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Thanks for all the replies. I've bottled half a dozen with a mixture of 1 drop, one and a half drops and a teaspoon of sugar so I'll see how they compare.

Cheers guys,

I keg my beers but I typically have enough left over for half a dozen bottles. While I'll bulk prime if I'm bottling a full batch it's not worth it for a few bottles. The carb drops seemed liked a good solution. If they're iffy I may just revert to a teaspoon of sugar or glucose.

One drop for 375 ml, two for 750 ml, what about 500 ml bottles?

I'm curious to find out what level of carbonation is normal for the recommended dosage. I'm not sure what level Coopers are aiming for on average. I use pretty strong 500ml bottles that have had bottle conditioned beer in them. I'm ...

I bottled a six pack of this when I was transferring to secondary and I tried one last night after just a week in the bottle. It's got a nice level of bitterness and a really fresh citrussy aroma. This is something I've been lacking in some of my beers and I'm wondering what made the difference:

1 ...

Well here's what I did in the end:

First off I decided not to bother mashing or steeping any grains. I boiled just over a gallon of water and decided that the brew length would be 30 minutes since the Muntons already has bittering hops of some description included.

Added 40g Willamette at 30 mins ...

Yeah, much the same, I've used both and I find WL starts very easily. I'll make a starter this time around. Cheers!

That's what I like to hear - did you make a starter? I don't normally bother with White Labs as it works straight from the vial but as it's out of date I may play safe.

Next time I'm in Oz I'll make sure to arrange a few meet ups.

Thanks for all the suggestions guys. I'll let you all know what I decide on over the weekend. I need to use some liquid yeast that's past its use by date so I'll have to factor that in to the equation as well. One is English Ale, the ...

Hey there blandy. Maybe we could set up an exchange - Kilkenny for Coopers :)

Lethaldog, to answer your question Kilkenny is dispensed using Nitrogen which gives it a creamy texture like Guinness. The cans have a 'widget' to achieve the same effect.

Kilkenny isn't the worst beer going, just not ...

Congratulations! Welcome to the tired parents club!
Why Thank You, I think I'll get a pair of those Homer Simpson glasses with the painted on eyes so I can catch up on my sleep in work.

You could add bitterness, for example by doing a boil of the LDME with some hops for > 30mins.
Good point ...

Due to the arrival of our firstborn recently my brewing (not to mention my sleep) has been somewhat curtailed. I'm looking to do a quickish brew with a can of Muntons Yorkshire Bitter that's fallen into my lap. I'm not altogether sure I'm going to like this kit, although this is purely based on my ...

Shagger wrote:I like using up to 250g chocolate grain in my stouts.

Agree 100%, works really well!

East Kent Goldings are normally used in Irish Stouts, especially as flavouring hop. One of the Irish microbreweries uses Galena as a bittering hop (wouldn't traditionally be used) and it's fantastic; not sure whether you'll bother with a bittering hop with a kit though. Fuggles would also work well ...

Interesting - if that's the case I replaced Saflager S23 with Saflager S23

We can't get W34/70 over here for some reason, which is a shame as it sounds more suitable. S23 seems to be the only dried lager yeast available so I've had to resort to shelling out for liquid yeast for the next batch.

I hear you Pacman. Spent a month around Brisbane last year in January and it was pretty damn hot. Nice change for us but like you say it's different when you get it for months on end. Same goes for wind and rain too; I guess it's in our nature to complain about the weather :)

Enjoy your Bavarian ...

Hey Pacman,

We do get the same cans here in Ireland. You're right about the fermentation temperatures that they recommend. Generally the yeasts they supply with the cans are ale yeasts which are easier to brew at higher temperatures. I wanted to brew mine with a lager yeast which likes lower ...

Hi Pacman,

Did you find this dry/crisp or fruity? I know tasting notes aren't your thing but I'm curious to see if your brew turned out more drinkable than mine. Did you use the yeast in the can or another yeast?

in the secondary fermenter. Maybe that was overkill - has anyone lagered for a shorter period of time, or not even bothered and been happy with the results?

it was my second brew and i had read so much about the importance of lagering i just left it sitting there. it tasted really good after a ...

I'd be inclined to use a liquid yeast too. I used 2 x Saflager 23 yeast sachets and found that the lager was too fruity for my liking. I brewed between 5-10 C and cold conditioned for 2 months in the fridge. After spending this amount of time and not being overly happy with the result I would ...

I just started a batch of this on Saturday evening:

1.7KG Coopers Bitter
1.5 KG John Bull Diastatic LME
300g Crystal Malt
15g East Kent Goldings (flavour)
10g East Kent Goldings (aroma)
Safale S04 yeast

I steeped the crystal in 4 litres of water at around 65 C for half an hour and then brought to ...