3rd time's a charm - new guy questions

[brokendownyota]

Hey guys.

My browser ate the last 2 attempts at writing a post here, both of which were rather lengthy. Kindof sick of typing, so I'll just put the basics down.

Coopers kits - I've brewed 2 so far, and the OG on both was 1.035, even with the addition of DME, Brew Enhancer, and Dextrose. First finished at 1.012 (primed). What's the deal? Are these kits so low on fermentables that you need to jack them up to get more than 4% out of them? Finished kit was Canadian Blonde.

Adding of DME: Does it matter immensely when adding to an extract kit, which type you use? I added 500g of Gold Light Dry to the coopers premium pilsner that's currently bubbling away, along with 500g of dextrose. Should I have used something different, or is it just a minor flavour difference? I think the Coopers kit asked for Light Dry.

If I'm quickly making a beer for the fridge - what is going add the most value: An extra week in the primary, or an extra week bottled? IE if I were doing a 3-week brew to get something drinkable, is 2 weeks primary/1 week bottled going to be better than 1/2?

Thanks guys. I'd love to re-type my whole big long introduction, but I'm ready to stab this computer.

-Scott

 

[masterfool101]

Hi Scott,
First off, I'm not too familiar with Coopers Kits, so I can't answer your full questions as to how they're designed. That being said, there are a few reasons I can think of as to why the gravity is so low even after the added DME and Dextrose (which I understand you added in ADDITION to what was in the kit, right?)

1) Volume: What volume was the kit designed for, and is that the volume you made? If you made a gallon more, it will show in your gravity.

2) More Likely Scenario - poor stirring after adding top water: This is a problem lots of brewers have. When you add top water to a kit, to bring it up to the recommended volume, oftentimes people don't stir well enough to get the wort and water fully mixed. This will NOT affect the beer, as the yeast activity will mix everything over about a week, but it WILL affect your OG reading, which usually has more water, and less sugars, so it looks low, even when it's not.

Adding of DME: If you're looking to add DME simply to boost your gravity (i.e. add more alcohol to a beer), you'll want to add a type of DME similar to the style of beer that you're brewing. So if you're brewing a light colored beer, you'll want to add a lighter DME. Adding darker DME (let's say an amber DME) wouldn't be good if you're brewing a pale ale. Going the other way doesn't matter so much - adding light DME to a brown ale won't change the color or flavor profile too much. Adding the Light Dry to the Pilsner won't be too bad . .. but it would have been better to add a Pilsner DME if you could find one (Again, I'm not super familiar with Coopers brand . . . maybe Light Dry IS their Pilsner DME).

With the final point, I'm going to stress that I never try to make beer quickly. Patience, in this hobby, is more rewarding than anything else. I'm a 6-8 week beer guy: 3-4 in fermenter, 3-4 in the bottle. The key is to get a good "pipeline" of beers lined up, so you never run low

That being said, I'd take an extra week of bulk aging (in the fermenter on the yeast) over bottle conditioning any day, if my timeline was tight.

Good luck with your brewing, and come back and visit often

 

[brokendownyota]

Coopers kits are the 1.7kg can of LME.

Volume was 23L, as directed by the kit directions. When this next batch clears out, I'm going to physically pour in 23L and re-mark the line on my primary, as I'm pretty sure it was just marked with a measuring stick at the LHBS - It's possible that it's high/low.

I generally set the stove timer for 4 minutes and stir the crap out of the mixed wort to aerate and mix prior to pitching the yeast, so I didn't think that poor mixing would be the issue. It might just be a light beer.

Is there actually a pilsner DME? I didn't know that...I'll keep looking!

Is there a general rule for how much DME vs how much dextrose you should add to avoid going too boozy without extra flavour?

Thanks for the post!

-Scott

 

[masterfool101]

Could be that they're just incredibly light beers. How much DME and/or Dextrose come with the kits?

For 23L (about 6 US Gallons) I use closer 7.2 US Lb (3.3 KG) of LME - which would be 2 cans. But I don't generally use DME or dextrose at all. I DO steep specialty grains, for color and flavor, which adds SOME fermentables. For most of my ales, I'm shooting for 1.045 - 1.050 for the OG (I tend to make ambers or lighter browns in this range - obviously, if I'm making a bigger beer, I go for more fermentables)

The point is, if the dextrose and DME are enough to make up for the lost LME, you're fine. I've never used dextrose, so I'm not 100% on how it would be used along with DME or in which ratios to prevent flavor loss.

As for Pilsen DMEs, yes, they exist. Briess makes one. It can be purchased from Midwest Supplies (though I get the feeling you're not American, so maybe you should find a different source).

Are the coopers kits hopped extract? Or do you add your own hops?

 

[lumpher]

you're using 1 can. you need 2 of those. they don't tell you that, but i learned it early on thanks to the lhbs owner helping me out.