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Sadly it's cheaper and more convenient to get common stuff like airlocks, taps and grommets from the local Kmart than a LHBS, substantially so. :( I believe in supporting the LHBS but when grommets are a buck 50 at Kmart which is walking distance from my house, or $4 at the LHBS which is across town... I try and buy kits at the LHBS though, they're not much more expensive than the supermarket and have a much wider range, plus all the other goodies! :)
 
Follow-up:
I'm really enjoying the Coopers product line. Much more to try but I have liked everything I've bottled so far! (ok, so only 2 so far but I'm 2 for 2! :) )
I avoid boiling the 'hopped liquid extracts' and choose to add after 'flameout'.
I do boil the other fermentables though but as good as the first batch came out (without boiling) I'm not too worried. Fullness, aroma, mouthfeel taste and aftertastes are all very nice and my only complaint is that I didn't trust the kit by itself and added a (too much) dry hop step. The only reason it's a complaint is I can't accurately critique the (stock) kit since I altered it. I went with my personal likes and made the hops jump right on top of the flavor pallette. My first batch is almost half gone and I am trying to hold onto some to bring over to Houston for my son's 21st Bday. We'll see how many make it ;)
 
I like glass myself. I go to the bottle recycling place in the city here they always hang onto all the grolsch bottles rather than recycle them because they are unique and they know people want them.
they are about $0.40 each and no capping. :) I got about 70 bottles (they are 475ml each) for about $27.
Grolsch bottles, for those who don't know, have the metal wire thingy on the top with a hard plastic stopeer and a rubber bung.... you pull it up on top then snap the wire down for a tight fit. very easy.
you can buy replacement rubber bungs for when they get old and dried out.

evolution_800.jpg
 
Nice find!
Not sure what this has to do with Coopers Kits (other than the old PET/Plastic vs. Glass)
 
Hi All,
Wanted to get in on this forum,seeing as it is a Coopers theme.

I am in Australia, and bought my first Coopers home brew kit. As I am a pale ale drinker, I bought that and the Enhancer 2 sugar, for my first brew. (I'll do the larger one next and give it to my friends).

The only issues I had was with the o-ring not sealing properly. Although the beer fermented well, well I am supposing it did, going from OG of 1042 to FG of 1008 in 4 days, the air lock did not bubble once. I am going to look for some vasoline to put on the seal for batch #2. I could tell that this must have been where the air leaked from because putting my nose right under the lid I could smell it.

Using the pet bottles, and will see how it pans out, although I really do enjoy drinking out of the stubby glass bottles.

Cheers
Dean
 
Hi All,
Wanted to get in on this forum,seeing as it is a Coopers theme.

I am in Australia, and bought my first Coopers home brew kit. As I am a pale ale drinker, I bought that and the Enhancer 2 sugar, for my first brew. (I'll do the larger one next and give it to my friends).

The only issues I had was with the o-ring not sealing properly. Although the beer fermented well, well I am supposing it did, going from OG of 1042 to FG of 1008 in 4 days, the air lock did not bubble once. I am going to look for some vasoline to put on the seal for batch #2. I could tell that this must have been where the air leaked from because putting my nose right under the lid I could smell it.

Using the pet bottles, and will see how it pans out, although I really do enjoy drinking out of the stubby glass bottles.

Cheers
Dean


Coopers Pale Ale kit...I was disappointed in that one. When it was fermenting the house was filled with a fantastic aroma. Even my wife loved it. But when it came to actually drinking it the Coopers Pale Ale was missing something. I never could put my finger on what was missing. It was acceptable to me but sadly none of my friends or family liked it at all.

With regards to the o-ring not sealing... Honestly you do not need a perfect seal. If you skip the lid on your fermenter and just laid a piece of plywood on top the beer would still ferment well. The main reason why we 'try' to get a good seal with our fermenters is to reduce the risk of contamination. And to be blunt...while contamination does happen from time to time a perfectly sealed or unsealed fermenter lid rarely ever has anything to do with it. The lid is there to keep larger particles from getting in. Considering beer has been brewed for thousands of years the need for the perfect seal is overblown IMO.

PET bottles... They've worked great for me so far. Though I have to say I did get some nasty blisters screwing the tops on 30 bottles last time I bottled with them. I do think I prefer normal 12oz glass bottles but I have no problem resorting to using the PET bottles when I'm out of glass ones.
 
I still don't understand why i t comes with a lager kit.
Most new homebrewrs dont already have a separate refrigerator dedicated to lagering.
 
I still don't understand why i t comes with a lager kit.
Most new homebrewrs dont already have a separate refrigerator dedicated to lagering.

I believe the Coopers Lager kit comes with an Ale yeast. Which means that if you use what the kit gives you you're not going to end up with a true lager and can just ferment at normal Ale temps. In addition, Coopers kit instructions tend to recommend fermenting temps that are even higher than standard ale temps. Silly Aussies.
 
The COOPERS LAGER kit is great for experimenting with. I just did the kit with the following:

In the 2 liters of boiled water that you start with, steep 2 0z. CRYSTAL 15L and 4 oz. of MUNICH grain in a bag for 15 min. Return to boil and then proceed as per instructions.

Could the word 'delicious' be used when describing the taste of beer?
 
Hi All,
I am going to look for some vasoline to put on the seal for batch #2. I could tell that this must have been where the air leaked from because putting my nose right under the lid I could smell it.

DON'T DO IT! IT'S A TRAP! Seriously, I had the same problem and bought some food-grade lubricant and put it on the o-ring. Three weeks later, I bottled and then went to take the lid off to clean the fermenter...The lubricant had turned into cement and the lid would not come off. I had to throw away the fermenter. And like others have said, getting a perfect seal is not a huge deal. Now I don't sweat things like that.
 
I would seriously use those Coopers fermenters as my primaries if I could find some! Those are frickin' nice looking vessels!! I am stuck with ghetto food grade plastic pails with lids.

Just an FYI, you can purchase just the fermenter, instead of the whole kit.

I bought three of their 7 gallon fermentation buckets several years ago for $25 a piece. Just call them and ask to order the fermenter + tap kit (spigot & airlock). I highly recommend 'em... :)

Fermenter.jpg
 
I have 2 of the COOPERS fermenters. Make yourself a strap wrench to crank-off the lid. I use a popsicle stick to dig out the lid gasket and clean everything with a toothbrush. Squeeze out and soak that spongy gasket it StarSan.

Check out this 60 liter fermenter:

fermenters
 
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