What Temperature For Coopers Brews And How Long?

[Barley Belly]

As you can tell I'm very new to home brewing. I've started out with two Coopers fermenters and associated accessories and plan to start off using the supermarket/home brew shop tinned brews.

The first one I made was Tooheys Special Draught with 500g dextrose in my father in laws fermenter in his brew cupboard, fermented for 7 days at 25 deg, then bottled and primed white sugar and left for a further 7 days in the 25 deg. Tasted coupla long necks yesterday, a little greeen as they say???, but all in all tasted OK after only a week and a half in the bottles.

My second one I used the same Tooheys but in my Coopers fermenter with 1kg Coopers Brew Enhancer 1 with yeast rehydrated in 200ml water, fermented for 7 days again in the father in laws cupboard at 25 deg. Racked it into second fermenter with 200g Dextrose boiled down in 500ml water and bottled 3 days ago.

While this was all going on, I built my own heated brew cupboard so I could do it myself at my place.
2 days ago the first brew I put down in my cupboard was Coopers Draught with 1kg Coopers Brew Enhancer 1 with yeast rehydrated in 200ml water, and I set the temp at 22 deg as I had read it was a better temp. 2 days along and it's bubbling along fine and hope to leave in the fermenter for 12 days as I read this is also beneficial.

Last night around 9pm I decided in my spare fermenter I would make some Coopers Alcoholic Ginger Beer. Followed directions to the letter using 1 kg raw sugar except I rehydrated the yeast in 200ml water and added before sealing up and putting airlock on.
After doing this I jumped onto AussieHomeBrewer.com to research about temps and Ginger Beer. Didn't find much on kit ginger beer but did find an article, can't remember who wrote it but I save it to wordpad and heres an excert-

Quote
"Yeast is the soul of your beer.

The way to look after your yeast is to ferment at the correct temperature. This includes having the wort at the correct starting temperature.

If you are using kits from the supermarket, the kit will have an ale yeast (even if the tin is marked lager.)

Ferment ales at 18-22. Preferably at 18."

"Don't rush your brew, keep it clean and cool, leave it in primary for 12 days before thinking of bottling,"
End Quote

So reading this I went to the shed and turn my cupboard down to 20 deg which gave me a happy medium between the 18 and 22 and gave a little each side for fluctuation.

I go out 7am this morning and my Coopers Draught is still bubbling away but my Cooper Ginger beer is dead silent. The yeast rehydration water was around 24 deg when I put it in and the Ginger Beer wort was at 23 deg when I pitched it and was at 20deg overnight, so I shouldn't have killed the yeast, and it showed as much activity as the Draught yeast when I rehydrated it?????? What have I done??? I going to get anither yeast this morning, rehydrate it and pitched another batch in the Ginger Beer but other than this I am lost.

So, my questions are

1) What would the ideal fermentation temperature be when using Coopers tin Brews (doing Draught this time and plan on Real Ale next batch, but keen to try a few)??

2) How long should I leave in the primary fermenter before bottling and how long is too long (I've read beer can go off after too long in fermenter)???

Thanks in advance

finners
Home Brew Virgin

 

[Pennywise]

I would lower your brew temps to 18 deg and leave them in the fermenter for 2 weeks, you'll find they will taste quite a bit better. Also if you can get your hands on some good yeast from your local HBS that will improve it two fold. Ales at 18 deg and lagers at 12 deg. A good Ale yeast to start with is US-05 IMO :icon_cheers:

 

[braufrau]

So reading this I went to the shed and turn my cupboard down to 20 deg which gave me a happy medium between the 18 and 22 and gave a little each side for fluctuation.

Perfect!

So, my questions are

1) What would the ideal fermentation temperature be when using Coopers tin Brews (doing Draught this time and plan on Real Ale next batch, but keen to try a few)??

Ah well now. That's an inflammatory question!
Ideally, you'd toss it and culture some real coopers yeast from the bottle.
20C is good. 20C is fairly conservative.

2) How long should I leave in the primary fermenter before bottling and how long is too long (I've read beer can go off after too long in fermenter)???

2 weeks. 3 weeks is OK. I don't know how long too long is, because I've never let a brew sit longer than 3 weeks.
Then let it condition for 8 weeks.

 

[Barley Belly]

Thanks guys/gals

Have decided 20deg and two weeks in the fermenter will do me as a starting point.

Will look into better yeast soon, not sure how to culture from bottle but will read up.

Thanks again

 

[KGB]

Also, don't bother trying your bottled beer for at least two weeks, and then don't expect anything great. I leave it a month before drinking time started in earnest, probably a couple of testers before that.

 

[Barley Belly]

Also, don't bother trying your bottled beer for at least two weeks, and then don't expect anything great. I leave it a month before drinking time started in earnest, probably a couple of testers before that.

Yep

Have decided on 2 x 2.
2 weeks in fermenter and two weeks in bottle as a starting point

finners

 

[DKS]

Yep

Have decided on 2 x 2.
2 weeks in fermenter and two weeks in bottle as a starting point

finners

Hi finners
Sounds like your onto the temp control thing. Keep reading the advice and old posts (search) on AHB and talk to your LHBS . I'de been brewing off and on for ages with poor results I have probably learned more in the last couple of months from AHB than the previuos ten to fifteen years.( there was no free info then) I didnt care then, I just wanted cheap beer. Now Im starting to make good cheap beer and the best ones have been fermented at much lower temps than the kits say. Id recommendnot to tie yourself to hard and fast rules of time, get a hydrometer and use it. :icon_cheers:

Daz