How to improve freshness of pre-bittered beer kits

[p_p]

Hi all, I am an AG brewer but a few of my friends are brewing pre-bittered kits. I have not sampled their beers but from what I hear, they are not fully satisfied.

Is there any steeping grain they can use which wouldn't change the character of the beer much but would deliver some freshness to it?

Thanks

 

[bucfan1234]

I have done quite of few of the cans before moving on to specialty grains plus extracts and all grain, and I still brew one once in a while when I don't have time for a full brew day. Here are my observations.

1. I don't boil the pre-hopped extract. Instead I add it after flame out.
2. Unless I am adding additional hops, I only boil long enough to sterilize the pot, water, DME, etc. 10 or 15 minutes I usually do about a one gallon boil, but recently I have seen posted on the board that 3-1/2 gallon boil produces a better finished product. Going to try that next time.
3. Steeping can help. I make a Blue Moon clone using Oats, some malt, DME, Spices and a Muntons Wheat can that turns out to be very good every time, and my wife loves that beer.
4. I don't use the coopers adjucts, but use DME in place of the recommended additions. Think it makes a better finished product.
5. Depending on the style, a hop addition during the short boil can help. Be careful though, I did a mountmellick stout and added only half the recommended hops, and I thought it was too much for a stout.
6. Patience. I don't really have enough patience, but I find that if I keg the canned kits, carb them and then let them sit for two to three weeks, the extract twang dissipates and the beer is much better.

Anyway, considering the minimal amount of effort required to make a canned kit, the product produces a decent result when there just isn't time for a full brew day.

 

[unionrdr]

I agree with bucfan. When I use Cooper's cans, for example, I add a 3lb bag of plain light or extra light DME to the 3 1/2 gallon boil in my 5 gallon SS kettle for hop additions. 1oz of hops in an average ale for 15-20 minutes for some extra flavor is fine on average. Rehydrating the yeast & pitching at within 10 degrees of current wort temp will help it to ferment out faster & cleaner, if held within the particular yeast's sweet spot, or best temp range. Allowing it to settle out clear or slightly misty afterward will also help give cleaner flavor. Besides 3-4 weeks in the bottles with at least 1 week fridge time.

 

[p_p]

3. Steeping can help. I make a Blue Moon clone using Oats, some malt, DME, Spices and a Muntons Wheat can that turns out to be very good every time, and my wife loves that beer

Thanks bucfan1234. A follow up question, wouldn't the oats have to be mashed?

I agree with bucfan. When I use Cooper's cans, for example, I add a 3lb bag of plain light or extra light DME to the 3 1/2 gallon boil in my 5 gallon SS kettle for hop additions. 1oz of hops in an average ale for 15-20 minutes for some extra flavor is fine on average. Rehydrating the yeast & pitching at within 10 degrees of current wort temp will help it to ferment out faster & cleaner, if held within the particular yeast's sweet spot, or best temp range. Allowing it to settle out clear or slightly misty afterward will also help give cleaner flavor. Besides 3-4 weeks in the bottles with at least 1 week fridge time.

unionrdr, by adding DME instead of the sugar/enhancer and adding hops, etc. wouldn't you be changing the character of the kit? (I guess that's the idea, but how do you know if it will work or not?).

Would you drop the yeast from the package and stick to known yeasts for the style? I don't think my friends are ready for liquid yeast, but s04 and us05 may be better alternatives to what they are getting with the kit (I think they are brewing ales only).

I am meeting them this afternoon and try to give some recommendations so thanks for the advice.

Thanks,

 

[bucfan1234]

Technically, yes. I think so. I have have had good luck "steeping" them with grains. 150-154 for 20 -30 minutes, like one would if preparing an extract plus specialty grains batch.

 

[mattrox]

I just stand the hopped kit in hot water, then dump in fermenter. I boil 500g of DME in 5l of water for hop additions. I only boil for 20, 10 and 5 min hop additions. Mostly 10 & 5 & flameout. Any additional malt extracts goes straight in the FV. I generally steep 250 grams of light or medium crystal or caramunich or a combination. Usually no more than 300g of spec grains in total. After steeping grains that water goes in the boil. After boiling water goes straight into FV. Then I fill to 23L with cold water. I get filtered water from the local brewery that has a public vending machine.

With Coopers pre hopped kits, 1kg of DME + spec grains made to 23L makes 4.7% almost spot on for me using US05, BRY97 or Nottingham. With 1.5kg DME it goes 5.2%.

I use the IanH spreadsheet and the OG calculated is really accurate. So much so I don't bother mixing everything so it's homogeneous, I rehydrate yeast, pitch and wait for FG.

I find that with flavour and aroma additions I get very nice beers.

Sorry it's all in metric.

 

[p_p]

Thanks for all the answers

 

[unionrdr]

Thanks bucfan1234. A follow up question, wouldn't the oats have to be mashed?



unionrdr, by adding DME instead of the sugar/enhancer and adding hops, etc. wouldn't you be changing the character of the kit? (I guess that's the idea, but how do you know if it will work or not?).

Would you drop the yeast from the package and stick to known yeasts for the style? I don't think my friends are ready for liquid yeast, but s04 and us05 may be better alternatives to what they are getting with the kit (I think they are brewing ales only).

I am meeting them this afternoon and try to give some recommendations so thanks for the advice.

Thanks,

I can change the kit can to another style if I want to, but the way I described just gives the Cooper's cans more body & flavor that it already has. Besides mere ABV. I use English hops if it's the English bitter, for example. Rehydrating the Cooper's ale yeast works fine, but rehydrated S-04 is another great choice for some English style ales. US-05 is good for American counterparts, like APA & IPA. It gives a cleaner flavor, versus fruity esters from the Cooper's ale yeast, or less so with the S-04.

 

[bucfan1234]

Good point on subbing yeast. It can make significant difference. I also like Nottingham for English Ales. For whatever reason, I also like the Muntons yeast, and I have made some good BIAB Ales with it.

One I would recommend using the Coopers yeast on is their Australian Pale Ale. That kit, with the Coopers yeast and the esters it produces, is my favorite Coopers product.