PB2 Posted October 3, 2016 Author Share Posted October 3, 2016 Ignore the airlock. FAQs covering this topic. Measure the specific gravity (SG). Then again tomorrow. When the SG readings are stable over two days (three to be sure) the brew may be bottled. Oh and welcome to the forum! EDIT: sorry, missed the bit where you said you are planning to keg what OBV said Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted October 3, 2016 Share Posted October 3, 2016 As per PB2's post. With kegging it doesn't really matter in relation to potential bombs as the kegs won't blow up from a not fully fermented beer being put in there. In relation to the flavour of the beer though it would be best to make sure it's finished fermenting before kegging it by using the hydrometer to check the gravity over 2 or 3 days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave'O Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 G'day fellow brewers, A quick hello from Yamba NSW!!! I'm finally feed up with paying top dollar for a ctn of commercial swill. I've taken the plunge and gone straight to kegging my home brew! What started off a month or so ago with two corny kegs, gas and a coopers fermenter, now consists of four kegs, two gas bottles, 4 fermenters!!!! I'm currently awaiting delivery of 25kg dex & 20kg light dry malt and already eyeing off more kegs. This could get serious! I've brewed a few different styles already and keen to keep trying till I nail a house special. A few mistakes have been made along the way but everything thus far has been drinkable. Enough from me for now. I hear a HB calling Cheers Dave'O Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerlust Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 Hi Dave'O, & welcome to the forum. You certainly have made the switch from buying commercially brewed beer very quickly to kegging your home brewed beer. Well done! There are a lot of friendly guys & gals on the Coopers forum with a wealth of information & knowledge available to help you create terrific versions of the styles of beer you enjoy most. You only need to ask the questions. Good luck with your future brewing. Lusty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GRK Posted November 6, 2016 Share Posted November 6, 2016 Hi there home brewers, does anyone have any of the old 18 gallon keg top bungs laying around. I am looking for one for a mates keg so that it can be used for brewing. Or would anyone know of were to purchase one. Picture of one that I have is attached. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WILLOWALE Posted November 14, 2016 Share Posted November 14, 2016 need some guidance. hi I'm a new brewer and just put my second brew down which was the Coopers Stout. I forgot to put the extra malt into the mix and only remembered once i had spread the yeast on the top of the brew. I have since put the extra malt powder into the fermenter. Will this be an issue in the fermentation process as the yeast has been mixed into the liquid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted November 14, 2016 Share Posted November 14, 2016 How long had it been between pitching the yeast and then adding the forgotten malt extract? I doubt it will cause any issues though aside from getting an incorrect OG reading. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dez1525229950 Posted November 26, 2016 Share Posted November 26, 2016 G'day all. New to the forum (obviously) and just wanted to introduce myself. Been brewing for about 18 years, kits and partials making the switch to all grain about 6 years ago. I've only recently started using forums (last year or so) as I mostly just lurked the big ones picking off the info I needed. I regret not getting involved years ago, as I've found the local brewing community to be awesome and something I'm now grateful to be a part of. Anyway, that's me. Cheers. Dez. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morrie Posted November 26, 2016 Share Posted November 26, 2016 G'day all. New to the forum (obviously) and just wanted to introduce myself. Been brewing for about 18 years' date=' kits and partials making the switch to all grain about 6 years ago. I've only recently started using forums (last year or so) as I mostly just lurked the big ones picking off the info I needed. I regret not getting involved years ago, as I've found the local brewing community to be awesome and something I'm now grateful to be a part of. Anyway, that's me. Cheers. Dez. [/quote'] G'day Dez A big welcome to the Coopers forum and I guess by now if you've been lurking around, you already know this is a forum where most members seem to have a decent amount of personal respect for one another. This is what I like about this forum compared to some others out there and it seems to flow along nicely without the intervention of moderators. Likewise I've been brewing K&K for years off and on and have only switched to AG this year. I wish I'd started AG years ago. I had a look at it about 10 yrs ago and it all seemed too complicated to be bothered with. There are some knowledgeable and experienced brewers here who are usually happy to share their knowledge when ever possible. Cheers and happy brewing, Morrie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ImaginativeName Posted December 12, 2016 Share Posted December 12, 2016 Bear with me, just started brewing a couple of weeks ago, joined shortly after. I'll be in here asking a lot of questions and I hope not to get on anybody's nerves, I'm generally polite and I try not to ask the same question twice, so it shouldn't be problem. I'm keen to learn as much as I can from everybody, seems like a good collection of decent people in here. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattyh77 Posted December 13, 2016 Share Posted December 13, 2016 Hi all, just thought I'd introduce myself since I now find myself looking on here almost every day. Just got started into the home brew seen and already got a lot of information from this forum and a few others. Setup I have going (didn’t go in half arsed :-)) is the Coopers starter kit, 2 x 19L corny kegs and 1 x 4L IKegger. Waiting for the CO2 bottle and regulator to turn up, however have a portable regulator with cartridges. Got the Coopers Larger in the kit so put that down, bottled after 8 days (before I read about leaving it for about 10 - 14 days), however OG was 1036 with an FG of 1008. Used 2 carb drops in each PET bottle, tried it after 2 weeks and is really clear and tastes OK, however can do with more conditioning. Next I placed in the FV a Coopers Devils Half Ruby Porter and 1 kg of LDM. I like the dark beers a lot more, so will be trying plenty of recipes. Anyways, after 8 days, racked into 10 x PET bottles, some into the 4L Keg, and the remainder into the 19L keg. Will keep the bottles till winter I think. Tried the 4L keg after chilling it then force carb, tasted OK, let it sit for a few more days at about 15psi, then it tasted better. I know for next time to let it sit in FV longer, and also will just place it all in bottles (I think) so I am not taking up a keg for a few months, at least until I get more kegs :-). I now have a Bootmakers Pale Ale in the FV with 1 KG LDM, made to 20L, OG of 1048. One thing I noticed is that the krausen wasn’t big and only lasted less than 24hrs, with no visible marks left on the collar after. Temp was at 21-22 deg, so this has me a bit worried. Anyway, after 5 days is down to 1011, so will probably keep it in there for at least another week. Next brew to go down after the New Year is this months ROTM. This will be my first attempt at using crystal and hops. One question I have about racking into kegs. I have searched but have not found any info. Does anyone rack into there keg through the liquid line? I mean, after I cleaned the keg, I placed a no rinse sanitiser in and give it a good shake and ensure all surfaces are covered. I then empty the sanitiser using CO2 (cartridges) forcing the liquid out through the liquid line. Therefore my keg is empty and oxygen free. So I then place a hose (one side has a liquid connect on it, the other is empty) place the hose into the FV and the liquid connect to the liquid line on the keg, open the tap and empty the FV into the keg, pulling the pressure relief valve when pressure starts to build up. This way there is no chance of oxidisation. I haven’t read of anyone on here that does that, is there a reason? Anyway, hope you understand that and sorry for the long intro. Cheers and Beers Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted December 13, 2016 Share Posted December 13, 2016 I don't keg my beers like that but I know a fair few brewers do. I just put the hose on the FV tap and sit the other end of it in the bottom of the keg. I think the lowering the risk of oxidation is the reason for transferring through the liquid line though, yes, as well as probably lowering infection risk. Been kegging my beers for over a year now and haven't noticed any problems yet, maybe they don't last long enough on tap to develop any Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dadndave Posted December 26, 2016 Share Posted December 26, 2016 New to the forum so just thought I'd be polite and say g'day to everyone before I barge in. Just registered Chateau Beerwah on the brewery list. Had a few years break from brewing (No excuses - just laziness) but getting back into it again with Kit and Kilo brews. I've just upped the ante a bit with my latest effort and brewed a Thomas Cooper's Innkeeper's Daughter kit with 1.5 kg of Dried Light Malt and 200g of dextrose. Man, these kits have come a long way in recent years Worth paying a bit extra for the best ingredients you can afford, I reckon. Let's face it, the result is still ridiculously cheap and tastes better than commercial slops. Cheers everyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PB2 Posted December 26, 2016 Author Share Posted December 26, 2016 Welcome to our community!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James1525230013 Posted January 12, 2017 Share Posted January 12, 2017 Hello Brewers! Been a lurking reader for a while and finally joined the forum. With the revamped range of kits, perhaps a new list like this is needed, in the thread https://www.coopers.com.au/coopers-forum/topic/7290/ The following explains the ink-jetted code on the yeast sachets' date=' supplied with each beer kit: Sachets carry a Julian date code and may also carry letters to denote the type of yeast. For example, if they were packaged on the 25th of September 2007 = 268th day of 2007: Original Series:- Ac (26807) International Series:- Australian Pale Ale - Ac+L (26807 Int) Mexican Cerveza - Ac+L (26807 Int) European Lager - L (26807 P) Canadian Blonde - Ac (26807) English Bitter - Ac (26807) Thomas Coopers Selection:- Wheat - A (26807 W) IPA - Ac (26807 IPA) Irish Stout - A (26807 IS) Pilsener - L (26807 P) Australian Bitter - Ac+L (26807 PS) Heritage Lager - Ac+L (26807 PS) Sparkling Ale - Ac+L (26807 PS) Traditional Draught - Ac+L (26807 PS) Note: Ac = Coopers ale yeast (our own strain, not the same as the yeast in our commercial ales, developed in-house and propagated under contract). A = ale yeast and L = lager yeast (these strains are commercially available dry yeast and their details are held in confidence). My local supermarket dropped home brew over a year ago, but thankfully recently reinstated it with a much expanded range including the International and Thomas Cooper's range of brews, which prompted me to try a new kit. I'm currently making the 'Family Secrets' Amber Ale, using included yeast marked with the date and 'B' which looks quite different to the Ac yeast, and has prompted me to go online and look for updated information on Cooper's kit yeast. I'm using one 1.7kg can 'Family Secrets' and about 1.1kg coopers original series lager, 15 g NZ Pacific Hallertau whole flowers. Will come out a tad more bitter than the straight kit, but lager is only a moderately bitter kit so should be sensible still, balanced by the richer malt types and a bit of late hops. I tasted the kit goo from the lid after rinsing most in and it certainly had some of the aromas and taste of crystal and darker malts listed on the description. The Hallertau was boiled half 20 min, half 5 min. Made to 23L with cooled water and holding around 21-23C . Aiming for some slight ester. Yeast was hydrated in 250ml boiled cooled water, at about 30C which is standard for me. At 40 hours, the krausen is about 10mm thick on top and airlock bubbling moderately. Other 600g of the lager kit was added to a Cooper Original series Draught, plus 200g dextrose and made to 19L with cooled water to suit 19L keg. Bit warmer final wort than I normally use at about 22C but straight to the brew fridge at 16Cwith probe taped to fermenter. Normally I have a 10L pot of water cooling overnight before brewing, but this time it had been chilling only a few hours. Original Coopers yeast, re-hydrated in warm water, whisked after 20 min and added to brew. My normal experience with this is that in 24hrs I get a thick krausen if fermenting in the coolish house with a moderately cool wort. This one also is at the about 40hr mark and is showing a 10-15mm krausen. Never seem to get stressed yeast despite slightly depressed temperatures. I do sometimes add a pinch of yeast nutrient to the hot ingredients. I'm on rain water and before it comes out the drinking tap the water goes through 4 stages of filtration, with the 4th being a 0.2 micron carbon ceramic cartridge that leaves the water sterile. I've done a few brews starting with a full mash, but do most as a 'kit and a bit' style brew. Cheers, James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted January 12, 2017 Share Posted January 12, 2017 Welcome to the forum James. Your wish is my command: DIY Beer Cans - Yeast Details Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James1525230013 Posted January 21, 2017 Share Posted January 21, 2017 Thank-you Hairy, An update on the brew of the Family Secrets. At bottling I found that there was a significant amount of suspended yeast left. Having fermented with a bung in the tap thread I fitted a tap after primary fermentation, by laying the fermenter down gently and changing them over, then resting the fermenter for a few days to settle the yeast. In comparison a Coopers Australian Pale Ale started a couple of days later, using the - INT yeast, and kegged today, had near clear beer. Having left Family Secrets for several days in exactly the same conditions as the Pale, it would seem that the -B included yeast is not an especially flocculant strain, though the unsettling experience of laying down for tap insertion may have caused it to take longer than normal to settle. FG was about 1010 IIRC, no OG taken but one of the calculators suggests about 1038 for about 4% ABV Tasted the FG sample and seemed promising. Now to wait for it to age without getting impatient. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Von Blotto Posted January 21, 2017 Share Posted January 21, 2017 You'd be better off putting the tap in at the beginning. Aside from the faffing around of changing it over, any disturbance of the brew post fermentation risks introducing oxygen, which you really don't want in your finished beer, unless you want it to taste like wet cardboard or sherry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James1525230013 Posted January 21, 2017 Share Posted January 21, 2017 First time I've ever added a tap after filling the FV. I normally use the bungs if I plan to syphon to a keg, or in one of my FVs where the thread is out of timing so taps point 90 degrees to the right if tight. The lid and airlock didn't come off, so the gas space should have been full of CO2 still. Wet cardboard and sherry is the breakfast of champions , some say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dougie5Bottles Posted January 29, 2017 Share Posted January 29, 2017 Alright I'm Ryan from Scotland in the UK. Haven't started brewing yet I am still doing water tests luckily I did as my first test in the garage couldnt heat it to more than 6 degrees as its winter here! I'd post a picture of my set up but I can't work out how to get a picture on through my iPad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebeerpig Posted January 29, 2017 Share Posted January 29, 2017 Alright I'm Ryan from Scotland in the UK. Haven't started brewing yet I am still doing water tests luckily I did as my first test in the garage couldnt heat it to more than 6 degrees as its winter here! I'd post a picture of my set up but I can't work out how to get a picture on through my iPad Maybe an aquarium heater and some insulation around the fermenter might be worth a try. A heater like this - http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/New-100W-Aquarium-Tank-Adjustable-Submersible-Heating-Pipe-Water-Heater-Warmer-/401045481928?hash=item5d602c69c8:g:puoAAOxyn~pR0Q3J and a makeshift jacket like this If you turn the heater thermostat up near its highest setting and then run it off a temp controller (eg stc-1000, inkbird etc) the brew can be adjusted to any temperature you like while fermenting. Here is a link to a thread where various forum members have been discussing the pro's and cons of using aquarium heaters https://club.coopers.com.au/coopers-forum/topic/16014/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Igoe Posted January 29, 2017 Share Posted January 29, 2017 First time brewing. My bro-in-law has been doing it for 20 years, and makes some of the best beer I've tasted. He does a 50:50 mix of Coopers APA and Lager, and uses raw sugar when bottling. I figured it was way past time I tried my own hand at it. I bought a Tooheys kit a few weeks ago, so the first batch was the Draught which came with the kit. Bottled it a week ago, and immediately put on a batch of Coopers APA, which I bottled yesterday. Currently got Coopers Real Ale in the FV. Can't wait to try them, but must be patient. Planning to do some Stouts in prep for winter, and some Pilseners when the weather cools down a little. I call my brewery "Sacred Cow." No particular reason; it just came to me one night and I thought it was a pretty good name. I'm in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne. Love this forum so far. Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stepho_62 Posted February 8, 2017 Share Posted February 8, 2017 G'day All, Stepho here. Used to keep about 400 bottles at some stage cellared when I lived in Tasmania and stopped brewing when I got to North QLD. 10 years on and I want to start again. Used to love the cool temps and clean water in Tassie and now in NQ I have to put up with the opposite. Got RO water sorted so thats problem number one down. Brought a Coopers kit (as I no longer have any gear) and not real happy with the Crazen Collared fermenter but, what the hell, ill give it a go. I tried the link to the FAQ but it doesn't work (took me to Coopers Main Page) so Im guessing this forum doesnt get very well maintained but hope Im wrong. I used to love Coopers Beer back when I had a 150k per year income but I'm broke now and have to brew my own which isnt a bad thing. Specifically I'm looking for some good tips on brewing successfully in this heat. I've just kicked off a wart (10 days ago) and its stuffed. Not thinking about my start temp I didn't cool my water prior to mixing n pitching. I'm about to build another one starting nice n simple with a draught but will ice at least 4 litres of water prior to mixing. Looking forward to your thoughts. PS, when coopers club first started (not this thing, the real one 25 years ago) I had bottle opener number 7 I believe. Cheers Stepho Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FiestyPotato Posted February 8, 2017 Share Posted February 8, 2017 Howdy everyone! Just a brief intro from a newly ushered in brewer (Adelaide-based). I started reading up on home brewing only about a month ago, ordered my gear from the store & bought extras from BeerBelly. Finally received all my gear yesterday and got my 1st brew on today! (the Coopers Sparkling Ale from the recipe page). I'm a passionate beer drinker and lover of intense hoppy, complex-flavored brews. IPA's and strong English & American ales make me smile. Outside of brewing I work as a 3D artist at an animation joint. Brewing to me among my other hobbies is feeling like it'll be something I can come home to and get creative with away from technology while I make something I can indulge in! I've already spent a good time lurking here on the forums over the last few weeks and look forward to getting in on the conversation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted February 9, 2017 Share Posted February 9, 2017 Welcome aboard Stepho and FiestyPotato. Stepho, if finances and space one day allow, I recommend getting a fridge for fermenting. Worry free brewing in the heat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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