Typical Rookie Mistake

[glaab]

Hi guys,
great forum for newbies like me.
I've just made my first batch with the Coopers micro brew kit I bought
and don't ask me why but I put in 1kg Coopres brew enhancer #2 AND 500g
Coopers Light Dry Malt extract[ used Coopers Lager can which came with kit]. Before I added the [saflager s23] yeast the gravity was 1062
and it's sitting at a steady 20C. Appearently I should've reduced the #2 enhancer by 500g if I wanted to put in the LDME. Does anyone know if I should turf this batch out or do you think it'll be ok?
Also, I bought 2 19 litre kegs, once fermentation finishes should I put the fermenter in the fridge for a week before I keg it? I read somewhere on the web that this was a good idea but not sure what would be the benefit. Thanks for any useful pointers guys, Cheers!

 

[brendo]

Hi guys,
great forum for newbies like me.
I've just made my first batch with the Coopers micro brew kit I bought
and don't ask me why but I put in 1kg Coopres brew enhancer #2 AND 500g
Coopers Light Dry Malt extract[ used Coopers Lager can which came with kit]. Before I added the [saflager s23] yeast the gravity was 1062
and it's sitting at a steady 20C. Appearently I should've reduced the #2 enhancer by 500g if I wanted to put in the LDME. Does anyone know if I should turf this batch out or do you think it'll be ok?
Also, I bought 2 19 litre kegs, once fermentation finishes should I put the fermenter in the fridge for a week before I keg it? I read somewhere on the web that this was a good idea but not sure what would be the benefit. Thanks for any useful pointers guys, Cheers!

you are just going to end up with a more alcholic beer... no dramas there.

More of a concern is that you appear to be using an lager yeast and are fermenting at 20 degrees - big no no. Get it down to between 10-12 (ideally) pronto...

as to putting the fermentor in the fridge prior to kegging, this does a few things. Generally with most beers, this will just help to get more yeast to drop out. With a lager (what you are doing) you are actually conditioning the beer. Ideally you should transfer the beer to another vessel and then cold store it for an extended period.

Cheers,

Brendo

 

[bum]

I'm no expert but I seem to recall reading that the standard Coopers Lager tin is more of a "lager" than a lager and it has an ale yeast in the lid.

Happy to be corrected.

EDIT: please ignore. I'll go back to my Literacy for Dummies books.

 

[whitegoose]

Hi guys,
great forum for newbies like me.
I've just made my first batch with the Coopers micro brew kit I bought
and don't ask me why but I put in 1kg Coopres brew enhancer #2 AND 500g
Coopers Light Dry Malt extract[ used Coopers Lager can which came with kit]. Before I added the [saflager s23] yeast the gravity was 1062
and it's sitting at a steady 20C. Appearently I should've reduced the #2 enhancer by 500g if I wanted to put in the LDME. Does anyone know if I should turf this batch out or do you think it'll be ok?
Also, I bought 2 19 litre kegs, once fermentation finishes should I put the fermenter in the fridge for a week before I keg it? I read somewhere on the web that this was a good idea but not sure what would be the benefit. Thanks for any useful pointers guys, Cheers!

Don't chuck it out, it'll probably be fine!

1kg BE2 + 500g DME will make a tasty brew - might be a little sweet if you didn't add any extra hops. The DME will give it a bit more guts and body but make it a bit sweeter as well.

I think s23 yeast prefers to be brewed a bit cooler than 20 degrees (about 11-15??), but you'll have to wait and see how it turns out.

NEVER chuck out your brew unless it's infected. Anything else could still turn out drinkable, and you'll learn from it!

 

[.DJ.]

as far as cold conditioning, just transfer into your keg, stick it in the fridge and dont touch it for 3-4 weeks...

Conditioning DONE!

But believe me, its easier to type that than actually do it!!!

 

[Bribie G]

I take it you got the s 23 separately to the kit and chucked the yeast that came with the kit. I have used this yeast fairly warmish around 18 before I got temperature control and didn't have any off flavours, but get it down as low as poss.

The adjuncts you are putting with the Coopers should be fine. I used to put an extra 500g of dex on top of the BE2 and made a somewhat more intoxicating version.

Hey glaab, your avatar, gotta tell you Windsor Davies and I were briefly housemates in Cardiff, Wales in the 1970s before he got his big break in 'It ain't half Hot Mum'. He was eking out a living doing local TV ads and working in 'repertory' theatre and had a bit part in the Onedin Line etc, so his family was in London and he stayed with us for a month or so while he was doing a local gig..In real life he looked and sounded exactly like the sergeant and his deep voice was due to constant chain smoking of non filter ciggies. Still alive and pushing 80. Used to smoke myself silly with him in those days as well. Lost all contact after his 'big break' as he obviously moved full time to London and there wasn't any email etc in those days. Absolutely top bloke.

 

[Frag_Dog]

Yeah you should really get the fermenter down to 10-12 degrees ASAP as others have said.

I'm a big fan of putting the fermenter in one of the cheap plastic storage containers from Bunnings (not that cheap) or a $2 shop. Chuck a few coke bottles filled with water and frozen and that will drop the temp down pretty quick. Wrap a towel around the fermenter and it will evap-cool as well.

Just a note on the water bath idea. You may kill the sick on thermometer on the side. What I've done is I got a cheap aquarium thermometer and I have that in the water bath. Figure it will only be a few degrees out.

 

[The Big Burper]

Hi guys,
great forum for newbies like me.
I've just made my first batch with the Coopers micro brew kit I bought
and don't ask me why but I put in 1kg Coopres brew enhancer #2 AND 500g
Coopers Light Dry Malt extract[ used Coopers Lager can which came with kit]. Before I added the [saflager s23] yeast the gravity was 1062
and it's sitting at a steady 20C. Appearently I should've reduced the #2 enhancer by 500g if I wanted to put in the LDME. Does anyone know if I should turf this batch out or do you think it'll be ok?
Also, I bought 2 19 litre kegs, once fermentation finishes should I put the fermenter in the fridge for a week before I keg it? I read somewhere on the web that this was a good idea but not sure what would be the benefit. Thanks for any useful pointers guys, Cheers!

G,

I take it you bought the Saflager yeast, as the yeast provided with the original
Coopers lager is an ale yeast. Starting off with a proper lager yeast is a bit
ambitious for a first time attempt, as to get this brew to taste to its potential
it needs to be lagered for quite a while.

With only 2 kegs, you cannot afford the time to have one tied up for a month or so, unless you are a very light drinker, but I go through a keg every 7 days. Don't panic if it has been sitting at 20dC. Keg it up when your FG stays constant,. around 1012 (guessing), but leave it in the fermenter for 2 weeks minimum. Keg straight from the fermenter (fill up to the weld mark inside). Gas her up at about 97kPa and leave for 6 days to gas, then get into it. It won't be all that good (too fresh). 97kPa is
a good pressure to maintain, as you can set and forget the pressure regulator.


Stick to ale yeasts for the next few, unless you can get more kegs to give lagers the
proper treatment (or bottle it and leave for 3 months minimum).

Of cours, others may not agree. :unsure:





cheers

Dave

 

[Bribie G]

Nothing wrong with using a good ale yeast such as Nottingham or US-05 for a 'fake' lager either, as long as the temp is kept down to 17 or below. As you say, faster turnaround and especially with a kit brew there would be very little difference in flavour compared to a kit brew fermented with a true lager yeast.

 

[glaab]

Thanks for the replies lads. I've got a fridgemate on the way from Craftbrewers so I'll get the temp right
in future. I'll keg this lot up and hope for the best. Hi Bribie, that Windsor Davies is one funny son of a gun. I'm sure youve seen this , , but it gets funnier every time I watch it. He must've been a riot with a few ales in him!