Coopers Pilsner special questions and modifications

[KellariKalja]

Hello brewers and beer lovers! Love this site.
First time poster here, so go easy...

Used to brew with my pops years ago in Berkeley, now I'm in Finland trying it by myself with a small budget and little supplies.
But I know its possible to make a great beer in this situation and somewhat of a challenge I suppose...

Here's my situation:

I started a Coopers Pilsener yesterday. Nothing fancy I know but I wanted to start easy. I used the Original recipe and added 500g of Spray malt (which clumped right away, great), and about 425g of dextrose. I underfilled to 20L and got the temp down right away to about 18.5-19 C. (water comes out ice cold here). Sprinkled the yeast that came with it on top and gave it a nice stir. Moved it to my basement which is cooler in temp ranging from 10-15 C, and didn't sleep a wink last night, excited as hell.

This afternoon (20h since) I checked on it and nothing seems to be happening. Probably normal and I'm just being impatient. I'll wait.

Questions:

Is this temp ok? I wish I could get it cooler but its not possible.
How long should I expect the primary fermentation to last at this temp?

I'm a big fan of czech pilsners and I also like to experiment.
What, if anything can I do to make this pils more czech (i've heard its more
of a german style becks or spaten)?
I know its late at this point of course but is there something I could do now to give it that great staropramen or urquell finish?
Also, is there anything I could add to make this simple beer a little bit more special? i.e. honey, berries, etc and how?


Many Many thanks to any and all that reply to this post!!


-BasementBrewer

 

[Yooper]

I'm not a fan of cooper's kits, but I know a bit about them.

I thought that their "lagers" often came with ale yeast. Do you have the package of yeast, or the wrapper, to see? Ale yeast will go dormant at 16C or so.

Lagers are fermented at 9-10C, usually. But I don't know if the Cooper's kits really come with a lager yeast- I don't think so. But if it IS really a lager yeast, it should get going in about 2-3 days. It's a small package of yeast, and not really enough for a 23L batch of beer but it will reproduce and eventually get started. If it's an ale yeast, it needs to be warmed up to at least 16C-20C.

I'd suggest that if you want to do a "real" Czech pilsner, stay away from the Cooper's pre-hopped kits. I don't know what you have available where you are, but I'd recommend some pilsner dry malt extract, Saaz hops, and liquid lager yeast. You can make a really nice pilsner that way.

 

[KellariKalja]

Thanks for the reply and info. I'll def be looking at some dry malt extract, saaz
hops and liquid lager yeast recipes in the future.

It was a lager yeast so it should be able to ferment at the lower temps I assume.
And it was a small packet, so maybe a good thing that I only filled to 20L.
Should I check the SG and see if its lower than the first reading or just let it
"chill" for a couple days longer?
And if the SG is the same as at the start, should I bring it upstairs to warm it
up for a couple days to get it going?
I read so many different opinions on letting it be in the cold or keeping it
in a warmer temp that I'm just plain confused....

 

[Yooper]

Thanks for the reply and info. I'll def be looking at some dry malt extract, saaz
hops and liquid lager yeast recipes in the future.

It was a lager yeast so it should be able to ferment at the lower temps I assume.
And it was a small packet, so maybe a good thing that I only filled to 20L.
Should I check the SG and see if its lower than the first reading or just let it
"chill" for a couple days longer?
And if the SG is the same as at the start, should I bring it upstairs to warm it
up for a couple days to get it going?
I read so many different opinions on letting it be in the cold or keeping it
in a warmer temp that I'm just plain confused....

Well, if it's a lager yeast, it's fine at 9-10C. I'd wait up to 72 hours before worrying (assuming it was a 5 or 6 gram package). Then, if you still don't see signs of fermentation, check the SG. If the SG is the same, you could either re-add yeast, or bring it upstairs until it's started.

 

[KellariKalja]

Nice, I'll try to be patient...it was a 7g packet.
If need be, is there a specific yeast I can add that might boost the flavor?
And any info on adding some fresh or frozen berries to the fermentation at some
point, just to give it something original?

Thanks

 

[Yooper]

Nice, I'll try to be patient...it was a 7g packet.
If need be, is there a specific yeast I can add that might boost the flavor?
And any info on adding some fresh or frozen berries to the fermentation at some
point, just to give it something original?

Thanks

A lager yeast is a very "clean" yeast, so that would be what you need if you need to repitch.

I'm not a fan of fruit beer, so I can't help with that! Sorry!

 

[unionrdr]

I looked on the cooper's site,& it says to pitch the yeast at 22-24C,then let it drop to as low as 13C over the next day or so.

 

[KellariKalja]

Thanks...Yeah, I read a bunch of threads talking about it and so many said that positive results came from letting it begin fermentation in cooler temps...

I pitched the yeast at about 18.5 or 19...then let it sit upstairs in my kitchen for about 2 hours (temp upstairs is about 21-23)...then i took it to the basement where its about 10-15 where its been sitting for about 24 h now...

I'm gonna wait it out and hope for the best...I'm patient but also impatient, want that fermentation to begin!!


I guess only time will tell?

 

[MazdaMatt]

Step one: don't do anything
Step two: check watch
Step three: if watch has not incremented by 72 hours since first check, go back to step 1.

I'm not a "big" fan of coopers kits, but they certainly make beer. You seem to have an interest in optimizing, which is good, but force yourself to be patient. Your temp is fine, your brew is fine. Don't even peak inside the lid for a week. No sniffing, no sampling. Just relax.

 

[KellariKalja]

Haha, well put.

I followed all the steps and the bubbling began of course

I'm going to hopefully leave it down in the basement for
2-3 weeks...lots of people have been saying that even after
the SG is the same over 2 days, they like to leave it for another
week or so, sometimes 2 weeks, to let it "clean up."


I'm getting ahead of myself, I know, but I got time and nothing but it sooo
about the next phase;

I was told that after bottling, I should leave them in a slightly warmer
climate (my apartment in this case) for about 3 days.
Then, I could move them down to the basement again until they are ready.

Can I lager them by skipping that 3 day step and putting them in the basement
right after bottling? or would it need to be colder than 12 C for lagering?

Or, is it necessary to have them in the warmer temp for a few days before
sending them down below...?

Last question is...what should I expect the beer to taste like after the SG is
the same after primary fermentation...i.e., good signs, bad signs, etc.?


Again, I appreciate all the replies, answers, and tips!!