Cooper's Dark Ale With DME

Here's the plan:

Can of Cooper's Dark Ale
3lbs of DME
Windsor Brewers yeast

Ferment for three weeks, bottle condition for two.

How does that sound?



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Sounds good, you can probably get away with two weeks of fermentation. Check you gravity after two weeks and I bet you'll be good 2 go. Good luck and have fun with it!!

Did this coopers kit with 3lbs of Lme and it finished at 10 days 68f-72f was one of my favorite kits so far.

What type of hops are you using?

brewd00d said:

What type of hops are you using?

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I'm using the Cooper Can, it's pre-hopped

Jamming said:

Did this coopers kit with 3lbs of Lme and it finished at 10 days 68f-72f was one of my favorite kits so far.

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How long did you have it in secondary fermet?

Brian,

I would leave it in the bottle for three weeks instead of two. The Coopers kits I have used tasted much better with the extra week of bottle conditioning.

Otherwise, good luck and please share your thoughts on the Dark Ale once it's finished.

Brian_GFH said:

How long did you have it in secondary fermet?

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Only 3 days in a carboy, was my second kit and lost patience or was thirsty ! but it was great !

And I kegged it not bottled. Knew from day one bottles weren't for me. Pain in arse. Force carb and drank it !

Jamming said:

And I kegged it not bottled. Knew from day one bottles weren't for me. Pain in arse. Force carb and drank it !

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When you keg it can you co2 it right there and drink?

Brian_GFH said:

When you keg it can you co2 it right there and drink?

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Yep ! Just crank you o2 up to 30 lbs and leave some head space in your cornie keg, I leave about 4" then swish back and forth for a few minutes and it carbonates right away, just open the pop off a couple times to bleed off any oxygen. It's of course better if you let it sit overnight and get cold.

Not Windsor but Wyeast 1968 at higher temps for more esters and dominates the kit flavor.

Day 1 April 28, 2011 - Dark Ale kit + Mexican Cerveza kit to 24L OG=1.044, washed wyeast 1968 yeast. Pitched at 70F, brewed warmer 71-73F, Day 17 May 14, 2011 bottled FG=1.012 = 4.12% alc = 72.73% attenuation = 24.28L. Added 66 grams white sugar to bulk prime. Tastes very British like and bitter like “EB”, does not have the chocolate flavors anticipated so need to use a more neutral yeast for the dark ale kit like the Coopers Ale kit yeast. Had one tonight and getting some British mineral water flavors, nice aromas and color.

Next time for a chocolaty brown ale will use the neutral kit yeast as we make enough other British beers with 1968 or 1028.