Poke_Fan

Recipes 

So I started brewing and I realize this isn't a complicated recipe, but I was wondering what kind of taste I'm looking at...

3.75 lbs Coopers Lager
2 lbs Muntons Amber DME
1 lb Corn Sugar

For my second stupid question...it appears that I've lost some water from my airlock. I'm a bit concerned that I could get feedback, can I just pop the plastic top off and add more water to bring the airlock to where it should be?

Warped04

Recipes 

pop off the plastic top and add more water.

Poke_Fan

Recipes 

So, I just checked it and I have krausen that's blown into the airlock. LOL...that brought my water level up. So I should be fine.

Brewtopia

Recipes 

Well, I hope you added hops or this is going to taste like a very sweet alcoholic malt beverage.

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Poke_Fan

Recipes 

I didn't with this one. This is my first 5 gallon batch. I just wanted to get it home and in the fermenter. I have a Mr. Beer kit (last Christmas) and I actually got the Amber DME to add to an Irish Stout. I sat for hours debating and finally decided to throw it in with this batch. I just didn't want to brew the lager with all corn sugar. I can buy bud light for cheaper than I can make it and I was hoping the dry malt extract would add some character. If it's sweet then I'll just bottle and serve at parties to my wife's friends. Maybe it will make a good summer lawn mowing brew.

jeff967

Recipes 

must if not all Coopers cans are hopped.
BEER

AnOldUR

Recipes 

Yeah, the Coopers kits are hopped but with the additional fermentables a little extra would have helped. Coopers calls this kit a lager, but I would bet that it uses ale yeast and you will most likely be fermenting at ale temperatures. What you’ll end up with is a mildly hopped light brown ale with about 4.8abv. Should make a fine session brew and a good learning experience.

Edit:
If your beer has foamed through the airlock, and has now settled down, take off the airlock, sterilize it and put it back with cheap vodka in it (not water.)

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malkore

Recipes 

it'll definitely be beer. if you don't like it, or it tastes too sweet and thin/no body, don't let it discourage you. you tinkered with a recipe without really knowing what you were doing. No big deal...many of us have done this in our early days too (myself included).

a few little tips: avoid corn sugar except for priming. it adds alcohol, and nothing else, which usually isn't the best idea. too much ABV leaves you with an unbalanced flavor, and too much corn sugar can start adding cidery off flavors to the finished beer.
and since sugar ferments completely, it adds no body, which can leave you with a thinned out, overly boozy beer.

Imagine a Guinness that has the body of Bud Light, and tastes like a shot of cheap vodka was mixed in.

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