First Coopers brew finished. My observations Advice please

[Hairy-mic]

Hey Guys! First post.

I have recently finished my first brew using the coopers lager brew kit I got from kmart.

I followed the instructions as closely as I could, and now that its bottled Im wondering if I have done it correctly.

Firstly on cleaning the fermentation bin i noticed a good 3/4" of sediment at the bottom - Did i do something wrong here? thinking i may not have had the initial mix hot enough to absorbs . Comments please.

Secondly it brewed for 11 days, and the last 4 the Value on the gauge didnt move. However on the ABV Calculation i was getting bang on 3% Should it be higher?

Thirdly the taste. it tastes a little bit weak. the taste and aroma seem ok, just on the weak side.

Forth - How long should I wait before its ready for drinking


For next brew im looking for something around the 6% mark. how can i achieve this - Should i add less water, more sugar etc ?

Sorry to bombard you with so many questions,

[emnpaul]

Hey Guys! First post.

I have recently finished my first brew using the coopers lager brew kit I got from kmart.

I followed the instructions as closely as I could, and now that its bottled Im wondering if I have done it correctly.

Firstly on cleaning the fermentation bin i noticed a good 3/4" of sediment at the bottom - Did i do something wrong here? thinking i may not have had the initial mix hot enough to absorbs . Comments please.

Secondly it brewed for 11 days, and the last 4 the Value on the gauge didnt move. However on the ABV Calculation i was getting bang on 3% Should it be higher?

Thirdly the taste. it tastes a little bit weak. the taste and aroma seem ok, just on the weak side.

Forth - How long should I wait before its ready for drinking


For next brew im looking for something around the 6% mark. how can i achieve this - Should i add less water, more sugar etc ?

Sorry to bombard you with so many questions,

G'day Hairy-mic and welcome to the forum.

1. Around 3/4" sediment at the bottom is normal for a kit brew. Don't be concerned.

2. 11 days to ferment your brew is fine. Even a few extra days won't hurt, but in general more is better than less, up to a point. Impossible to say what the ABV is without knowing the recipe. Can you enlighten us?

3. As above. (recipe)

4. Minimum two weeks, but a bit more will help it mellow out man.

Next brew: 6% can be done quite easily. Do you have a particular beer or style you would like to aim for? We should be able to help you out with recipe.

[Hairy-mic]

its a coopers 'Australia lager' can. i suppose it smells a bit like Victoria Bitter.

My next brew i would like is a wheat beer, but i have heard that these dont keep to long.

I would like to brew with coriander seeds and orange but have no idea the best way of adding this flavour.

somthing between bluemoon and shocktop (USA /Canadian) or Hoegaarden if you have heard of them.

is it best to start with a coopers wheat beer tin as a base?

[warra48]

The wheat beer you describe is actually a Belgian Wit, not to be confused with a Bavarian Hefeweizen etc.

I'd start with the Coopers Wheat Beer tin, or any other reputable maker's, it will be fine.
To that I'd add 1 kg of Dried Wheat Malt Extract, or if you don't want it with too heavy body, ½ kg of Dried Wheat Malt and ½ kg of Coopers Dextrose.
To get the spiciness of a Hoegaarden, add about 15 gr Coriander Seeds, and about 2 teaspoons of Orange Peel Zest to your boil. Adjust to your taste in future batches.

You will need to use a more dedicated yeast, the kit yeast will make beer, but it's not best for the style. I'd suggest Fermentis T-58 is probably the most suitable. Here's a link to show you what it is: http://www.craftbrewer.com.au/shop/details.asp?PID=3542

To work out how to put all this together, have a read through the stickies on this forum to guide you.

Good luck.

[BadSeed]

its a coopers 'Australia lager' can. i suppose it smells a bit like Victoria Bitter.

My next brew i would like is a wheat beer, but i have heard that these dont keep to long.

I would like to brew with coriander seeds and orange but have no idea the best way of adding this flavour.

somthing between bluemoon and shocktop (USA /Canadian) or Hoegaarden if you have heard of them.

is it best to start with a coopers wheat beer tin as a base?

Welcome to the world of brewing Mic.
There is a recipe for a Hoegaarden clone here - viewtopic.php?f=11&t=4321
It is failry easy to follw but you may want to do a couple of simpler recipe's first before getting into this one.

The last one I made was a slightly different recipe and tasted exactly like Feral White (I tried the Pepsi challenge and couldn't pick mine) which is not too shabby.

There is lots to learn but all the info is here, don't worry about asking.

[Sonny]

This is what you want;


From the Country Brewer. I just bottled one last night that had sat for 4 weeks since I've been away.
It smelt really good.

Hi everyone!!!

It hasn't any orange, but lime instead. It even comes with easy instructions and requires a 60min boil.
But it does taste great.

It is a Hoegaarden clone.

[Guru]

Hey Sonny, I've been looking at those wetpacks at CB an was thinking of getting one to try. Which one is best in your opinion?

My local HBS has similar packs, although they are only a tin of extract plus some hops and yeast, no grains like the CB ones. They are also more expensive than the CB ones so have avoided them so far.

[Sonny]

Hey Sonny, I've been looking at those wetpacks at CB an was thinking of getting one to try. Which one is best in your opinion?

Guru,
I've had the;
The Summer Wheat (Hoegaarden), have one conditioning now for summer. Very Nice!
The Classic Oak Ale. Nice, but I'm over it now.
The Australian Porter is bloody excellent. Was apparently based on the JS porter. I do concentrate it a bit for my taste.
The American Pale Ale is the one that Paul loved: (But leave it to mature as long as you can as it becomes really great).
Quote: Thin head that comes and goes pretty quickly. Dark Amber to light brown colour that belies a sprightly, citral aroma. Excellent clarity with an equally clean, malty taste that is seriously threatened by an assertive, North Western hop flavour and cleansing bitterness. If Little Creatures Pale Ale had a swarthy, ethnic cousin, this would be it.
Hard to say how this could be improved and the woozy, hanging gates 'till my back says no photo fails to do it justice.

Cheers, they are great kits. Great beer with minimum effort.