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I usually blast away until the foam hits the rim of the fermenter. That usually takes about a minute. LOL!!

LOL! Yeah, I think you're right. We were talking about Dry Malt Extract. I can see that extract and all-grain brewers have slightly different terminologies. No harm, no foul.

Sounds like you did it right! As I recall, the instructions call for dumping the malt and dextrose into the fermenter and then pouring your boiling water in on top of them and then swirling the hell out of your fermenter until they're thoroughly mixed. Then you "top off" with cool water.

Interesting. I'll have to research that one a little. I just made a Belgian Strong Ale about a month ago and the recipe called for the DME to be added to the final 15 minutes of the boil. This was a Northern Brewer kit.

Just out of curiosity.....how does boiling malt make for an "astringent" beer? Every beer kit and recipe I've ever made called for boiling the DME for at least 15 minutes. Sometimes a half hour to 45 minutes.

I've used bleach for years and it works gangbusters. I just blast everything with hot water afterwards and everything comes out nice and sanitized. No bleach or "band-aid" tastes whatsoever.

I brewed that kit a couple of years ago and did the same thing. Dumped everything in....and it came out great. Relax. It's really hard to screw up a Coopers beer kit. LOL!!!

Well I am a very experienced brewer (right at 40 batches to date) but I've used bleach from day one. Never a batch lost to infection and never a "band-aid" taste in any of my beers. Nothing but praises from family and friends. Forty and fifty years ago doctors were swearing up and down that...

Ahhhh......this is where the "subjectivity of taste" comes into play. Try it for yourelf and you tell us! Your decision won't be right or wrong. It'll just be your taste preference. This is one of the areas wherein I get a little aggravated. Brewers, wine and mead makers telling others...

BTW, Arundel.....I'm originally from Lake Charles. Been out here in CA for about ten years now. I've been talking to my family back down there and they've been telling me about all the snow they've been getting. LOL!

Yep....too cold. As a veteran of Coopers beers I can tell you that the ale yeast that they provide with their kits like lots of warmth. Nothing under 70F and even as high as 80F. Get your bottles somewhere a little warmer or leave them there but give them a couple of more weeks.

You're absolutely right. And bleach is even cheaper and just as easy to use AND kills more bacteria effectively than Star-San. I was only trying to illustrate my point that infections are rare and are usually caused by sloppy brewing practices. Although I have brewed many batches with only...

Go ahead and get it started. Your primary is going to last anywhere from 10 to 21 days anyhow. In that amount of time you can get to your LHBS and pick up another bucket or get one via mail order. Primary in your Coopers bucket....rack to your new bucket that you buy.....and then rack back...

The lager that comes with the initial Coopers kit doesn't use lager yeast. It's an ale yeast. I know....why do they call it a lager, right? Beats me.

Oh and BTW..... Don't add sugar and stir. You'll stir up the yeast cake on the bottom and funk up your beer! That's one of the things you're waiting for during fermentation. All that crap to settle to the bottom of the bucket. Also, don't move your fermenter around too much after the...

Your wife has a really good eye because IMHO, that Coopers kit is an excellent starter. That fermenter they make is the best (plastic) I've ever seen. I too got my start with a Coopers kit. You're probably right about low temps ruining your first batch. Coopers extracts and ale yeast...

Well, I'll tell you from experience that unscented bleach when thoroughly rinsed with hot water has no smell at all. In fact, my bleach soaked fermenters always smell of the last batch of beer. But.....if you have a problem with bleach you can try this method....... Don't use any sanitizer...

You shouldn't use one-step sanitizer because good ole' unscented Clorox is better and cheaper. My wife is the custodial supervisor for a major tourist city and she will gladly tell anyone that nothing.....NOTHING.....kills germs, viruses and bacteria like chlorine bleach. That is a scientific...

I've read one of them and I'm sure the other is a fine book but I would vote for reading neither. The basic information that you need to brew decent beer can be found right here on this forum, at any of hundreds of other websites and (quite often) on the back of the extract can! Having been a...

Going by my experiences with Coopers.....I'd say you'll finish out between 1010 and 1006. Approximately a 5% ABV. Trust me; When brewing Coopers kits, add two cups of cane sugar to your boil. It kicks the ABV up quite a bit and adds a nice crisp finish to the final product.