Larger yeast in an ale?

[crutchings]

G'day,
Im about to do a Coopers PA kit and with the now winter temps(-5 overnight) the norm. I was thinking of pitching a saf larger yeast instead of the ale yeast that comes with the kit. What sort of effect do you reckon it will have on the final product? I think i'll be able to brew at around a stable 14-15 deg.

thanks in advance.

[Old Gil]

If your doing the Aus Pale Ale then I reckon you might get away with just using the kit yeast, if what I've read on this forum in the "common question cooper kit yeasts" is correct then it's a blend of Lager & Ale. It will take longer to ferment but that is a good thing in most cases.

[crutchings]

Thanks Swainy,
I must of looked at this forum at least 1000 times and have never noticed that thread.
Can't see for looking i reckon

[warra48]

That should work, but be prepared for a longer and slower fermentation, at least 2 or 3 weeks.
You should end up with a cleanly flavoured beer.

[PaulSteele]

coopers yeasts wil ferment pretty much anything at any temperature, in my experience.

i do find that it makes the beer taste crap though.

I'd use a proper ale yeast and wrap the mother in quilts and towels

[Tipsy]

i do find that it makes the beer taste crap though.

I disagree

[Kevnlis]

Coopers yeast is actually very good in the fact that it gives very little ester or off flavour even at extreme temps (be they high or low).

It is indeed the best all around yeast I have ever used, and I still use it to ferment the odd AG batch

Ever seen the prices people in the US pay for the luxury of a sachet of Coopers yeast? Must be a reason for it!

[rwh]

Agreed, it is an amazing yeast; there's nothing else quite like it: voracious, forgiving of temperature, decent flavour profile. For a beginner, you really can't go wrong with it. Certainly possible to make both crap and excellent beer with it, but it's almost impossible to have a stuck ferment. The trick to making a good beer with it is temperature control. A constant 18°C and you'll be laughing. I still use it all the time, despite having an extensive stock of liquid yeasts.

[matr]

Agreed, it is an amazing yeast; there's nothing else quite like it: voracious,

Agreed... My Mrs has informed me today my choc stout is spraying up the wall and on the floor. Guess what I'll be doing when I get home..

That's what you get when you add both yeasts to a twocan I guess...

[Kevnlis]

I once did a toucan with two sachets of nottingham

I can imagine what it would be like with two sachets of Coopers yeast!

Make sure you have at least two pints before you start scrubbing, it will all seem worth it

[rwh]

yeah, I've done a couple of toucans with both yeasts, but thankfully by keeping them at 18°C in my brewfridge I managed to stop the spraying effect you've got. Still got a 3 inch krausen tho.

[matr]

I think the fermentation is generating a bit of heat. Pitched yeast at 23C and expected it to drop to around 21C but has gone up to 25C????? Took less than 1hr to start bubbling violently.

It's not the cleaning up that bothers me ... It's the beer I'm loosing from the top...

[warra48]

Yup, fermentation is an exothermic process, and will generate its own heat, hence the rise in temperature.
Hope you don't lose too much of your precious brew.

[crutchings]

G'day
do you reckon wraping up the fermenter with blankets etc will have enough effect to keep temps at around 18? Given that the ambient temp over night could be around 0 or less .
My heating set up is so dodgy im afraid to leave it on all night, not keen on risking the house catching alight.
I guess the brew will be giving off heat and the blankets will keep it in to an extent ?
What do you blokes think?

[rwh]

Yes, anything that you can do to insulate it will keep the temperature more constant. Go for it.

[crutchings]

gee the missus is gunna miss the doona off the bed

[Kevnlis]

gee the missus is gunna miss the doona off the bed

I pulled the heating blanket off the bed once a few years back when we had a snap freeze. Wrapped a sleeping bag around the outside of the heating blanket, worked great!