Cooper Canadian Blonde hopped up 11/27

[Psylocide]

Ok... noob here, planning my brew day for tomorrow. I'm playing with free ingredients here so basically I have a can of Cooper's Canadian Blonde that I'm going to brew in a completely different way.

5 gallon batch
1 can Cooper's Canadian Blonde
3# light dme
1 lb corn sugar
250g maltodextrine
Start 20 min boil
.5 oz Centennial @ 20
1 oz Citra @ 15
.5 oz Centennial @ 10
.5 oz Cascade @ 5
1 oz Cascade @ flameout
SA-04 dry pitch

I'm looking for a citrusy/flowery aroma and some bitterness in the first taste but more of a crisp hoppy finish with a good aroma than anything else.

So... that's the plan. Any input is appreciated.

 

[SmokeyMcBong]

You probably already know but don't boil the can of coopers syrup. Its a "no boil kit". Just boil the DME and sugars [and hops] then add them to the coopers syrup in your fermenter and top off with cold water.

 

[Psylocide]

Yeah that was the plan. I'll pour the can in the wort when it's done.

 

[unionrdr]

Use the DME in the boil for the hop additions. Then add the sugar, maltodextrin & Cooper's can at flame out to keep the color light & the flavors cleaner. Since the wort's still boiling hot & pasteurization happens in seconds @ 160F, Bob's your uncle.

 

[Psylocide]

Thanks

Use the DME in the boil for the hop additions. Then add the sugar, maltodextrin & Cooper's can at flame out to keep the color light & the flavors cleaner. Since the wort's still boiling hot & pasteurization happens in seconds @ 160F, Bob's your uncle.

Thanks for the tip.

How about the hop schedule? Will this produce what I'm looking for? Just want thatt good flavor with a hint of bitterness and good aroma in the flowery/citrusy Dept.

 

[unionrdr]

Hop additions of 5 minutes or less are for aroma. About 25 downto around 8 minutes left in the boil are flavor. You might get a little bitterness, but those additions won't give much of that. You'd have to boil about half ounce for at least 45 minutes to increase the bittering. But the bittering brewed into the Cooper's can will be OK in this recipe timing.

 

[Psylocide]

Hop additions of 5 minutes or less are for aroma. About 25 downto around 8 minutes left in the boil are flavor. You might get a little bitterness, but those additions won't give much of that. You'd have to boil about half ounce for at least 45 minutes to increase the bittering. But the bittering brewed into the Cooper's can will be OK in this recipe timing.

Cool thanks. Oh... I think I should add Irish moss as well, as I'll just be doing a primary and straight to bottles. Or isthat not needed here?

 

[unionrdr]

Nah, Irish moss or Whirlfloc is good near the end of the boil. See manufacture's suggestions for how much & when to add it. It helps settle out some of the proteins to make a clearer beer later. And let the beer settle out clear or slightly misty in primary before bottling. A bottling bucket comes in jandy here, unless you're using one of the Cooper's FV's.

 

[Psylocide]

Nah, Irish moss or Whirlfloc is good near the end of the boil. See manufacture's suggestions for how much & when to add it. It helps settle out some of the proteins to make a clearer beer later. And let the beer settle out clear or slightly misty in primary before bottling. A bottling bucket comes in jandy here, unless you're using one of the Cooper's FV's.

Well I want a clear beer but if it'll clear up well enough on its own I won't sweat it. I actually have pretty decent equipment. I'll transfer to an ale pail for bottling. This will ferment in my 5 gal carboy as ive got 5 gallons of Irish stout in my 7 gal.

 

[unionrdr]

That S-04 yeast will work like a beast & it settles out nice & clear for me rehydrated.

 

[Psylocide]

That S-04 yeast will work like a beast & it settles out nice & clear for me rehydrated.

Good deal... thanks for the pointers. I used S04 in my stout last Sunday and its still going crazy in there. This stuff is just plain old fun. Have a good one.

 

[unionrdr]

Trying to. Got the stuffed huge turkey in the oven, pies done,etc. Can't wait for beer & turkey! Hope you're having some HB's too!

 

[Psylocide]

Trying to. Got the stuffed huge turkey in the oven, pies done,etc. Can't wait for beer & turkey! Hope you're having some HB's too!

Got two left from the neighbor down the street... but I've got a date with a 4 pack of Ivan the Terrible. Enjoy your holiday.

Pics of my results of this recipe in the fermenter will come tomorrow.

 

[unionrdr]

Dito man. Gotta get pics later for tomorrow...

 

[Psylocide]

Well... brewed yesterday and it was a great day for it. Did change up the hop schedule slightly and the smell coming out of the blowoff tube is out of this world hoppy. The only thing that is concerning is how dark the wort is... doesn't look like any Blonde I know.

 

[unionrdr]

The large volume of wort always looks darker in the FV. When it's all said & done, it'll look lighter in the glass due to the smaller volume.

 

[Psylocide]

The large volume of wort always looks darker in the FV. When it's all said & done, it'll look lighter in the glass due to the smaller volume.

Color looked a little better in the hydrometer beaker... hope it clears up a bit. OG came in at 1045 which is a little higher than the average that was stated on the can but not by much. I would've thought it would be a little higher. But my reading could have been off. But my God...I wish I could bottle that smell.

 

[unionrdr]

Give it 3-7 days after a stable FG is reached & it should settle out clear or slightly misty. S-04 works great for me.

 

[Psylocide]

Figured I'd post the hop schedule I ended up doing on this:

.5 oz Centennial @ 20 min
1 oz Citra @ 15
.5 oz Centennial @ 10
.5 oz Cascade @ 5
.5 oz Cascade @ flameout

Smells great and the flavor is there... excited to see what comes out after the magic is done.

 

[unionrdr]

Looks OK to me. Should smell nice as well.

 

[Psylocide]

Looks OK to me. Should smell nice as well.

Yeah... I just want to sit down there with the blowoff tube up my nose all day. Just hope the final product isn't too overpowering for the mild bitterness of the Cooper can extract since I didn't add any bittering. Does any bitterness at all come through the hops at these late additions? I don't know if it's minimal or just none at all.

 

[unionrdr]

Very minimal @ 20 minutes. Virtually nothing lower than that in regard to bittering.

 

[Psylocide]

Very minimal @ 20 minutes. Virtually nothing lower than that in regard to bittering.

That's kind of what I thought... just hope I didn't overdo it with the fruitiness but we'll see.

 

[Psylocide]

Sorry for the double post, but given the hop additions that I've done for flavor/aroma... should I dry hop this as well for more aroma? Should I just use my nose to judge? I don't want it to be unbalanced, but I'm not 100% sure what to expect from this either.

I assume it's going to come across as more of an APA style beer, but really have no idea at this point.

 

[unionrdr]

The 5 minute & flame out additions will give aroma. Not as much as dry hopping, but that's up to you.

 

[Psylocide]

The 5 minute & flame out additions will give aroma. Not as much as dry hopping, but that's up to you.

I guess the real question is, will it seem like it's missing something if I don't?

I put 3 oz of hops in during that 20 mins... I feel like that should be good, but the smell coming out of the airlock has definitely mellowed out quite a bit. Just conflicted I guess...

 

[unionrdr]

The 20 minute addition would be for flavor. The 5 minute & flame out additions will give a little aroma. Dry hopping gives a lot more aroma.

 

[Psylocide]

The 20 minute addition would be for flavor. The 5 minute & flame out additions will give a little aroma. Dry hopping gives a lot more aroma.

Yeah... I understand the addition/timing, but my inexperience with brewing is what is tripping me up.

Would it be a good gauge if, when I take my next SG reading, smell and toss the beaker back to see where I stand? I know the flavor won't be right on, but would that give me a good starting point?

Or do I just say eff it, forget about dry hopping on this go around and just let 'er ride?

I guess what I don't want is a beer that doesn't feel balanced in taste/aroma, but again, I have nothing by which to gauge this (other than the fact that I drink a lot of "craft" beers). It's really an experiment at this point.

 

[unionrdr]

Smell the sample, then taste it. It'll give you some idea of the finished product, but the carbonation will lift more out of the beer to smell & taste.

 

[Psylocide]

Ok I figured... I'm.freaking out a little though because my Stout is scaring me.

I knew my anxiety was too bad to start this hobby off Lol.