PB2 Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 Had planned to brew my all-grain Lemon Myrtle Witbier recipe on Sun' or Mon' but it was too hot in Adelaide to be outside for any length of time - hot like "feel you eyeballs cooking" [devil] [pinched]. Option B: stayed indoors and made an extract and grain Nelson's Light recipe - it's fermenting happily in the fridge at 18C [cool] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 Had planned to brew my all-grain Lemon Myrtle Witbier recipe on Sun' or Mon' but it was too hot in Adelaide to be outside for any length of time - hot like "feel you eyeballs cooking" [devil] [pinched] What type of system to you use paul? I picture you with a very fancy 3V [ninja] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 Just before Xmas I did something similar to a CPA, albeit my yeast stuffed up so had to use a CB Ale yeast I had spare and it turned out at 6% in the keg [pinched] I could have used a bit more POR too. Nevertheless, it didn't turn out like CPA but is still a pretty good drop. It was a prick of a day.... milled 6kg grain by hand took forever as my dynabolt in the Marga had sheered and took me about 1/2 hour to get that out so I could get the handle in. Anyhow, 6 hours later I am happy with the results in the cube no chilling. I think in future I might mill the grain the night before brew day. However, I do like having it as fresh as possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 you havnt got the 10mm Spade bit type for the mill? lol.. hows the sholder? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 Nah but I think I got RSI from the work out though. The worst part, my daughter (3yo) wanted to help so she was helping to mill the grain. It then took twice as long as it should have. [pinched] I read someone with the 10mm spade but then read others saying it didn't fit and they used a 8mm instead. I think it was Yardy who actually used a masonary bit. I didn't have any of these at hand and didn't want to buy one so am going to use another Dynabolt. I reckon I'll get a MM2 by the time it wears again. Apparently they are the ducks guts for the price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Mud Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 I wish you all the best in following this, let it be understood though that .. There is no turning back now, you are gone for life.. lol Yob Haha thanks Yob - I like doing things from scratch and I have been reading "How to Brew" by John palmer. I want to convert those starched to sugar myself dammit! It seems wise to familarise myself with the fermentation process first though, hence the K&K cerveza, and I think I'll have a go at a few extract/specialty grain brews - I have an Old Speckled Hen clone in the planning phases. Like Bill, I think I'll go with BIAB at least initially, but I am aware that there's a great deal of bling involved. As a keen photographer I already suffer from G.A.S (gear acquisition syndrome). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PB2 Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 What type of system to you use paul? I picture you with a very fancy 3V [ninja] One might refer to it as a cobbled together bunch of bits rather than a System [sideways] Below is a bunch of images from a post back in 2009. The only upgrade since then is a 40l Crown Urn - replacing the Lango, False Bottom and Boil Over Guard. [biggrin] Grain Mill, hopper holds about 1kg. Mash Tun Mash Tun False Bottom Sparge Arm $10 Langco Kettle, bargain! Kettle False Bottom Boil Over Guard, reduces evaporation losses too! 17 Litre Cubes Beer Fridge, Kegs, Pluto Guns, Gas Bottle End product "Full Nelson Ale" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianH8 Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 Hi to all from Chicago. I am trying my first Cooper's DIY after getting a kit for Christmas. I am brewing the Cooper's Selection IPA. Followed the recommeded mix, using 500g light dry malt and 300g of dextrose. Temperature has held at 22c. Today was day five. I took a sample to check the SG and the beer came out pretty foamy and murky. Is this normal for the IPA? Does the IPA take longer to ferment? Any advice for a first timer would be great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyG4 Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 i don't know the answer to your question, but Brian H8, i'd be asking for a new username! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 Interesting system Paul, I'd be interested to see a closer/larger photo of the boil over guard if possible. Hi to all from Chicago. I am trying my first Cooper's DIY after getting a kit for Christmas. I am brewing the Cooper's Selection IPA. Followed the recommeded mix' date=' using 500g light dry malt and 300g of dextrose. Temperature has held at 22c. Today was day five. I took a sample to check the SG and the beer came out pretty foamy and murky. Is this normal for the IPA? Does the IPA take longer to ferment? Any advice for a first timer would be great.[/quote'] That sounds fine to me Brian and welcome to the forum buddy. I also give you credit for not having been told to convert to metric on here. I take my hat off to you mate [cool] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stefano Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 Hi guys, Stefano from Sydney here. I, too, got a Coopers DIY Kit for Xmas (after a series of successful hints!). I just started my first brew last week. The lager and BE1(?) that comes with the (new) kit. OG started at 1033 and it seems to be stabilising now, on Day 5, at 1011, as it was 1012 yesterday. Original SG seems low to me? I pitched the yeast at 22C (after quickly cooling from a boil with a heap of ice-cubes). Temperature was stable at 24C for the first 12-24hrs but since then it has gone as high as 32C at times. I'd say on average it has been 26C. From what I read the ideal temp. is in the 10-14C region for a lager, so that's a bit of a concern. But does it mainly just affect the appearance of the brew? (ie. Not as clear?) I'm not too excited about this particular brew as it's a 'plain lager', but I'm curious how it'll compare. I have never actually tried any of the commercial Coopers products since I really got into beer, about 6months ago, with the exception of the Sparkling Ale which I disliked. Anyway, I look forward to exploring (extract) brewing and playing around with some funky recipes with unusual adjuncts. I think I'll switch to ales, as I don't want to invest in a fridge. At least not before I see how good homebrew really tastes... If it's anything like that CraigTube guy makes it out to be ("Ooooooooh!") then it'll probably be worth it! :P Aside from my temperature concerns, I wonder whether the more experienced of you could shed some light on something, as I've read differing opinions: I've read (even on these forums) some people suggest leaving the beer in the Fermentation Vat (FV?) for 2-3 weeks AFTER primary fermentation has completed. Only after that period do they bottle. This seems strange to me as I was under the impression that without the yeast the beer is vulnerable to infection. For my next/2nd brew I'm thinking a Dark Ale extract with *some sugars*(peraps Malto-Dextrin) and some funky adjunct like Sarsparila/Root-beer syrup (if it exists in Australia). I'm open to ideas! Sorry about the long post; I'm excited about it! :) TL;DR: First brew = lager at around 26C. Bottling tomorrow. Excited :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 Yeah, welcome Brian. Chicago in January; at least you don't have to worry about the hot temperatures. The IPA doesn't take any longer to ferment than the other kits. Fermentation time is determined by many factors including the temperature of the wort, the amount of fermentables in the brew and the amount of viable yeast cells pitched. As Bill said, everything sounds normal. A bit of extra time in the fermenter should clear things up. Another week would be good (if you can wait that long - the first one is hard to hold back). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 Hi Stefano, welcome. The Coopers Lager kit actually comes with an Ale yeast, so you are actually making an ale and not a lager. Therefore the perfect temps would be 18-20 degrees. 26 degrees is a bit high but 32 degrees is way too high. When you said that you chilled with ice cubes after a boil, what exactly did you boil? Also, your expectations don't appear to be high and that is good; I find the Lager with BE1 to be very underwhelming. As for time in the FV, I tend to leave Ales in there for 2 weeks (including primary fermentation). You don't want to leave it too long on the yeast cake because of autolysis of the yeast. But a few weeks will be fine. People do rack to a clean vessel after primary (you will see it in a lot of US literature) but I don't see the point. If you plan on a lengthy conditioning of lager it may be different. If I can give you any advice (and I will [biggrin] ) get your temperature control sorted before playing around with ingredients. Fermentation is one of the most (if not the most) important part of beer making. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stefano Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 Hi Hairy, Thanks for the feedback. To address your comments: Doh - I did not realise it was an ale yeast. Why would they give you a lager extract and an ale yeast!? When I mentioned boiling I was referring to the original 2L of boiling water into which I added the extract. So, I added ~2L of near-boiling water into the vat, added the extract, added the brew-enhancer, stirred, added ice-cubes and then filled to 23L. Why do you leave your ales in the FV for 2 weeks? Do you find this improves the flavour? I just don't see why there would be a benefit, since the fermentation is near complete and any yeast that is still active can continue in the bottle. But then again I don't have a deep insight into the underlying chemistry... I'm surprised by the importance you are giving temperature... But, to accomplish this, I would like a temp controlled fridge and this set up would not be cheap :( Edit: Are you sure about the type of yeast? This is the extract I used: http://secure.coopers.com.au/shop/product/DDA1/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GarethB1 Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 Hi all, Gareth here My kids got me a Coopers DIY Kit for Christmas which has become my new obsession. I've just bottled my first batch, just did the generic/normal Lager kit that comes with the DIY kit. I may have ballsed it up a bit: I had the temperature starting at 32 degrees celcius at first and this soon dropped to 28 and then 26 over the next few days. I've read a lot that the experienced brewers aim for 18-20 and I may end up with an average or worst bad tasting beer. However I am hoping for the best, will crack one in 2 weeks but I'm aware again that they taste best after a few months. Despite the temperature thing, I've enjoyed this so much I've already got the sanitiser soaking my FV and accessories over night so I can get cracking on the Coopers Real Ale tomorrow - I chose this one because I hoped it would be like Coopers Red and it seemed again like a simple recipe for a n00b like myself. Also very keen to get stuck into some Stouts, English Bitter etc. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 Doh - I did not realise it was an ale yeast. Why would they give you a lager extract and an ale yeast!? All cans can be brewed as a Lager or Ale, whether they taste as good or not is another question. However, it is the yeast that mainly determine if it will be a Lager or Ale. The kit is only called a Lager (and it is only a name imo) When I mentioned boiling I was referring to the original 2L of boiling water into which I added the extract. So, I added ~2L of near-boiling water into the vat, added the extract, added the brew-enhancer, stirred, added ice-cubes and then filled to 23L. That sounds ok to me. When people talk about boils it generally refers to boiling the wort for grains and hops which is another process. Something that you don't do with cans of goo. An easy misunderstanding. Why do you leave your ales in the FV for 2 weeks? Do you find this improves the flavour? I just don't see why there would be a benefit, since the fermentation is near complete and any yeast that is still active can continue in the bottle. But then again I don't have a deep insight into the underlying chemistry... For Ales, fermentation finishes at around day 7, give or take a day or so, during fermentation the yeast munch away on all the lovely sugars turning it into alcohol and they fart out the crap. Just like when we eat something we get rid of it out the other end. By leaving the brew untouched for another week or so enable the yeast to grab a mop and bucket and clean up after themselves. This makes for a much cleaner and tastier beer. I'm surprised by the importance you are giving temperature... But, to accomplish this, I would like a temp controlled fridge and this set up would not be cheap :( Temperature control is critical. I also can't recommend high enough that if you really want to improve your beers then this is what you need to work on as a priority. Almost everything else, accept Hygiene, is secondary. Take a look at PB2's signature regarding the Beer Triangle. If you get these 3 things, Temp Control/Hygiene/Fresh Ingredients, consistantly then you are well on the way to making great beer. You will be suprised how cheap you can get with temp control. A fridge is fantastic and is cheaper than expected. Look around, you can get a fridge for $0 if you look hard enough. Then just buy a timer and put that on it. Heck, you could even get away without a timer. Then you'd have perfect temp control for $0! However, there are other methods to maintain a good temp as well. Edit: Are you sure about the type of yeast? This is the extract I used: http://secure.coopers.com.au/shop/product/DDA1/ Dead Sure.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 Hi all, Gareth here My kids got me a Coopers DIY Kit for Christmas which has become my new obsession. Hi Gareth, welcome to the forum. What a great thing for the kids to get Dad!!... now the obsession starts [innocent] lol I started with a kit and no intention to get anything else. Hrrmmm now I have 5 Fermenters, 4 fridges, 5 freezers, electric hoist, Urn, 11 kegs, 5 taps etc etc etc... you're on a slippery slope now!! I've just bottled my first batch, just did the generic/normal Lager kit that comes with the DIY kit. I may have ballsed it up a bit: I had the temperature starting at 32 degrees celcius at first and this soon dropped to 28 and then 26 over the next few days. I've read a lot that the experienced brewers aim for 18-20 and I may end up with an average or worst bad tasting beer. Yes you really need to get your temp down for a better tasting beer. TBH, I really wouldn't expect a great drop from the first brew being the Lager and bad temps. However, don't be disheartened, it will be drinkable and if you can maintain a better temp next time then that will be soooooo much better. However I am hoping for the best, will crack one in 2 weeks but I'm aware again that they taste best after a few months. You may not get the best but ats I said, it will be drinkable and what is really good is that you made it so will appreciate it so much more. A Lager can in 2 weeks at high temps though [pinched] [alien] Despite the temperature thing, I've enjoyed this so much I've already got the sanitiser soaking my FV and accessories over night so I can get cracking on the Coopers Real Ale tomorrow - I chose this one because I hoped it would be like Coopers Red and it seemed again like a simple recipe for a n00b like myself. I don't mind the Real Ale. When I first started I went through all the cans to see what was what. If you do something like this then take notes as you go because you will likely forget some things. Also very keen to get stuck into some Stouts, English Bitter etc. Cheers It sounds like you are going to like this hobby. Good luck in your travels and don't be afraid to ask any questions. Everyone is generally helpful here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 Bill, thanks for answering all the questions for me. I created all the queries last night and you resolved them this morning. Cheers Hairy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 lol it took some typing but I got there [biggrin] Just as well I am not all that busy at work at the moment [innocent] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terra-firma Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 Welcome John. As you indicated, pitching at 32 degrees isn't the best. How long did it take to bring the temp down? The Coopers kit yeast is pretty hardy so it should have survived but if fermentation occured during that temp then it can produce hot fusel alcohol. 23 degrees is an OK temp to brew at but not great, still its better than 32 degrees. 18-20 degrees would be the best temperature to ferment at but 23 degrees will do the job. You won't really know what effect this has had on your brew until you finish and taste it. You will still drink it though [biggrin] The most important thing is to learn from it and keep improving your beer. Its always good to have 5 litres of chilled water on hand [wink] Cheers for the response.I think it took about 2 hours to bring the fermenter down to about 25-26 degrees. It then later settled at 22, and at the odd occasion down to 20/21. It has since showed all the signs of fermentation, it foamed up nicely by day 3 and I removed the Krausen Kollar at day 4 once the foam had subsided. It is now day 5 and it doesn't have any foam or froth on top anymore but still has condensation so I'm assuming it's all good. I won't worry too much about it and just enjoy this first up experience and learn as much as I can. I plan to do the same brew again to compare the differences. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeCoq/Rooster Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 Hi Hairy, Very much appreciate the direct help. "Dene, when you say 'blending' do you mean making two different brews and then mixing them or using two cans in the one brew (ie. toucan)?" I'm aware of post blending from the Belgians, but I was thinking of a blend from two cans in the one brew(toucan - is it really called this? [lol]) . I've got the standard lager kit (i don't really like coopers lager) and my wife bought a can of pale ale (my favourite of the coopers range). As i understand it, the lawnmower lager requires an extra 2-3litres (25litres all up) of water which thins out the flavour and lowers alcohol content. Is this correct? Thanks again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeCoq/Rooster Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 Hi again Hairy and all, Thanks for your advice re temp control. Feel less concerned about it now. I have the opportunity to get a free fridge, do i need to convert the temp controller so it goes to the higher 18C temp? Or doesn't it need any tinkering? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeCoq/Rooster Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 Hi BillK "All cans can be brewed as a Lager or Ale, whether they taste as good or not is another question. However, it is the yeast that mainly determine if it will be a Lager or Ale." To be sure, I'm a noob. This is completely new to me. So do I need to get a different yeast than what came in the DIY kit to make the lawnmower lager? A true lager? thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 I think it took about 2 hours to bring the fermenter down to about 25-26 degrees. It then later settled at 22' date=' and at the odd occasion down to 20/21[/quote'] That's not too bad; I don't think too much damage was done. Good stuff! So do I need to get a different yeast than what came in the DIY kit to make the lawnmower lager? A true lager? Yes. All that is in the can is malt and hops, albeit each can different. You need to get some lager yeast to make a 'true lager'. For example, below is a link to S-23: Saflager S-23 But you can still make nice clean easy drinking beer with an ale yeast. Get yourself a good neutral yeast like US-05 and brew it around 16-17 degrees. As i understand it, the lawnmower lager requires an extra 2-3litres (25litres all up) of water which thins out the flavour and lowers alcohol content. Is this correct? Yeah, pretty much. It also reduces the bitterness. I have the opportunity to get a free fridge' date=' do i need to convert the temp controller so it goes to the higher 18C temp? Or doesn't it need any tinkering?[/quote'] I have a temp controller with two outlets. One for the fridge to plug into and another for a heat pad (sitting in the bottom of the fridge). The controller will then switch between heat and cool to maintain a temperature. At this time of year in Australia you really don't need a heat pad. The outside ambient temperature will eventually heat up the air in the fridge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MLTZER Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 You will be suprised how cheap you can get with temp control. A fridge is fantastic and is cheaper than expected. Look around, you can get a fridge for $0 if you look hard enough. Then just buy a timer and put that on it. Heck, you could even get away without a timer. Then you'd have perfect temp control for $0! However, there are other methods to maintain a good temp as well. once i find a fridge ill get one of these! http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/270837508275?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649#ht_4911wt_1044 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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