Which Way Shall I Go From Here

[GSRman]

i'd probably let it get up around 19-20... sterilise a spoon and give it a stir...

but yeah i would suggest a non-kit yeast to finish it off... i wouldn't suggest trying to airate it though..

 

[GMK]

Fergi - i have some nottingham ale yeast here if u want some...

GMK

 

[Trough Lolly]

Steep 150gms of Xtal in 5ltrs of water for 60 mins and then drain out the grain and add the 1kg of LME to the pot and boil for 20mins with 15gms of Northern Brewer. (can do a partial with 500gms of ale malt mixed with the crystal at 65 for a hour as well - drop LME down to 750gms if u do the partial.)

When you say steep, what temperature water are you talking about? In my next kit brew I'd like to experiment with some specialty grains for added flavour/fermentables.

I was given a Cooper's Pale Ale kit and a 1kg bag of Brewblend #20 (LME/corn syrup/dextrose) which I'd like to use to get rid of it. I was thinking of using a yeast culture from a bottle of Cooper's Sparkling Ale throwing the packet yeast into the brewpot whilst boiling the ingredients for 15 minutes. I was also considering some additional hops...

I've got a 15L stockpot, so can do a "reasonable" volume.

Nick

G'day Nick,
Just catching up on the thread and noticed your question that I don't think was answered, so I'll have a go at it!

There are heaps of articles on the web about steeping grains - it's good stuff and and an easy way to add real flavour and depth to kit brews. It's not all that much less effort than a partial mash, but it is a fun addition to make, without all the expensive equipment.

There are many ways to steep grains, such as crystal malt that Ken referred to in his post. I like to put the grains in a bag and toss the bag into the boiler that has the water in it - cold. Let the giant teabag of grains soak in the pot and warm up as you heat the cold water. Move the bag occasionally so it doesn't stick to the base and scorch or burn a hole in the grain bag.

Pull out that bag and let it drip dry when the water temp in the pot reaches around the 70C mark - don't leave the bag of crystal grains in boiling water or wring the guts out of the grain bag as you risk extracting harsh tannins from the grain husks. Let the bag drip dry back into the pot - I usually suspend the bag of grains over the pot with a large colander and then remove the bag when most of the water has dripped out. The grains do absorb some of the boil water - but that won't be a major concern since you will probably top up the fermenter with fresh water to achieve your target original gravity anyway...

With your Pale Ale kit, you might want to use some pale crystal malt as per GMK's instructions - and when you follow Ken's instructions, don't forget to add hops to the boil because the extra crystal malt and malt extract will result in an unbalanced beer if you don't add some hops to the short boil - at least 15g of Northern Brewer in a 20 min boil that will largely impart flavouring and aroma to the beer, but not much bittering out of 20 minutes.

The yeast culture will help too, so go for it! Good luck and cheers,

P.S. If you like something a bit more european, try the Coopers Draught Kit with 150g of Weyermann Caramunich, 1kg of Pale malt extract and Hallertau Hops - its pretty bloody good too!!

TL

 

[fergi]

hi guys
thanks for your opinions,i have had offer from gmk but i havent got his no available at the moment,so i have rehydrated an old wander dry yeast ,use by 2003 in a glass and also stirred up the wort and tried to raise the temp a bit,i will see how this goes
cheers
fergi

 

[NRB]

Thanks TL and sorry to hijack the thread fergi.

Christmas gave me 2 Cooper's Bavarian Lager kits, so instead of following the advice above I decided to have a crack at them 'as is'. A mate of mine recently brewed a "Burly Bavarian Lager" (1.7kg Cooper's Bavarian Lager kit, 1kg Brew enhancer #1 [dextrose & maltodextrin] and 500h dried LME) - I can honestly say it was the best kit beer I've tried. It came in at 7.5% ABV, tasted very nice, refreshing and didn't seem highly alcoholic. Had a fairly sulphury nose though.

I decided to do a '2 can screamer' with the kits, with only addition of the dregs of a Cooper's Sparkling Ale in the brewpot. I aerated the wort until it was foaming out the top of my fermenter :unsure:. I also added both packets of yeast to make sure it got off to a good start.

So I've got this kit, then the Pale Ale kit, then it's onto AG! I've bought my Rubbermaid cooler and SS braid for my mash tun and 2 SS kegs for boiler and HLT... now I need to prepare them for the wonders of being my equipment! :chug:

OG 1.042, will be interesting to see how it turns out. I guess it's classified as an "all malt" beer, yeah?