Coopers Lager Help

First off, I would like to thank all of you. I have asked a few questions on here and have had prompt responses. I love the community of homebrewers! I am still very new, and this Coopers lager is only my second batch.

I was given some advice to help kick this kit up a notch. I was told to do a hop tea, which I did with cascade hops about 1.5 ounces (pellet). I was told to take the coopers yeast and just dump it in with my boil, they stated that it would kill the yeast but add very little nutrition and it was a good way not to waste. It was replaced with 11g of Nottingham. The kit came with the brew enhancer 1, which I was told to use but also add 2lbs light DME for flavor and abv. Everything is set, literally I finished about 20 minutes ago. Now for the questions. SG= 1053

Were those modifications that were given to me correct?

Will the coopers yeast added to the boil effect the flavor?

I noticed the Nottingham was 11g which was more than what coopers provided, is that too much yeast? Local Brew shop recommended it.

How long should I leave this in primary, I plan on transferring to a carboy which I have never done. I do plan on adding some more cascade pellets in the carboy, is this recommended?

How long should I leave this in the secondary? As a note the temp where I am brewing ranges from 64-73 degrees F.

Also I noticed there seems to already be a decent amount of what looks like trub, is this a cause for concern?

I plan on kegging this batch! I know this is a lot of newb questions, I really do appreciate any and all info! Happy brewing yall!

The DME will do nicely for your beer. It will be much better than using simple sugars.

I have never heard of dumping yeast in a boil for any reason. Maybe someone else has something to help you on that.

The Nottingham yeast was not too much yeast. You're fine on that.

I would not bother with a secondary at all for this batch. There isn't much point to it.

I would dry hop in the primary when the visible fermentation is nearly over and give it 5-7 days like that. Put them in a hop ball and drop them right in or put them in a muslin bag with a couple sterilized marbles to weigh it down.

Hope this helps.

TacomaHomeBrew said:

First off, I would like to thank all of you. I have asked a few questions on here and have had prompt responses. I love the community of homebrewers! I am still very new, and this Coopers lager is only my second batch.

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Cheers, and welcome to a great site! I love this place too!

TacomaHomeBrew said:

Were those modifications that were given to me correct?

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I don't see any real problems.

TacomaHomeBrew said:

Will the coopers yeast added to the boil effect the flavor?

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. Not likely.

TacomaHomeBrew said:

I noticed the Nottingham was 11g which was more than what coopers provided, is that too much yeast? Local Brew shop recommended it.

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Dependsmon the batch size. 5-6 gallons would be just about perfect.

TacomaHomeBrew said:

How long should I leave this in primary, I plan on transferring to a carboy which I have never done. I do plan on adding some more cascade pellets in the carboy, is this recommended?

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.
Technically, you don't need to transfer it, although some folks do like to do so in order to dry hop as you are planning with the additional Cascade pellets. If you DO decide to transfer, wait at least until your hydrometer readings are steady for three days in a row to make sure your fermentation is complete.

TacomaHomeBrew said:

How long should I leave this in the secondary? As a note the temp where I am brewing ranges from 64-73 degrees F.

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.
In general, you'll get your best beer if it sits in the fermenter(s) for at least three weeks altogether. Add the dry hop Cascade pellets around 5-7 days before you keg the beer. Alternately (or additionally, if you're a real hop head), some folks like to dry hop in the keg. You can find many posts on that with a quick search here.

My only concern is the temp range. You want the fermentation temp (which is usually several degrees above ambient) to stay below 70 for certain to avoid off flavors. Temp control and pitching healthy, correct-sized yeast batches are the foundations of great beer!

TacomaHomeBrew said:

Also I noticed there seems to already be a decent amount of what looks like trub, is this a cause for concern?

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That's a cause for rejoicing! Notty is a BEAST in my experience, and sometimes ferments my beer to FG in 3 days

TacomaHomeBrew said:

I plan on kegging this batch! I know this is a lot of newb questions, I really do appreciate any and all info! Happy brewing yall!

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Brew strong, and report back on your results and thoughts... We learn a lot from empirical research!

ronclark said:

I have never heard of dumping yeast in a boil for any reason. Maybe someone else has something to help you on that.
.

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Dumping yeast into the boil makes nutrients for the real yeast to use later when fermenting.

boo boo said:

Dumping yeast into the boil makes nutrients for the real yeast to use later when fermenting.

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Oh. Thanks for the pointer. I've just used a little Fermax when needed. I guess this gives me a good use for the discarded yeast packets I've been collecting in the kitchen.

Wow, thanks guys. So let me ask this, why not recommend the carboy? I was told it was a great way to clean your beer up a bit and a preferred way to dry hop? I am not opposed to taking this extra step, is it unnecessary? Does it not help in the end with sediment? I was concerned about the trub since it looks like so much if it is at the bottom so soon. When can I expect to see some action? It looks as if it is just chillin with a bunch of trub at the bottom. As a note, it has only been about 8.5 hours, also, I am using one of the newer coopers fermentors, the one without a airlock. Thanks again for the great, thorough, fast responses! Yall are awesome!

Now, you'll get the big debate on secondary fermentation. Some say only to do it when adding fruit or doing extended fermentation periods. Some do secondaries to dry hop. Others do it every time.

Personally, I'm a bit lazy I guess. I have only used secondary fermentation for fruit additions and for mead (lengthy fermentation periods).

I have dry hopped and added cocoa nibs directly to the primary.

That's just me.

Like I said, this is going to change from person to person.

TacomaHomeBrew said:

Wow, thanks guys. So let me ask this, why not recommend the carboy? I was told it was a great way to clean your beer up a bit and a preferred way to dry hop? I am not opposed to taking this extra step, is it unnecessary? Does it not help in the end with sediment? I was concerned about the trub since it looks like so much if it is at the bottom so soon. When can I expect to see some action? It looks as if it is just chillin with a bunch of trub at the bottom. As a note, it has only been about 8.5 hours, also, I am using one of the newer coopers fermentors, the one without a airlock. Thanks again for the great, thorough, fast responses! Yall are awesome!

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Carboys are not THE prefered way to dry hop anymore. More of a preference by a few,since most dry hop in primary when FG is reached. It'll be just as hoppy,& just as clear. Save yourself another mess & more fussing. Most of us just don't think a secondary is needed anymore unless racking onto something or aging. Just let it ferment down to a stable FG,however long that takes. Then give it an additional 3-7 days to settle out clear or slightly misty.

unionrdr said:

Carboys are not THE prefered way to dry hop anymore. More of a preference by a few,since most dry hop in primary when FG is reached. It'll be just as hoppy,& just as clear. Save yourself another mess & more fussing. Most of us just don't think a secondary is needed anymore unless racking onto something or aging. Just let it ferment down to a stable FG,however long that takes. Then give it an additional 3-7 days to settle out clear or slightly misty.

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I guess I would just be concerned about a ton of sediment after all that. Also, when should I expect to see some action. It hasn't even been 24hrs. But it looks like a lot of trub at the bottom and no action. Am I just paranoid? Thanks.

unionrdr said:

What temp did you pitch the yeast at? Since it's been less than a day,& you likely pitched it dry,I wouldn't worry too much.

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23-24 c.

unionrdr said:

24C is 75.2F,so that's a tad warm. It should've at least pegged the airlock center piece against the cap by now at that temp. I usually get that before any bubbling. Almost sounds like something else is at work here...

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The newer cooper fermenters don't use airlock. The temp was within the recommended range of the kit.

unionrdr said:

All the cooper's instructions say that,& they're not for a specific kit. They're generic to the series the can is from. The cooper's ale yeast,as I've seen works from about 60.8F (16C) slowly,up to 69F for best results. It's def a little sluggish at 16C though. So I'd say to go no lower than 62F.
And yeah,forgot about the DIY FV for a minute. But that would tend to make one wonder. No krausen yet? Is the wort swirling up & down at all? They do that while they're fermenting.

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I'm not next to it at the moment. So are you suggesting that I killed the yeast? If so, how can I salvage it?

unionrdr said:

The only way you'd have killed it is if you pitched at like 120F. Too cold,like 55F or so,it goes dormant & sinks to the bottom ime. But notty yeast is pretty good. I'm starting to wonder if the yeast was old & not stored properly befor you got it? I know they say it can take up to 72 hours to start visibly fermenting,but I've never had one take that long. Let alone those 11g-15g packets. It's usually good even pitched dry. Do you have the packet yet? Take a look at it next chance you get.

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I'll update u when I get home. Thanks for the help.

unionrdr said:

Yeah,let me know. I'll help as much as I can. It's just odd for notty to do that.

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Here are the pics. It has only been about 19 hrs. Is that too much on the bottom?

You're fine. That's not unusual at all.

ronclark said:

You're fine. That's not unusual at all.

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It's been about 22 hrs since i started and no action, is that normal? Thanks, paranoid first timer

Do you see a small, very thin layer of foam on your wort?

I wouldn't be worried.

HopHeadGrady said:

Do you see a small, very thin layer of foam on your wort?

I wouldn't be worried.

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Yes, but it doesn't cover the whole surface.

Here's a bad pic of it. I don't want to open it.

Looks a little more foamy at the top but I don't see any movement. I heard it may take a couple days for action. Trying to think positive.

unionrdr said:

Looks a lot like my 1st one with the cooper's OS lager. Pitched the yeast dry,very little foam,& not one bubble. But the cooper's micro brew FV held co2 pressure nicely,so it stayed safe. It looks fine,no worries,m8.

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I guess I expected to see some action like other brews, you could see the yeast movin around,not yet with this one.

unionrdr said:

Pitching the cooper's 7g ale yeast packet dry can do that. I re-hydrate all my dry yeast now. Def more vigorous initial fermentation.

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I used Nottingham 11g. What do you think about the hydrated yeast they sell in the shop.

Ok, it has almost been 40 hrs and it pretty much looks the same. 2 questions for you guys, should I check the gravity again at some point in order to see if it is actually eatin up the sugar, if so, when should I check it? If the gravity continually changes like it should, does it matter what it looks like or does the gravity reading trump what I see? I just cant explain why there is so much sediment at the bottom already, although this is only my second batch so I have no experience. Thanks for the help guys!

As for Notty yeast...
Last two batches I have done I used Notty yeast. Yesterday afternoon I brewed a wheat beer. I pitched the Notty Munich Wheat yeast at 4:45PM and at 6:30AM this morning the airlock was bubbling like mad. I made a starter as per the pack instructions, pitched it at 27C into a 23C wort.


I would take an gravity sample at your earliest convenience and see if the gravity is dropping. I would expect to see more activity than that given my limited experience. Ive done about 10 batches now and every time, by 40 hours I would have a nice fluffy layer of krausen with brown specks on it etc.

**Update** it's lookin good now. A lot of action, and nice 1 1/2 inch of foam on top! Thanks guys for the help and support.

Did you per chance boil the Coopers can of stuff?

Just looks dark for coopers lager. I boiled a Coopers Real Ale for about 2 minutes and ended up with a brown ale. Still tastes fine, just looked like stout in the FV, dark brown in bottles, but it's slowly lightening up to a deep golden amber after a few weeks.

venquessa said:

Did you per chance boil the Coopers can of stuff?

Just looks dark for coopers lager. I boiled a Coopers Real Ale for about 2 minutes and ended up with a brown ale. Still tastes fine, just looked like stout in the FV, dark brown in bottles, but it's slowly lightening up to a deep golden amber after a few weeks.

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No boil with the can. I did do a hop tea and added light dme so that might contribute to the color. Also, the yeast is swimming around like crazy so that may have something to do with it.