Recipe Question Coopers KIt???

[hbhudy]

I was thinking of combining a Draught hopped can and a Dark Malt Extract (canned liquid) as the additional fermentable...

Has anyone else used the canned liquid malt extract in place of brewing sugars?

Has anyone combined these items?

Thanks in advance for your guidance to a newbie..

hbHudy

 

[Austinhomebrew]

The Coopers kits make ok beer but you would be much happier with an extract kit with fresh ingredients. Mixing the two cans will work but you are going to make mediocre beer this way.

Forrest

 

[hbhudy]

At this point I am still not 100% ready to move to fresh ingredients.

I appreciate the direction, but I am looking for some guidance on altering these kits. I have already received a link to one a set of recipies, and I am currently looking to start with the kits as a base and modify slightly.

Thanks

 

[jjones17]

Hello there,

I started on Coopers kits and still use them on many of my brews, as I do not have a big enough pot for a full 5 gallon boil.

I have mixed those ingredients a few times, and as far as the difference between using sugar, there is no comparison. Using sugar is a waste of your time, as I know I have personally dumped 2 batches that I used sugar as my primary fermentable. Please do yourself a favour and push the thought of using sugar as your primary fermentable FAR out of your mind.

I think this answers your question indirectly. May I also recommend that you boil (use 1.25QT water per pound of extract) your UNHOPPED extract for 60 mins (carefull for boil-over) with some bittering hops (an ounce would do). Add more bittering hops(another ounce) at 30 mins into the boil, and turn the heat off after 60 minutes total. Then, add some more hops (as much as your want), and add your COOPERS kit and stir to dissolve. Now you may add a little extra sugars for extra Alc % and/or flavour, I personally like to add about 100-300G honey or molasses to every brew. Using the above suggestions will give you much more quality tasting beer that your friends will love. No one liked my beer until I started doing the above. Keep in mind, you may adjust the amount of hops all you want, and you can experiement with the amount of UNHOPPED malts you want... I like to add more than coopers kit recommends.

I have also found that using different yeasts is a HUUUGE component to a very good tasting beer, you may want to try a strain other than the one that comes with your kit. I am lucky; I have a microbrewery 5 mins from my house who sells 3oz fresh yeast that they culture themselves.

 

[hbhudy]

Thanks JJones17.
Do you have any recipes you might like to share (besides the one above)?? Again I am a super newbie to this whole thing, but I know that my taste's have grow with age. I really love dark lagers or ales, as well as stouts and good wheat beers (shiner heff is always a winner but hard to find where I live now).
Thanks for the comments.

 

[SMOKEU]

Mix 2 Coopers kits of your choice together. Mix with water and top up to 23L. Rehydrate both packets of yeast and chuck it in. Add about an ounce of aroma hops 1-2 weeks before bottling.

 

[hbhudy]

SMOKEU..
When you say kits are you saying the Hopped kit with the sugar? I was thinking the hopped draft malt and the unhopped dark malt. Possibly adding some hops with a 10 to 30 minute boil of 1liter of water.

 

[ZooBrew]

1-Coopers Lager kit (don't use the supplied yeast)
1- can Coopers dark malt
2lbs- Amber DME
1pk US-05 yeast

This one came out pretty good as a 'darker' ale (not quite Porter). Pretty good when I was a newbee. I'm not a real big hop fan so the pre-hopped Coopers base was just fine with me. If I did it again, I'd try Nottingham yeast. 19 ltrs, 7 % ABV (according to my log-book over a year ago)

 

[hbhudy]

ZooBrew.
What is the fermentation temp? Coopers seems VERY forgiving for temp ranges?
Where can you find the amber dme?

 

[hankisanerd]

I did one today.

17+ years ago I took a Munton's Canadian Ale kit and added my own "extra" stuff.
What i ended up with is my wife's favorite. To this day she saids if I want to continue brewing I need to always have in on tap. Even my "Bud" only friends look for it when they come over.

What it is;

Munton's Canadian 3.3 lbs. http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?cPath=178_452_45_48&products_id=566
3lbs extra light DME
1oz Saaz 30min
1oz Teggnanger 15min
1oz Saaz 5min
1tsp gypsum
1tab whrilfloc
Nottingham in a 2000ml starter
5.5 gals in the carboy.
only 30 min boil

This morning the OG is 1.052
typical FG 1.006 - 08

after 10 - 14 days in fermentor I keg

At my house, always tap #1

 

[ZooBrew]

Log book said 72-74 deg. As a newbee, IMO, I wouldn't worry too much about ferment temps if you're brewing ales unless your ambient gets above 78 deg. Lagers, are a different animal in that regard.

Go to your LOCAL HOMEBREW SUPPLY (LHBS) and start familiarizing yourself with what you can purchase there for your needs. From a Google Maps search, you have a couple LHBS in your area. Check them out and access how they can supply your hobby. That's where you can not only get amber DME (DRIED MALT EXTRACT) but a lot of information to improve and advance your homebrewing.

 

[hbhudy]

Thanks ZooBrew..
My LHBS that I contacted was helpful had very little in stock. I was going to travel a little further to see what another LHBS might have available.

 

[SMOKEU]

SMOKEU..
When you say kits are you saying the Hopped kit with the sugar? I was thinking the hopped draft malt and the unhopped dark malt. Possibly adding some hops with a 10 to 30 minute boil of 1liter of water.

What I mean is add the contents of 2 pre hopped cans together with no sugar.

 

[hbhudy]

What I mean is add the contents of 2 pre hopped cans together with no sugar.

Thanks for clarifying your comment.
I am hoping the hopped draft and unhopped dark malt extract combination along with some additional hops (and possibly some honey) will give me a nice amber draft like beer (golden draft and dark malt extract).

Cheers and wish me luck.

 

[ZooBrew]

For my taste, that would be over-hopped (I've done that). You may like it, though. Some of these deviations from proven recipes are constructive as well as educational. Be sure to keep a log-book so you know where you've been. A year from now you might get a hankering to make that concoction that you drank up too fast. (I've done that, too)

 

[tomheff]

The Coopers kits make ok beer but you would be much happier with an extract kit with fresh ingredients. Mixing the two cans will work but you are going to make mediocre beer this way.

Forrest

Wow. ok, mediocre. That's your advice?

Actually the beer will most likely be a very clean dark ale with little to no aroma hops. Coopers beer kits are fresh. Each kit has a stamp on it with an expiration date. Can the same be said of the bulk malt extract that is sold. How is that being handled?

 

[hbhudy]

I am not looking for an over hopped or very bitter beer, but I was hoping this would be more amber vs dark.
Do you believe using the amber vs dark malt extract would give the amber or red'ish color.

Also I have read several post of leveraging a hop "plug" to add a little flavor, as I am not believing the draft kit to be very heavily hopped.

Cheers

 

[Austinhomebrew]

Wow. ok, mediocre. That's your advice?

Actually the beer will most likely be a very clean dark ale with little to no aroma hops. Coopers beer kits are fresh. Each kit has a stamp on it with an expiration date. Can the same be said of the bulk malt extract that is sold. How is that being handled?

Sorry for the confusion, I wasn't saying Coopers canned kits would be out of date. I was suggesting that he make beer from scratch. That is what I meant by fresh ingredients.

 

[Revvy]

Here's a great article from Oz.Craftbrewer.com, on how to make the best beer with cooper's kits...It's from Australia, the home of coopers, and from the craftbrewer radio guys.

Improving Your Kit

It's from the Craftbrewer Radio site...the article is a companion to.

April#2,2007

The guys get “Down and Dirty” for the Kit and Kilo brewer with the simplist yet method of making a kit beer that tastes great. They also taste the underpitched beer experiment, and follow up on a brewers problem with under-atttenuation. Our beer superhero tries to save the love of his life - and Wonder-Mole, while we look into a beer belly experiment. More on how to say beer words, drink driving, beer laws and a quiz question will fill out the program, with a typical Aussie beer tale sung at the end.

Click to listen;
http://radio.craftbrewer.org/shows/April2-07.mp3

 

[petep1980]

I've been experimenting more with these kits and not all grain anymore because I simply don't have the time. You can make extremely good beer (at least extract beer) as long as you make a couple changes.

1. Make sure the stuff you use is extremely fresh
2. 1/2# steeping grains can really go a long way
3. 1 ounce finishing hops does a lot for flavor
4. Don't use the yeast they supply. An appropriate yeast can really give you the right profile.

If you follow Revvy's link and use those tips and techniques the extract beer you make will be very very good.

 

[hbhudy]

Thanks Revvy (you gave me this infor before and I have these recipes in mind for late Dec or Jan).
Petep1980 what type of yeast are you using?

Also have either of you seen this combination of Hopped Draft and unhopped Amber(orDark) malt extract (in place of brew enhancers coopers sells)?