What To Do With A Tooheys Lager

[Ivan Other One]

Hi Brewers,
Have a Tooheys Lager on tap ATM and am very dissapointed with the results. :angry:

Having done a search on this site on "Tooheys", and have noted that very few folks like the product.

Made it as the same as a few brews before, just a basic brew using 500g dex,250g ldme, and 250g dry corn syrup.

Have made several brews with Coopers and Muntons, with this same mix and have been fairly pleased; fairly good beer with ok head,

But this tooheys job has no head and the taste is rather ordinary.

This was not made as a true lager using the kit yeast and ferment temp at 21C.

Is there anything that I could with it?
Have thought about chuckin' in a teabag of POR hops, or even freezing it a little and taking the ice off the top out of the keg to maybe boost the flavour a bit.

Wuold be a shame to have to waste it if it can be improved.

Thanks in advance, Ivan.

 

[kc_ksom]

I would grin and bear it, while brewing another brew, something like a fresh wort or similar. I think you will be better off. I also was not a fan of the tooheys, i tipped out and started another.

casey

 

[manticle]

What do you think of toohey's commercial beers?

When I did kits I always avoided the toohey's variety because I hate their commercial beer.

I guess it depends on whether or not it is bottled - if it isn't you could dry hop or blend with another beer.

If it's bottled I'd say choke it down and get another one on quick smart (although leaving it for a bit longer might add to carbonation and head retention).

 

[Ivan Other One]

Thanks Manticle and Casey,
For a few months I was into the Tooheys new, and liked the taste.
this brew is in a cornie keg and have 6 tallies as well,
at least it isn't too foul to drink and will only be a day or two before my Yukon smoked ale comes on line.
Note to self, give Tooheys brews a miss!!!!

 

[manticle]

The kegged stuff might be able to be blended but if you blend it you're taking a beer you like and adding beer you don't really like. Blending works in my mind if you have a beer that should be good but a mistake (overhopped etc) was made.

I don't keg so I may be wrong but I think you can dry hop a keg. Maybe try getting some saaz?

 

[kc_ksom]

I also liked the tooheys new, though it does get a little sweet after 12 or so, but yea, I like most beers, but that tooheys home brew was NOT GOOD!!,`I really like the eaze of the kits, but you do get better results doing an extract boil with fresh hops etc.

casey

P.s
How does that yukon smell, good??

 

[bum]

If you grab them cheap they are supposedly alright as half of a toucan but as for saving the current brew all I can think of is trying to dry hop it but I honestly don't think that's gonna do anything to make it great or you could save it and blend it with another brew (if you've a spare keg, of course).

 

[Ivan Other One]

Yep,
Will just leave it as is and drink it, Thanks bum for the comments, even thuogh i do have a couple of spare kegs I think adding this to any other brew would do the other brew an injustice.

BTW Casey,, the Yukon, brown smoked ale was made with a 5min boil of 500g LDME with 7g of POR hops and then added 500g of dex and then the can of goop,
Yes, it does smell nice but what was left over from the keg was all bottled without even a taste. HMMMMM wish it was Friday

 

[milkman]

Yep,
Will just leave it as is and drink it, Thanks bum for the comments, even thuogh i do have a couple of spare kegs I think adding this to any other brew would do the other brew an injustice.

BTW Casey,, the Yukon, brown smoked ale was made with a 5min boil of 500g LDME with 7g of POR hops and then added 500g of dex and then the can of goop,
Yes, it does smell nice but what was left over from the keg was all bottled without even a taste. HMMMMM wish it was Friday

I last used a Tooheys kit - Real Ale, when they came out. Matched with a tin of Caramalt it was great brew. Fast forward 5 years and i've done the same recipe again, and i doesn't taste anywhere near as good, at all. So now I have another 29 long necks to drink, to teach myself a lesson about their products.....

 

[legham]

I made a Tooheys larger a while back. Tasted average, but left it for three months and now is drinkable. Still not great.

 

[Bribie G]

I have a hunch that Brewery branded kits are simply an attempt to emulate the success of Coopers, who are now the biggest kit manufacturer on the planet:

"I've called this strategy meeting to address the fact that despite Lion Nathan being the biggest brewery in Australia we have had until now no presence in the undoubtedly significant home brew market. Unlike the pissy little upstarts in Adelaide. Now Vernon here has some ideas to present to you as a result of a project recently undertaken in R&D, jointly funded by Bundaberg Sugar....."

 

[bullfrog]

Didn't want to start a new thread on this, seeing as this topic was already kinda covered in this one, but a fair few weeks ago I was given a Tooheys Draught kit. It took me a while to put it down and when I did it (due to past experience) I purposely brewed it at a high temp (around 26-28C).

At bottling, it smelled hugely of banana, and I over-primed (went for 170g for a 22L batch) and have just cracked one and it's significantly better than the first time I tried the Tooheys goo.

If anyone is trying a Tooheys draught, I'd be brewing in the high temp range. It will taste nothing like their commercial stuff (and all the better for it) and will be significantly better than if you follow the instructions on the can.

EDIT: I must also add that I didn't fine or crash chill this one (I thought it was a lost cause) but I think the murkiness/high yeast density has added to the taste/covers up the Tooheys kit taste even more.

 

[Jonez]

I made a Tooheys Special Lager, with 1Kg Dex and no more plus Saaz hops as an experiment. Used the yeast on the tin and brewed at 18C. It was very nice but thin as expected and did not retain head. Other than that it was quite easy to drink dry and crispy...quite clean for my novice palate. Impressed some people but I guess it all comes down people's taste.

 

[bullfrog]

I made a Tooheys Special Lager, with 1Kg Dex and no more plus Saaz hops as an experiment. Used the yeast on the tin and brewed at 18C. It was very nice but thin as expected and did not retain head. Other than that it was quite easy to drink dry and crispy...quite clean for my novice palate. Impressed some people but I guess it all comes down people's taste.

Jonez, if it works for you, then keep at it. Whilst I may find the Tooheys goo to be an awful go, you're brewing beer for you, so make it how you like it.

Mind you, I've never tried the Tooheys tin with all Dex...did you find that the mouthfeel/body was quite light?

Also, did you add any hops (teabag or dry)? I found with the first Tooheys can that I did (when I first started brewing) that it was pretty lacklustre when it came to aroma (amongst other things) and thought that hopping it up might have helped. I added a teabag of cascade to my last one (something I had in the cupboard) and I think it added to the aroma at least, anyways.

 

[Brewman_]

I have never tried the Toohey's kits, but I get the idea.

My advice if you are brewing kits without temp control, forget any aspiration to a lager, particularly if you are starting.

You will get more reward attempting an ale style with attempts to brew in the 18 to 22 Deg.C, which may still be challenging with some of the weather we are having, 30 Deg.C plus. If you can get the temps right for an ale then think about the yeast you use.

My 2c worth after lots of toil.

Fear_n_Loath

 

[Jonez]

Jonez, if it works for you, then keep at it. Whilst I may find the Tooheys goo to be an awful go, you're brewing beer for you, so make it how you like it.

Mind you, I've never tried the Tooheys tin with all Dex...did you find that the mouthfeel/body was quite light?

Also, did you add any hops (teabag or dry)? I found with the first Tooheys can that I did (when I first started brewing) that it was pretty lacklustre when it came to aroma (amongst other things) and thought that hopping it up might have helped. I added a teabag of cascade to my last one (something I had in the cupboard) and I think it added to the aroma at least, anyways.

It is not what I like, I am not saying they are great but it did turn out OK. I was surprised the yeast did a good job. Very clean and crispy. As per the tin, yes I said it was too thin and I though It had to do with the fact that I only used DEX. It was an experiment anyway. As I mentined before I used Saaz hops (teabag) I flavour aroma not too bad but it could have been better. I am just novice at comparing flavours but I think this only needed more body and head. It was probably random luck.

 

[bullfrog]

It is not what I like, I am not saying they are great but it did turn out OK. I was surprised the yeast did a good job. Very clean and crispy. As per the tin, yes I said it was too thin and I though It had to do with the fact that I only used DEX. It was an experiment anyway. As I mentined before I used Saaz hops (teabag) I flavour aroma not too bad but it could have been better. I am just novice at comparing flavours but I think this only needed more body and head. It was probably random luck.

Yeah...I should really not post at that time of night. Apparently I forget how to read

 

[gjhansford]

It is not what I like, I am not saying they are great but it did turn out OK. I was surprised the yeast did a good job. Very clean and crispy. As per the tin, yes I said it was too thin and I though It had to do with the fact that I only used DEX. It was an experiment anyway. As I mentined before I used Saaz hops (teabag) I flavour aroma not too bad but it could have been better. I am just novice at comparing flavours but I think this only needed more body and head. It was probably random luck.

This revived thread reminds me of my quest for body, flavour and head a couple of years ago. It seems we all get to a point in our brewing journey where we realise the kits just arn't doing it for us anymore. You tweak the mix of DEX and DME, you reduce the volume, you change the temp, you add extra hops ... but they all turn out more or less the same.

On my journey I decided to go with the cans of unhopped malt extract from Morgans and buy my hops and yeast seperatly. But ... apart from costing more ... it did little to improve the body and flavour.

I next moved on (or is it up?) to steeping grains. Made a big improvement ... and paved the way to all grain brewing.

So IMHI ... if you're looking for more body and flavour ... start steeping some grain. You'll also start to learn how to handle grain and how much it adds to the brew. And when you're ready for even more ... start doing a partial mash. It's the best way to learn, and it also not that expensive as the gear you need is mimimal. :icon_cheers:

 

[happy benno]

Hi Brewers,
Have a Tooheys Lager on tap ATM and am very dissapointed with the results. :angry:

Having done a search on this site on "Tooheys", and have noted that very few folks like the product.

Made it as the same as a few brews before, just a basic brew using 500g dex,250g ldme, and 250g dry corn syrup.

Have made several brews with Coopers and Muntons, with this same mix and have been fairly pleased; fairly good beer with ok head,

But this tooheys job has no head and the taste is rather ordinary.

This was not made as a true lager using the kit yeast and ferment temp at 21C.

Is there anything that I could with it?
Have thought about chuckin' in a teabag of POR hops, or even freezing it a little and taking the ice off the top out of the keg to maybe boost the flavour a bit.

Wuold be a shame to have to waste it if it can be improved.

Thanks in advance, Ivan.

Sorry i have to say it, there's not much you can do to improve SWAMP water.
its just not a good brew.

 

[brenjak]

Yep,
Will just leave it as is and drink it, Thanks bum for the comments, even thuogh i do have a couple of spare kegs I think adding this to any other brew would do the other brew an injustice.

BTW Casey,, the Yukon, brown smoked ale was made with a 5min boil of 500g LDME with 7g of POR hops and then added 500g of dex and then the can of goop,
Yes, it does smell nice but what was left over from the keg was all bottled without even a taste. HMMMMM wish it was Friday

Leave that Toohey's for a while whilst you brew another. You have the spare kegs, yeah? It may get better with time. Especially the six you have in the bottle. Never did like the Toohey's kits. Muntons, Coopers and even Morgans are better IMHO. Try a Wyeast yeast variety also, it does help.