Supermarket Goo Trials!

[Cube]

Thanks everyone. Some great advice and well worth the post.

Now, back to the beer......................................................

Mate - everything you need to know about stepping up your beer ( and they are the REALLY FIRST basic steps up from what you are doing ) has been said. By continually saying "well thanks for that info but how do I make better beer easier...now back to beer " when all your questions have been answered multiple times is going to get you zip, nowhere, **** beer without effort from yourself.

I suggest:

Search, read and improve your beers under advisement of all the above posts;
Read alot of the Kit forum;
Absorb the advice - it's all friendly and the best out there;
Stay away from small local brew shops and shop online from the sponsors here for all your LDME, hops, yeast and steeping grains.

Don't listen to your mates unless they are bare minimum:
steeping grains ( WOW - putting hot water on some grain in a pot and letting it sit for 30 mins just like a huge coffee );
doing boils ups with hops ( wow! - this means boiling water and hops in a pot on a stove with some malt and that resultant fluid from above steeping grain in a pot!;
have fermenting temp under control ie: your fermenter in water ( about 12 inches of water ) with frozen pet bottles in a laundry tub
using better yeast and tossing the yeast under the kit lid in the bin.

Tough love mate but your beer will love you for it.

After all you will be making beer way above any home brew your mates may be brewing and way better than the mega breweries pump out for 15 mins of putting a pot on the stove to boil some hops and malt.

Good luck and let us know how your beers are turning out!

 

[shayes]

Understand your wanting to keep it simple. So here's some supermarket ideas.
If you look in the honey aisle you can somtimes find Saunders Malt Extract. I've used that with success.
You haven't tried the dark & stout kits yet. Both are winners, and brilliant put together. Search for the toucan threads here.
The Canadian Blonde, and Aussie Pale Ale kits are both winners. Haven't tried the bitter yet.

Um, yeah if you can get your hands on any hops, it's worth looking for some.

+1 on the Saunders Malt Extract from the honey aisle in Woolies.
I tried that with a Tooheys Classic Dry Lager tin + 1kg tin of Tooheys liquid brewing sugar. End result was more successful than the tin of Coopers Lager + BE1 and similar K&K combinations I'm used to. Slowly improving now (I think <_< ) with steeped hops additions and better temperature control (Got a 500L fridge for $20 to use as fermentation fridge!! Woot!)

 

[booyablack]

Anyone tried the Cooper's Ginger Beer can of goop that you can get at Coles? I'm thinking about trying to make a ginger beer and that seems to be one of the only kits for ginger beer that I've seen.

The can says to use 1kg of raw sugar but would it be wise to add some LDME as well or is this not good in a ginger beer?

Any advice on ginger beer would be greatly appreciated.



Booyablack

 

[zabond]

Nev if you want a simple improver to your basic kit just add 450ml[aprox]golden syrup-improves head retention and gives a smooth mouthfeel,but the first time you try steeping grain[piece a piss]your brewing enjoyment will go skyward
alway remember to try and keep your temp under 20* doesnt matter if it drops to 10* in warragul winter it will still be ok might just take a bit longer,but dont try to get it up to the sugested 24* range as sugested in the can instructions
sanitisation & temp control are the two most important things to get a good/enjoyable kit beer
Russ

 

[mfdu]

if you're sticking to the supermarket supplies,
+1 for saunders malt extract
experiment with 500g honey - it doesnt stay sweet, but leaves good aroma + head.
while we're at it , rice syrup in the heath food aisle. and treacle, too.
build a starter from the kit yeast so it's healthier (it's easy to do - 500ml boiled cooled water with 3 teaspoons sugar disolved into it. into a sterile jar, cover with gladwrap. use after at least 2 hours, overnight is ok.
pitch a healthy 500ml yeast starter!
ferment at 16 degrees

 

[bum]

build a starter from the kit yeast so it's healthier (it's easy to do - 500ml boiled cooled water with 3 teaspoons sugar disolved into it. into a sterile jar, cover with gladwrap. use after at least 2 hours, overnight is ok.
pitch a healthy 500ml yeast starter!

1. That's not really a starter. That's just rehydrating (but that's too much water and the sugar isn't necessary).
2. My reading suggests that making starter with even high quality dried yeasts is kinda pointless. Just pitch or rehydrate (as per manufacturer's advice, not the directions above) and pitch.

Anyone tried the Cooper's Ginger Beer can of goop that you can get at Coles?

This kit is pretty awful when made to label instructions. But it can turn out a cracker of a beer when you add stuff to it. I use a very similar recipe to this and love it and by all reports the GB from the recipe is tops as is:
http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum//ind...&recipe=972

 

[RobH]

Anyone tried the Cooper's Ginger Beer can of goop that you can get at Coles? I'm thinking about trying to make a ginger beer and that seems to be one of the only kits for ginger beer that I've seen.

The can says to use 1kg of raw sugar but would it be wise to add some LDME as well or is this not good in a ginger beer?

Any advice on ginger beer would be greatly appreciated.

Booyablack

I made it 5 weeks ago just followed the non-alcoholic method on the tin. It's not bad now after 4-5 weeks in the bottles ... quite good, but I have had better.

 

[nevbass]

Nev if you want a simple improver to your basic kit just add 450ml[aprox]golden syrup-improves head retention and gives a smooth mouthfeel,but the first time you try steeping grain[piece a piss]your brewing enjoyment will go skyward
alway remember to try and keep your temp under 20* doesnt matter if it drops to 10* in warragul winter it will still be ok might just take a bit longer,but dont try to get it up to the sugested 24* range as sugested in the can instructions
sanitisation & temp control are the two most important things to get a good/enjoyable kit beer
Russ

Thanks Russ, I'll do just that. Do you buy your gear from Yarragon or on-line?? I think I might need to learn a bit about steeping grain!!

 

[boingk]

Another word on easy improvements:

Try Coopers Brew Enhancer 2 ('BE2') instead of dextrose, or 1kg of light dried malt (LDME). See how it goes after trying both. Personally, I prefer 500g LDME and 300g Dextrose for adding to a kit.

Try better yeasts like the aforementioned US-05. Also try fermenting at lower temperatures (18-20'C). I just use a wet t-shirt and a small fan on in the room. This keeps things below 20 in all but the most hellish weather.

A really easy way to use hops is to put around 20g of hop pellets into the fermenter after the first 4 days of fermentation. Leave them for another 4 to 7 days and then bottle the beer - don't worry, they sink to the bottom and don't need straining. They will add great flavour and aroma to your beer and are a cheap and very easy improvement.

Another 'tip of the trade' is to make the beers up slightly under volume. I tend to make kits up to 21~21.5 litres instead of the 23 stated on most labels and find it works well for me.

Cheers, hope this is some help - boingk

 

[henderjo]

Coopers English Bitter as per kit + 500gm LDM - all from the super market = best kit beer I've had yet. It's a mid colored beer that tastes lighter than it looks. Might have to ask them to get it in though
Hendo.

 

[zabond]

Nev I get my cans from safeway or traralgon HB[thomas cooper range]or coopers direct,grains /yeast ect online from craftbrewers[top of page]freight costs about petrol from home to traralgon return up to about 4kg,tried yarragon but with limited range kept in a hot tin shed,yeast on shelf[not in fridge]plus overpriced dried malts & only 1 grain I give him a miss,tried to talk to him once when I needed yeast for a brew got a packet from him but the yeast was dead[cooked I think]when I rang and complained and sugested that it should be kept cool/refrigerated he implied I didnt know chit and its fine on the shelf in his "hot house"but craftbrewer is my choice usually 2-3 days delivery and very good quality/service.Off topic there seems to be a growing number of HB'ers in this area maybe we might have to try and get together to swap ideas/approach yarragon enmass and tell him what WE want & not accept just what he wants to sell so everyones a winner[he gets customers we get quality]
Russ

 

[nevbass]

Nev I get my cans from safeway or traralgon HB[thomas cooper range]or coopers direct,grains /yeast ect online from craftbrewers[top of page]freight costs about petrol from home to traralgon return up to about 4kg,tried yarragon but with limited range kept in a hot tin shed,yeast on shelf[not in fridge]plus overpriced dried malts & only 1 grain I give him a miss,tried to talk to him once when I needed yeast for a brew got a packet from him but the yeast was dead[cooked I think]when I rang and complained and sugested that it should be kept cool/refrigerated he implied I didnt know chit and its fine on the shelf in his "hot house"but craftbrewer is my choice usually 2-3 days delivery and very good quality/service.Off topic there seems to be a growing number of HB'ers in this area maybe we might have to try and get together to swap ideas/approach yarragon enmass and tell him what WE want & not accept just what he wants to sell so everyones a winner[he gets customers we get quality]
Russ

Sounds good. I have a mate at Cloverlea who started brewing around the same time as me. He makes a good Coopers Sparkling Ale style, but has also had some 'local' issues with supply!! Happy to get together to talk beer and sample a few!! Good idea.

 

[nevbass]

Well, I'm going to make another Canadian Blond with better Yeast and the Saunders Malt to see how that goes. How much dex should I put in with it?? I have a BH1 and a 500gm packet of #10 in the cupboard, would any of these be any good or should I look at something else? Not too sure of how much I should use either!!

Will the Saunders make the brew too malty??

 

[zabond]

Nev brewcraft.com.au brewing calculators there are two calcs #1-imput your ingrediants ect it will give you an est og/fg/alc% you can play around to get what your after.#2 final alc% og your hyd fg= aprox alc%
saunders is a dark malt extract so will swing the blonde[which is pretty bland]to a darker style malt beer but maybe on the sweet/malty side without additional hops for bittering,dont know whats in be#10,the more dex you put in the higher alc% but reduces the body feel,if you could get a teabag of cascade hops make a cup up[pour boiling water on it in a cup let it steep 15 mins then add liquid & teabag to ferm this will add some bitterness & aroma if you dont want a malty beer I go the blonde-be#10[if you know what enhancer it is-ale/larger/wheat?]-500g be1 should give you about 5%alc in 22 ltrs.saf 05 yeast pitch about 26* ferm about 18*
Russ
ps say hi to Phil

 

[nevbass]

Thanks to everyone for their great advice.

I have a whole heap of ideas to trial now.

Last night I made a Canadian Blond with 500grams of Dex, 500 grams of liquid malt. I also used a decent yeast from a brew shop fridge, and steeped 25 grams of hops.

I'll keep ya' posted!!

 

[manticle]

I see a lot of posts that recommend replacing all simple sugars with malt. As an all grain brewer, my beers are mostly (usually entirely) made with malt. However what simple suggestions of ALL MALT ignore is that beer (good beer anyway) is a balance. Purism vs practicality.

Malt extract is a great addition to a kit beer but too much malt extract can lead to underattenuated, overly sweet beers which lack complexity. By fiddling with your amounts of different sugars like dextrose and maltose, you can tweak your kit or extract beer to your liking. It's not as simple as just replacing the 'sugar' with malt. You have body, dryness and finish to consider and all malt can be overly sweet, underattenuated and cloying without the malt complextity you get from grain.

 

[bum]

Your point is (largely) a fair one but it ignores the fact that many have suggested the introduction of a hop boil along with the use of LDME. Applied judiciously, this can easily balance the extra sweetness. Also, I'm not entirely sure how much complexity or depth of character dex may add to a k&k.

 

[fiat84]

500g unhopped dry malt vs. 1KG unhopped dry malt in a Coopers Stout kit results: Both versions are good and there is noticeably less bitterness, more malt flavor in the 1KG unhopped dry malt version which most people have preferred. Granted the Coopers Stout kit is a very bitter kit so the 1KG unhopped dry malt does significantly reduce the bitterness level if that is the goal. With our stout example can hypothesize how a less bitter kit could/would end up sweeter than desired with 1KG unhopped dry malt especially for the people who prefer bitter beer. My bro in law loves extremely hoppy, bitter beer and that is his taste compared to most of our brew crew who prefer a mild bitterness level.

We made a few Coopers Pilsener lager yeast kits with 1KG "hopped dry malt" and they did not end up too sweet after full carbonation. Appears luckily for us the closest local store only stocks "hopped light dry malt" since where we are located there is no easy local access to hops, special crystal malts, or better yeasts.

A number of general forum post references to lighter, less bitter kits made with no more than 500g unhopped dry malt does not over sweeten and will improve a beer kit compared to using only 1KG dextrose alone. Assuming no other ingredients are added like the helpful suggestions mentioned in this thread.

 

[manticle]

Your point is (largely) a fair one but it ignores the fact that many have suggested the introduction of a hop boil along with the use of LDME. Applied judiciously, this can easily balance the extra sweetness. Also, I'm not entirely sure how much complexity or depth of character dex may add to a k&k.

What I'm suggesting is balancing the amount of malt with a touch of dex (or at least considering it) - not going exclusively one or the other. Because you have no control over the mash temperature, you have little control over the final attenuation and extract brews are renowned for finishing higher than either kit or AG brews. I'm suggesting judicious use of dextrose can help refine this.

It's a general response - not only to this thread but many others where I see 'drop the dex and use all malt'. I suggest instead working out the balance of each ingredient and using it to make the final product taste, look and feel how you like. I'm on the side of malt believe me - it's just that an overly sweet brew (and I've tasted some and made some) could be fixed with just a smidge of simple sugar in the beginning stages.