First thread & lots of questions

[Walleyeye]

Greetings,

i’m a new brewer and am looking for a beer kit similar to Molson Canadian or Coors Banquet.

i’m looking at the Coopers Lager kit, Morgons or Brew Canada Lager.
1)Do you have any input about these?

2)I will be bottling in stubby bottles. How much sugar/dextrose should I bottle with to achieve proper carbonating?
What about Coopers carbonation drops? Is it cheaper to use dextrose/sugar?

3)The Coopers kits suggest adding their “Brew Enhancer 1 or 2” kit.
Whats does adding this do to?

4)Also I’ve read some say bottling right from the primary fermentor and others say trasferring to a secondary vessel will help clear the beer but will probably add oxygen so I’m conflicted as to what to do.

I’m just looking to find a kit that makes easy drinking beer with no bitter after taste. So the kits listed above would be my baseline.
Appreciate your help!

 

[prankster1590]

1) No clue about kits
2) In general about 1,6-1,7 gram of sugar per bottle
3) Probably somekind of yeast food/stimulator
4) The yeast will clear the beer if you give it some time. Otherwise add irish moss.

 

[RM-MN]

Many of the "lager" kits actually use an ale yeast, not a lager yeast because to get the good results from the lager yeast requires better control of the temperature during fermentation which most new brewers do not have.

To avoid the problem of how much sugar to put into each bottle, I'd recommend that you use a bottling bucket (that helps avoid some of the trub going into the bottles) and bulk priming. Make sure to stir the sugar in gently to get complete mixing without adding oxygen to the beer.

 

[Drewch]

1. No experience with any of those kits.
2. Brewer's Friend is your friend: Beer Priming Sugar Calculator | Brewer's Friend Most brewing software will do this calculation for you, too.
3. Cooper's Brew Enhancers appear to be combinations of Dry Malt Extract, dextrose, and maltodextrin in varying proportions. The first two are fermentable and the last is a non-fermentable sugar.
4. I've never bothered with transferring to secondary. I think it'd only be worth the effort if you wanted to do bulk aging, like for a mead.

 

[soccerdad]

Look up "Kit and Kilo" on you tube.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

What about Coopers carbonation drops? Is it cheaper to use dextrose/sugar?

They work. They are easier to use, but generally more expensive than sugar.

secondary vessel

Initially, you can simplify your brewing process by skipping transfers between containers. By eliminating the step, you eliminate the risk of contamination or oxidation that these steps can cause.

If you decide to bottle from the fermentation vessel, what techniques are you going to use to avoid clogging the transfer siphon/tube/etc with trub?

and FWIW, the risks of contamination and oxidation when transferring between contains have solutions (proper cleaning, proper purging with C02). There are some currently active topics with good conversation elsewhere if one feels they may have a reason to do a transfer.

help clear the beer

Troubleshooting cloudy / hazy beer is a reasonably well documented technique. For example, if your beer comes out cloudy due to chill haze, there are specific things you can do. The solutions proposed do not involve transferring to a different container.

For now, it may be better for the beer to avoid transfers between containers.

 

[Drewch]

[Cooper's Carb Drops] work. They are easier to use, but generally more expensive than sugar.

+1. Can't beat the convenience, but they're a bit more expensive than dextrose/sucrose. For me, right now, doing small batches (6-12 bottles), they aren't worth it. But for bigger bottle-conditioned batches, they could be. I've heard a number of people talk about using Domino Dots (sugar cubes, about 3.5g each), but they don't fit through the necks of the bottles I like.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

I've heard a number of people talk about using Domino Dots (sugar cubes, about 3.5g each), but they don't fit through the necks of the bottles I like.

IIRC, Dots used to come in two sizes and one needs the "smaller" (~ 2.3 g) size cube for the technique to work. There's a topic in another forum from around 2017 (link is in my notes) that covers the idea in detail. I may have some hobby time this evening to "bring it forward" in an appropriate fashion. See my follow-up reply for more information.

Mostly for current/future readers: Domino Dots for dosing individual bottles was discussed in "one gallon brewers unite" (start in the year 2018). Other techniques (sugar solution and eye dropper) are discussed as well.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

[Oct 2017] One Domino Dot sugar cube will give you about 2.4 volumes of CO2. You could use this carbonation calculator for one bottle.
Homebrew Priming Sugar Calculator

[Oct 2017] Be sure you get the "Dot". 198 cubes per pound. The larger standard cube will not fit the mouth of a standard bottle.

[Nov 2020] FWIW, the math eek for 12 oz bottles and 198 count Dots can be found here: Bottle primed with Domino Dots

 

[bwible]

This is too funny. I started brewing on Memorial Day, 1997. For my first batch I decided I wanted to brew Molson Golden, which was my favorite beer at the time. I didn’t have basic equipment yet that I needed, such as a large brew pot. I boiled all the extract in the biggest pot that comes in the Revereware set. I don’t think it holds much more than a gallon. It came out redder than Killians and nothing like Molson Golden.

Lager beers are very popular, but for us as homebrewers they require more skill, knowlege, and equipment. A lager should not be one’s first batch (from experience) and probably should not be attempted for at least the first year of brewing - until you get all your equipment together and your process down.

You’re in the right place, many here will help you. I wish I had found it sooner.

 

[PberBob]

Lots of good advice so far. I second the advice to skip secondary transfer, to avoid pitfalls. If you like Molson’s Golden, then I would recommend cream ales. They’re not as hoppy as IPA’s, and ferment at modest temperatures, 66-70 F.

Good luck!

 

[pstereo]

Greetings,

i’m a new brewer and am looking for a beer kit similar to Molson Canadian or Coors Banquet.

i’m looking at the Coopers Lager kit, Morgons or Brew Canada Lager.
1)Do you have any input about these?

2)I will be bottling in stubby bottles. How much sugar/dextrose should I bottle with to achieve proper carbonating?
What about Coopers carbonation drops? Is it cheaper to use dextrose/sugar?

3)The Coopers kits suggest adding their “Brew Enhancer 1 or 2” kit.
Whats does adding this do to?

4)Also I’ve read some say bottling right from the primary fermentor and others say trasferring to a secondary vessel will help clear the beer but will probably add oxygen so I’m conflicted as to what to do.

I’m just looking to find a kit that makes easy drinking beer with no bitter after taste. So the kits listed above would be my baseline.
Appreciate your help!

1) not familiar with the kit, however most kits are the exact same thing with a different logo on them

2) as far as the sugar, if you want to get really technical then look up online resources and look specifically for the type of beer you're brewing, some are more/less carbonated than others "traditionally", but that's if you want to go true to the style.
For home brewing it would be at your discretion, however when I started I went with someone's advise in here of using 1oz of sugar for every gallon of beer. add the sugar to some water, boil to disinfect, let it cool off, then add to the bottom of your bottling bucket or container you're going to use to mix it. then syphon the beer into this bucket carefully stirring (slowly) so you don't mix in too much oxygen. 1oz to 1gall of beer haven't produced any exploding bottles on my end. Again that's just a general guideline, as you keep brewing you'll be able to tell if you need more or less, plus when you start nerding-out and want to make traditional style beers you'll have to research that specific style to get an idea of how carbonated it should be. Just be sure that your beer is done fermenting completely before you bottle this way there are no surprises hehe. I played it safe and used to bottle condition for 2 weeks in a dark closet then to the fridge for another week. I would save 6 bottles and would write down the date they were open and compare to the ones opened a week or two before to see if it got better or worst. just to get an idea for the next time you make the recipe ...

3) i just searched on this, seems like it's a mix of different types of sugar but I dunno. enhancing in comparison to what, you know? i think it would be relative. I probably wouldn't use it if I was making it, but different people different tastes.
quick search turn this up Cooper beer enhancer some interesting points made on there. sounds like the "enhancer kits" are just different types of sugars but again, i would think that would depend on the beer style... i dunno I just drink. experiment. split the batch into two, make one with it, and one without. or buy a second kit and make one with it and one without. I know, more trouble and more money...but hey more beer to "experiment" with you know for educational purposes....

4) My first kit had a secondary vessel, so I just used it. again this is home brewing, and if you are just starting, don't concentrate on getting it 100% Perfect... I mean try to keep to the process as you go, but most importantly experiment, try it and have fun. I went thru the same question when I first started. I tried both. never had an issue racking to secondary.... except that one time I added a crapload of mango but that's a different story.... if you leave it in Primary for the full fermentation, just leave it there for an additional week or 2.... I like using the secondary, but i know I can get away with just the primary. My deal is that I use a 6 gal for primary, then rack to a 5 gal for secondary, this way I free up my 6 gal for the next batch.... I ended up getting three more cartboys from friends that gave up, and at one point had 15 gal in rotation in a one bed room apt. yes, the fact that im still alive proves my wife was supportive hehehe

Have fun -salud! (cheers)

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

1) not familiar with the kit, however most kits are the exact same thing with a different logo on them

FWIW, Coopers (and maybe a couple of other malt extract makers) makes a pre-hopped extract (and probably uses it in their kits). Pre-hopped extract and un-hopped extract are not interchangable.

 

[NTBeer]

3) Primarily, use of the "enhancer" will give you more alcohol.