Using Up Leftovers

[O'Henry]

I am moving interstate at the end of the year and want you use up as much of my brewing ingredients as I can before going. Will be foisting any leftovers after this onto a friend who is starting out, but am happy to use as much as possible.
Was planning on doing a toucan. To use in the brew I have:
1 Coopers Real Ale Can
1 Coopers Bitter Can (the old one)
600g med crystal
500g dark munich
900g pils malt

70g Northdown
50g EKG
65g Styrian

Was thinking something along the lines of:
2 cans
250g crystal
500g dark munich
40g Northdown
40g Styrian
Mash the grains and boil for 20 mins. Add northdown @ 10 and Styrian @ 2.
Yeast will be 3rd gen 1275.

Really have no idea though. Have never done a toucan. I'm not sure about the timing of the hops. I want to get a whack of flavour (if that is possible) but limit the bitterness as the two kits combined are already at 64 IBU. Also can't remember if I need to mash munich or if steeping will do...
All 2c welcome.

 

[Pennywise]

If it's caramunich it can just be steeped, if it's munich 2 it'll need to be mashed. I reckon you'll have one hell of a bitter brew with those 2 cans, although the crystal malt will help balance it a bit I doubt it'll be enough. If you're up for splitting the cans into 2 recipes, then the Real Ale, 100-200g crystal and some EGK @ flameout/dryhop is a nice quick one, not sure how the 1275 would go with that though. Never used the Bitter goo so can't help there.

 

[Bribie G]

I once made a Coopers Bitter Ale plus 1kg BE2 and nothing else, as a demo for a mate who was just getting into brewing. It turned out nicely bitter just as is (or as was )

If doing a toucan I would certainly add more 'sweeteners' as there would be a fair amount of background bitterness, and add only Styrian Goldings after a 10 min boil for flavour and aroma only.

I'd agree with HB79 that you might do better to use the cans one at a time. Do you have 2 fermenters so you can crank out a double brew? Assuming that the pils malt and the Munich are mashing grains as opposed to steeping grains, then personally I would mix them together plus 200g of the Crystal and mash for an hour at 66 degrees, sparge etc and boil to get about 8 litres of wort but no hops yet.

Then split the wort between 2 fermenters with the Real Ale in one and the Bitter in the other. Add 750g dex to each fermenter. With the Real ale use 30g of the Styrians boiled for 10 mins and in the other fermenter add 30g of EKG boiled for 10 mins.

make up a brew of the yeast large enough to start two brews and ferment below 20 degrees. I reckon you'd end up with 2 similar but distinct partial bitters. :icon_cheers:


The Northdown are a problem because they are an absolutely brilliant bittering hop in UK ales (I use Northdown / Styrians in my milds) but in my opinion, in this case they would be OTT and you might need to donate them to someone.

That should use up most of the backlog.

Cheers

 

[O'Henry]

Thanks so much. Looks like there maybe be a fair bit of donating going on. Will have a mull over it all. Will def drop the Northdown and maybe up the Styrian. Dont really have two fermenters though and as I still have another batch to do I dont think I will have the time or space to split this into 2...

 

[O'Henry]

So it is in the pot. In the end I have gone with:

1 can copper bitter
1 can copper real ale
1040g pilsner malt
540g dark munich
300g medium crystal

Still not sure on the hops. I'm sure it will be a bit weird, as I have gone against the rules and had a few. Thinking of:

10 mins 30g EKG
5mins 30g Styrian
flamout 30g styrian

If anyone thinks this is colossally stupid, please say soon as it is about to boil...

 

[Scruffy]

DUDE!!!

Pull the Munich and the crystal out!!...

...guess it's too late! :lol:

That's gonna be one one syrupy beer!!

and how much water?

Watch the gravity!

How are you doing the grains again (1040g Pilsner???)...?

 

[Fermented]

It will be different but it won't be a disaster.

Should be a nice bitter drop after a bit of aging.

Cheers - Fermented.

 

[O'Henry]

Well, yes it is too late scruffy. It will be about 23 litres. I will check the gravity once there then see how it is all going...

I BIAB the grains, got 70% efficency, which I am pretty happy with.

So why is it too syrupy? Nobody mentioned anything about that. Infact they said up the crystal to balance the bitterness. Did I do something wrong?

 

[The Scientist]

[quote name='O'Henry' post='541190' date='Oct 22 2009, 09:56 PM']Well, yes it is too late scruffy. It will be about 23 litres. I will check the gravity once there then see how it is all going...

I BIAB the grains, got 70% efficency, which I am pretty happy with.

So why is it too syrupy? Nobody mentioned anything about that. Infact they said up the crystal to balance the bitterness. Did I do something wrong?[/quote]

No such thing as wrong in this game, If it tastes good at the end you may have just created an award winning brew :icon_drunk:

The old wait and see. Trial and error was a massive part of my learning curve when I first started brewing.

My first twocan was a barley wine which wasn't drinkable untill 12 months and after that it was mothers milk :icon_drool2:

 

[Scruffy]

I'm just thinking it might not finish that low, gravity might be late 50's (1057+), bitterness around the 20's (IBU), so slightly fuller in the body... I didn't mean to rubbish the brew!! Just thinking out loud. Enjoy it...! :icon_cheers:

 

[Bribie G]

:super: :super: :super: