The Coopers Kit

[jt]

Ok, I'm going to do it, but maybe not quite yet. And there was talk about an Imperial Coopers. I know Mr Cherry's keen too, yes ?

I thought it might be handy to string this together in one place.

Now I'm not going to brew until the weather cools a bit, I'm getting 20C + in the garage right now and I wouldn't want to do that to my Coopers kit would I ?

First questions first though, Draught or Lager ?
Next up, what to add to it.
Not sugar, no. maybe dextrose, maybe LME, or maybe just a kg of pale mashed ?

[vdog]

Unless you bottled another 3 750's off the keg after a week or two and hid them with the bottle-conditioned ones. Then you get to try it three different ways. =)

[Chris Banks]

Go on jt have a hydro sample cos you can! any umm granny smith notes in there? Seriously?

[jt]

Let us know the fg
A shade under 1.014 @ 19C but there's a bit of life left in this yeast yet

a quick taste never hurts
I don't know whether to be disapointed or not, it tastes like a Coopers kit but hints of a bottled Coopers. Still very cloudy & yeasty and full of co2 so it's still trucking along

any umm granny smith notes in there
No, not that sharp, maybe a rose variety of apple, sweeter, softer.

There's a glimmer of hope after I had the bottle of Coopers pale last weekend, I've realigned my tastebuds expectations, but I'm fully primed for dispointment.

I don't think it'll be ready for Easter, but I'll have the Northern guys over later in April for a tasting - Chris think of it like dunking for apples :-)

[jt]

Well it's dropped - just - below 1.010

Do you think I should rack it and let it clear - or just pop in a keg and leave it until there's fridge space - same deal really I suppose ?

[MrC]

How did you get on jt? I would have just treated it like all you other beers and kegged it.

How's it tasting?

[jt]

I had a taste last night and nothings improved since Chris & I had a sample on Saturday.
Still a squeak under 1.010 and an apple, not as severe as granny smith, sort of apple flavour along with the yeasty coopers character

I've popped in on the garage floor and it should drop a few degrees for a few days and I'll keg Thursday or Friday.
May get a bottle or two depending how many more samples I take

[MrC]

So where do you think the apples come from? Acetyldehyde? Coopers Dried Yeast esters?

[jt]

Bad practices and shabby technique along with 19 to 20C fermentation and Coopers yeast

[MrC]

Bad practices and shabby technique
You keep saing that that but from what I've heard about your beers, your practices & techniques can't be too shabby.

I realise that your chickens haven't quite hatched yet, but what would you recommend to "someone" thinking of brewing a Coopers Pale Ale style beer using a Coopers lager kit as a base?

[jt]

I poke unsterilised thermometers in my wort, I lift the lid & peek - frequently, I rehydrate yeast in unsterilised containers, I own and use a fermenter scratched to hell on the inside .. I'm sure the list is longer but that will do for starters .. anyone else care to share things they wouldn't normally own up to ?

Oh, I'll comment on the kit & two kilo's when the keg's conditioned

[Matthew]

I thought everyone did that?!

[James P]

I sterilise my hoses by running the boiling wort through them.... }:)