The Only Trouble with Coopers Beer Kits

[Bacchus]

I got my start with a Coopers homebrewery kit and cut my teeth on their ingredients packages. I really enjoyed them whenever I made them but I eventually moved up to buying the kits made by Williams and Northern Brewer. A couple of weeks ago, I suppose for reasons of nostalgia, I decided to make a Coopers kit. Big mistake. Using just the recommended Canadian Blonde package, I wound up with a weak, watery 3.2% ABV soda pop. Once you've moved up to more substantial beer kits, the Coopers just doesn't quite measure up. I realize now that to make a Coopers beer that is the equivalent of the better kits, you really need to buy two of the LME cans. Or you can just load a one can batch up with lots of adjuncts which would give you the ABV but you'ld still lack body and flavor. So if any of you experienced brewers ever decide to try a Coopers kit, I highly recommend that you double what you order. But then you're paying more than you would for a good WB or NB kit! Kind of a catch 22.

 

[tom777]

One of my first beers was the Coopers Australian Pale Ale canned kit. In spite of making it with only adding corn sugar, this kit turned out great.

More recently:
Coopers European Lager kit
+ 3.3# Munich LME
+ 1/2oz Hallertau Hops
+ S-04 dry yeast
= another great beer

You are right though, this kinda puts you in the same price range as the more advanced kits.

 

[Nurmey]

In the past I have picked up a couple canned kits in the half off cart at my LHBS just for the fun of it. It was kind of cool to see how adding leftover grains and hops I have at home could improve them. They came out just okay but I had a lot of fun experimenting.

 

[jcgifford]

I got the Cooper's Kit for Christmas and made the lager(really an ale) that came with the kit. It was cool making my first batch, but the end product was disappointing. It tasted like what I imagine the offspring of Corona and Foster's would taste like. Not coincidentally those are 2 of my least favorite mass produced beers. Despite that, I drank them all just to see how taste improves with age.

Just put a Saison from Nothern Brewer in the fermenter on Sunday, and it was bubbling away this morning. The brew process was so different, and much more enjoyable, than the Cooper's process. Can't wait to see the end result. I debated on bumping the ABV up a little with some honey, but figured my second batch was not the time to start experimenting.

Ordered a Kolsh for my next batch. Hoping it will be ready to drink in time for our beach trip in June.

 

[jturie]

I too started up (after a 20 year hiatus) with the Coopers Microbrewery kit. I thought that my first batch (the "Lager") was pretty good at the time. In hindsight, it really was not that good compared to my NB and Midwest kits that I'm doing now. In fact, the only Coopers kit that turned out great was their premium stout, and I deviated from their kit and used 3 lb of light DME.

Using liquid yeast instead of the Cooper's dry has also vastly improved my beer. Moving to kegging instead of those carb drops (which I never cared for) has also been a big improvement. Both beers in my current keg inventory are incredible, and the Honey Weizen I had (may it RIP) was out of this world.

No insult meant to Coopers--their easy kit got me back in the game, so I'll always appreciate that.

 

[Bacchus]

Just put a Saison from Nothern Brewer in the fermenter on Sunday, and it was bubbling away this morning. The brew process was so different, and much more enjoyable, than the Cooper's process. Can't wait to see the end result. I debated on bumping the ABV up a little with some honey, but figured my second batch was not the time to start experimenting.

Ordered a Kolsh for my next batch. Hoping it will be ready to drink in time for our beach trip in June.

That's funny and quite coincidental! My two previous batches (before the Coopers) were a Northern Brewer's Saison and Kolsch. LOL!!! Loved the Kolsch but the Saison had a really bitter bite to it. It probably would have been better with about another month of aging. Go slow with that one.

 

[jcgifford]

That's funny and quite coincidental! My two previous batches (before the Coopers) were a Northern Brewer's Saison and Kolsch. LOL!!! Loved the Kolsch but the Saison had a really bitter bite to it. It probably would have been better with about another month of aging. Go slow with that one.

Ha! I actually did the Petite Saison. I had already planned on bottle aging for about a month. Thanks for the info.

 

[tpitman]

I'm drinking a Smithwick's Red Ale as we speak. When I opened it, poured it, and took a whiff, I thought, "That's familiar." What it reminds me of is the Cooper's Dark Ale kit I started homebrewing with. Kind of makes me want to try one again, just for the hell of it.