Another Cooper's DIY Home Brew Kit Guy

[zappadragon]

OK so I am new to home brewing and new to the forums. I just ordered the newer Coopers DIY Home Brew kit and it should be here Friday. I am trying to read and learn as much as I can before I start my first batch. I plan to start Monday night if all goes well and I wanted to run my plans by you guys to see what you think.

I will follow the instructions and sanitize everything first. Then I will use all spring water and the lager kit that came with it. I am pretty sure I can do all of that with no real trouble. My main questions are about timing. I plan to leave the wort in the primary fermenter for two weeks, then using 2 of the carbonation drops per bottle, bottle the batch and let it sit for another two weeks. After that I will move it to my fridge and let it sit for another two weeks.

Does this sound like a good plan or maybe over kill. I want to let it age properly and do its thing. Does anyone else that uses Coopers kits have any suggestions?

Thanks and

 

[jbsg02]

I think the lager kit comes with a mix between a lager and an ale yeast. If that's the case I would try to ferment around 55 degrees and ramp up at the end of fermentation to 60-65. This is hard to do without a dedicated fermentation chamber. If you can't do that, I would ferment it as cool as you can get it. Place the bucket in a tub with ice water and keep icing it down. You can also put a tshirt over the carboy and let the water wick up it, then point a fan at it and this will help keep it cool.

 

[unionrdr]

My OS lager kit they gave me with mine was done & clearing in 12 days flat. But that was mid-winter,& heaters are easier to keep temps than A/C in my conditions. Ime,it can take up to 3 weeks to reach FG. But however long it takes to get there,give it 5-7 days to clean up it's by products,& settle out/clear up more. Then use the cooper's carb drops,two per 750ml bottle. Use the bottling wand provided ,inserting it into the spigot,& fill bottle to the top. Gently pull straight down to remove wand. The pin valve will shut off the flow when you lower the bottle the first inch or so.
After the wand is removed,you have the perfect amount of head space. And conditioning time is 3 weeks at 70F minimum to properly age/carbonate. Then chill in the fridge for a few days until chill haze settles.
*PS* The OS lager can comes with the gold ale yeast sachet,not like the Heritage lager,which uses the mixture of ale/lager yeast. 68-72F is the best temp for the cooper's ale yeast. So what you're going to wind up with is more of a pale ale. Good though. Just needs some hops,imo...

 

[BeerEagle]

See the other thread you posted Zappa, the Coopers yeast hybrid/mix needs higher temps as it says on the instruction sheet that came with your kit.

 

[unionrdr]

According to the cooper's site,the heritage lager temps should start at 22-24C,then drop to 13C over the next day or so.
The cooper's OS lager,using ale yeast,is best brewed at 68-72F (18C-24C). I brew the OS lager,with other additions,at 69-72F. Works quite well. But the heritage lager & OS lager are different.

 

[McGarnigle]

I would say don't assume two weeks for carbonating at room temperature. It may be more like three weeks, but you can't tell. You can sample your first bottle after two weeks (throw it in the fridge the night before), but definitely don't assume they'll all carbonate to any particular schedule.

 

[unionrdr]

Especially with the cooper's carbonation drops. They def take 3-4 weeks before they're job is done enough to drink. Since I went to bulk priming,it carbs up faster. So far,anyway. My APA was carbonated & good tasting in 11 days flat. Your results may vary.

 

[tomheff]

Especially with the cooper's carbonation drops. They def take 3-4 weeks before they're job is done enough to drink. Since I went to bulk priming,it carbs up faster. So far,anyway. My APA was carbonated & good tasting in 11 days flat. Your results may vary.

My last DIY brew (the one that comes with the kit), the carb drops took only a couple of days to work. It's been 2 weeks now and the head has those real soft bubbles now. I dry hopped with an oz. of Saaz for 5 days. It turned out real nice. Much better than I expected. I can see making that beer over and over again.

 

[unionrdr]

You know Tom,I was trying to make up my mind on what hops to add to the "kit" I got with my micro brew kit. Since the OS lager comes with ale yeast,it brews up as a pale ale. Mine came out a lot like Sam Adam's Summer Ale,minus the hops.
Floral,lightly spicy hops were my first thought. Maybe Willamette & Czech Saaz? That might get it close,or even better hop-wise. What do you think?

 

[tomheff]

You know Tom,I was trying to make up my mind on what hops to add to the "kit" I got with my micro brew kit. Since the OS lager comes with ale yeast,it brews up as a pale ale. Mine came out a lot like Sam Adam's Summer Ale,minus the hops.
Floral,lightly spicy hops were my first thought. Maybe Willamette & Czech Saaz? That might get it close,or even better hop-wise. What do you think?

I prefer the Saaz over the Willamette with that beer. It is proving to be a great summer session beer (aka lawnmower lager). I don't know what hops Sam Adams uses. Willamette tastes earthy to me -- perfect for English ales. Are you thinking of using both?

It's up to your palate!