Batch 15: Cooper's Pilsner

Threw together a Cooper's Pilsner today, from the Brewmaster's Selection series. Straight kit and kilo process; used the can and a KG of the Munton's Beer Enhancer. The kit comes with a supposedly proper lager yeast, so I hydrated it and pitched into 22L of wort at about 64*. My basement ambient is 58-60 for the next 2-3 months, so I should be good. Have the bucket sitting on a table for now, after four days I'm going to put it right on the cement floor to keep it as cool as possible (hoping sub-55*).

My plan is to leave in primary for 3-4 weeks, then transfer to a carboy and "lager" it, wither in a swamp cooler on the basement floor, or a ghetto lager chamber a la Revvy.

Here we go!

Side note, my hydrometer broke, sometime between the last time I used it and when I grabbed it out of the bin I keep my gear in. Weird.

24 Hours in, I see a layer of sediment in the bottom, and the bucket lid is swelling. Trying a bucket that isn't supposed to use an airlock, we'll see how that goes..... Allegedly the yeast is a lager yeast, seems to be doing it's job at about 60*. No krausen though, normal for a lager?

unionrdr said:

Uuuh,shouldn't lagers be at like 50F?

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That's where I'm torn, instructions say 71, but it will work as low as 55*. After the weekend I'm going to move it to the floor and let the floor suck all the heat out of it. I'm assuming (dangerous) that it's some sort of clean hybrid yeast that will ferment that cool, but maybe not as cool as a quality lager yeast?

Just giving the kit a try to see how it goes, it's a Cooper's kit, gotta be more or less idiot proof, right?

Setting on the floor, temp about 58*. All seems well so far....

I really don't know. Can't even find much info about it on here. Just trying it slow and low, then a ghetto lager for a couple weeks, then bottle. Maybe like a kolsch? Check here for updates!

Saw Revolutionar Brewer review this yesterday on youtube (I think he posts on here as Grasshopper1917). Anyways. He let it ferment out as a normal beer and was pretty enthusiastic about the results.

Bottled this a week tonight. Cracked one just now, and was pretty good for a mostly flat beer.

The economics of things may have me drinking 6 or 7 pints of it next sunday, which even partially carbed wouldn't be hard. Hope my pipeline fills up quick, as I'd like this one to last and age a little.

LTownLiquorPig said:

Bottled this a week tonight. Cracked one just now, and was pretty good for a mostly flat beer.

The economics of things may have me drinking 6 or 7 pints of it next sunday, which even partially carbed wouldn't be hard. Hope my pipeline fills up quick, as I'd like this one to last and age a little.

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Let us know how those 6/7/10 taste
Looking to mess with a few more coopers kits while doing partials aswell

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/index.php?

Try there. Haven't been in a while, but should be some good info on playing with kits I think. Also, you can get an excel spreadsheet from the forum there that works a recipe tool but has the info (purportedly) on a bunch of can kits.

Glad Union chimed in, as I think he's been playing with Cooper's kits more than most of the frequent posters on here.

This has turned out pretty well. My wife liked it, but she didn't like me when I said "I thought you would, it's pretty inoffensive."

Anyway, been in the bottle about 3 weeks, was in the fridge about 24 hours when I was drank it. Tastes like a plain yellow beer. Wish I'd done something more with it, but the pipeline was drying up when I threw it together.

A pretty solid kit on it's own though.