Improve or enhance a Coopers Standard Lager Can with a better yeast

[trustyrusty]

Hi - I have a can of standard Coopers lager kit, I have made before and happy with result. I want to try a different yeast and have in the fridge.

• Safale => S-04 , WB-06 , T-58, W-34/70 (W-34/70 is actually a lager yeast (anyone had any good results))
• Mangrove Jacks Craft Series MO7 British Ale,
• Danstar BRY 97 American West Coast Ale Yeast

I understand that Coopers yeast is Ale yeast, (?) do you think I can use one of the above (maybe not wheat one) to improve? Has anyone tried this and is the difference a lot. I am keen to try British ale yeast??

I have a a BE2 to with it..

Thought, thanks

 

[sponge]

You could try the BRY97 or M07 at 17/18'C for a reasonably clean ferment.

Do you have any form of temperature control for your fermentation at all? That will be one of the best investments you can make in terms of producing better beer.

 

[Bribie G]

Coopers ale yeast is Mauribrew Ale yeast 514.

Made in Toowoomba. Not a bad all round yeast for beer kits where it has to be very "forgiving" of temperature.

BRY-97 would be an excellent yeast for a blonde ale, which is what you basically would get. Try dry hopping with one of those hop sachets if you can get one with American hops such as Cascade.

 

[trustyrusty]

Do you have any form of temperature control for your fermentation at all? That will be one of the best investments you can make in terms of producing better beer.

No temp. control at the moment, I have an insulated room that is very consistent - in summer it is 26/27 degrees most of the time (even on a belter) and around 18 in winter... I have been wrapping fermentor in a towel, I was thinking of getting heat pad.. (I wonder if an electric blanket is too hot, even on 1? thanks

 

[panzerd18]

W-34/70 is fantastic, but must be brewed at a lower temp from 10-14 degrees.

You can buy some hops and make a hop tea or dry hop with 25 grams or so.

 

[wynnum1]

Coopers ale yeast is Mauribrew Ale yeast 514.

Made in Toowoomba. Not a bad all round yeast for beer kits where it has to be very "forgiving" of temperature.

BRY-97 would be an excellent yeast for a blonde ale, which is what you basically would get. Try dry hopping with one of those hop sachets if you can get one with American hops such as Cascade.

Coopers ale yeast is Mauribrew Ale yeast 514. is it possible that there is lager yeast mixed in as i put sediment from this yeast in a primed bottle to reuse in the fridge and a month later was carbonated would Mauribrew Ale yeast 514 work at that low temperature was only small amount of sugar and lots of yeast .

 

[Bribie G]

I stand corrected, on further digging I see that the Mauri yeasts are not used in the original series, according to Coopers. They all use their own yeast, code name Ac that isn't their bottle yeast which they can't dry successfully, but another strain developed in house (see below for explanation)

The other series, International and Thomas Coopers, use various combinations of Ac, L (Lager) and A (Ale). They say the suppliers of the L and A are confidential but I've seen it posted in various places that they are the Mauribrew yeasts.
So I'd take a punt that their own Ac yeast is also propagated and dried at Mauri. In your case Wynnum it would depend on what tin you got the original yeast off.

(from a Coopers PDF)
The following explains the ink-jetted code on the yeast sachets, supplied with each beer kit:
Sachets carry a Julian date code and may also carry letters to denote the type of yeast. For example, if they were packaged on the 25th of September 2007 = 268th day of 2007:

Original Series:- Ac (26807)

International Series:-
Australian Pale Ale - Ac+L (26807 Int)
Mexican Cerveza - Ac+L (26807 Int)
European Lager - L (26807 P)
Canadian Blonde - Ac (26807)
English Bitter - Ac (26807)

Thomas Coopers Selection:-
Wheat - A (26807 W)
IPA - Ac (26807 IPA)
Irish Stout - A (26807 IS)
Pilsener - L (26807 P)
Australian Bitter - Ac+L (26807 PS)
Heritage Lager - Ac+L (26807 PS)
Sparkling Ale - Ac+L (26807 PS)
Traditional Draught - Ac+L (26807 PS)

Note:
Ac = Coopers ale yeast (our own strain, not the same as the yeast in our commercial ales, developed in-house and propagated under contract).
A = ale yeast and L = lager yeast (these strains are commercially available dry yeast and their details are held in confidence).

 

[wynnum1]

Coopers Original Series Lager $10 at Woolworth.

 

[trustyrusty]

I have tried this with MO 7 British ale yeast, 16-22 degrees suits the temp at this time.... will let you know.....There is only one variant so I will really understand the difference in yeasts, thanks

 

[panzerd18]

T-58 yeast is just so different than say S-04. The T-58 was a bit spicy but the biggest flavour that came through was that of cloves.

 

[trustyrusty]

I had a taste of the wort today, (start to bubble nicely even at 17 degrees) - I could be wrong but tastes a little more malty and less bitter than usual - and mouth feel seems better. Can the yeast make such a diff so early? Looks like this might work cheers

 

[nosco]

I think the bitterness will come out a bit more when its carbonated.
I did a coopers lager with 300g of dex and 34/70 next to my pils in the ferm fridge @10c. Just for a light beer to get me through. Turned out 2.3 abv but its the best light beer i have ever had, which is probably not that hard i guess.

 

[AzzA68]

We just polished off a Coopers Euro Lager that was dry hopped with a teabag of Tettnanger. Gave it the recommended time to rest, in a Korny, and it drank very well after being force carbonated.

You've got to get the yeast to it's lower range, to get the best from it, so setting up an old fridge/freezer with an STC-1000 is worth the effort and expense (even if you have to pay someone to do the sparks).

If you're going to do regular lagering, or you're in an area that goes from -6C to 46C in the space of six months, it's well worth the outlay for a good incubator (which doesn't have to be lot$; people will pay you to take their old whitegoods nowadays); you get the best from your brews, in predicatable and repeatable times, with less chance of infections or mutations, and it can greatly reduce the smell of brewing... which can go a long way to keeping the peace with SWIMBO/HWIMBO/TWIMBO, and that can be worth it in itself!

 

[wereprawn]

No temp. control at the moment, I have an insulated room that is very consistent - in summer it is 26/27 degrees most of the time (even on a belter) and around 18 in winter... I have been wrapping fermentor in a towel, I was thinking of getting heat pad.. (I wonder if an electric blanket is too hot, even on 1? thanks

Mate, around 18c is is just fine for brewing Ales. Don't use any heating. Brewing too warm will probably make your beer taste bad and give awful hangovers.


Edit- And you should unwrap it.

 

[yankinoz]

What is tjhe tjemperature range?

34/70 is the only lager yeast in the lot, but you'll need to ferment 12 C or lower and then for best results lager below 5 C.

BRY-97 is slow below 16, but ferments clean like a lager. In a one-can kit it will give you a very dry beer. .

The others will flavour the beer in ways you are probably not expecting. Do you like surprises?

Once the very active intiial fernentation finishes, you can smooth daily variation in temparature by insulating with blankets. If you do that when fermentation is just beginning, the temperature will soar.

 

[trustyrusty]

HI Guys,

Thanks - add the MO7 yeast as I said.... after couple days seemed dead, no bubbles .....check temp of brew 17 degrees... (It was bubbling away in beginning)
Did not know what to do - so added original coopers - did I F&^^ up....?

Beer god reckons I should unwrap... temperature has been pretty cool.... average temp 16/1718 - should have been fine for yeast... maybe it was dead...? cheers

 

[wereprawn]

May have become a bit warm and fermented out already. Do you have a hydrometer? Take a gravity reading. Adding the coopers yeast would not have hurt it.

 

[trustyrusty]

Hi - Thanks - I have checked hydrometer 1020, it was 1045 a couple days ago, so it must be 'working'.... but seems very inactive to other brews.. little or no bubbles. I have to say this is a new fermentor to me, but I have checked seal as is good.... temp in room is pretty constant at 17 degrees. It is a sealed room, so very constant.. cheers

 

[goatchop41]

Something that can't be stressed too much in a situation like this - bubbling (or lack of) in the airlock is an unreliable indicator of fermentation (it can occur without any bubbling present; the bubbling could be due to changes in temperature causing a release of gas from the fermenter, or drawing it back in; etc.). Hydrometer readings are the be all and end all to tell you if fermentation is occurring or not.
It might just be a slow yeast. If it gets down near FG and won't budge any further, then you could consider lifting the temp to 19-20C to finish it off (you'll get off flavours if you're at higher temps initially, but won't get anything noticable if you raise the temp to get the last few points of gravity to ferment out)

 

[wereprawn]

Could try this. http://braukaiser.com/wiki/index.php?title=Fast_Ferment_Test