homebrewandbeer.com

I know there's been a few threads on this....but I'll ask again anyway!!
I'm about to put down a Coopers Stout...nothing fancy....just as per the recipe on the Coopers website (Kit, BE2 and 18 lts of water). I will be bottling into the 740ml PET bottles....my question is one carbonation drop or two??

Maf,

And you will hate me for this

200 g for 23 Litres

As an aside,

I would use only one but that is just me, I think a stout should only be lightly primed

Dogger

I've also heard rumours that adding a black jelly bean to the priming sugar does wonders and releases a subtle anniseed note to the brew. Never made a stout but one can only try.

Try bottling half with one & the others with two

See which you prefer

Cheers

See,

Someone else thinking there,

I would never have come up with that

Dogger

Use one. You don't want your stouts too fizzy. Just a nice, smooth carbonation, which you'll get from using one carbonation drop (or 1tsp of sugar).

Or bulk prime, as suggested by Dogger, although if you do that I'd cut down on the sugar a bit from the 200g Dogger suggests.

Cheers,

Oliver

If you bulk prime, make sure you compensate for the lesser 18 litres, ie 170 grams. For stout I too would prime at a lesser rate than that maybe 120 - 140 grams (for 18 litres.)

Sh** yeah. I missed that bit of the original recipe.

Cheers,

Oliver

Thanks for the tips guys.....I think i'm going to go with the one drop per bottle. I did like the jelly bean idea though!!! In the end I also added 600gms of an old container of golden syrup I found in the cupboard and upped the water to 19lts. Had an OG of 1070! Airlock is going solidly as we speak!! I am excitedly awaiting the results!!

Thanks again!!

Oliver,

Thats OK, I missed that it was a stout, 120 to 130 grams should do

Dogger

made much the same brew 6 months back except used a stout booster
500 dark dried malt 500 light dried malt 200 lactose 2 drops per 750/800
very nice bit sweet but retains head well and easy to drink

I think one of Oliver's or Geoff's stout recipes experimented with the black jellybean and it tasted a bit strange?

BM

Sorry, looks like I gave the jellybean advice a bit late!

I did the jellybean thing with one stout and wasn't overly impressed with the results. But give it a go on a couple of bottles and see what you think.

Cheers,

Oliver

Drinking a stout now as i write this should consider bulk priming as it is so much easier. I bulk prime with 140 gms of dextrose in 500 mls of water. Bring this to the boil for a few mins with the lid on the sauce pan let it cool right down in a sink with water and ice, poor this into your second fermenter, syphon your stout into the second fermentor being carefull not to aerate the wort too much, stir a few times and bottle.
Next time you do a stout add a 1 kg can of choc malt and 10 mls of liquorice extract.
Now that i have said all that if you don't want to bulk prime then follow the advice of the other boys and use only 1 carbonation drop.

Heh, the best way to enjoy stout is straight out of the vat. I always get really, really pumped up when I'm bottling and I get that long, creamy draw into the bottle. Then I prime and cap, and three weeks later it's just like pouring a beer - nice head but no creamy draw.
Eying off a $50 fridge at the moment that will be big enough to hold a couple of vats ...

Don't usually go for stouts but this string is making my mouth water.

I heard somewhere that the licorice makes for a creamier head.

to the pub for a guiness

Jay.

I thought I'd just give you some follow-up on this one....been in the bottle now for just over 3 weeks....8.2% alcohol content...beautiful full body. great long-lasting creamy head.

I used 2 carbonation drops on the advice of "Dory" who I noticed on http://www.hbkitreviews.com had done the exact same recipe as me (minus the golden syrup)...very happy with the results...definately not too fizzy!!

has the golden syrup added much to the flavour?

I hear you anti-fsck,

Bottled a Coopers Stout last night. I'd used some LME and DME mix from the HBS. Whilst bottling I had trouble. Kept wanting to sip more and more! Hope the carbonation adds even more to this beer - its already bloody great!