TheK Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 in the very near future (couple of days) i finally get my coopers diy kit (in the mean time ive been gathering bottles and sorting a fermenting chamber with an stc1000 temp controller) Im planning to brew the mexican cerveza and the original lager that comes with the kit, i just have a few questions.. 1. What is the best temperature to keep my mexican cerveza at while primary fermenting is happening? 2. People say leave the brew fermenting for a minimum of 2 weeks before bottling, am i going overboard by thinking of leaving it for 3-5 weeks? 3. what is the best temperature to keep my bottled beer at? 4. what is the best time to keep my beer in its 2nd fermenting stage (in the bottle) again is 3-5 weeks going overboard before cracking one open? 5. is one coopers carb drop to much for bottles ranging from 330-355ml? or will it carbonate it good? thanks for taking the time to answer them in advance! ledgends Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 Welcome to the forum TheK! Good work on the preparation you have done before your first brew, especially with the temp control. But you sound lke you have the patience of a saint to wait 10 weeks to taste your first beer [biggrin] To answer your questions: 1. 18-20 degrees. 18 will give you a nice clean ferment. 2. Whilst you can leave it for 3-5 weeks there is no need. Two weeks is fine assuming you have met your estimated final gravity. 3. Above 18 degrees. Up to mid 20's is fine but I don't like them getting too warm. 4. Taste one after two weeks. It should be close to carbonated but will get better with time. The taste should improve over time and should be really good at the 5-6 week mark. 5. One drop is fine in those size bottles. The smaller bottle will have more carbonation than the slightly bigger bottles though. If you are using different sized bottles then you may want to look into bulk priming in the future. Good luck with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheK Posted January 11, 2013 Author Share Posted January 11, 2013 Thankyou for the speedy reply!! yeah ive been doing a few bits and pieces to get ready for it all.. honestly 10 weeks is a long wait and i probably would give in.. but i was reading on another forum that some people leave there beers for up to 8 weeks in the primary fermenter as well as in the bottles (mind you they are doing massive batches at a time) im happy to hear 2 weeks is fine with primary fermenting.. but i should leave the bottles for around 3-4 weeks you say?? i have a freezer thats my primary fermenting chamber and a fridge thats controlled as well for when there in the bottle.. (im working towards another fridge for another primary ferment chamber ahah) so is around 18.5-20 degrees ok in the bottling stage? i have seen a few bits on bulk priming, is it just corn sugar and water?? how do you go about calculating the perfect mix so bottles dont explode? thanks for the luck mate.. ill need it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheK Posted January 11, 2013 Author Share Posted January 11, 2013 Also is there anything i can add to this mexican cerveza kit to make it taste better or is it pretty good just standard with the coopers stuff?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 All sounds good and that temp for the bottles is fine. There are heaps of bulk priming calculators on the net. Yob posted one recently; if you can't find one let us know nd we will dig one up for you. As for the Coopers Cerveza, I have never brewed it; it isn't a style I am overly fond of. Perhaps someone else could help. I'm sure some hops would improve it though. Perhaps Cascade or Amarillo. If you have any questions along the way don't be scared to ask. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheK Posted January 11, 2013 Author Share Posted January 11, 2013 thanks for the info mate ill look into it.. with adding hops you just throw them in the fermenter dont you? at what point do you take them out? or do you just leave them in and clean them out after youve bottled the beer?? this question is a bit of topic but whats the coopers draught and lager like? are they good beers?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 The easiest way to use hops the first time is either a steep (hop tea) or a dry hop. Steep - heat 1-2 litres of water in a pot. Take off the boil and add the hops. Add the lid and leave it for 20-30 minutes and then strain the liquid into the FV when you are mixing all the ingredients. Easy. Dry hop - add them to the FV after 3-4 days into the ferment. Either throw them in loose or contained in a hop sock of some sort. As for the kits, the Draught is a great kit. This or the Aus Pale Ale kit are perfect for a base in which you can play around with grains and hops. The lager kit, well despite Lusty's challenge to 'polish a turd', I think it is a pretty average kit and is the last one I would choose. Just my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheK Posted January 12, 2013 Author Share Posted January 12, 2013 thankyou so for much for the information.. its all more then gold to me. they both seem to be both good methods so ill take that into account for when i do it.. :) does each beer need a certain amount? e.g. more hops goes in different sorts of beers and less in others? im hanging out to try the draught i have a good feeling my family will love it.. i have heard good stuff about the aus pale ale also.. very funny, polished turd love it.. i guess if i dont like the lager stuff i can always palm it off to some family members / friends haha thanks for taking the time mate to answer some of my questions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottie Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 Welcome K OS Lager, I would look to put it together with some light dry malt instead of the Beer Enhancer 1. I only used BE1 three times - Lager - Pale Ale- Canadian Blonde. It seemed to work well with the Blonde but not the other two. Having said that if you are concerned about wastage, which I generally am, you could use 500g of BE1 and 500g of LDM in tour first couple of brews. I would take Hairy's advice too and steep some hops for your OS lager, say 15g Cascade and 10g Nelson Sauvin or just 25g Cascade. For the Cerveza, I did one about 4 months ago with Cascade and Amarillo. It tasted OK and gave a great indication, IMO, of what these hops bring to a brew I'll find a recipe link and post it here in a minute. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottie Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 Here you go TheK Well it\u2019s just past lunch and I've been working in the garden all morning and it is a damn fine day. So I thought the Fruity Mexican would be a good thirst quencher, just one 375ml stubbie. Verdict (a sober one) tastes nothing like a Corona or SOL. But man does it show off the Cascade and Amarillo , the Aroma is still delightful but now I am getting a citrus explosion on my taste buds as well. If you are still brewing with kits and bits and want to find out just exactly what that hop is bringing to your beer give the Cervesa ago. Its like a Cascade and Amarillo tea with an alcoholic kick. I did a 7-minute boil of the Cascade and a 5-minute boil of the Amarillo, 25 grams each. Nothing fancy just 500 g each of LDM and Dextrose. SG=1.039 and FG 1.004. I would post a picture but I think everyone here has seen an empty glass Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ash Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 Also is there anything i can add to this mexican cerveza kit to make it taste better or is it pretty good just standard with the coopers stuff?? Wecome to the forum TheK,i put down alot of Cerveza's maybe it's a Qld thing,i have tried different hops & have settled on Cascade 12grams in an infusion bag[love] [love] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheK Posted January 12, 2013 Author Share Posted January 12, 2013 cheers fellas, i knew there would be something extra you could throw in :):) hey ash im sorry but this is a noob question, do i just buy a packet of cascade 12g hops? i know you can buy bulk sort of batches off ebay for like $10 you get 200grams.. what stuff do you buy? also what is an infusion bag? is it just a bag to save filtering out the hops from the water? do i just boil the hops for a few minutes like the other fella stated in his post before? also did you just use the coopers carb drops? all in all how did they taste mate? i slam corona's/sols like there water.. but i love my draughts as well =] i can see how brewing is very addictive i havent even started my first brew and ive already nearly completed a fermenting chamber and started looking at keezers and a keg system. haha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 Hi TheK, Ash is spot on. Cascade in lagers and lighter styles such as cerveza works beautifully. I have only started using additions to K & K brewing for a short while, so best places to buy certain hops is something other members will be more qualified to answer. ut i buy my Cascade pellets from my LHBS and he sells coppertun brand. They come in 50 or 60 gm sealed packs for about $6, which for me, is enough for 2 brews. Yob, Hairy and the more experienced guys may disagree, but as a start, have a go with that and expand from there. I started with Cascade, but now experiment with hops more suited to different styles, such as EKG and Fuggles for ales. Keep asking questions mate, all here will happily answer. PS have a look at the About ourselves thread. Otherwise you will always be TheK[biggrin] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Ruddager Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 Just one thing, the cerveza and lager kits may seem a little bland in their most basic form. Not trying to criticise them, just keep that in mind if you find yourself thinking "gee, home brew comes out really weak". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheK Posted January 12, 2013 Author Share Posted January 12, 2013 ahh spewing i dont want a weak beer! so with adding the hops itll make it have that bit more oomph?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamH1525226084 Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 Wilkommen TheK. Yes, adding the extra hops will give it a little bit oomph, in terms of flavour. I have a Cerveza can in the cupboard that I am debating what to do with it - initially it was for SWMBO but she's decided beer doesn't agree with her anymore. Re the beer in the FV for 8 weeks - if the guys are brewing lagers that could be why. Lagers take longer to ferment (3 weeks to reach FG sometimes), then you generally "Lager" (German for Storage) them to clear them up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottie Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 Here it is 5.2%, a Mexican with a citrus twist without adding lemon or lime [rightful] K (are you one of the men in black [unsure]) if you want to get away from the blandness of a Corona (ie Cervesa) Then Coopers Mexican Cerveza 500g of Dextrose (you could use 500g of BE1 and 100g of White sugar) 500g LDM 50g of hops as follows 25g Cascade 25g Amarillo Fill a pot with 5 litres of water and boil, add 500g of light dry malt when its warm and stir it in. Once you have a boil set the timer for 7 minutes and drop the 25g of Cascade in. Then when the timer gets to 5 minutes drop in the 25g of Amarillo. When the timer goes off remove the pot from the heat and let it stand with the lid on for 30 minutes, then place it in a sink of cold water for about 15 minutes. Add the Dextrose the FV and strain the contents of the pot into the FV, stir it then add the contents of the can. Stir it up, and then top up to 23 litres. Follow the Coopers instructions trying to get as close to 20'C as possible. Pitch the yeast and pop it in the fridge set at 16'C. PS The one pictured is one that I just poured after a couple of hours in the Garden. The Citrus flavours are still there but it tastes more like a Cervesa now than it did earlier in its vintage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheK Posted January 12, 2013 Author Share Posted January 12, 2013 ledgends for them posts! by the way that mexican cerveza looks awesome!!!! ahaha my name TheK, when signing up it asked me for my name and as a habit i put in an alias, it was The King but it shortened for some reason, but hey ill take that men in black theory! thanks for posting your recipe.. by the sounds of things you may be onto something better then corona! but thanks for writing up how to do it as well! am i better off using be1 and sugar or should i just go buy the dextrose? this is going to be an interesting first brew, im thinking about going down to the local "u brew" and making a batch of beer with them to learn there recipes they seem to have a big selection of "commercial like beers with a twist if you want" how long did you ferment for mate? did you bottle straight from the FV? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 Is this The K? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheK Posted January 12, 2013 Author Share Posted January 12, 2013 hahah i love it! good old kramer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lotm Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 Welcome K, The Cerveza kit is designed to go with BE2 I think. I would tend to throw in a kilo of Light Dry Malt Extract (and maybe a small amount 200-300g of dex if you want to raise the ABV). If you decide to bulk prime, you can use some of the leftover dex anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottie Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 am i better off using be1 and sugar or should i just go buy the dextrose? this is going to be an interesting first brew..... how long did you ferment for mate? did you bottle straight from the FV? You would be better off with Dextrose rather than BE1. BE1 is 60% Dextrose and 40% Maltodextrin (I think that's the % but don't quote me on it). What BE1 will do is improve the mouthfeel of the beer, but I'm not sure you want that with a Cervesa. To me its something of a thirst quencher, something I want to slam down fast in small amounts. This brew was in the FV for 16 days and achieved an FG of 1.004. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordEoin Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 I like the plain Aztec Gold Recipe made to 20L. It's a nice easy-to-drink thirst quencher. No need at all to leave it for 3-5 weeks, it'll be pretty clear after 2. I'd say brew it, then throw on an English Bitter or IPA if you want more 'oomph'. Welcome to the forums.[happy] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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