Cooper's English Bitter - used 2 pounds of dextrose for fermentation

I made a batch of Cooper's English Bitter a few months ago using the suggested ingredients on the can, and it turned out GREAT. I actually prefer this to almost anything I can buy in the store.

Anyway, I was ready to make another batch of this, and I lacked the 500g of extra light malt that the can suggests.....so I just added 2 pounds of dextrose and went with it (this is in comparison with the 1 pound dextrose / 500g of extra light dry malt that I used for the first time).

Any predictions on how it will taste? Anyone else just use only dextrose instead of dry malt? I know DME isn't fully fermentable and thus gives the beer more "body."

Hey there - I love those English bitter kits as well. I think you will get a slightly dryer beer - and slightly thinner in body. May not be as quite good as your first one - I made a few with just dextrose and i prefer a combo of malt extract and dextrose. Still the ones I made with dextrose were not too bad. Im sure you will manage to 'force them down' lol

enjoy

I hear you! Thanks for the response. That first batch of Coopers English Bitter that I made was/is just terrific. In fact, I'm enjoying #2 as I sit watching some basketball, readying for bed for the big road trip tomorrow.

Thing is with that first batch - I pitched the yeast with the beer being about 90 degrees - and it still turned out great. This batch, it was probably about 65 or so when I pitched it. Maybe what it lacks in body it will make up in less off-flavors from the high pitch temperature....off flavors that I apparently don't mind too much! Ha.

I'm about to brew my first cooper's kit. Done a few extract and mini-mash batches so far, but am just getting around to trying Cooper's, I love the commercial brews! Anyway, I went with the AHS method for my extra fermentables. 1lb of DME, 1lb of dextrose and 1/4lb of malto dextrin. I'm sure your beer will be great, but using a bit of malto dextrin with the 2 lbs of corn sugar will help you revive some of the mouth feel and body you're losing by using just sugar for your extra fermentables.

Also, I'm excited to try out the cooper's yeast. I hear it's great at higher temps, and that's perfect for me here in Arizona.

The trick is gettting a good clean fermentation so you'll have a crisp, clean, dry beer. Not having a lot malt there isn't much to hide flaws with.

And Coopers is a good dry English style yeast. I've even been using it in my all grain batches. I don't advice going over 68 degrees if you can help it and you an also ferment in the low 60's for a cleaner profile.

PT Ray said:

The trick is gettting a good clean fermentation so you'll have a crisp, clean, dry beer. Not having a lot malt there isn't much to hide flaws with.

And Coopers is a good dry English style yeast. I've even been using it in my all grain batches. I don't advice going over 68 degrees if you can help it and you an also ferment in the low 60's for a cleaner profile.

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THIS!

My Coopers English Bitter (with 2 pounds of dextrose only as extra fermentables) turned out great. I cracked a bottle open last night, and it tasted pretty much perfect. It was slightly dry but very crisp, as you say - pretty much perfect.

The batch was in the primary for 3 weeks, bottled (did have some air in the hose while bottling, I need to find a way to connect my bottling cane directly to the spigot), in the bottle for 2 weeks, and this particular bottle was in the fridge for 4 days (the rest of the batch is still conditioning at 70 degrees).

I think primary fermentation in the low 60's is key for a good, clean ferment. I just did a batch of Muntons Bock (Connosseur's Line), and I pitched it at 75 degrees, but put it outside to get down to 65ish very quickly. It's now bubbling away happily in the basement at 63 degrees. Can't wait to try it.

The air in the siphon hose was probably CO2 coming out of solution. Will not hurt the beer, but can make siphoning difficult if too much comes out.

With all that sugar I would have thought the results would have been a 'homebrewed taste' that labeled hombrew in the past when a lot of sugar was used.

Glad to hear it turned out OK.

Calder said:

With all that sugar I would have thought the results would have been a 'homebrewed taste' that labeled hombrew in the past when a lot of sugar was used.

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I think the reality is sugar doesn't mask the taste of a bad homebrew. Commercial Australian style bitters contain about 30% cane sugar and don't have a homebrew flavor. But just like any adjunct lager they are a very light, crisp and refreshing beer that is served ice cold.