What's in Your Fermenter 2022?

[DavidM]

Big day, for me, Bottled two brews and put too more in.

First bottled a Pale Ale, then a Woolies Lager for the Wife.

Cleaned up and put in a Coopers draught with a kilo of LDM and 200g of Malted brewing sugar.

30g NZ Waimea Hops, via the @MUZZY dry hop method, strained into the mix.

Woolies Lager with 500g LDM and 100g Malted brewing sugar.  20g Bravo hops via the above Muzzy....

still learning about hops and how to Add. going this way for now, find out in five or six weeks if this is good !!

[Malter White]

1 hour ago, DavidM said:

Big day, for me, Bottled two brews and put too more in.

First bottled a Pale Ale, then a Woolies Lager for the Wife.

Cleaned up and put in a Coopers draught with a kilo of LDM and 200g of Malted brewing sugar.

30g NZ Waimea Hops, via the @MUZZY dry hop method, strained into the mix.

Woolies Lager with 500g LDM and 100g Malted brewing sugar.  20g Bravo hops via the above Muzzy....

still learning about hops and how to Add. going this way for now, find out in five or six weeks if this is good !!

All the best with it, Dave. Once again I'll point out I'm no hops expert. Just for correctness reasons, it's not a dry hop method but more a wet hop/steep but I understand what you're getting at.
And on a WW "Larger" note: I'm drinking some right now. My version tastes quite good but head retention is non-existent. On my next attempt I want to add more malt to alleviate that but I know malt will also change the taste too. I'm in a quandary.

[DavidM]

23 hours ago, MUZZY said:

All the best with it, Dave. Once again I'll point out I'm no hops expert. Just for correctness reasons, it's not a dry hop method but more a wet hop/steep but I understand what you're getting at.
And on a WW "Larger" note: I'm drinking some right now. My version tastes quite good but head retention is non-existent. On my next attempt I want to add more malt to alleviate that but I know malt will also change the taste too. I'm in a quandary.

No worries Muzzy, tongue in check as you Know.

happy to try different ways with hops

[Aussiekraut]

23 hours ago, MUZZY said:

All the best with it, Dave. Once again I'll point out I'm no hops expert. Just for correctness reasons, it's not a dry hop method but more a wet hop/steep but I understand what you're getting at.
And on a WW "Larger" note: I'm drinking some right now. My version tastes quite good but head retention is non-existent. On my next attempt I want to add more malt to alleviate that but I know malt will also change the taste too. I'm in a quandary.

<pedantic mode>

Wet hopping refers to using fresh hops, as opposed to dried hops or pellets (which of course are also dried ). It is not the opposite of dry hopping. Why dry hopping is called just that is anybody's guess  

</pedantic mode>

[Malter White]

8 hours ago, Aussiekraut said:

<pedantic mode>

Wet hopping refers to using fresh hops, as opposed to dried hops or pellets (which of course are also dried ). It is not the opposite of dry hopping. Why dry hopping is called just that is anybody's guess  

</pedantic mode>

AK, I think whoever came up with all these terms was probably on the p155. 

[jennyss]

What's in my fermenter? - Nothing! I just bottled my second brew; a Coopers Australian Pale Ale with BE no. 2. Tastes quite different from our first brew; the Lager that came with the brew kit. It seems 'lighter' and 'cleaner' in taste and no 'toffee' flavour. Very hard to know what words to use about beer taste.

I subtracted the FG 1004 from the SG 1034, divided by 7.36 and came up with an alcohol content of 4.07% if that is correct.

I think after a couple more brews I'll get into a pattern of how often to brew.

Best wishes to all.

[Classic Brewing Co]

3 minutes ago, jennyss said:

What's in my fermenter? - Nothing! I just bottled my second brew; a Coopers Australian Pale Ale with BE no. 2. Tastes quite different from our first brew; the Lager that came with the brew kit. It seems 'lighter' and 'cleaner' in taste and no 'toffee' flavour. Very hard to know what words to use about beer taste.

I subtracted the FG 1004 from the SG 1034, divided by 7.36 and came up with an alcohol content of 4.07% if that is correct.

I think after a couple more brews I'll get into a pattern of how often to brew.

Best wishes to all.

@jennyssI agree the Pale Ale is a much cleaner, lighter & more flavorsome than the supplied Lager, you will end up tweaking the recipe & perfect it, IMO BE2 is not enough to bring you up to the 4.5% ABV that is normal for that brew a minimum of 500gms of LDME or LME would do it, however it's not all about the ABV. As you have probably seen by now Lagers require a much lower temperature around 13-14c depending on the actual recipe. 

You may want to try some IPA's for another taste sensation in your brewing adventure, also there is nothing wrong with a Draught but you should also try the Coopers Real Ale, that is very nice.

As we are entering into the cooler season a Stout or a Dark Ale would be good for you to experiment with as they are very forgiving & always turn out nice, that is of course if you like it.

I wish you continued success & Cheers.

Phil

[Malter White]

6 minutes ago, jennyss said:

What's in my fermenter? - Nothing! I just bottled my second brew; a Coopers Australian Pale Ale with BE no. 2. Tastes quite different from our first brew; the Lager that came with the brew kit. It seems 'lighter' and 'cleaner' in taste and no 'toffee' flavour. Very hard to know what words to use about beer taste.

I subtracted the FG 1004 from the SG 1034, divided by 7.36 and came up with an alcohol content of 4.07% if that is correct.

I think after a couple more brews I'll get into a pattern of how often to brew.

Best wishes to all.

Good on you, Jenny.
I'm also not good at describing beer flavours but what you described makes sense. The Original Series Lager kit weirdly comes included with a sachet of ale yeast. They tell me that effectively makes the OS Lager an ale. And just to confuse matters further The Aus Pale Ale kit comes with a blended yeast sachet of ale and lager yeast. Go figure.
The link below is on the BREWING SUPPORT page, under PRODUCT INFO you'll find the topic of which yeast is in each kit.
In relation to your alcohol content calculation. Did you add another 0.05% for your priming sugar? 
https://www.diybeer.com/au/faqs/#FAQ_4_06

[Aussiekraut]

2 hours ago, jennyss said:

What's in my fermenter? - Nothing! I just bottled my second brew; a Coopers Australian Pale Ale with BE no. 2. Tastes quite different from our first brew; the Lager that came with the brew kit. It seems 'lighter' and 'cleaner' in taste and no 'toffee' flavour. Very hard to know what words to use about beer taste.

I subtracted the FG 1004 from the SG 1034, divided by 7.36 and came up with an alcohol content of 4.07% if that is correct.

I think after a couple more brews I'll get into a pattern of how often to brew.

Best wishes to all.

Bottle conditioning will add approx. 0.4-0.5% ABV, so in the end, you will get a 4.5% beer or thereabouts. The BEs contain maltodextrin in various amounts, which doesn't ferment out, just ads to body and mouthfeel. You can use approx. 1.2kg of dried malt extract instead of brew enhancers and will get a higher ABV (and better beer). In fact even using just 1kg will give you the better beer and probably a slightly higher ABV. 

[Pezzza]

4 minutes ago, Aussiekraut said:

better beer and probably a slightly higher ABV. 

And @jennyss if you add in some Coopers Liquid Malt... Light, Amber or Dark, or Wheat... has the potential to add improved mouthfeel, head, and head retention to your brew.  But as noted earlier - one step at a time and keeping it simple to begin with is good. 

[Pezzza]

Triple Treat... IP Brewing back on the go after a little layoff... 

Fermenters below housing:   Middy   Kölsch  Helles

Everything seems to be plodding on...  got a while to go before having to  do another three brews to backfill 

The M n K are new brews for us : )       Hopefully good beer will eventuate 

Edited February 22, 2022 by Itinerant Peasant

[Aussiekraut]

1 hour ago, Itinerant Peasant said:

Triple Treat... IP Brewing back on the go after a little layoff... 

Fermenters below housing:   Middy   Kölsch  Helles

Everything seems to be plodding on...  got a while to go before having to  do another three brews to backfill 

The M n K are new brews for us : )       Hopefully good beer will eventuate 

You're busy again mate. Good to see. Good on ya for giving some low ABV a go. Helps keeping the waist line down  

I have yet to make a Kölsch but I haven't had one in at least 30 years, so I can't remember if I liked it. Maybe I can give it a go in about 3 months time, when I am over there. Not in Köln but still within buying range  Früh Kölsch used to be available in the shops around where the parents live. Might go for one when back and brewing  

 

[Pezzza]

1 hour ago, Aussiekraut said:

Not in Köln but still within buying range  Früh Kölsch used to be available in the shops around where the parents live.

@Aussiekraut AK this is a very important task - we are sending you over to capture essential field data so you are able to report back to provide business-critical Kölsch advice - this is your mission if you are prepared to accept it 

And please can you check that Hefeweizen also still exists over there - and if it is still tasty 

Oh yeah - if any extra time - maybe also a quick review of Helles, Alt and the odd Pils please ; )

Goodness me mate, it looks like you might have a very busy time! 

[Aussiekraut]

31 minutes ago, Itinerant Peasant said:

@Aussiekraut AK this is a very important task - we are sending you over to capture essential field data so you are able to report back to provide business-critical Kölsch advice - this is your mission if you are prepared to accept it 

And please can you check that Hefeweizen also still exists over there - and if it is still tasty 

Oh yeah - if any extra time - maybe also a quick review of Helles, Alt and the odd Pils please ; )

Goodness me mate, it looks like you might have a very busy time! 

I accept the mission. I will sacrifice myself for the advancement of home brewing. I will provide status reports and photographic evidence where possible  

[stquinto]

On 2/16/2022 at 4:54 AM, Classic Brewing Co said:

I dry hopped on day 4 with 25gms of Galaxy, I won't be doing it again, Infusion is my favourite way. I got 24 Longnecks bottled but the last few were struggling with the wand clogging up, I had 2 on the go & had to keep flushing & changing them.

I've had the same problem with hoppy gunk blocking the bottling wand. If dry hopping, I put my pellets in one of those disposable paper tea bags and staple it closed. Or in a jiffy cloth and use a plastic cable tie to close it. Nowadays I make a hop tea though.

[Coopers DIY Beer Team]

13 hours ago, jennyss said:

I subtracted the FG 1004 from the SG 1034, divided by 7.36 and came up with an alcohol content of 4.07% if that is correct.

If you used the full kilo of BE2 and made the brew up to 23 litres, your SG was probably more like 1038 and the FG also looks a little low for a kilo of BE2. Have you  calibrated your hydrometer? It should read 998 - 1000 in 20C water. I think yours will probably read around 994 - 996.  If so, email customerservice@coopers.com.au with your address and we'll post out another one. Cheers, Frank.

[Classic Brewing Co]

5 hours ago, stquinto said:

I've had the same problem with hoppy gunk blocking the bottling wand. If dry hopping, I put my pellets in one of those disposable paper tea bags and staple it closed. Or in a jiffy cloth and use a plastic cable tie to close it. Nowadays I make a hop tea though.

I have been buying lengths of muslin cloth & I always have food grade butchers/kitchen string & I prefer to tie up 25-50gms in to a ball both ends & steep that in a bowl of boiled water for 20 minutes & chuck the whole lot in - easy, no mess, no clean-up, no clogging & it still imparts enough flavour for me. The little bags that come with the small sachets of hops usually 12gms are convenient but not enough to get any real hop presence & also an expensive way to buy hops.

[Pezzza]

9 hours ago, Aussiekraut said:

I accept the mission. I will sacrifice myself for the advancement of home brewing. I will provide status reports and photographic evidence where possible  

Aaaahhh isn't it a beautiful thing when your highly skilled and experienced Secret Agents can be so enthusiastic about such critical and dangerous tasks in lands far from our shores!?! 

Edited February 22, 2022 by Itinerant Peasant

[Otto Von Blotto]

Pitching another pilsner today, the cube has been in the fridge since last night so pitching temperature should be nice and cool. Tomorrow I'll probably make up a starter for the 1469 yeast so I can get Saturday's red ale batch pitched early next week. 

[Pezzza]

1 hour ago, Otto Von Blotto said:

Pitching another pilsner today, the cube has been in the fridge since last night so pitching temperature should be nice and cool. Tomorrow I'll probably make up a starter for the 1469 yeast so I can get Saturday's red ale batch pitched early next week. 

@Otto Von Blotto Great stuff Kelsey. 

Have you got any thoughts about doing the slow decline in temp in the Brewfridge -- incrementally from around 18 down to to 2-3 degC for 'Yeast Cleanup' over about a week -- but not in a Pils/Lager but rather in an Ale -- or is that pretty much a worthless exercise do you think for Ales?

[Otto Von Blotto]

50 minutes ago, Itinerant Peasant said:

@Otto Von Blotto Great stuff Kelsey. 

Have you got any thoughts about doing the slow decline in temp in the Brewfridge -- incrementally from around 18 down to to 2-3 degC for 'Yeast Cleanup' over about a week -- but not in a Pils/Lager but rather in an Ale -- or is that pretty much a worthless exercise do you think for Ales?

Pretty pointless with an ale I'd think, the strong flavours would mask any minor differences doing it might make, whereas in a lager there's not much to hide behind. I did notice an improvement in my lagers when I started doing the slow ramp down, but I don't think I'd notice anything in a hopped up ale. 

Anyway this one looks to have settled on 11.5 degrees, so pretty much at fermentation temp of 11 that I decided to do this one at.

[iBooz2]

Dropped a cube of my version of @ozdevil 's USPA into the coopers fermenter yesterday.  Unfortunately it was cubed up on 26/12/2021 and I have not had time to ferment it out, life just got too busy and messy.  The cube has been sitting at ambient brick garage shed temps since then (well up into the high 30 C sometimes) but it was covered from light so should be OK.  This one is a bit lower in ABV at 4.3 % so hopefully I have not buggered up the recipe as the last one was a ripper.  Took a SG today (24 hours in) and it is down to 1.036.  Using US-05 at 18 C.

Dry hop in the next day or so depending on how SG goes.

[Pints]

My next two upcoming brews:

Aus pale ale, 500g dme, 10g mosiac boil for 10mins, 25g mosiac dry hop. 22L

English bitter(first time), 500g dme, 22L

Trying to keep the abv 3.8% ish

Any comments or suggestions welcome

Edited February 24, 2022 by PintsAtMeLocal

[Stickers]

2 minutes ago, PintsAtMeLocal said:

My next two upcoming brews:

Aus pale ale, 500g dme, 10g mosiac boil for 10mins, 25g mosiac dry hop. 22L

English bitter(first time), 500g dme, 22L

Trying to keep the abv 3.8% ish

Any comments or suggestions welcome

english bitter as you've got it sounds about right for the abv you're looking for, i did one last year with fuggles as a dry hop and it was a tasty brew

[Shamus O'Sean]

58 minutes ago, PintsAtMeLocal said:

My next two upcoming brews:

Aus pale ale, 500g dme, 10g mosiac boil for 10mins, 25g mosiac dry hop. 22L

English bitter(first time), 500g dme, 22L

Trying to keep the abv 3.8% ish

Any comments or suggestions welcome

Only comment: Just do it.  They both sound like nice brews.  I like the English Bitter kit, but I did mine with 1kg of LDM.