2 Cans of Coopers Dark Ale

[mafman]

Just looking for some feedback... I bought 2 cans of Coopers Dark Ale (for $5.00ea at the local mini-supermarket that is not carrying homebrew lines anymore!)
I was going to put them both in with some lager yeasts I have. Maybe only make it up to 22 litres.
Do I need to add any more fermentables? Any other thoughts?

[Redsicks]

... I bought 2 cans of Coopers Dark Ale (for $5.00ea at the local mini-supermarket...

Hi Mafman,
Where in traralgon is this shop?

Is there any more?

I've got friends there who can buy some for me.

Cheers - Redsicks

[mafman]

It's the Henry St Supermarket...but I think they only had 1 can left...there might be more on the shelves, I didn't have time to do a more thorough search!!

[munkey]

i had a disaster with a 2 can brew, and it was a mild ale, the added burnt taste was multiplied by 2 and was quite horrible (we called it the black beard), iv no experience with coopers kits as I'm from the UK, but food for thought,
if its a strong flavored or heavily hopped kit then id personally give the two kit a miss.
but as for adding extra fermentables if you did want to go ahead, i would say you would be fine with just the 2 kits, and a larger yeast would cope fine also, as with using more malt i would say use a nutrient as well to help the yeast along.

[Tyberious Funk]

Coopers dark ale has 31 IBUs. Two cans would give you 61 IBUs (unless you increased the amount of water). I reckon that'd be undrinkable... but personally I don't link my beer that bitter.

[mafman]

That's good info guys...thanks!! I was concerned about the bitterness considering both tins are already hopped. I might add some light dry malt as an experiment anyway...should smooth it out a little bit?? Maybe make it up to 25 litres?? I still open to suggestions....or maybe I should just make 2 Dark Ales and stop trying to defy nature!!!

[Jay]

mafman,

My rule when finding cheap kits - go large with the other ingredients.
Since you got a good price on the kit spend a bit more on hops or specialty grains.

Cheers,
Jay.

[Tyberious Funk]

or maybe I should just make 2 Dark Ales and stop trying to defy nature!!!

Good plan

Perhaps use this as an opportunity to experiment. Make one can as per the directions and then make the second can to your own specifications and then note the differences in the finished result. Since the tins were cheap, why not play around a bit at least with one of them?

[Guest]

I wonder about the "double the bitterness" argument. remember, there's twice the malt as well so shouldn't it remain in balance. This forum, and others, has many postings that suggest adding malt extract and hops to a can of concentrate. is there a difference? I did a two-can stout (adding a dark ale) and it was less bitter than a previous stout made with BE2. The two-can also had circa 400g of DME so maybe that helped.

[Tyberious Funk]

I wonder about the "double the bitterness" argument. remember, there's twice the malt as well so shouldn't it remain in balance. This forum, and others, has many postings that suggest adding malt extract and hops to a can of concentrate. is there a difference? I did a two-can stout (adding a dark ale) and it was less bitter than a previous stout made with BE2. The two-can also had circa 400g of DME so maybe that helped.

A "standard" K&K brew is a 1.7kg tin of hopped extract (the Kit) and 1kg of unhopped malt/sugar (the Kilo). A two can brew is replacing the unhopped malt/sugar with hopped extract. Nothing is really being balanced.

If you did a two can brew with some <i>extra</i> fermentables, the bitterness would be offset... maybe some experienced brewers might help here, but how about 2 cans plus some DME + Lactose? The DME would boost the body into stout territory and the lactose would add some sweetness to offset the bitterness.

Looking at my handy Beeriodic table, the 56 IBUs that two cans of Coopers would give you is in the vicinity of an Imperial Stout (ignore my original IBU estimate of 61... I think it is wrong). Adding, say, a kilo of DME and half a kilo of lactose would give you the body and alcohol content to match (assuming a 23 litre brew). I have <i>no</i> idea whether that would be drinkable but I don't see why not. If you wanted to keep true to the style, you might need some darker fermentables... maybe some crystal grain??

EDIT: Just a warning... I might know some of the maths behind beer calculations, but I couldn't actually tell you if this would really "work" as a recipe

[Friar]

Tyberious Funk

been thinking along similar lines and plan to put down a double tomorrow.

2 x cans Coopers Canadian Blonde (total 42 IBUs)
250g LME
500g Dex
250g Corn Syrup
250g Lactose
water to 23L
yeast from CCB kits above
Basically clearing shelves of old stuff.

see how it goes

Friar

[gregb]

I'd give the two cans a whirl.

A can of Coopers Stout and a can of Coopers Dark Ale comes up a treat, not too bitter at all. So two Dark Ales shouldn't be too bitter either, given that the stout is about 44 ibu's.

Cheers,

Greg.

[Oliver]

2 x cans Coopers Canadian Blonde (total 42 IBUs)
250g LME
500g Dex
250g Corn Syrup
250g Lactose
water to 23L
yeast from CCB kits above
Basically clearing shelves of old stuff.

Can I respectfully suggest that you do not add anything apart from the two cans and the dex. I made a two-can brew once (2 x Cooper's Real Ale and 620g dextrose) and it wasn't great, due in part to the fact that it was so syrupy. You just couldn't drink more than a glass of it, plus it was extremely bitter (but obviously adding more malt to balance this is not an option).

See my 33 Cooper's Real Ale at http://www.homebrewandbeer.com/ourhomebrews.html

Adding the malt extract, lactose and corn syrup would just make a completely undrinkable, syrupy, sweet beer, in my humble opinion.

Cheers,

Oliver

[Dogger Dan]

These doubles are getting rather large are they not? I an right with friars coming around 10 percent?

Dogger

[NTRabbit]

These doubles are getting rather large are they not? I an right with friars coming around 10 percent?

Dogger

I make it 7.3% with a final og of 1022

[Friar]

Thanks

will re-evaluate options

Friar

[Dogger Dan]

Fair enough Rabbit,

I doubled up the dex , yes 7.2 to 7.5

Sorry

Dogger

[beermeister]

I received a Cooper's brochure in the mail yesterday where they give a recipe that suggests using two cans of Bavarian Lager, both yeasts and 1 kg of light DME to make a variation of a Bock (23L). The recipe notes that fermentation may take two weeks and the conditioning period should be extended.

BM

[undercover1]

You know, I am not a beer snob, and I don't subscribe to the Reinheitsgebot, but really, Coopers stretch the envelope a bit f---ing thin sometimes.
From Michael Jackson's Beer Hunter site:

The German term for a strong beer. If unqualified, it indicates a bottom-fermenting brew from barley malt. In Germany, bock usually has more than 6.25 percent alcohol by volume, and may be golden, tawny or dark brown. Outside Germany, strengths vary, and a bock is usually dark. Bock beers are served in autumn, late winter or spring, depending upon the country. See also Maibock, Doppelbock, Weizenbock.

And from BYO- written by Ray Daniels:

The beer that we call bock today has its origins in the north-German town of Einbeck. As early as 1325 the beer of Einbeck enjoyed a good reputation and -- for that time -- widespread distribution.
During the 1500s Historian Heinrich Knaust described the Einbeck beer:
"Of all summer beers, light and hoppy barley beers, the Einbeck beer is the most famed and deserves the preference. Each third grain to this beer is wheat; hence, too, it is of all barley beers the best . . . People do not fatten too much from its use; it is also very useful in fever cases."
Thus the original bock was made from at least one-third wheat malt in addition to barley. Other sources tell us that it was top-fermented and well bittered. Anyone familiar with contemporary bocks realizes that the beers of Einbeck bear little relationship to the style as known today. Indeed, the term "bock" probably had not been coined before Einbeck's virtual demise during the Thirty Years' War. To bridge this gap in both brewing and linguistics required the people -- and brewers -- of Munich. Prior to the 16th century, the beer made in Munich was not highly regarded, even by the local folk. Many imported beers were enjoyed and the beer from Einbeck was highly favored. As the 17th century dawned, the Munich brewers "bent all their energy to brewing a beer as good as that of Einbeck." This effort failed until a brewer from Einbeck was drawn to Munich in 1612, and lent his skills to the cause

And so on.

My point is this- 2 cans of Bavarian, a kilo of DME & 14g of (unspecified) yeast would make something. But probably not anything like a true Bock.


ps this forum automatically censors the f-word! who knew?

[beermeister]

Undercover,

The Cooper's brochure states that it isn't a true bock. I think all that recipe would have in common with a true bock is alcoholic strength.

BM