New Coopers Kit: English Bitter

[mauriceatron]

Nothing like a new Cooper's kit to get everyone excited. Made up as per instructions, anybody taken OG & FG reading yet?

It's not at my local coles or K-Mart yet (doesn't look like Woolies are ranging it from the Cooper's website, the $20 price tag may have something to do with it). Just noticed something funny when I went to the Coles website to see if they had it listed there. According to Coles, they don't sell Cooper's Lager or Farmland Lager, they sell Cooper's Larger and Farmland Larger :blink:

They do sell Toohey's Lager though...

Anyway, I'll part with the $20 when it comes to town. I love a bitter and I remember OD'ing on the original series bitter years ago when I first gave it a shot with BE2

cheers
Simon

 

[michaelcocks]

Anyone know where you can get this? - I've been to 2 Coles and two BigW with no luck..

I am in North West Sydney

TIA

Michael

 

[petesbrew]

Anyone know where you can get this? - I've been to 2 Coles and two BigW with no luck..

I am in North West Sydney

TIA

Michael

I saw it just last weekend in Coles at Carlingford Court.
They always have a better stock than the Woolies there.

 

[Cube]

Spied it at coles Labrador for 24 bucks!

 

[samhighley]

Spied it at coles Labrador for 24 bucks!

Holy crap. That is expensive.

It hasn't hit the Coopers online store yet, so it'll be interesting to see how it compares to other Coopers 'International Series' kits when it does.

 

[DKS]

For that money Ill let some one else try it out. $20+ plus added malt, hops etc, no thanks. Ill buy unhopped malt or a cheaper low IBU kit then addition to suit. The styrian has my interest though.

While Im at it Ive got to add I wasnt at all impressed with the Bishops Bitter either maybe thats put me off a bit. :icon_cheers:
Daz

 

[Jimbo9]

A side effect of the new Coopers kit release is that Coles are clearing out a lot of other kits to make way. My local Coles has the whole Cascade range on special for $4 as well as Tooheys dark and Tooheys real ale for $3.50/$4.00. Regular Coopers range not reduced but Wanders is also $4 and Brigalow Ginger beer $3.50.

Some kits were very dusty and sell by dates on the Tooheys in particular were imminent. I bought a few various tins and will check again to see if they lower the Brigalow cider.




Jim

 

[michaelcocks]

Anyone know where you can get this? - I've been to 2 Coles and two BigW with no luck..

I am in North West Sydney

TIA

Michael

OK So I managed to find it. ..at last (Coles Rouse Hill Town Centre - two days prior it wasn't there)

Will brew up and post results:


Date on tin was BBB 02 2011 so my guess is this was made Feb 2009 since most Coopers kits seem to have a two year shelf life (IMHO)

Brewed as suggested on Coopers site and on label (ie with 500gm of LDM)
Late extract method with LDM - boiled with 5L water for 15 min with 10-25 gms EKG hops to add bit flavour
Pitched onto Safale SO4 yeast cake
Very surprised that the OG was only 1030 - at 22L ... (Yes this is probably strictly to style for an Ordinary English Bitter, but nonetheless if this finishes at (say) 1006 then will be very low 3's for ABV ...
First taste of wort appears a bit thin and not much malt backbone to support the hops.

Anyway it flared up nicely and was fermenting within 2 hours at about20 in my fridge (on timer that only click in for 10 mins 5 times a day - so can keep a pretty constant temp...)

Keep ya posted on progress.

 

[tahzan]

Poor form by Coopers to use the Union Jack on an 'English' Bitter.

Probably an attempt by marketing to steer away from the hooligan overtones of the English flag.

Or maybe they were worried that a St George cross would limit purchases to Dragons fans. Wealthy ones at $21 a pop!

 

[PostModern]

Seems like they're price gouging the early adopter ex-pats.

 

[samhighley]

Seems like they're price gouging the early adopter ex-pats.

That would be a fine strategy for early adopters and innovators if you had a product that was in high-demand before release.

But they need to build some marketing momentum, and early adopters are critical for this, so it's a bad strategy in that case.

 

[michaelcocks]

OK So I managed to find it. ..at last (Coles Rouse Hill Town Centre - two days prior it wasn't there)

Will brew up and post results:


Date on tin was BBB 02 2011 so my guess is this was made Feb 2009 since most Coopers kits seem to have a two year shelf life (IMHO)

Brewed as suggested on Coopers site and on label (ie with 500gm of LDM)
Late extract method with LDM - boiled with 5L water for 15 min with 10-25 gms EKG hops to add bit flavour
Pitched onto Safale SO4 yeast cake
Very surprised that the OG was only 1030 - at 22L ... (Yes this is probably strictly to style for an Ordinary English Bitter, but nonetheless if this finishes at (say) 1006 then will be very low 3's for ABV ...
First taste of wort appears a bit thin and not much malt backbone to support the hops.

Anyway it flared up nicely and was fermenting within 2 hours at about20 in my fridge (on timer that only click in for 10 mins 5 times a day - so can keep a pretty constant temp...)

Keep ya posted on progress.

OK so 2 days in we are sitting at 1010, initial tasting from gravity reading is that it certainly has English tones - very hoppy more of a southern English bitter than northern (they tend to be more malt driven) Probably doesn't have enough crystal in for my taste to balance hop properly, but I'll give it time before I consider tweaking with some infused and 1 min boiled crystal...

At $26 odd bucks it's pretty expensive (I am including the cost of 500gm malt as per recipe...) That gets up to the cost of ESB very fine traditional English Bitter (less the yeast..I usually have stock of these so get $3 reduction...) Still if you are like me and all the HBS's are a fair distance, then picking up a can with the groceries certainly has it's appeal, and you can get it past the SWBO (Chief of finance and war...) I expect and hope that Coopers will reduce the price in line with all the other International series kits...

Cheers

Michael

 

[Steve]

Probably an attempt by marketing to steer away from the hooligan overtones of the English flag.

I seriously doubt it. Do you think some suit would think - oh hang on a tick people wont buy this because the checkout chick, the garbo and the guy at the re-cycling depot might think im a thug? It was probably more the suits ignorance by thinking that the Union Jack just means England.
Cheers
Steve

 

[Jimbo9]

I saw this kit in Coles at $13.79 today, the same as the rest of the international series. It's also on Coppers website at $13.50.
Coles had the original bitter on special at $5.99


Jim

 

[samhighley]

Yep, over on the Coopers Club Forum, Paul from Coopers confirmed that the early price of +$20 was a pricing mistake by Coles, and it would be corrected. I guess it has been.

 

[caleb]

I seriously doubt it. Do you think some suit would think - oh hang on a tick people wont buy this because the checkout chick, the garbo and the guy at the re-cycling depot might think im a thug? It was probably more the suits ignorance by thinking that the Union Jack just means England.
Cheers
Steve

Of course... would you expect some graphic designer or marketing manager in Adelaide to know the fine distinctions between Great Britian, the UK, England, etc, etc. 'Course not.

More to the point - would THEY expect their average customer to?

And even more to the point - what exactly WAS the original Cooper's Bitter? I almost bought one at $6.99 the other day (Use by 2010 too!) I suspect it's actually the same thing and this is just an attempt to firstly clarify the type of beer it is (NOT a Vic Bitter!) and secondly get an extra few bucks for the tin, now it's "international series" instead of "original".

 

[samhighley]

I suspect it's actually the same thing and this is just an attempt to firstly clarify the type of beer it is (NOT a Vic Bitter!) and secondly get an extra few bucks for the tin, now it's "international series" instead of "original".

I doubt it. Coopers have stated that the new brew contains Styrian Goldings hops, and I doubt the old Bitter featured them.

 

[mckenry]

Of course... would you expect some graphic designer or marketing manager in Adelaide to know the fine distinctions between Great Britian, the UK, England, etc, etc. 'Course not.

More to the point - would THEY expect their average customer to?

And even more to the point - what exactly WAS the original Cooper's Bitter? I almost bought one at $6.99 the other day (Use by 2010 too!) I suspect it's actually the same thing and this is just an attempt to firstly clarify the type of beer it is (NOT a Vic Bitter!) and secondly get an extra few bucks for the tin, now it's "international series" instead of "original".

My thoughts exactly. What was the original then? I reckon the English Bitter is rebadged original series. Colour remains the same, bitterness changes by 30IBU over 620IBU. Hardly a 'new' style.
But, they have to keep the interest up and they've achieved that.

 

[samhighley]

I reckon the English Bitter is rebadged original series. Colour remains the same, bitterness changes by 30IBU over 620IBU. Hardly a 'new' style.

Are you seriously trying to say that two beers that are the same colour and within a few bitterness points of each other must be the same style?

 

[mckenry]

Are you seriously trying to say that two beers that are the same colour and within a few bitterness points of each other must be the same style?

No, only coopers tins in this case.