What should I buy from the Coopers shop? Suggestions on whats great!

[N1KK0]

Hi Guys,

 

I live regionally & alas not many good LHBS nearby but lucky for me Coopers have a great option via their online shop. Hence what I'm seeking is feedback on what you think is either fantastic or exceptional value from their current online shop offerings.

 

I know normally you'd need to know my taste in beers etc BUT I'm aware I prolly need to grow my palate a lil (long time mega-swill drinker) thus I'm tending to put more weight on folks saying 'This is really good - use in this recipe etc etc'

 

Currently I'm struck by the value of the older TC Kit cans (seem very good value at $14.85) and also the TC Malt Extract cans ($10.35).

 

I figure probably ordering 4-5 kits and about the same or a couple more of the extract malts - should get me over the $100 barrier for gratis postage (Thank you Dr Coopers). So please let me know what you think a good order should comprise e.g 2 cans of XYZ, 2 of ABC and one each of the extracts etc.

 

Cheers in advance, Nick

[N1KK0]

Bloody heck, form an orderly queue folks I can't take all your suggestions at once! ;-)

 

Well here's just a few preliminary thoughts in no particular order:

 

- I'd like to try a Wheat beer (have liked Redback in the past), tending to think the new TC Preacher's Hefe Wheat is a better pick than the old TC Wheat Beer as it includes a speciality Wheat yeast rather than an ale one.

 

- Wheat Malt extract seems a handy addition, so atleast 2 cans of that.

 

- I'm not normally one to drink stouts, though I don't mind a Tooheys Old (which I suspect is much more of a dark ale)...but I hear a lot of good things about the TC Irish Stout kit, which is soon to become extinct.....perhaps one of them plus a dark malt extract???? Dunno if it'll be a tad rich etc for me...

 

- The TC Sparkling Ale seems a safe bet. Big fan of the Cooper's commercial variant, so perhaps a candidate for use with CCA yeast.

 

- Perhaps the TC Pilsener, as a lighter option...come with a true lager yeast.

 

- Folks give good reviews to the English Bitter but I can easily buy that in BigW etc, same with the APA etc.

 

- The TC Bitter, Draught and IPA all options but dunno if any of them are standouts? Which is really what I'm chasing.

 

- I'd estimate 3-4 Light LME cans, 2-3 Amber LME, 2-3 Wheat and one dark...

 

- Dunno about the new TC range, sure they're ~$3 more expensive but as they come with speciality yeasts and assuming they've tweaked their recipes they COULD be better value - than the old TC with a pretty run of the mill yeast....so not adverse to getting them instead if it's likely they're worth the extra - we're only talking $3!

 

Haha so very open to ideas.....

 

PS. FWIW the only kits I currently have onhand is OS Draught & Real Ale - just incase some purchases can work in with those. :-)

 

-

 

 

[Anzacpaul]

From the videos ive seen on youtube, you can't go wrong with the coopers kits in general, so picking beers to your taste or season would be the best way to go in my opinion. I would pick the cans you can't get at your local supermarket/beer store as you can pick them up anytime.

 

If i was buying, id be grabbing a devil ruby porter, a wheat, an irish stout, an inkeepers daughter and a family secret amber. To make up the $100, id grab some malt cans.

[porschemad911]

G'day N1KKO,

 

I would buy and brew the following:

• TC Sparkling Ale + 1.5kg Light LME + 500g LDM ... that brewed with some reactivated Coopers commercial ale yeast would be really tasty
  
• TC Preacher's Hefe Wheat + 1.5kg Wheat LME
  
• TC Irish Stout + 500g LDM ... wouldn't go with the dark LME on this one if you want a lighter, drier style of Stout
  
• TC IPA + 1.5kg Light LME ... I'd get hold of some some extra hops for this if you can, for some reason I am drawn to Fuggles or Styrian Goldings
  

 

This will get you to $107.96 and free shipping You can always try the new kits, but these older ones may not be around for too much longer. I'd also add plenty of Crown seals, Sanitizer & Carbonation drops (depending on which of these you use).

 

Cheers,

 

John

[CaffeinatedSentryGnome]

A stout so it can age for the winter and something that you can drink sooner

[Hairy]

Based on my previous experience with the 'old' TC range I would recommend the Wheat beer kit and the IPA kit. The Traditional Draught was a top drop too.

 

I never really liked the old Sparkling Ale kit but perhaps the tweaks to the new one has improved it.

 

I used to like making a bigger IPA with the kit. I have used this recipe a few times:

 

1.7kg IPA kit

1.5kg Liquid Light Malt

500g Dry Wheat Malt

500g Dextrose

 

Boil some hops to increase the bitterness a little and then a heap of hops at flame out (steep) and dry hopping.

 

As you mentioned, a couple of extra tins of wheat malt comes in handy. I sometimes used wheat malt instead of light malt when making some summery pale ales.

[N1KK0]

Brilliant suggestions guys.....I'm placing my order tomorrow so any others welcomed, I'll post up whats eventually placed but I'm going to go strongly by your recommendations. :-)

[dpack]

I'm also going to take advantage of the free freight and hoping your experience can help me make the best decisions.

 

I've decided i don't like be2 with my pale ale cans. I have been given 2kg as gifts and need to use it up. I was thinking of doing 500g be2 with 500g LDM as i recently did a pale ale with 500g LDM and 300g dextrose and really liked it. Would i be better off going 1kg be2 and 250g or 500g LDM?? Or very little difference taste wise? I'm chasing 4.5% abv as a minimum.

 

Also, ive just done two best extra stouts using us-05 as the second yeast. The taste from the fv has been awesome. I have some brew cellar premium ale yeast (English) I'd like to use up. Do you think I'll notice a difference after 4 or 5 months of bottle conditioning. Keen to use it up. Any reason i shouldn't? Would it be better saved for something else, possibly a pacific ale?

 

Cheers

[N1KK0]

FWIW holding off placing my order till I can attend the Coopers tasting night at Dan Murphy's on THU - so will post what I order after that.

 

@dpack, not sure mate - hopefully others will have feedback for you on your queries. :-)

[tembusu]

I noticed that TC liquid malt extract are particularly more expensive at the LHBS than online at TC store. My LHBS sells 1.5 kg TC liquid malt extract at $15.95 at par with other brands like Briess, Morgans etc but the online price is only $10.35 giving a huge savings of $5 per can. The brew cans are selling at prices similar what is offered online. If I am buying online from the TC store, I'll stock up the liquid malt extract and TC PET bottles which are cheaper than the LHBS and of slightly better quality.

[dpack]

No time to wait until Thursday for free shipping. It finishes tomorrow.

[N1KK0]

@dpack, it finishes today eh? Thanks for the heads up, I couldn't find info on it anywhere so will take your word for it. Better get that order placed then!

 

@tembusu, yes my LHBS is generally out of stock on a lot of stuff but when they have them the TC Malts are $13.50, so not that bad....but still thats 30% more expensive.

 

Gotta get this order placed. :-)

[Frosty Chop]

FWIW holding off placing my order till I can attend the Coopers tasting night at Dan Murphy's on THU - so will post what I order after that.

 

@dpack' date=' not sure mate - hopefully others will have feedback for you on your queries. :-)[/quote']

 

My Uncle Dans stocks the IS kits cheaper than the Coopers club prices so I now limit my purchases online to mainly the liquid malt and TCS kits.

[N1KK0]

After much chopping and changing order was placed - suffice to say getting over $100 wasn't a challenge:

 

Thomas Coopers Irish Stout (1.7kg) x 1

Thomas Coopers Traditional Draught (1.7kg) x1

Thomas Coopers IPA (India Pale Ale) (1.7kg) x 1

Thomas Coopers Pilsener (1.7kg) x 1

Thomas Coopers Wheat Beer (1.7kg) x 1

Thomas Coopers Wheat Malt Extract (1.5kg) x 2

Thomas Coopers Light Malt Extract (1.5kg) x 4

Thomas Coopers Amber Malt Extract (1.5kg) x 2

Coopers PET Beer Bottle Caps (Qty 30) x 1

Crown Seals (Qty 100) x 3

 

Much thanks for everybody's suggestions - no offence intended if I didn't get what anyone said - I tried to get mainly from the older TC range (which seemed the best value, also to grab a bit of a variety of styles in the TC kits that had good feedback (both here and elsewhere).

 

Now just need to formulate a strategy as to how to explain to the wife that this was an essential purchase (saving $15 on postage????) ;-)

 

 

[dpack]

Nice one. I ordered heaps of malt and will spread my remaining brew enhancers out over a number of brews. I got a feeling 500g ldm and 500g of be2 will be good and preferable to 1kg be2.

[Anzacpaul]

Hopefully free shipping is back soon, I need to order a new diy FV after being stuffed around on Gumtree for the second time in as many days.