New Brew Cans

[bert]

Do you think now that the Irish stout has been discontinued ' date=' coopers will give a recipe out so we can make it using there original stout can? [/quote']

 

I don't think that is possible. The Irish stout can was very simple, just roasted and flaked barley. There are other things in the OS stout that can't be taken out.

 

 

 

shame that but thanks for the info

[Quadricorn]

No doubt. But we would be talking cents per can. And I really do think the labelling is less effective. That being said, this is just my unqualified consumer brain talking. I am sure that someone much more intelligent than I made the choice.

[ChristinaS1]

The 21.14% price hike is a slap in the face. At least the online club price is still much cheaper than the local brew shop.

 

I am very curious how much the new cans will cost in Canada' date=' when and if they become available. In Canada all Coopers kits are the same high price, whether Original Series or Thomas Coopers Series: usually C$20. If the new kits are more expensive then they may not sell well, and vendors may choose not to carry them. I wonder if the higher price will drive up sales of the OS kits? Many homebrewers like adding their own hops, specialty grains, and yeast anyway, and for that a relatively blank slate is better than a kit already stuffed full of those things.

 

One thing I notice is that the new kit's instructions are different: instead of recommending 1kg BE1 or BE2, they are recommending 1.0-1.5kg DME. Of course any kit will taste better that way. [img']whistling[/img]

[Frosty Chop]

I spotted some of the new labeled cans in Uncle Dans today mixed in with some older ones. They don't stock the TC selection kits but the likes of the international series APA are priced the same at $13.49 and the original series stuff a little cheaper at $12 something.

 

The best before dates on the new ones there were Oct 2017 so they're pretty freshly made.

[King Ruddager]

So, since none of us yet know anything about them ... which ones tickle your fancy on first impression? For me, I'm tempted to try the Amber Ale and maybe the IPA but that's about it.

 

Does anyone want to make some wild predictions?

[Quadricorn]

So' date=' since none of us yet know anything about them ... which ones tickle your fancy on first impression? For me, I'm tempted to try the Amber Ale and [i']maybe[/i] the IPA but that's about it.

 

Does anyone want to make some wild predictions?

 

They may come out like the craft cans?

[Jsmitty]

So' date=' since none of us yet know anything about them ... which ones tickle your fancy on first impression? For me, I'm tempted to try the Amber Ale and [i']maybe[/i] the IPA but that's about it.

 

Does anyone want to make some wild predictions?

 

Hi KR, I might give the porter a try. The american pale ale might be worth a try too.

[porschemad911]

Honestly I probably won't get around to brewing any of them. But they all sound great, and thinking back to my kit brewing days not so long ago, I would have tried them all out in the following order:

1. Brew A IPA
   
2. Bootmaker Pale Ale
   
3. Preachers HefeWheat
   
4. Devils Half Ruby Porter
   
5. Innkeepers Daughter Sparkling Ale
   
6. Family Secret Amber Ale
   
7. 86 Days Pilsner
   

[Otto Von Blotto]

I'm in the same boat as John. Unless I'm really strapped for time and can't get an AG batch out, I can't see myself brewing any kit again, but, if I was to try any from the new range I think the top of my list would be the Pilsner and the Porter and probably the pale ale too.

 

I would be interested to see how this Murphy's style stout tin goes though. I got a can of it from Dan's a while back and quite enjoyed it.

[ChristinaS1]

The only two that catch my eye are the Porter and the Amber for now, and maybe the Murphy's style stout when it eventually comes out.

 

Porter was one of my favourite styles when I was traveling in England. If it is near to reproducing what I remember, I will be a repeat customer. The Amber sounds like it might make a good Hobgoblin style ale, if brewed with an English yeast.

 

I see they have now posted the EBC and IBU info for the new kits.

[Beeblebrox]

I'd be interested in brewing: Bootmaker Pale Ale, Brew A IPA, Innkeepers Daughter Sparkling Ale,

Family Secret Amber Ale, 86 Days Pilsner.

Probably in that order.

 

So far as the original TC brews, I only really did the Heritage Lager, Pilsener & Wheat Beer, & to be honest, they didn't set my world on fire.

 

They may have had a cult following, but clearly they weren't popular enough to be economically viable, which probably also accounts for the increase in price for the new cans.

 

All that said, I certainly understand that there is a difference between something being popular & something being good, though they're not always mutually exclusive, or inclusive.

 

Home brewing & craft beers are a niche market with considerable crossover, so I can certainly see that this is a case of Coopers tapping into the market, though unfortunately at the expense of some of their range.

 

I don't get why they'd drop the Sparkling Ale though, I would have thought they'd want to keep the 2 brews they're so famous for (Original Pale Ale & Sparkling Ale) available for home brewers to make themselves at home?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[King Ruddager]

... and maybe the Murphy's style stout when it eventually comes out.

 

The what now? Did I miss something?

[Quadricorn]

... and maybe the Murphy's style stout when it eventually comes out.

 

The what now? Did I miss something?

 

from PB2 earlier:

TC Irish Stout is no longer' date=' once stocks run out. Sales were okay but the general feeling was that it would have more relevance if it sat in the IS range. I've been working on an Irish Stout that sits a bit closer to the commercial Murphy's style and it should appear on shelves in the coming months. Exactly when, no idea…[/quote']

 

 

[N1KK0]

I encountered the new IS APA can today in the flesh and as someone from a bit of a marketing background I'm VERY surprised at what IMHO is an exceptionally poor new packaging look.

 

Like others I think the new products sound great - and when it's all said and done thats the main thing BUT I really would question the logic Coopers applied to this repackaging exercise.

 

I think the new look is fine if applied only to the OS line. I think it clearly is inferior to the previous IS line packaging and vastly inferior to the previous TC line packaging.

 

I can only assume they must have realised significant cost savings in 'standardising' the packaging print styles - but I know squat about packaging costs and would be surprised if that was significant enough to offset what I believe would be a negative impact on their sales.

 

Simply put the products (again IMHO) look worse than previously and now when you put them alongside their competitors they really look a tad 'generic-ish' - certainly not like the premium products they'd be wanting to position themselves as.

 

Wonder if they did any focus group or similar feedback sessions on the new packaging as it feels to me like an executive decision driven by cost savings & one person/marketing studies' theory........but the tenor from this thread is it's not seen as a positive and surely thats somewhat alarming if this was a well thought out move.

 

Anyway like I said IF the products are as good as expected they could package it in brown paper wrapping but based on what I've seen and know its a real headscratcher. :-)

[King Ruddager]

from PB2 earlier:

TC Irish Stout is no longer' date=' once stocks run out. Sales were okay but the general feeling was that it would have more relevance if it sat in the IS range. I've been working on an Irish Stout that sits a bit closer to the commercial Murphy's style and it should appear on shelves in the coming months. Exactly when, no idea…[/quote']

 

Ah, that's fantastic

[IsaacBeers]

Can't say I'm a fan of the new packaging, or the contrived backstories to go with the dorky brew names. Reminds me of James Squire's faux-craft shtick.

Honestly I would have recommended sticking to the OS/IS label design indefinitely. I thought they were pretty timeless, and had plenty of room to add the extra information included in this rebrand. Maybe change the glass image to style appropriate glassware with an actual image of the brew in it, instead of colour altered copies of the same mug of beer.

 

Aside from those two cents, as a beginner kit/extract brewer I'm keen to try what's inside the cans! :)

[Beerlust]

The lure of an American Pale Ale kit from Coopers,....well I couldn't resist now could I?!!

 

Earlier today I went down to my LHBS who just got the new lines in, & was the first to buy a Bootmaker Pale Ale off the shelf. A proud moment indeed!

 

First up I just want to see what the kit produces via its basic recommended recipe. I added a little extra malt & a small amount of dextrose because I'm kegging the brew & want a similar ABV% to what would be bottled.

 

I currently have the following brew cooling down to ferment temperature in my brew fridge.

 

Coopers Bootmaker Pale Ale 1.7kg

Coopers Light Liquid Malt Extract 1.5kg

Light Dry Malt Extract 250gms

Dextrose 50gms

US-05 yeast

Brewed to 23 litres.

Will ferment @ 18°C

 

First impressions upon having a whiff after opening the tin were that the hop related flavours are there if just a little subdued. I admit to hoping for a little more of an aromatic smack in the face, but that's mainly because I'm a hop-head.

 

Sometimes the kits don't give away all their secrets at this pre-fermentation stage either, so I'll reserve judgement until the beer has fermented out & is suitably ready for drinking.

 

I have a feeling some dry hopping might go well to help compliment the flavours of the kit, but am hoping no hop tea's or hop boils will be required.

 

I'll update down the track.

 

Ohh before I forget, for those that may be unaware & use IanH's Spreadsheet, the associated EBC & IBU numbers for each of the new kits are listed in their respective information profiles here on the Coopers website.

 

The Ruby Porter is next on the cards....

 

Cheers,

 

Lusty.

[NorthCoast85]

The lure of an American Pale Ale kit from Coopers' date='....well I couldn't resist now could I?!!

 

Earlier today I went down to my LHBS who just got the new lines in, & was the first to buy a Bootmaker Pale Ale off the shelf. A proud moment indeed! [img']biggrin[/img]

 

First up I just want to see what the kit produces via its basic recommended recipe. I added a little extra malt & a small amount of dextrose because I'm kegging the brew & want a similar ABV% to what would be bottled.

 

I currently have the following brew cooling down to ferment temperature in my brew fridge.

 

Coopers Bootmaker Pale Ale 1.7kg

Coopers Light Liquid Malt Extract 1.5kg

Light Dry Malt Extract 250gms

Dextrose 50gms

US-05 yeast

Brewed to 23 litres.

Will ferment @ 18°C

 

First impressions upon having a whiff after opening the tin were that the hop related flavours are there if just a little subdued. I admit to hoping for a little more of an aromatic smack in the face, but that's mainly because I'm a hop-head.

 

Sometimes the kits don't give away all their secrets at this pre-fermentation stage either, so I'll reserve judgement until the beer has fermented out & is suitably ready for drinking.

 

I have a feeling some dry hopping might go well to help compliment the flavours of the kit, but am hoping no hop tea's or hop boils will be required.

 

I'll update down the track.

 

Ohh before I forget, for those that may be unaware & use IanH's Spreadsheet, the associated EBC & IBU numbers for each of the new kits are listed in their respective information profiles here on the Coopers website.

 

The Ruby Porter is next on the cards....

 

Cheers,

 

Lusty.

 

Is there a grand total $$ for this brew?

 

I think the key to the success of these tins will be the cost vs a kits and bits OS series tin. Can make a pretty damn good kits and bits APA for $25-30 buying everything at RRP in my neck of the woods and with these tins starting cost being $18+ (likely to be low-mid 20's at the LHBS) I am sceptical.

 

I don't believe too many established kits and bits brewers will go for these tins, new brewers may jump on the bandwagon but I can also see their interest in this range diminishing as their brewing skills increase. Still keen to hear results though.

[Beerlust]

Is there a grand total $$ for this brew?

 

I think the key to the success of these tins will be the cost vs a kits and bits OS series tin. Can make a pretty damn good kits and bits APA for $25-30 buying everything at RRP in my neck of the woods and with these tins starting cost being $18+ (likely to be low-mid 20's at the LHBS) I am sceptical.

 

I don't believe too many established kits and bits brewers will go for these tins' date=' new brewers may jump on the bandwagon but I can also see their interest in this range diminishing as their brewing skills increase. Still keen to hear results though.[/quote']

The kit cost me $19.95, the Coopers LME $12.75, the 250gms of LDM equates to approx. $2.00, the dex under 50c, & I used some stored US-05, but if wanting to buy it from my LHBS, $5.70.

 

So if you had to buy all the ingredients for the brew I listed, it would cost you about $40.90 (at least where I live). Given that recipe will produce 23 litres of really good beer in a flavour I particularly like, I feel that price tag is a bargain. In comparison to my main bulk purchased commercial beer (Coopers Pale Ale) that costs between $45 to $48 dollars for 9 litres of beer, I feel I'm doing pretty well cost comparatively.

 

Lusty.

[My Shih-tzu]

The entire range of Coopers Brew cans is being re-packaged (going by the mouse-over on the OS and IS range which says "OLD PACKAGING" on each of them). I used to brew the OS cans with the same labels more than twenty years ago and had fond memories of some of the brews that came out of them. As someone who reconnected with home brewing and Coopers via the Craft range I was comforted and reassured to see that the brand still had some of my trusty old friends there when I was completely underwhelmed by their new stuff. Companies are entitled to change things over time - they just need to make sure that they take their faithful customers with them when they do it. Some pretty tasty competition in the $20+ brew can market - I bought two of the rivals this week.

[My Shih-tzu]

Re old range and new range - I used to enjoy brewing the Original Draught, the Real Ale and the Dark Ale twenty years ago and they are all still fine products today with some enhancements and bottle conditioning. Re the new stuff - I was very specifically referring to the Craft series - I have brewed three of all four of them and I remain underwhelmed by the types of beer that they produce and the lack of range for the Craft Fermenter. Again maybe not my taste - but I can't see any rave reviews for any of them - even on this Forum.

 

The kits that I bought the past week were a Mangrove Jack's London Bitter and a Munton's Yorkshire Bitter - I am not sure how to hyperlink them and wonder at the relevance of your request.

 

Have a good night.

Doug

 

Oh - I forgot to mention the OS Stout - used to love brewing this dark and brooding baby and I am looking forward to knocking a few of these out to condition for the next winter. Coopers - you can change the label on this of this one but I want a year's notice before you ever consider deleting this line!

[PB2]

First up I just want to see what the kit produces via its basic recommended recipe. I added a little extra malt & a small amount of dextrose because I'm kegging the brew & want a similar ABV% to what would be bottled.

 

I currently have the following brew cooling down to ferment temperature in my brew fridge.

 

Coopers Bootmaker Pale Ale 1.7kg

Coopers Light Liquid Malt Extract 1.5kg

Light Dry Malt Extract 250gms

Dextrose 50gms

US-05 yeast

Brewed to 23 litres.

Will ferment @ 18°C

I see you went with liquid malt extract. Does the store not carry Light Dry Malt?

 

Recommendation on the side of the brew can:

Made to 23 litres - 1.5kg Light Dry Malt

Made to 20 litres - 1kg Light Dry Malt

[Beerlust]

Hi PB2.

I see you went with liquid malt extract. Does the store not carry Light Dry Malt?

 

Recommendation on the side of the brew can:

Made to 23 litres - 1.5kg Light Dry Malt

Made to 20 litres - 1kg Light Dry Malt

If I'm being perfectly honest' date=' I glimpsed & saw the "1.5kg" & automatically assumed the LME. [img']pinched[/img]

 

That being said, I think I still would have grabbed the 1.5kg LME in place of the LDM had I noticed that, as one, it's cheaper, & two, mixing 1.5kgs of dry malt extract is a PITA!

 

Even in my own extract based recipes I prefer to start with a LME base & just top up with smaller easier to use quantities of dry malt extract to hit my marks.

 

Cheers,

 

Lusty.

[PB2]

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[antiphile]

Purely an assumption on my part, PB2, but I'm guessing from your question you feel the LME will add a different "influence" than LDM, other than the smallish variaton in effective malt weight. Is that right?