Coopers Canadian Blonde

[talltwits]

Hello all!

 

Firstly thanks for reading.

 

Today I am proud to announce I have started my first ever home brew!! Woohoo!

 

I think it went to plan! I am brewing a Coopers Canadian Blonde. Using the Brew Enhancer 1.

I watched the "How to" video on the coopers website. It's says that you should keep your brew between 21-27 degrees c. This however seemed to be general advice and on reading forums I see that different brews should be Brewer at different temps.

 

So I have my brew sitting at about 24 degrees just now. Is this correct? And where do you find out the specific temps for different brews (so I know for future brews).

 

Thanks for help meantime.

[Beeblebrox]

Hello all!

 

Firstly thanks for reading.

 

Today I am proud to announce I have started my first ever home brew!! Woohoo!

 

I think it went to plan! I am brewing a Coopers Canadian Blonde. Using the Brew Enhancer 1.

I watched the "How to" video on the coopers website. It's says that you should keep your brew between 21-27 degrees c. This however seemed to be general advice and on reading forums I see that different brews should be Brewer at different temps.

 

So I have my brew sitting at about 24 degrees just now. Is this correct? And where do you find out the specific temps for different brews (so I know for future brews).

 

Thanks for help meantime.

 

Canadian Blonde is one of my favourite brew cans, & you can certainly do a lot with it.

I like to look at it as a blank canvas that still works out ok if stripped back.

You'll make a decent enough beer with BE1, but you'll find this brew even better with BE2, & better still as you get used to brewing it & adding some malt & hops.

 

As for the best temp for the brew, or indeed for most ales, I'd recommend getting it down to around 20c if possible.

Warmer than 22c or so & it may throw some esters, as well as produce some acetaldehyde, & phenol alcohol, which can give you a headache.

 

As for where to find the correct temps, well obviously not on the can, as the instructions are pretty much for novices & general temperature range, rather than the range to produce the best brew.

You'll find a good few threads on the forum, there are some good brewing books out there - a good investment if you want to turn this into a hobby, rather than just a little tinkering now & then, & you'll probably find your LHBS (Local Home Brew Store) will be able to assist with a tip here & there on techniques & brewing temps.

 

So at little risk of disagreement from others on the forum, for ales you'd generally want from about 18-21c, lagers around 12-15c.

There are exceptions to the rule, such as steam beer etc, but as this your first brew, better not to bombard you with stuff you don't need to worry about yet.

 

Cheers.

[talltwits]

Thanks very much!

 

I'll let it come down to about 21 then and try keep it there. So I take it the best thing to do is get an idea of what I want to brew and then research the best temp?

 

I have so much to learn. I didn't even realise that you can mix and match etc. I'll of course stick to the simple ones first and hopefully progress on from there.

 

If you can help with a few more questions -

 

On the "how to" videos. It says to check the brew after three days and remove the KRAUSEN Koller. Then after six days start taking a gravity reading every day until they remain consistent for two days in a row. Is this correct for Canadian Blonde? And further to take are three days and six days the "magic number" or can this vary?

 

One final quick question. Do I need to let gas escape? It's not gassy but the missus is worried it'll explode? Haha.

 

Thanks again.

[talltwits]

Thanks very much!

 

I'll let it come down to about 21 then and try keep it there. So I take it the best thing to do is get an idea of what I want to brew and then research the best temp?

 

I have so much to learn. I didn't even realise that you can mix and match etc. I'll of course stick to the simple ones first and hopefully progress on from there.

 

If you can help with a few more questions -

 

On the "how to" videos. It says to check the brew after three days and remove the KRAUSEN Koller. Then after six days start taking a gravity reading every day until they remain consistent for two days in a row. Is this correct for Canadian Blonde? And further to take are three days and six days the "magic number" or can this vary?

 

One final quick question. Do I need to let gas escape? It's not gassy but the missus is worried it'll explode? Haha.

 

 

 

I should have added there doesn't appear to be a gas release valve on my vessel!

 

Thanks again.

[Anzacpaul]

Thanks very much!

 

I'll let it come down to about 21 then and try keep it there. So I take it the best thing to do is get an idea of what I want to brew and then research the best temp?

 

I have so much to learn. I didn't even realise that you can mix and match etc. I'll of course stick to the simple ones first and hopefully progress on from there.

 

If you can help with a few more questions -

 

On the "how to" videos. It says to check the brew after three days and remove the KRAUSEN Koller. Then after six days start taking a gravity reading every day until they remain consistent for two days in a row. Is this correct for Canadian Blonde? And further to take are three days and six days the "magic number" or can this vary?

 

One final quick question. Do I need to let gas escape? It's not gassy but the missus is worried it'll explode? Haha.

 

Thanks again.

 

 

You don't need to remove the collar, but it makes cleaning easier. Apparently the Krausen collar can go in the dishwasher anyway, so if you have one, might be easier to leave it on.

 

The gas will escape all by itself in the gap between the lid and the vessel. It definitely won't explode. With the older models you had a screw on lid with a seal and it required an airlock to let the air out. The newer models don't require this.

 

In regards to the length of brew, most people here recommend leaving it for 2 weeks, this allows the yeast to clean up any leftovers and will give a cleaner beer. you can start checking the gravity after about 7 days if you like.

[Beeblebrox]

Thanks very much!

 

I'll let it come down to about 21 then and try keep it there. So I take it the best thing to do is get an idea of what I want to brew and then research the best temp?

 

As a rule 18-21 is optimal for ales' date=' unless you're wanting to get a bit more aroma & esters using dry hops or with a saison, as previously stated, around 12-15 with true lagers.

 

I have so much to learn. I didn't even realise that you can mix and match etc. I'll of course stick to the simple ones first and hopefully progress on from there.

 

Definitely a good move to start with the simple stuff, then progress as you get comfortable. Perhaps start using BE2 rather than BE1, then look at doing some dry hop or steeped hop additions on day 3 or so.

 

If you can help with a few more questions -

 

On the "how to" videos. It says to check the brew after three days and remove the KRAUSEN Koller. Then after six days start taking a gravity reading every day until they remain consistent for two days in a row. Is this correct for Canadian Blonde? And further to take are three days and six days the "magic number" or can this vary?

 

My current brew is on day 12, & I still haven't removed the krasen kollar, that's more or less a guideline, some brews have a higher krasen than others, some dissipate sooner than others.

As for the gravity readings, in time you'll learn to trust your instinct.

I haven't bothered to do a second reading with my current brew yet (as stated on day 12), I usually leave it until day 14, test & if it's in the ballpark I bottle it, if not I'll check the next day.

It's pretty rare with an ale to take longer than a week for primary, but you want it to settle a while before you bottle it.

The less you disturb it the better, & the longer you leave it the better the result.

 

One final quick question. Do I need to let gas escape? It's not gassy but the missus is worried it'll explode? Haha.

 

The only time you need to worry about gas escaping or excess gas is after you've bottled.

Presuming your olfactory system works, you would have smelt the brew as it started to ferment, first a yeasty smell, then a beery smell.

The fact enough gas escapes to be detectable to your nose shows that it's not going to turn into a beer bomb in your FV.

 

I should have added there doesn't appear to be a gas release valve on my vessel!

 

Thanks again.

 

So in summary, keep it around 21c or lower, leave it as long as you can before you take a gravity reading, leave it in the FV for at least 14 days from when you first put it down, make sure the gravity readings are around the expected range (if you know what that is) otherwise, make sure it's the same reading on 2 consecutive days.

You can remove the kollar or leave it in, it's up to you, as it's only there in case of large krasen & to make it easier to clean your FV.

 

Other than that, stop worrying, once you've done a few batches you'll realize it's actually all fairly simple, it just takes confidence & experience to get comfortable with what you're doing.

[talltwits]

Brilliant guys thanks very much.

 

I feel much more relaxed about it. But still excited and enjoying the experience so far. I think this could catch on. 14 days is quite a stretch compared to coopers recommended 6. However I will take your advice and go with the 14. For a novice like myself it seems to make more sense anyway.

 

I will keep you posted of the progress and honestly thanks again for your help!

[talltwits]

Hi guys!

 

Just a quick update. The krausen is looking great. Maybe about an inch tall. The temp is steady at about 21-22 degrees. So I think it's all going to plan. Can't stop running through to the kitchen to check on it.

 

Looking for a bit of future advice.

 

As previously stated I was originally planning on bottling round about day 6 or seven. But after taking advice on here I was hoping to wait until about day 14. The issue is that on days 11, 12 and 13 I will be away and won't be around to check on temp etc etc. What is the better option for me -

 

1 - Bottle on day 10 and lose the extra days before bottling?

 

Or

 

2 - Bottle when I get home on day 14 but for days 11,12 and 13 not being around to supervise the temp?

 

Thanks again you very helpful people!

 

 

[Beeblebrox]

If it were me, I'd probably bottle on day 10 under those circumstances, but the reality is temperature is more important to control during active primary fermentation than afterwards, so you could almost toss a coin to decide.

On the other hand, if the weather's expected to be especially hot where you are, it may be better to have your brew bottled than exposed to higher temps in the FV.

[talltwits]

Cool cheers. I think I'll bottle on day 10. I suppose if I have two consistent gravity readings on days 9&10 it'll be good to bottle anyway??

 

I'm in Scotland so I've been amazed that it's remained at 21 degrees in the first place. Haha. And for bottling has the temp to be above 18 degrees. I know I'm jumping the ahead here but I like to know.

 

Once again thanks very much.

[Otto Von Blotto]

I'd probably say 10C-12C for lagers if you want them really clean and crisp. 15C you might start getting some unwanted flavours. In saying that, I do let my lagers wander up to 18-19C when they're around 75% fermented, but by this time most of the final flavours are locked in anyway so it doesn't cause the yeast to throw unwanted flavours.

 

18-21C is perfect for ales, though.

[Henry's Cat]

Hi talltwits

ex pat Scot here - this lot probably don't realise that you are likely having to keep it warm to achieve 21 degrees at this time of year !

Just switch the heating off while you are away and bottle when you get back.

 

Oh and the temperature you bottle at is no big deal (within reason) but you want to store the bottles at between about 18 to 25 for a couple of weeks to condition (make bubbles).

[talltwits]

Hello and thanks again,

 

Haha Henry, indeed. We've had cold weather warning during the night and I've woke up to an ice covered garden. The room temp was at about 15 degrees and the brew temp has dropped from about 21 to about 18. Luckily the missus is feeling a bit cold and along with her morning coffee she's ot the heating on! So hopefully get it back to about 21.

 

That's brilliant I'll have a wee think and see when I'm going to bottle.

[ChristinaS1]

Hi there talltwits. I think I would wait with bottling until you come back. From what you said it sounds like you had your brew fermenting 24-21C in the beginning, which is a bit on the warm side. With such warm fermentation temps early on your beer will probably end up quite estery, at least in the early stages. That might be okay for something like the Fruit Salad Ale recipe,

 

http://store.coopers.com.au/recipes/index/view/id/35/

 

but a bunch of esters are out of place in a Canadian Blonde, which should be clean tasting. Once you bottle you are removing the beer from contact with the bulk of the yeast; by comparison there is only a tiny bit of yeast in each bottle. The benefit of leaving it in the fermentor a while longer is that there is a lot more yeast to clean up some of the less pleasant by-products of fermentation (ie., acetaldehyde, fusel alcohols), so it will be taste better sooner.

 

Personally the only times I would bottle an ale as early as ten days is if I were brewing something like an English Bitter, where you want esters (which fade with time), or if I was making a lawnmower type ale and had brewed it on the cool side, like at 18C (so that it would not require much cleaning up)....I generally bottle between two to three weeks, usually closer to the three week point than the two week point.

 

Another thing you might consider is throwing a half an ounce or so of Amarillo or Cascade hop pellets in your fermentor before you leave, which is called dry hopping, and bottle when you come back. The additional time on the yeast will do it good and the dry hops will make it Fruit Salad-esque and hide flaws like acetaldehyde.

 

Well good luck and happy brewing. Cheers, Christina.

[talltwits]

Hi Christina,

 

Thanks very much. Some really interesting points there. With everyone's help I'm starting to understand the process a little more each time someone posts something.

 

I will stick with bottling when I come back and do it on day 14. The Coopers "how to" video seems very general as when I first made the brew I tried to stick between 21-27 degrees as they recommended. Now I know that 18-21 is best for ales. Also the video says after day seven to bottle. But again 14 seems to be the minimum.

 

As this is my first brew I feel that adding hops etc is a bit above my skill level. To be honest this is all completely new to me. Even tasting beer is new. Im a little embarrassed to say I'm not even to clear on the difference between ales and lagers etc (I've done a bit of research now though)I'm a stereotypical commercial beer drinker at the moment and I think it's about time I start to appreciate the different flavours etc. I do think for my next brew I will try something a little more adventurous.

 

Hopefully with this first brew I will get the basics down. Thoroughly enjoying it so far and the community on here has been brilliant!

 

 

[ChristinaS1]

Hi Christina' date='

 

Thanks very much. Some really interesting points there. With everyone's help I'm starting to understand the process a little more each time someone posts something.

 

I will stick with bottling when I come back and do it on day 14. The Coopers "how to" video seems very general as when I first made the brew I tried to stick between 21-27 degrees as they recommended. Now I know that 18-21 is best for ales. Also the video says after day seven to bottle. But again 14 seems to be the minimum.

 

As this is my first brew I feel that adding hops etc is a bit above my skill level. To be honest this is all completely new to me. Even tasting beer is new. Im a little embarrassed to say I'm not even to clear on the difference between ales and lagers etc (I've done a bit of research now though)I'm a stereotypical commercial beer drinker at the moment and I think it's about time I start to appreciate the different flavours etc. I do think for my next brew I will try something a little more adventurous.

 

Hopefully with this first brew I will get the basics down. Thoroughly enjoying it so far and the community on here has been brilliant!

 

[/quote']

 

Hi again talltwits. Yeah, the community here is great. I enjoy it a lot myself and have learned a ton.

 

I am jealous that you live in Scotland, where there are great pubs and real ales on tap. Yum. British beers are my favourite. You can even buy descent beer in the grocery store: Fuller's, Wychwood etc.

 

BTW, dry hopping is dead easy: buy a package of hop pellets (they usually come in one ounce packages), snip the corner, tip out about half directly into your fermentor (no need to enclose them in anything, although some people do), close your fermentor back up. That's it! Seal the hops remaining in the package back up and store in the freezer until you make your next brew.

[talltwits]

Yeah it certainly has its ups and downs living here. I'm in Ayrshire so there are quite a few local breweries nearby. One of my fav's is the Isle of Arran brewery, I was over recently and visited the brewery. I felt their beers were quite distinctive in flavour and truth be told probably the first time I appreciated the flavours in beer. Hopefully something I can replicate further down the line.

 

I will keep that in mind regarding adding the hops in the future. Sounds relatively simple but I'll try figure out what I like first. I never thought I'd be so into it at such an early stage.

[porschemad911]

I am jealous that you live in Scotland' date=' where there are great pubs and real ales on tap. Yum. British beers are my favourite. You can even buy descent beer in the grocery store: Fuller's, Wychwood etc.[/quote']

And the whisky! I'm very jealous indeed talltwits ... met my Scottish cousin over Christmas for the first time in about 15 years and she was telling me what a great place it is.

 

Keep this first brew simple, then when you are taste testing it down the track you will be able to see the result of your ingredients and fermentation temperature, without being distracted by extra hops. The trick is learning from how what you put in correlates to what you get out. This will help you produce what you are aiming for in future brews (once you figure out what you like).

 

The next step would be using a couple of boxes of Light Dry Malt (or a tin of Liquid Malt Extract) instead of a Brew Enhancer No.1 or 2. I'd try this for your second batch and go for a beer style that doesn't rely on a lot of hop flavour or aroma. This will give you a little more body and mouthfeel.

 

The step after that would be to add a dry hop of some sort. I'd try this on your third batch, and then you could go for a beer style that generally has a bit of hop aroma (eg an American Pale Ale or a nice English Bitter). This will give you a little more of a hop aroma hit vs the first couple of batches.

 

After this there's a few more tricks you can use to enhance the flavour of the kit tins (steeping specialty grains, mini-mashing base malt grains, boiling hops and exploring the world of available yeast strains). Anyway, take it slow, plenty of time to experiment later!

 

Just make sure you clean and sanitize everything really thoroughly on bottling and brew days, that's really important. Good luck!

 

Cheers,

 

John

[talltwits]

Haha yes of course the Whisky! I am a proud a Scot I have to say.

 

I do like the idea of my first brew being simple with no added ingredients and then from there I have something to compare future brews with. I have taken note of your advice for future brews so thanks very much for that!

[Anzacpaul]

Another thing that's made me far more comfortable with hop additions etc is watching youtube videos. Once you've seen a few people doing it you see how easy it is.

[Beerlust]

Hello talltwits & welcome to the forum.

 

I was lucky enough to spend some time in Scotland quite a few years back, & really enjoyed myself. I was based around Edinburgh. I was lucky enough to go to the New Years Rangers vs Celtic game, enjoyed the "Grass Market", the food, the whisky, the beer, & the people. Had the craziest bus driver ever trying to kill us going through the traffic for that soccer game!

 

I remember one day going to a pub in Livingston (I think?) called the Copper Tun after spending the day sightseeing around Loch Lomond, where I'd purchased a Glengarry beret. (Billy Connolly was donning these at the time!)

 

So in I waltzed with my Glengarry atop my scone along with the two Scottish mates I'd been staying with. The pub is called the Cooper Tun, because the ceiling (if you like) above the circular bar is actually made using an old "Copper Tun" that beer was bulk brewed in for some time. Pretty cool!

 

So we sat drinking Black & Tan's all evening mixed in with the odd shot of whisky, & I played a few games of pool vs some of the locals etc. A few of the local lads weren't real happy about losing to me at pool & perhaps with me donning the Glengarry (I think?) & a few of their GF's having a chat with me during the evening as it turned out. Upon closing there were about 4-5 of them waiting for us outside!

 

Lucky for me the two blokes I was with were hard as nails plus the pub itself employed two of the biggest bouncers I've ever seen, who easily dealt with the riff raff!

 

I live in Adelaide, South Australia, & Edinburgh is our sister city due to the very similar layout of the two cities, so I felt right at home there. Good memories.

 

Cheers & good luck with your future brewing,

 

Lusty.

[talltwits]

Haha brilliant story!

 

Unfortunately yeah there are some bad apples everywhere you go but hey, sounds like you enjoyed yourself nonetheless! Have you still got the Glengarry? I used to follow the Scotland national football team quite intensely, including abroad, the national dress does seem to get quite a lot of attention. Some welcome, some not so much, I'll say no more. ???? And we certainly do like a drink. I went to Spain to see Scotland v Spain not long after they won the World Cup. I can breaky remember the game. Oooops.

 

I've never been to Australia but I'd say it's defo on my list. A few friends have emigrated over recent years right enough. Not yet had the chance to visit.

 

Quick brew update -

 

Krausen starting to settling down now. Still a small bit left. Quite a sweet/nice smell coming out. The temp sitting at about 19 degrees c. So I think all still going well with it.

 

Cheers

[talltwits]

Hello guys n gals!

 

Right the time has come for me to leave my castle for a few days and indeed my home brew will be left unattended! I've been able to maintain the temperature relatively well close to 19 degrees since day one. It's dropped a little today and obviously when I'm away my heating won't be on so will drop probably down to about 13 ish!... That's a guess by the way!

 

The brew itself still has the slightest amount of bubbles on the top. Like maybe about 5 inches in diameter and not even a millimetre thick. The cloudiness of the brew is pretty much gone with a little remaining at the bottom. Is this the yeast still doing its thing??

 

So what's my next steps for my return on Monday? Should I take hydrometer reading on Monday and Tuesday and if it's the same then bottle?

 

Any tips for bottling. I'm going to use the plastic bottles that came with the kit and I believe it's two carbonation drops per bottle? And should this be kept in a dark place with temps between 18-25 degrees? Is this correct??

 

Cheers folks!

 

Any other advice/tips are welcome!

[Beeblebrox]

The sediment at the bottom is trub, mostly composed of yeast, & indeed the yeast at the bottom of your FV would more than likely now be cleaning up any residue.

 

Your brew should be fine from here, & certainly some extra time to clear, even if it does get a bit cooler won't hurt it at all.

 

I'd agree with taking a reading the day you return, then the next day, & if it's where you expect it to be, it should be fine to bottle.

If not, you may want to get it back to around 18c or so to finish, but chances are it'll be all done.

 

Definitely 2 drops each bottle for 740-750ml bottles, & certainly want your bottles to be sitting at 18c+ for a few weeks to carbonate.

 

As this is your first brew, all you should need to to with the bottles is give them a quick rinse.

For future brews, you'll want to clean & sanitize the bottles & gear between brews.

Many of us use laundry soakers like napisan to clean our gear, then rinse with warm water, then no rinse sanitizer.

 

For the sake of making things easier for yourself, best practice is to rinse your bottles out as soon as they're empty, otherwise the yeast sediment can dry out, making it harder to remove later.

 

It's also best to clean out your FV once empty, & if not doing another brew the same day, give it another clean out & sanitize before the next brew.

 

If your FV is sitting around unused, you either want it to be completely dry, or soaking in cleaning solution, to reduce the risk of any nasties lurking in there between brews.

It's better to be pedantic & overdo it with hygiene than get complacent & let something get into your gear that can be harder to remove later.

[talltwits]

That's good advice thank you!

 

When you say as long as the Hydrometer reading is where I expect it to be then that's fine...only thing is since this is the first time I ever done it I don't know where to expect it to be. Or should it simply just read the same reading (whatever that may be?) for two days in a row?

 

Cheers again!