Successful Attempts At Coles Or Homebrand Kits, Recipes...

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PryorBrewing

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I know this topic has been already covered but i am after some success stories from using Coles or Homebrand kits from local supermarkets.

Would love to get some recipes that are tried and tested using the kits and have a crack at a few. So if anyone out there has a success story would love to hear it and have the recipe listed.

Please not to much negative feedback.
 
I have been WAY too busy of late to have a chance to actually brew, so I threw together a simple keg filler, 2 * coles draught, made to 20L, then once it had fermented out I dryhopped it with 50gm of Nelson Sauvin while it was crash chilling. It isn't a "great" beer, but much more drinkable than most generic commercial swill...
 
When I first started out I would often buy the coles branded stuff when it was discounted to $5 a tin or so...

General rules to using these tins;

- keep expectations low.
- give them a lot of time to age!

I did a few with a draught tin and a kilo of honey or other assortments. Did a chilli beer once...a lime zest one... Most of them I had a few bottles of, decided that they were quite difficult to actually enjoy, and stored them away in the shed. Finally when I had to move out (6 months later), I discovered them, put some in the fridge and they were as good as any commercial beer. The lime one surprised me especially. I even used them at a party and they were all drunk without any question or hesitation. The chilli beer was far too hot.
 
Toucan from Coles sellout.

Coopers Mex + Coles Lager
500g Wheat dry malt
200g Carared ( because it was all I had at the time subs for crystal)
300g Raw Sugar

25g Moutueka 30mins
10g Moutueka 10 mins
10g Hallertau 10 mins

O.G. 1.060 F.G. 1.014

Bit of a cupboard clearout but tastes good with a wheat twang.

Hops and other bits from Craftbrewer ^^^^^^

edit: spelling
 
Just popped down to my local Coles, Picked up a Coles lager can for $4.11 thinking of putting this down-

Coles end of line ale.

1 can Coles Lager
250g steeped Crystal malt
500g Wheat Malt
500g LDME
15g Sazz @15
15g Sazz @10
15g Sazz @0

Would use US-05 but homebrew shop is an hour away so maybe the kit, or maybe convince the GF to stop by for me. ( don't like my chances )

All left over ingredients so good way to use up bits and pieces.

I reackon it has potential.
 
Looks good but try to get the US-05 yeast if at all possible it should give it a considerable uplift.

Forgot to add that is what I used in the toucan above.
 
By the time you've paid $5 for some decent yeast, $8 for some LDME and $4 for some hops to make it a decent drop ... you've lost all the "saving" you made by buying an out-of-date can of goop that was shit when it was brand new.

I suggest buying another 1.5kg of LDME, using hops for bitterness and leaving the expired Coles cans on the shelf. Your tastebuds will than you for it.
 
still good till 2012. Im Making a stand, i wont to see for myself if these cans can produce a half decent beer. Have heard mixed results and for $4.11 its worth a try.
 
Just popped down to my local Coles, Picked up a Coles lager can for $4.11 thinking of putting this down-

Coles end of line ale.

1 can Coles Lager
250g steeped Crystal malt
500g Wheat Malt
500g LDME
15g Sazz @15
15g Sazz @10
15g Sazz @0

Would use US-05 but homebrew shop is an hour away so maybe the kit, or maybe convince the GF to stop by for me. ( don't like my chances )

All left over ingredients so good way to use up bits and pieces.

I reackon it has potential.

Made a similarsih beer the other day with one (of three) of the coles lager cans i scored for $3.50 each and it turned out well, quality is still better then megaswill and tastes quite similar, just yeh..better :D , my cousins who all drink tooheys, vb, west end etc. all prefered it as a very plesant easy drinker. Recipie was as follows...

Drew's Drought Draught

For an 18L batch

1.7kg - Coles Australian Lager Kit
0.6kg - white sugar (inverted with citric acid) [dextrose would be about the same and you dont need to invert]
0.1kg - Caramalt [any crystal malt will do though]

18g Cascade (steeped) [this can be any hop]

Pacman Ale yeast (bottled from previous beer) is what i used but US-05 is similar so id recommend that, don't use the kit yeast!

____________________________________________________

1. Steep caramalt in a stocking or something similar in 8L of water for 30 min @ about 65-68C

2. Take out the grain stocking and drain

3. Add white sugar and a pinch or 2 of citric acid to the pot and bring to the boil (also add the kit yeast here for nutrients if you want)

4. Add Lager kit and bring to the boil for a couple minutes

5. Take pot off stove and steep hops (in stocking) for about 15minutes

6. Take out the hop stocking and drain

7. Transfer to fermenter and top upto 18L

8. Pitch yeast around 20C and ferment 16C if you can (try not to let the temp go above 20 if you cant)


Drewey :icon_cheers:
 
I used a coles can for my first hopped beer (the can was $2 bucks! so i had to try it) still wasnt that cheap overall, cost me 29bucks for 60 bottles, but not expensive and i love it,

coles lager tin (i imagine coles 'draft' would taste pretty much the same?)
750g LDME
1kg BE2
20g Citra hops at 20 mins.
US-05 yeast

as i said - my first hopped beer, so the hop flavour is noticable but still subtle enough to drink irrisponsibly, and the non-homebrew mates love it too. just a suggestion if u wanted something cheap n easy
 
I'll let you know in a few months :lol: I put down a 3can about a week ago with these marked down tins. Coopers Stout & Dark, a Tooheys Lager and a kilo of LDME. Fermenting with Nottingham at 18 as we speak, also threw in 40g Fuggles a few days into ferment. Not expecting drinkability till' next winter.
 
i have cascade pale ale with a kit from brewcraft..waiting another week before drinking
 
Anyone Got a Coles end of line Ale that they have started, or preparing to start from the cheap cans that are on the shelves at the moment. Or a success story from a homebrand or Coles kit.
 
I'll let you know in a few months :lol: I put down a 3can about a week ago with these marked down tins. Coopers Stout & Dark, a Tooheys Lager and a kilo of LDME. Fermenting with Nottingham at 18 as we speak, also threw in 40g Fuggles a few days into ferment. Not expecting drinkability till' next winter.

I just heard the sound from the slap of your glove across Bribie's cheek. Looks like there's a multi-can headbanger challenger!
 
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