Question about two coopers kits

[Soundwav]

Last kit I made I went CRAZY and used 1lb of dme and 1lb of dextrose
Let's just say that keg was hard to finish!
Way too much malt flavor and the sticky mess it left on the lips ugh!

So I call out for suggestions on how much dme/dextrose I should use on these two kits
Thank you

 

[flars]

Doesn't sound like you went to crazy. May have been more of problem with the yeast and length of fermentation. Some details would help.

 

[Soundwav]

Ha I guess I left a few things out eh?

The last kit I brewed was a brew Canada Canadian light with the stock yeast they provided and a 3 week ferment time before I racked to my keg

The malt flavor was just too much.. Very sticky!

 

[unionrdr]

I've used the draught can for pale ales & IPA's. I did the boil with 3lbs of Munton's plain light or extra light DME to do one or two flavor hop additions. More for an IPA. I also rehydrated the yeast to get it going sooner. If it's sticky sweet on the lips, it likely wasn't done fermenting yet. That'd create the experience you described. Did you use a hydrometer at all?

 

[Soundwav]

I'm thinking it was not done fermentation
My hydrometer broke on me while I was cleaning it.


I'm going back to the shop today to grab some dme.

Just don't know how much I should grab as its $9 Canadian per pound

 

[unionrdr]

Not exactly cheap here either. $14.99 for a 3lb bag of Munton's DME here. $4.99 for one pound. Look at my recipes under my avatar for some ideas...grab another hydrometer or two while you're there. Should be about 6 bucks each.

 

[kh54s10]

Are you using tried and true recipes? If so it will tell you how much to use. If not use an online recipe calculator to design your recipe, they you will know how much to use.

 

[Soundwav]

Well they have dropped the price to 6.99/lb so I grabbed two bags!

I think I might do half dex and half dme for a base and tweak from that point.
Im kegging this stuff so I dont have to wait for it in the bottle

 

[dwhite60]

Get a refractometer along with your hydrometer. It's better and easier for pre-fermentation testing. You'll still need a hydrometer to test final gravity as the alcohol content screws with the refractometer reading.

Got my refractometer off ebay for less than $30. It's accurate. It has Brix and SG scales that are pretty well coordinated.


All the Best,
D. White