What's in Your Fermenter? 2020

[Beerlust]

I've just finished squeezing the 125gm dry hop 'hunk of love' back into my current IPA beer & removed the physical remains. First time using this combo of Centennial, Riwaka, & Motueka. On removal of the hop matter you can get a really good feel for whether the hop combo has gelled well or not just by having a good smell of it. This mixture smells really nice. Hopefully it matches up well with the Simcoe boiled base.

It's in cold crash mode now & I'll likely keg it this coming Friday.

Cheers & good brewing,

Lusty.

[Shamus O'Sean]

I absolutely love the Simcoe and Lemondrop combo in the Coopers XPA.  One of my best brews ever.  Your four way combo sounds even better.  Let us know how it goes.

[ChristinaS1]

On 2/23/2020 at 6:44 AM, Shamus O'Sean said:

Simple Pilsner SMaSH

• 3.2kg Pilsner Malt 5.3 EBU
• 65°C Mash for 60 minutes, 75°C for 10 minutes
• 90 minute boil
• 40g Hallertau @60 for 22.6 IBU
• Harvested MJ Bavarian Lager yeast

Punched in 85% Mash Efficiency in the Grainfather app (Based on my previous brew).  Got my brew virtually spot on.  Got about 18.5L into a 15L cube, was aiming for an 18L batch into the fermenter.  OG 1.042 exactly as calculated.  Predicted FG is 1.008 for an ABV of 4.5% plus 0.4% for bottle conditioning = 4.9%

I cubed this brew yesterday and today split it into two of the cute baby craft kit fermenters.  Starting them at 20°C to grow the yeast.  I will drop the temperature controller to 12°C tomorrow morning.  One of the fermenters I will dry hop with the 68g of Riwaka that I have for a NZ Pilsner style.  I will leave the other fermenter dry hop free.  It will be nice to compare these two.  I can see myself splitting a brew for a few times from here.

Neat experiment Shamus. I will be interested to hear how your NZ Pilsner turns out, with the Riwaka dry hop. To clarify, is that 68g of Riwaka in 9.25L (7g/L)? 

I am just getting into lager brewing myself and am also trying to figure out how to hop them. I went traditional with the first one, with an addition of Hallertau at 15 and 5 minutes, no dry hop, but for my second (currently fermenting) I decided to do a 20 minute kettle addition (for some spicy flavour) and a hop stand addition, and I am going to make a small dry hop addition during active fermentation later today....I am not sure what I will do next time around, whether it is better to do a 1 or 5 minute addition vs a hop stand addition. At first I was thinking a hop stand addition would be better, because of the lower heat, but noble hops tend to be high in linalool. After I put on this batch I read that in the case of lagers, oxidizing some of that linalool with a short boil (as per tradition) to produce linalool oxide is actually a good idea, as linalool oxide is an important part of lager flavour. Linalool is very sensitive to heat; 80% of it can oxidize with just a five minute boil. The aroma of unoxidized linalool is woody lavender; linalool oxide also smells of lavender, but it is brighter and more herbal, with a tea-like character. If dry hops are added during active fermentation yeast can bio-transform a bit of unoxidized linalool into A-terpeniol, which has a lilac aroma, but I have not read anything about them being able to bio-transform linalool oxide, so I assume it remains unchanged.

I tried to find out if Riwaka is high in linalool but didn't have any luck locating that info.

Cheers,

Christina.

Edited February 25, 2020 by ChristinaS1

[ChristinaS1]

What is in my fermenter? About one litre less of beer than there was five minutes ago!

Currently fermenting my second lager, in a keg, under 10PSI of pressure, with a spunding valve. I wanted to add some dry hops to this batch during active fermentation, to try to get a little bio-transformation. Have never done this before so I just did what I thought I should: I pulled the pressure relief a few times to let out the pressure and removed the lid. Immediately frothing beer boiled up and cascaded out of the top, all over the floor. Ugh! It caught me by surprise. At first I just stood there, watching it, hoping it would stop, so I could put my dry hops in, but after a couple of seconds it became obvious it wasn't going to stop anytime soon. I had to put the lid back on.

I guess I will keep the pressure off for a while and will try again in a bit. Have wrapped my hop cylinder thingy in a bag and stuck it in the fridge. The hops have already disintegrated due to contact with the Starsan. Live and learn I guess.

Cheers,

Christina.

Edited February 26, 2020 by ChristinaS1

[ChristinaS1]

Update: got the hops in. Whew!

[Beerlust]

20 hours ago, Shamus O'Sean said:

I absolutely love the Simcoe and Lemondrop combo in the Coopers XPA.  One of my best brews ever.  Your four way combo sounds even better.  Let us know how it goes.

Will do Shamus.

@Coopers @Coopers Beer @Coopers DIY Beer Team

The Lemondrop is very dominant in the Coopers XPA mix as it has a very potent aromatic quality. The only thing close to it in that space that I've come across would be Sorachi Ace.

I can understand Coopers enthusiasm with the Lemondrop hop being very new on the scene & how potent it is aromatically to use in a beer like this in an emerging style. Commercially though, I feel a better option in this XPA space for Coopers would have been to blow everyone's minds & mass produce the Fruit Salad Ale in this XPA space.

TTBOMK Coopers very unique yeast strain provides a very key component for this beer that cannot be replicated without their express permission on a commercial scale.

It's a perfect fit for the XPA style & a better beer option on a commercial scale IMHO. I have other friends & colleagues both in homebrew circles & commercially that agree.

Just my 20 cents,

Lusty.

[Popo the Reprobate]

32 minutes ago, Beerlust said:

blow everyone's minds & mass produce the Fruit Salad Ale

+1

[Greenyinthewestofsydney]

My duvel clone has hit the wall as per usual. Stalled at 1034. Will get the stir treatment and a rise in temp tomorrow morning to re kick it off. 

[Shamus O'Sean]

On 2/26/2020 at 12:09 AM, ChristinaS1 said:

To clarify, is that 68g of Riwaka in 9.25L (7g/L)?

Yep.  68g is what I had in the bag.  I thought about adding less.  However, looking at other folks' dry hop additions adding up to over 200g in a 23 L batch, I did not think that 68g in 9.25L was over the top.  NZ Pilsners are supposed to be pretty hoppy too.

[Norris!]

22 hours ago, Beerlust said:

Will do Shamus.

@Coopers @Coopers Beer @Coopers DIY Beer Team

The Lemondrop is very dominant in the Coopers XPA mix as it has a very potent aromatic quality. The only thing close to it in that space that I've come across would be Sorachi Ace.

I can understand Coopers enthusiasm with the Lemondrop hop being very new on the scene & how potent it is aromatically to use in a beer like this in an emerging style. Commercially though, I feel a better option in this XPA space for Coopers would have been to blow everyone's minds & mass produce the Fruit Salad Ale in this XPA space.

TTBOMK Coopers very unique yeast strain provides a very key component for this beer that cannot be replicated without their express permission on a commercial scale.

It's a perfect fit for the XPA style & a better beer option on a commercial scale IMHO. I have other friends & colleagues both in homebrew circles & commercially that agree.

Just my 20 cents,

Lusty.

If coopers was to do that, don't put PoR hops in it, like they did with the XPA. For me it ruins the beer, unless I am picking something else up, the yeast maybe but I would swear there is pride of Ringwood in there. While you can pick up the lemondrop and simcoe hops, I still smell and taste that carlton draught likeness coming through....maybe I am wrong. I am often so it would be par for the course. But I pick up something that reminds me of VB and Carlton Draught.

My other suggestion to Coopers, go big on the hops and forget about balance. The Coopers XPA is a pale ale in my brewery, not an XPA...but it is a good balanced beer that I will pick over all the other Coopers products but that is just my taste.

 I honestly doubt Coopers would brew a NEIPA or the Fruit Salad Ale, but if they did, I hope they blast it with hops to show that a big brewery can make a hoppy brew that isn't so close to mega swill.

I might of been hard on the XPA, I do like it but maybe I had old cans, I love the carbonation but if you are going to call it an XPA I want to be blow away by the hops not just get a balanced brew. It is good though, but not an XPA in my book.

[Norris!]

With all thay said, it comes down to, whatever an XPA is in your book.

[Malter White]

With the brew fridge now in full swing and the recently acquired second Coopers FV, I've put down 2 extract tin lagers (one European, the other TC Golden Crown) with a 1.5kg tin of LME each.
Pre-ferment taste test says the TCGC is going to be delicious. I know it'll change a lot with fermentation but early signs are encouraging.
Not sure if I'll do many more lagers in the future, the bloody longer ferment times drive me insane. A man's not a camel!!

[Beerlust]

Fruit Salad Ale - a quick concept art.

Yellow would have been a better colour for this beer style I reckon, but that colour already has a home in the Coopers range.

Cheers,

Lusty.

 

[Otto Von Blotto]

Tested the porter SG earlier, down to around 1.014-15 so on target and the fridge is cooling down for a week cold crash now. The other one I've bumped up to 21 and will test its SG probably on Monday. 

[Norris!]

I did some more dirty fermenting, this is my 3rd time doing this. I kegged a batch and then swirled the dregs up and removed about 2/3 of the yeast and dumped the leftover pale ale on it, from the cube...my heart palates every time I do this, but it is so quick and easy.....I hope I didn't put the moz on myself.  The batch going in is higher gravity and similar hops as the last, which the dry hop was contained. It should be right(famous last words).

I do not recommend this unless you santise well and even then it is risky business, kind of. The fermenter should be alright, if the 1st batch in was good and the 5 minutes it is empty could lead to infections but shouldn't if everything is clean going in and sanitised. Well that is my theory at least. Just a warning to anyone new brewing.

Cheers

Norris

[Norris!]

8 hours ago, Beerlust said:

Fruit Salad Ale - a quick concept art.

Yellow would have been a better colour for this beer style I reckon, but that colour already has a home in the Coopers range.

Cheers,

Lusty.

 

I like this colour and label but maybe have the wagon carrying the grain and some hops? Either way, cool as. @Coopers Beer

Please make this. I would buy it. It is one of the best brews, in my opinion, in the recipe section...along with the Shark fin. You could market it along with the Brewuniverse stuff or Master if the Brewniverse. Not only would people like it, a different market segment would emerge while driving more towards your other line, homebrewing. To me that line could surpass the old standbys and cash cows, think star, when the entire revenue stream is considered. How would you measure this possible success, what is the demand for the yearly celebration ale? Do the order out weigh the demand by how much? The marketing should also focus on The fact that "you can brew this" and then make it easy to find how to order all the stuff needed.

Just my $0.02 worth. Man I might of over thought this.

[Beerlust]

15 minutes ago, Norris! said:

...Please make this. I would buy it. It is one of the best brews, in my opinion, in the recipe section...

+1 Norris.

How Coopers could have overlooked the production of this beer especially into the new interest category of "XPA" does make my mind boggle.

My personal opinion is that the administration looks at the DIY department separately to the commercial development department. It's the only way this recipe could have been overlooked as a potential option in the XPA space for Coopers prior to their release of their commercial XPA beer.

The modern arm of the DIY department provide an incredible amount of high quality, diverse beer recipes that are surely looked at for their potential in a commercial sense?

@Coopers @Coopers Beer @Coopers DIY Beer Team

You have something very unique at your fingertips Coopers, that would become a very popular beer globally particularly in the tropical zones of the planet. Not just here in Australia.

Think bigger. The DIY Fruit Salad Ale beer recipe makes an outstanding, & very unique beer.

Dare I say it, swallow some pride & re-release your XPA under this guise.

One of your most loyal & biggest supporters,

Lusty.

[Malter White]

On 2/4/2020 at 12:01 AM, MUZZY said:

I made the Green Neck Lager recipe this morning. Basically just a Euro Lager extract with BE3 at 15C in the ferment fridge.
It better be a nice drop, I'm not used to waiting 2 weeks to reach final gravity.

The recipe calls for 4 weeks in the bottle!!!! I lasted 12 days before I had to try one. Even at 12 days it's a nice beer but the clarity of it says it probably needs the 4 weeks.

 

Edited February 28, 2020 by MUZZY

[Red devil 44]

11 hours ago, MUZZY said:

The recipe calls for 4 weeks in the bottle!!!! I lasted 12 days before I had to try one. Even at 12 days it's a nice beer but the clarity of it says it probably needs the 4 weeks.

 

I also brewed the Green Neck Lager Muzzy, been kegged about 2 weeks, haven’t put it on tap yet, jut waiting its turn for a free tap, interested to compare colour difference between bottled & kegged..

I used 3/4 kg liquid dry malt and 250g dextrose, so see how that turns out, I’ll post a pic when it’s on tap.

‘I brew 20L in my fermenter so don’t bottle, just enough to fill my kegs.
 

 Cheers RD44

[Malter White]

4 hours ago, Red devil 44 said:

I also brewed the Green Neck Lager Muzzy, been kegged about 2 weeks, haven’t put it on tap yet, jut waiting its turn for a free tap, interested to compare colour difference between bottled & kegged..

I used 3/4 kg liquid dry malt and 250g dextrose, so see how that turns out, I’ll post a pic when it’s on tap.

‘I brew 20L in my fermenter so don’t bottle, just enough to fill my kegs.
 

 Cheers RD44

I used BE3, as per the recipe, but tightarse me stretched it out to 23 litres. It also makes for easier storage because I use Coopers PETs in their original boxes. 23 litres is 2 full boxes.

[Red devil 44]

2 minutes ago, MUZZY said:

I used BE3, as per the recipe, but tightarse me stretched it out to 23 litres. It also makes for easier storage because I use Coopers PETs in their original boxes. 23 litres is 2 full boxes.

I can’t be arsed bottling the last 3 or so litres, so just do the 20L.

Ive built my stocks up now after Xmas so got 5 kegs in the waiting room ready to put on tap when needed.

 

[Otto Von Blotto]

I usually put the surplus into another keg and blend it, but now that I have two fermenters going I am thinking about making all batches to 21 litres just to fill the one keg. Doubling production means I can have two kegs full before the two on tap run out. 

[Red devil 44]

I put down a K & K German Black Rock Bock after work last night, brewing at 13 degrees with Saflager S-23 Yeast, keen to see how this baby turns out. 
 

Cheers RD44

[ChristinaS1]

On 2/25/2020 at 8:05 PM, ChristinaS1 said:

What is in my fermenter? About one litre less of beer than there was five minutes ago!

Currently fermenting my second lager, in a keg, under 10PSI of pressure, with a spunding valve. I wanted to add some dry hops to this batch during active fermentation, to try to get a little bio-transformation. Have never done this before so I just did what I thought I should: I pulled the pressure relief a few times to let out the pressure and removed the lid. Immediately frothing beer boiled up and cascaded out of the top, all over the floor. Ugh! It caught me by surprise. At first I just stood there, watching it, hoping it would stop, so I could put my dry hops in, but after a couple of seconds it became obvious it wasn't going to stop anytime soon. I had to put the lid back on.

I guess I will keep the pressure off for a while and will try again in a bit. Have wrapped my hop cylinder thingy in a bag and stuck it in the fridge. The hops have already disintegrated due to contact with the Starsan. Live and learn I guess.

Cheers,

Christina.

After being in there for three days I went to retrieve the hops last night,  and a similar thing happened, though I reacted quicker this time and knew what to do. It was still actively fermenting, which I was a little surprised about. Anyway, the smell coming out of the keg has changed and is not very good. I am suspicious it is contaminated. Would not be surprised if the grocery bag that I wrapped the hop cylinder in contaminated the thing, and that spraying with Starsan missed some areas. While I was lowering the hops into the keg a little voice in the back of my head was saying, "Abort! Abort!" But I didn't listen to it. Anyway, I will wait a few more days for fermentation to finish and then try tasting a sample, but I am not very hopeful. 

Cheers,

Christina.

 

Edited February 29, 2020 by ChristinaS1

[Marty_G]

3 hours ago, ChristinaS1 said:

After being in there for three days I went to retrieve the hops last night,  and a similar thing happened, though I reacted quicker this time and knew what to do. It was still actively fermenting, which I was a little surprised about. Anyway, the smell coming out of the keg has changed and is not very good.

I did the same thingwith my one and only pressure ferment and it ruined the beer.  Has distinct twang and off smell. While it is drinkable it is not right and i will more than likely toss it when I have another brew to keg in a couple of weeks. So if it has not conditioned out it is down the sink with it. 

It has drained my enthusiasm for pressure fermentation. However, I learnt a valuable lesson and that is: when it is actively fermenting just leave it.