I Need A Recipe...

[Narcolepsy]

I'm a bit of a homebrew n00b. Okay, a lot. All of the recipes are good and all, but what can I do to a normal brew kit to change it that is both simple and cheap?

I've done one cooper's ale kit (still drinking it, tasty even using the instructions on the can) and one Bi-Lo Lager kit (mum asked me to make it for her, the ladyacross the road makes the stuff).

I've got another Cooper's Ale kit thingy sitting here, and I want to know what I can do to it to make it better. I only have the one fermenter, btw. The most useful thing I've been told so far is using malt instead of dextrose. Any suggestions on simple recipes???

 

[kook]

I'm a bit of a homebrew n00b. Okay, a lot. All of the recipes are good and all, but what can I do to a normal brew kit to change it that is both simple and cheap?

I've done one cooper's ale kit (still drinking it, tasty even using the instructions on the can) and one Bi-Lo Lager kit (mum asked me to make it for her, the ladyacross the road makes the stuff).

I've got another Cooper's Ale kit thingy sitting here, and I want to know what I can do to it to make it better. I only have the one fermenter, btw. The most useful thing I've been told so far is using malt instead of dextrose. Any suggestions on simple recipes???

If you want a simple, easy to make kit based brew try this:

"caledonian brown ale"

Coopers draught
500g-1kg of light malt extract
500g of dark malt extract
20g of fuggles or goldings hops

Boil the malt extract (dried is easier to handle) in 3-4 litres of water. Make sure you add the malt while its off the heat, and stirring well so that none sticks to the bottom and burns. Return it to the heat, add the goldings or fuggles and boil it for 15-20 minutes. Use that mixture (strained) instead of your 3-4litres of boiling water and kilogram of dextrose.

Damn easy and damn tasty

 

[Narcolepsy]

So the same will work for my cooper's real ale kit? If so, what do I ask for at the homebrew store? I have my apprehensions about walking in and asking for some 'fuggles' :blink:

Other than that, I may just have to give this a go...

 

[kook]

So the same will work for my cooper's real ale kit? If so, what do I ask for at the homebrew store? I have my apprehensions about walking in and asking for some 'fuggles' :blink:

Other than that, I may just have to give this a go...

I dont see why it wouldnt go fine with the real ale. Will be a little darker in colour and a little richer thats all.

If you walk into a brew shop asking for :

500g dried dark malt extract
500g dried light malt extract
20g of fuggles or goldings hop pellets

They damn well better know what you're talkin about

 

[Narcolepsy]

I dont see why it wouldnt go fine with the real ale. Will be a little darker in colour and a little richer thats all.

If you walk into a brew shop asking for :

500g dried dark malt extract
500g dried light malt extract
20g of fuggles or goldings hop pellets

Well, I don't mind about the colour, and I definately like beers with plenty of flavour. Might go to the homebrew shop on saturday, and the tip on sunday, grab another two dozen bottles.

Thanks heaps, I'm all excited now

PS. What can I expect to pay for this? I've not bought anything from the homebrew shop before (well, an airlock, that's it)...

 

[kook]

I'd expect ~ $8-10 for a kilo of dried malt.

If they dont sell it in 500G amounts, just get a 1KG of light and dont bother with the dark.

As for the hops, 25g for around $3, 100g for $7-9..

 

[Narcolepsy]

If I use 500g of dark malt and say 1kg of light malt, what will it change? And if I can only buy in 1kg amounts, I'll buy both. Chances are I'll have a use for them again, and it'll save making another trip

PS. Sorry about all of the questions, this is all still fascinating stuff for me...

 

[kook]

The more malt you add, the more body, flavour and alcohol your beer will have.

Light malt will increase the colour of your beer slightly, dark will increase the colour a lot

 

[RegBadgery]

Couple of useful kit improvement articles on the craftbrewing website - under "materials and methods"

http://craftbrewer.org/

Grumpys in S. Aust. sell various of categories of kits - combinations of extract, hops, grain.

http://www.grumpys.com.au/phpshop/index.php3

cheers
reg

 

[Snow]

Narcolepsy,

Try http://www.members.optusnet.com.au/~bjaus/
and http://www.geocities.com/lesjudith/

These two websites have great, simple recipes for everyday kit beer, with good beginners instructions. I started out with these and then graduated to www.howtobrew.com and never looked back!

Cheers - Snow.

 

[Narcolepsy]

Thanks heaps guys. I've got a whole heap of reading to do now. Whatever recipe I decide on is going into the fermenter on Sunday, so I'll be drinking it in a month's time

 

[Narcolepsy]

Just put down the ever-postponed brew. My whole house smells like hot malt. It rocks

I'm waiting for the friggin' wort to cool, and meanwhile my yeast starter has gone absolutely psycho. It'd better cool down soon. I'll tell you all in a week's time if it comes out of the fermenter as a dud. If not, it's a very, very, very long three weeks to wait :|

Cheers guys...

 

[Snow]

So which recipe did you end up going with?

- Snow

 

[Narcolepsy]

The recipe with 500g light malt, 500g dark malt, Fuggles hops. I tried a stout across the road last night, you could really taste the hops, and I quite liked it. Can't wait for this one to be ready...

 

[Snow]

Sounds like a winner. I notice you're in Brissie. Which brewshop do you use? Being in the Western Suburbs, I use Western Suburbs Homebrew on Moggill Rd. It's well stocked, and Mal, the owner gives pretty good no-nonsense advice.

 

[Narcolepsy]

I live pretty far south, between marsden and woodridge :unsure:

I go to the bilo down the road for some stuff, but the homebrew shop I go to is in slack's creek, or near that area. The guy is a little odd to talk to first up, but he's helpful...

 

[Indy]

i was just looking around and saw coopers sparkling ale clone but i think this might be a bit too advanced for me...

especially because i don't know what the measurements are for starters...

 

[kook]

i was just looking around and saw coopers sparkling ale clone but i think this might be a bit too advanced for me...

especially because i don't know what the measurements are for starters...

All the measurements are US. You can convert them to metric using something like www.onlineconversion.com

I've seen that recipe and was going to try it (got all the ingredients for it etc). Never ended up making it, used the malt up too. I might have to give it a go sometime. I'm not as fond of coopers sparkling as I used to be though :/

 

[famousguy]

Would this help ya??

***************************************************************

Coopers Sparkling Ale
(22.73046 Litres, extract with grains)

Ingredients


* 3.175147kg Coopers light unhopped malt extract

* 226.7962g crystal malt (60 Lovibond)

* 453.5924g Belgian candi sugar (white)

* 4.75 AAUs Pride of Ringwood pellet hops (9.449841g at 9.5% alpha acid)

* 4.75 AAUs Pride of Ringwood pellet hops (14.17476g at 9.5% alpha acid)

* 4.75 AAUs Pride of Ringwood pellet hops (14.17476g of 9.5% alpha acid)

* 1 tsp. Irish moss

* 1 cup corn sugar to prime

* Yeast culture from two bottles of sparkling ale or Coopers Homebrew Yeast or YeastLabs A01 (Coopers Ale Yeast)

* 7/8 to 1 cup corn sugar to prime



Step by Step

Steep specialty grains in 13.63828 Litres of water at 65.55556 C for 45 minutes. Remove grains and add malt syrup. Bring to boil for 30 minutes. Add 9.449841g Pride of Ringwood pellet hops. Boil 30 minutes, then add candi sugar and Irish moss.
Boil for 15 minutes and add 14.17476g Pride of Ringwood hops. Boil for 13 minutes and add remaining hops. Boil for two more minutes and remove from heat.


Cool to about 21.11111 C and transfer to fermenting vessel with yeast. Ferment at 17.77778 to 21.11111 C until complete (about 7 to 10 days), then transfer to a secondary vessel or rack into bottles or keg with corn sugar.
All-grain version: Omit extract and mash 3.401943kg Schooner or Harrington two-row pale malt with crystal malt in 8.044 Litres of water to get a single-infusion mash temperature of 65.55556 C for 45 minutes.
Sparge with hot water (76.66667 C or more) to get 25.00351 litres of wort. Then bring to boil and use the above hopping and fermentation schedule.
OG = 1.050
FG = 1.006
IBUs = 25


***************************************************************

 

[Moray]

I don't have a set of scales, or a thermometer that goes to 5 decimal points.

would it be ok to round it up ?