Coopers Brew Enhancers

[Bearded Bear]

Hi all

 

Just joined...first post ..only been brewing (kit form) for 3 months but I am doing 5 x 23 liter brews at a time...OK, I like my beer.  I have 48 cases ATM and am going flat out to make the most of the weather being above 20 for bottle fermentation but being a "mexican"... my time is almost up.  Anyway, a question if I may.  My local HBS mix their own brew enhancers (BE) and it is the same no matter what you brew but I have seen on this site and  BE 2 at Woolworths (but I support small local business) that there are 3 Coppers Brew enhancers. I searched this forum for the information but nothing came up and cant find anything on the web site. in regard to the difference.  If someone knows where I can find this out and maybe message a link, that would be very much appreciated.   Have a Froffy for me!!

[Naughty Corner Brewing]

Hey there BB3.

Welcome to the forum, sounds like you have a lot of brews on the go, I’m a laggard by comparison, but a Queenslander, so I can brew all year around and carbonate at room temp pretty well still.

The info your after is in the FAQs on the main diybeer.com page at https://www.diybeer.com/au/faqs/#FAQ_4_02

I’ve popped in a screenshot below.

Cheers.

Jamie

 

[Bearded Bear]

Hi Jamie.  Thanks so much.  Yes you "Banana Benders" have a huge advantage.  Its bloody cold already here so I am going to get an old wardrobe, install a ceramic heat emitter and attach it to a thermostat so I can set it at say 22 degree.  This worries now as I can still brew all winter.  I have been doing staged taste testing of my brews and there is now doubt that beer left for say 3 months is a completely different brew than drinking one after 2 weeks post carbonation. It may be even better if I leave it longer but..."thats not gunna happen".  Mate you clearly are more competent on the PC than me...is there also a link as to when you should use each one.  Again...thanks heaps

 

Darren

[Journeyman]

2 hours ago, Bearded Bear said:

Hi Jamie.  Thanks so much.  Yes you "Banana Benders" have a huge advantage.  Its bloody cold already here so I am going to get an old wardrobe, install a ceramic heat emitter and attach it to a thermostat so I can set it at say 22 degree.  This worries now as I can still brew all winter.  I have been doing staged taste testing of my brews and there is now doubt that beer left for say 3 months is a completely different brew than drinking one after 2 weeks post carbonation. It may be even better if I leave it longer but..."thats not gunna happen".  Mate you clearly are more competent on the PC than me...is there also a link as to when you should use each one.  Again...thanks heaps

Hi Darren & welcome to the forums.

Mostly us HB'ers have more issues keeping temps DOWN rather than warming them.  Normal temps for fermenting are around 18 - 20° - go much above 22° and often you get unusual flavours in the brew. So we tend to have a fridge with a temp control like an Inkbird controller to make sure the temps stay constant. My udnerstanding is, fluctuating temps are a bad thing for consistent quality - whichever temp you choose you need to keep it constant.

You're dead right about the longer you leave the beer in the bottle (or keg) the better it gets but most ales are drinkable around 2 - 3 weeks. Lagers and stuts take much longer to improve.

On that note, if you're worried about cold weather, you might want to look into lagers - lager yeasts tend to ferment best at 10 - 12° and 'lagering' is a cold-store process that takes months.

Look around the site - there's lots of advice on styles and best ways to do things.

[Naughty Corner Brewing]

2 hours ago, Bearded Bear said:

is there also a link as to when you should use each one

Not really a rule as such, more what you want to get out of the beer you’re making.

Dextrose is 100% fermentable (or damn enough close to it) so it will lift alcohol content, but add nothing to the beer. Add to much and it can become “thin” and cidery.

Maltodextrin is unfermentable, and will add body to your beer and can improve head retention, but can leave an undesired sweetness if too much is used.

Light dry malt is a good, fermentable malt product, the same as what is in the tins but dry. Adds body and head retention, increases alcohol percentage and is generally a good thing.

Each of them are used for specific reasons and its about what you want to get from your beer.

There are others on here far more learned then I in the dark art of brewing, who may wish to add more or correct me on anything I’ve said.

Cheers!

[Bearded Bear]

Thanks JOURNEYMAN .  That's interesting about larger .  I brew at around 25 degree as I was told this by my local HB shop.  Attaining the temp and keeping it stable is not a problem for me as I use an aquarium heater in my barrels.  My issue is more the carbonation process but I have a solution I mentioned in a previous post.

 

NEWBREWS, not at all your advice has been great.  Thanks

[Malter White]

I concur with Newbrews about what you want to get from your beer (apart from p155ed). I've been using malt as my only fermentable recently. It's excellent for improving head retention and adding body but it also adds malt flavour, which is great for some styles of beer but you might not want so much maltiness in other styles.

It's a matter of trial and (hopefully not many) errors to experiment and find the beers you prefer. I'd guess I've made about 50 brews. Not all have been great but I haven't made one that was undrinkable. Cheers.

[Bearded Bear]

Thanks again Muzz.  I bloody LOVE the smell and no doubt taste of malt so I am putting another brew together tomorrow.  So do you recommend a kilo of Malt and nothing else or what.   Jamie NewBrews recommended a "Light Dry Malt and I have sen that at the HBS...so whatever you and NewBrews recommends...I am gunna have a crack at it.

 

So appreciate both of your inputs.  Being locked down...I am just hanging to fill the time and as an avid fisherman, I go out in my little boat absolutely every time the weather is good...sometimes 4 times a week but in this "nanny state", we cant even go fishing either in the boat or on land !!!

 

Cheers guys

[Malter White]

22 minutes ago, Bearded Bear said:

Thanks again Muzz.  I bloody LOVE the smell and no doubt taste of malt so I am putting another brew together tomorrow.  So do you recommend a kilo of Malt and nothing else or what.   Jamie NewBrews recommended a "Light Dry Malt and I have sen that at the HBS...so whatever you and NewBrews recommends...I am gunna have a crack at it.

 

So appreciate both of your inputs.  Being locked down...I am just hanging to fill the time and as an avid fisherman, I go out in my little boat absolutely every time the weather is good...sometimes 4 times a week but in this "nanny state", we cant even go fishing either in the boat or on land !!!

 

Cheers guys

Dry or liquid malt will give you a good result. I've been using liquid recently and what I like about it is it mixes in much easier ie. no lumps but dry malt is just as good.

[Marty_G]

On 4/5/2020 at 8:59 AM, Bearded Bear said:

I have 48 cases

Do you have it with the stock piled toilet paper mate. 

[Bearded Bear]

1 hour ago, MUZZY said:

Dry or liquid malt will give you a good result. I've been using liquid recently and what I like about it is it mixes in much easier ie. no lumps but dry malt is just as good.

Yes true mate.  What I do which may or may be be useful info for you is that I use a "slick blender: and it mixes the shit out of everything. At first, I had issues with mixing but the old slicker blender destroys any lumps hands down

[Shamus O'Sean]

34 minutes ago, Bearded Bear said:

Yes true mate.  What I do which may or may be be useful info for you is that I use a "slick blender: and it mixes the shit out of everything. At first, I had issues with mixing but the old slicker blender destroys any lumps hands down

And probably good for aerating your wort before pitching your yeast.

[Bearded Bear]

Hi Shamus.. Not sure what "wort" is.  I am a lazy brewer and just use the Coopers cans

 

[Shamus O'Sean]

1 hour ago, Bearded Bear said:

Hi Shamus.. Not sure what "wort" is.  I am a lazy brewer and just use the Coopers cans

 

Wort is what your mix of Coopers cans and extras like Light Dry Malt are before you add yeast and they start to turn into beer.

Oxygen in your wort before pitching yeast is good.  Once it is pitched, not so much good.

[Bearded Bear]

On 4/6/2020 at 10:00 PM, Shamus O'Sean said:

Wort is what your mix of Coopers cans and extras like Light Dry Malt are before you add yeast and they start to turn into beer.

Oxygen in your wort before pitching yeast is good.  Once it is pitched, not so much good.

 Thankjs.  I am not sure if I mentioned this but I use a stick blender to mix my "wort" which oxygenates the wort extremely well so maybe thats an advantage. cheers

[Bearded Bear]

Who is a goose... I just noticed that I did mention the stick blender

[Otto Von Blotto]

I wouldn't think it oxygenates it extremely well but it would do a decent enough job and certainly better than doing nothing. 

On the other end of the rabbit hole I have an oxygen cylinder that I use with a sintered stone to inject pure oxygen into the wort just before pitching yeast. I don't always use it (sometimes I can't be bothered) but it has been beneficial.

[Journeyman]

4 hours ago, Bearded Bear said:

Who is a goose... I just noticed that I did mention the stick blender

Nope... You talked about a 'slick' blender and a 'slicker' blender - clearly the 2nd must be betterer than the first one.

[Bearded Bear]

55 minutes ago, Journeyman said:

Nope... You talked about a 'slick' blender and a 'slicker' blender - clearly the 2nd must be betterer than the first one.

Ha ha .. what are you talking about... Have you never seen a "slicker blender" !!  Its a turbo charger double over head cam version of the "stick blender"

[Bearded Bear]

2 hours ago, Otto Von Blotto said:

I wouldn't think it oxygenates it extremely well but it would do a decent enough job and certainly better than doing nothing. 

On the other end of the rabbit hole I have an oxygen cylinder that I use with a sintered stone to inject pure oxygen into the wort just before pitching yeast. I don't always use it (sometimes I can't be bothered) but it has been beneficial.

Hi Otto.  I have an aquatic background and the blender certainly will add oxygen but it will only be "air" which is 21% oxygen.  I doesn't matter, I STUFF up every time trying to add the ingredients without it getting lumpy so my "Slick Blender" .  Thanks for your response