Recipe of the Month

[NikZak]

That's weird, I must've logged on for the first time to the Cooper's site on the 25th of September (because it was the same day I signed up here) and the Tsar's Tar and Hop Bomb were already there and the hop bomb was sold out... Oh well, I'll look forward to my Tsar's Tar which should be arriving today

 

Only problem, the weather has started warming up here in Melbourne, looks like I'll be fermenting this one in the basement

[Gibbo]

OK... It's the first of October and the Tsar's Tar is still up... I've already got one of those on the way but want to know what's next... is it Gibbo who seems to have a crystal ball for these things?

As this is a dark super strong beer' date=' the next one will be summer beer.

 

...

 

Although I am not sure if I have been using my crystal ball or crystal meth.[/quote']

Haha, you're not far off, Hairy -- how do you feel about Golden Ales from Bundesrepublik Deutschland?

[NikZak]

OK... It's the first of October and the Tsar's Tar is still up... I've already got one of those on the way but want to know what's next... is it Gibbo who seems to have a crystal ball for these things?

As this is a dark super strong beer' date=' the next one will be summer beer.

 

...

 

Although I am not sure if I have been using my crystal ball or crystal meth.[/quote']

Haha, you're not far off, Hairy -- how do you feel about Golden Ales from Bundesrepublik Deutschland?

 

I like the sound of that very much :)

[Beerlust]

Well Dr. Leekie is obviously too busy in the cloning lab to notice that the ducks have lined up again!

 

Coopers DIY ROTM: Helga's Cool Kolsch

 

A great style of beer for warm weather drinking. Should be a nice drop.

 

Just ordered my ROTM pack.

 

Cheers,

 

Lusty.

[Hairy]

Does anyone on here have any feedback on Helga hops? PB2?

 

I have some in the freezer but haven't used them yet. I was think of throwing them at a lager but maybe a Kolsch is the way to go.

[Beerlust]

Hi Hairy.

 

Part of my reasoning for purchasing this ROTM is to try out this hop, as I haven't used it yet either.

Helga is a true Australian aroma hop with a German accent' date=' She was developed in Australia from the noble German cultivar Hallertau Mittelfrueh.

Helga’s delicate floral and subtle herbal aroma is an excellent companion to stronger malt driven ales and lagers.[/quote']

That says European style lagers/pilsners to me all day long.

 

Hopefully PB2 (or someone else) can chime in with some firsthand knowledge.

 

Cheers,

 

Lusty.

[NikZak]

I've ordered myself one of each of the ROTM's this month, as well as I've got parts for a planned Craft Imperial Amber Ale using the following:

 

1x 1.3kg Bewitched Amber Ale

1x Unhopped malt extract Smooth

1x Unhopped malt extract Golden

10g Cascade for 25 mins

 

Also going to dry hop with something fruity but haven't chosen anything yet, probably Amarillo or Centennial

 

Might add, this will very likely need the Krausen collar :)

[ICzed]

Keen to have a go at Helga's Cool Kolsch when I get room in the brewing schedule. Looks like I'll have to invest in some Stanges for the bar as well.

 

Well done PB2!

[PB2]

Thus far, I've found Helga to be a hop that can be used at any stage of the brewing/fermenting process and "More is More"!

 

The description here is on the money.

 

[Magnaman]

Well Dr. Leekie is obviously too busy in the cloning lab to notice that the ducks have lined up again!

 

Coopers DIY ROTM: Helga's Cool Kolsch

 

A great style of beer for warm weather drinking. Should be a nice drop.

 

Just ordered my ROTM pack.

 

Cheers' date='

 

Lusty.[/quote']

 

Someone is watching you Sir Lusty and your duck fetish.

[Suicid]

Thus far' date=' I've found Helga to be a hop that can be used at any stage of the brewing/fermenting process and "More is More"!

 

The description here is on the money.

 

What would be good enough substitution(s) for Helga? Willamette or some tricky combo?

 

[Beerlust]

Thus far' date=' I've found Helga to be a hop that can be used at any stage of the brewing/fermenting process and "More is More"!

 

The description here is on the money.

 

What would be good enough substitution(s) for Helga? Willamette or some tricky combo?

Given it's bred from Hallertau Mittelfrueh, you could use one of the Hallertau hop varieties. Saaz & Spalt are other hop varieties traditionally used in Kolsch beer.

 

Cheers,

 

Lusty.

[essfer]

Is it just me or is there a massive discrepancy between the ROTM offers in terms of value?

 

I bought the ESVA recipe a couple of months back and it was maybe 10 bucks more than this month which is about half the stuff.

[Beerlust]

Is it just me or is there a massive discrepancy between the ROTM offers in terms of value?

 

I bought the ESVA recipe a couple of months back and it was maybe 10 bucks more than this month which is about half the stuff.

Given the exacting measurements supplied' date=' the fact it is delivered to your door, & that it is a tried & tested recipe that will produce a great beer, I think the pricing is very good month after month.

 

As a little side note, this month's recipe supplies a full packet of BE2, but the recipe only uses half of that, so if you want to be completely fair on pricing, deduct about $3.50 - $4.00 from the overall cost of this ROTM pack for what you will be eventually using with what will be supplied to brew the recipe. [img']wink[/img]

 

So at approx. $40.00 I reckon this ROTM is very well priced.

 

I do reckon a number of those that buy & brew the ROTM pack won't read it correctly, & will use the whole packet of BE2 instead of half as is stipulated.

 

Coopers are on our side, & I love what they do for us up & above their commercial brewing.

 

Cheers,

 

Lusty.

 

[NorthCoast85]

I've found that sometimes you can put together the bits needed for a recipe of the month a bit cheaper buying it all yourself from different sources and sometimes having some of the bits in your inventory already.

 

However, as Lusty states, it all comes in one pack delivered to your door with most of thinking done for you. Convenience is a value on its own.

[Beerlust]

I've found that sometimes you can put together the bits needed for a recipe of the month a bit cheaper buying it all yourself from different sources and sometimes having some of the bits in your inventory already.

NorthCoast makes a very good & valid point. I admit to doing this many times over the last few years when it comes to constructing & brewing ROTM's.

 

However' date=' as Lusty states, it all comes in one pack delivered to your door with most of thinking done for you. Convenience is a value on its own.[/quote']

Coopers being a supplier of goods to homebrew shops & supermarkets have to be careful not to undercut the pricing they are asking their HUGE retail market to sell their products at, else risk alienating them & potentially losing them as customers.

 

Keep that in mind when you evaluate the pricing of the ROTM packs, as it is also very relevant.

 

Cheers,

 

Lusty.

[essfer]

Don't get me wrong... full of Coopers love here. I'll put it this way instead - the ROTM is good value in general, but the ESVA kit seems to have been even better value than usual - thanks Coopers.

[NorthCoast85]

Don't get me wrong... full of Coopers love here. I'll put it this way instead - the ROTM is good value in general' date=' but the ESVA kit seems to have been even better value than usual - thanks Coopers.[/quote']

 

hahaha yeah I can vibe with that, good call!

[Chuznut]

 

I do reckon a number of those that buy & brew the ROTM pack won't read it correctly' date=' & will use the whole packet of BE2 instead of half as is stipulated. [img']whistling[/img]

 

[/size]

 

Been there before... Ended up with a 7.2% Celebration Ale

[Beerlust]

 

I do reckon a number of those that buy & brew the ROTM pack won't read it correctly' date=' & will use the whole packet of BE2 instead of half as is stipulated. [img']whistling[/img]

 

[/size]

 

Been there before... Ended up with a 7.2% Celebration Ale

 

[Beerlust]

Hi guys.

 

Just finished cleanup after putting down the Kolsch ROTM.

 

I haven't used the Helga hop before so was eager to have a whiff before & during the boil to get a feel for it. Being a descendant of Hallertau Mittelfrueh it certainly has those noticeable qualities. I likened it's smell somewhat to Spalt that I used on a few brews quite a while back. Spalt is also a hop commonly used in traditional Kolsch brews.

 

Fresh from the pack it had a notable herbal presence with a light citrus tone & I detected a very slight hint of mint. Soon after the first addition was hurled into the boil the herbal/slightly earthy character remained on the nose & the light citrus tone was slightly more obvious that tells me it would present well from additions late in the boil.

 

Definite noble hop characteristics & I can now understand why it was chosen for this brew.

 

I did make one alteration to the suggested method that came with the ROTM. The recipe outlined mixing the 500gms of LDM in 3 litres of water for the short boil, against the almost norm of 500gms in 5 litres for the good ol' 1.040 SG boil. I didn't feel comfortable with the recipe recommended ratio so did the normal 500gms in 5 litres. 50gms of hops in that still ended up quite viscous by the end of the boil & I'm glad I added the extra 2 litres of water by the end of the boil.

 

Despite having some Kolsch yeast in the fridge I erred on the side of caution & pitched the US-05 to also be true to the final beer intended by Coopers.

 

The Canadian Blonde kit is one of the few kits I've yet to brew with in the Coopers range so overall I'm looking forward to sampling the final beer once it's ready for drinking. It smelled like a nice drop once it was all mixed together just before pitching the yeast.

 

After all that hard work , time for a few beers from the keg!

 

Cheers,

 

Lusty.

[porschemad911]

 

I do reckon a number of those that buy & brew the ROTM pack won't read it correctly' date=' & will use the whole packet of BE2 instead of half as is stipulated. [img']whistling[/img]

 

[/size]

 

Been there before... Ended up with a 7.2% Celebration Ale

Yep, done that twice - ended up with a big Celebration Ale too (which was a winner with those who tasted it) and a much stronger than planned IPA.

 

Despite having some Kolsch yeast in the fridge I erred on the side of caution & pitched the US-05 to also be true to the final beer intended by Coopers.

G'day Lusty' date=' I was surprised to read this given how much you like the Kolsch yeast! I would have pitched the Kolsch yeast and saved the US-05 for a pale ale or something. But as you say, you will be able to provide feedback on the recipe as Coopers intended it. This might be going out on a limb, but I reckon if PB2 had Kolsch yeast in the fridge he would've pitched that into this kit [img']biggrin[/img]

 

Good luck and hopefully it turns out very tasty! Your description of the hops sounds a lot like the Hallertauer Mittelfrueh I was using to brew my dunkelweizen last Wednesday.

 

Cheers,

 

John

[Chuznut]

They've been released a bit early this month. Great to see an extract recipe released for both the big fermenter and the small fermenter (Dark Lager for the big one and a Saison for the small one).

 

I'll definitely be looking into getting these two.

[Johno1525228972]

yeah they both sound good! i'm keen to do the Boerderij Saison recipe.

 

In the Boerderij Saison recipe though it says Bring the Golden Malt Extract to the boil in 1 litre of water.

Add half of the Perle Hop Pellets and boil for 20mins.

 

but it never mentions when to add the other half of the Perle Hop pellets! is that a mistake or do you only use half for the recipe and keep the other half for another brew?

[porschemad911]

I would boil them all for 20 minutes. You won't get much bitterness out of 12.5g Perle in a 20 minute boil.

 

Edit: Upon testing this out in Beersmith (which has Perle at 8% AA), I'd actually boil half for 20 minutes and the other half for 5 minutes. That will come to about 27 IBUs which will be just nice for a Saison, with some noble hop flavour and aroma.