing and let it warm up.

I use mostly cheap generic home brand extract to make starters so when my wort is ready I tip out most of the spent starter wort leaving the yeast behind and then place about 1L of the new brew wort in, then after 4-6 hors its usually up and firing and ready for pitching.

Some liquid yeasts do take longer to get going than dry yeasts, but at least with the above method you know its an active starter, so even if there is no early visible evidence of fermentation you just have to be patient and wait.

Also 24C would be on the high side even early on for cultured coopers yeast,
I try to pitch at 18C and ferment at 16C to avoid the banana estery problem with this yeast.

All the best
BB

 

[matt white]

Patience KHB, It'll be firing by tonight

 

[shamus]

I just found my recipe using the Pale Ale Can.
500gm Coopers BE2
500g Light dry malt
Boiled these with 5g Nugget and 5g Green Bullet.
MAde to 22L, used recultured Pale Ale Yeast, left for a week then dry hopped with PoR. Bottled 4 days later.

This has the best aroma out of any beer I've made so far, I think I bottled it a bit early though, 6 months later they are getting abit too fizzy

 

[Hutch]

I try to pitch at 18C and ferment at 16C to avoid the banana estery problem with this yeast.

I love the bananas! :beerbang:
I recon that's what makes the beer, and certainly distinguishes it from other Aussie draught beers.
Each to their own...

From what others have reported, and in my experience, 18 deg certainly is sufficient for production of subtle banana esters.
BB, do you find that 16 deg completely removes all banana esters?

 

[KHB]

damn wish i knew this before i would have left it longer.
ohh well its going strong now i have added the yeast from the can i will definetly try it again

 

[BoilerBoy]

I love the bananas! :beerbang:
I recon that's what makes the beer, and certainly distinguishes it from other Aussie draught beers.
Each to their own...

From what others have reported, and in my experience, 18 deg certainly is sufficient for production of subtle banana esters.
BB, do you find that 16 deg completely removes all banana esters?

In short no,
I think this yeast is often described as having pear or even apple character which is what you want, its like as you say "distinuishes it from most other Aussie beers"
At too higher temp though like most yeasts the flavour profile changes with more concentrated fruity esters, which seems to kick in with this yeast around 18C and over.
Once when the bananas thing happened to me I couldn't help thinking that it almost had a belguan taste about it :huh:

Probably should have sprinled the top of the beer with coconut and put an umbrella in it! B) :lol:

Cheers,
BB

 

[andrewg1978]

Hi Guys,

re kits, are there any suggestions which kits recultured CPA yeast is suitable for? Are there any one should stay away from?

Cheers
Andrew

 

[Fatgodzilla]

Hi Guys,

re kits, are there any suggestions which kits recultured CPA yeast is suitable for? Are there any one should stay away from?

Cheers
Andrew

The Coopers bottle yeast is the same for their main three commercial beers (Sparkling Ale, Pale Ale and the Foreign Extra Stout) so I can't see why it wouldn't be suitable for most kits you'll brew. Just remember though these beers are ales - therefore if you want to brew lager style (down to 10C -14C) then the recultured yeasts would probably not be suitable. But standard ale fermenting - 18C to 22C, standard kits available at Woolies / LHBS , go for your life.