My first brew - Coopers Stout

[mrchoonz]

Hi, I am new to home brewing and this forum.

 

Currently on day 5 of making my own Coopers Stout. Sitting between 18 - 20 degrees.

 

I have read a few posts on brewing but need advice on whether to use the carbonation drops or sugar to my brew prior to bottling?

 

Going to leave bottling until day 21. I lifted the the krausen collar out on day 4.

 

Recipe I have used is Coopers Stout (1.7 kg) tin & Brew Enhancer 1 (1 kg), also the yeast.

 

Any help appreciated.

[Ratatatata]

Hi!

 

Welcome! You'll find that this forum is a great help for anyone starting home brewing.

 

My advice would be: why don't you do both?

 

That way you will know what method you prefer. Carb drops is very convenient, but with regular sugar you get the chance to be more exact with your measures. I find that some beers doesn't need two card drops but one is too little, for example.

 

To be honest, your first brew will probably taste like.. well, let's just say you will be making better beer in the future. Use this one to learn more. When I did my first brews I bottled a few as "per recipe", waited another week or so with another batch, tried some with two card drops, some with one, some with sugar. Most of them ended up terrible but I learned a great deal from it.

[Otto Von Blotto]

You can use either really, they both end up with the same result in the end anyway. However, as above using sugar you do have the opportunity to be a little more precise with the priming rate since you're not locked in to a pre-determined dosage size like you are with carb drops.

 

I expect that brew will probably turn out reasonably well, the stouts are pretty forgiving, plus your temperature is perfect too. It's also a much more flavorsome kit than the lager that comes with the start up kits.

[Hairy]

Are you bottling into 750ml PETs?

 

As the other guys said, you can use both. But I found 2 carb drops to be too fizzy for a stout. If using 740-750ml bottles then one teaspoon of table sugar per bottle is great.

[Morrie]

I intend to put down a Coopers Irish Stout next am asking if anyone has done one and if so how did it taste. Also would anyone like to guess on what type of yeast Coopers would be using on that kit. The reason I am asking is because I have spare harvested US05 and would like to add some of this as well into the brew to get it kicked off faster. Would adding US05 have any detrimental effect on the intended flavour of this kit.

[mrchoonz]

Thanks very much for all your replies.

 

I'll try some with 2 carbonation drops, some with 1, some with white sugar and some with brown.

 

Also I'm bottling after 14 days, was getting mixed up between bottling and drinking after bottling!

 

Yes I'm using the 750ml pet bottles

[Waylon]

Hey there Mr Choonz,

 

Your brew should be nice! Stout kits always been a good one for me.

 

Ide be more inclined to under prime the 750ml bottles especially if aging in bottle..,

 

PLain cane sugar is great

 

I use a sugar measuring scoop with ratios for a 330ml, 500ml & 750ml, I find that all my brews are more than carbonated using the 500g level for a 750ml bottle... Always add at least a quarter under the suggested scoop size as I hate pouring throff bombs...

 

I meen nothing worse than pouring an aged beer and its over carbonated!

 

1.7 stout kit

1.5 dark liquid malt

500g brown sugar

(steep some crystal and choc malt and late boil of fuggles)

23 litres

2x kit yeasts

 

Bloody sensational

 

 

 

[mrchoonz]

Thanks for your post.

 

So how should I add the sugar before bottling? I am using 750ml PET bottles

[Otto Von Blotto]

What do you mean by how should you add the sugar before bottling?

 

At the risk of stating the obvious, you'd simply measure out and add the sugar to the bottle before you put the beer in it, rather than putting the beer in first.

[Anzacpaul]

You can buy measure spoons for home brew from Big W for about $4, they aren't exact, but good enough. If you're a real stout fan, you can also half prime (use half the amount of sugar as suggested), as a lot of stouts are a lot less carbed than your regular ale's etc.

 

 

Also with a stout, you'll have to leave it a bit longer to mature. I tried my stout after 4 weeks and it was no where near ready. I'd recommend bottling it and then putting down something else which will probably be ready to drink before the stout.

 

I'd also recommend 14 days in the fermenter as enough with the recipe you've given. Leaving it 21 wont hurt, but I don't think you'll gain much in a stout and it's a week longer you'll have to wait to drink it/get another brew going.

[mrchoonz]

Thats great, thanks guys. Every post has been very helpful.

 

I live in Ireland so I'm not sure where I'd get measuring spoons? I'll try ebay.

 

These? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sugar-Dispenser-Spoon-For-Measuring-Home-Brew-Ingredients-Priming-Bottles-X-3-/390892189470?hash=item5b02fd771e:g:MtwAAOSw7PxTzpgP

 

So should I use the large one with brown sugar for my 750ml bottles?

[porschemad911]

I live in Ireland so I'm not sure where I'd get measuring spoons?

Any department store with a kitchen utensils section, or any kitchen wares store should have them.

[Frosty Chop]

Thats great' date=' thanks guys. Every post has been very helpful.

 

I live in Ireland so I'm not sure where I'd get measuring spoons? I'll try ebay.

 

These? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sugar-Dispenser-Spoon-For-Measuring-Home-Brew-Ingredients-Priming-Bottles-X-3-/390892189470?hash=item5b02fd771e:g:MtwAAOSw7PxTzpgP

 

So should I use the large one with brown sugar for my 750ml bottles?[/quote']

 

 

How many litres did you make the kit and kilo up to?

 

I've found one carb drop gives good carbonation for a stout in a 750. Especially if you plan to age it for a while which is what most recommend. I don't like my stout with huge fizzy bubbles in it like soda water.

 

Those spoons look good, I'd try the middle one made for the 500ml bottles I feel that would be plenty in a 750.

 

[Graculus]

G'day all.

 

I made a Thomas Cooper Irish Stout a few weeks ago.

I bottled it on 6th March. Now having read that most people use

half the carbonation on a stout I used 90 grams of dextrose.

I know you're supposed to age this for a while, but couldn't help myself.

I opened one last weekend. Flat as... well something that's really flat.

 

I used a kg of the local hb store Stout mix. I also used half a packet of Nottingham yeast

along with the coopers yeast. Fermented in the beer fridge

 

I live just north of Sydney so the weather has been warm

enough for secondary fermentation to take place.

 

Will it get better? I was tempted to take the top of half a dozen bottle and drop a bit

more detrose in.

[Otto Von Blotto]

It will be flat initially, but if it is left to age for 6+ months, the carbonation will probably increase.

 

I've found this to be the case especially when using English ale yeasts as they are "designed" to keep slowly fermenting in the cask. Primed at a more normal level, they end up over carbonated after a while. My plan for brews using these yeasts is keg-only sized batches but if I do one with a few surplus bottles I'll halve the priming rate unless I plan to drink them after a few weeks or something.

[Waylon]

If your half priming bottles... Im doing it for well matured malty beers 6 months to 1 year plus in the bottle!

If you intend drinking bottles sooner ide just go the standard as coopers recommends.

 

[Waylon]

Just found this from Frank,

Conditioning will occur more quickly when the beer is stored above 18C. Try to keep you beer in a stable environment so that the temperature does not fluctuate a great deal. All beers are traditionally stored at a lower temperature after the second fermentation is complete. The word Lager comes from the German word for “store”. Lagers will definitely benefit from several weeks of Lagering in the fridge but it is not an imperative.

[Morrie]

OVB:

I've found this to be the case especially when using English ale yeasts as they are “designed” to keep slowly fermenting in the cask. Primed at a more normal level, they end up over carbonated after a while. My plan for brews using these yeasts is keg-only sized batches but if I do one with a few surplus bottles I'll halve the priming rate unless I plan to drink them after a few weeks or something.

 

 

Kelsey - The OS series kit are quoted as using - Ac yeast and the Coopers stout is in this category as you are most likely aware. I'm not sure what the c refers to maybe a larger yeast combined with the A - ale yeast.

 

The International series Coopers Irish Stout is quoted as using - A (26815 S) yeast. The numbers only refer to date of birth. I'm wondering if the S could be referring to Safale S04 or US05. It's just that I am going to put down an Irish Stout next and won't open it till winter and am wanting to get the carbonation correct. What do you think..still go with 1 carb drop? .......And what yeast would you be guessing that is?

[mrchoonz]

As its my first brew I intend drinking it sooner rather than later.

 

Should I use the drops (1 or 2), or should I prime the brew in the fermenter (with 500g) before bottling?

 

Also how long should I leave it for?

 

I have Coopers Canadian Blonde bought and ready to go as soon as the Stout is primed.

 

Thanks again for all the help.

[Otto Von Blotto]

The Ac yeast is Coopers ale yeast (but not the same as the commercial strain in the bottles).

 

It's impossible to really accurately guess what the Irish stout kit yeast is. Given it's UK influenced you'd imagine it's a UK ale strain though...

[Otto Von Blotto]

500g is way too much priming sugar unless you intend on making bottle grenades... you'd only want about 150-160g for a 23 litre sized batch. It needs to be dissolved in boiling water as well, it doesn't work adding it dry because it doesn't mix into the beer at all, let alone evenly.

 

Assuming you don't have a brewing fridge yet, it would probably be easier to either use the drops or sugar in each bottle rather than bulk priming it in the fermenter. That technique can be done, but the trub will be more easily stirred up by mixing the sugar in at ferment temps; it's better done if the fermenter is chilled as close to 0C as possible for a week or so to compact the trub down a bit.

 

I used the method (and still do for excess bottles after kegging) but I preferred to use another fermenter to dump the priming sugar solution into and then transfer the beer into that via a hose to mix it in and leave the trubby shit behind altogether.

[Morrie]

Graculus:

Will it get better? I was tempted to take the top of half a dozen bottle and drop a bit

more detrose in.

 

I can remember doing this many years ago and the result was a volcano.

[mrchoonz]

Thanks Otto, you're a legend in brewing!

 

Think I'll use 2 drops in half of the bottles (to drink sooner) and 1 drop in the other half (to drink later).

 

Cant wait to start the next brew already. I'll have to ask for a recipe for it too. Was just gonna go with the standard pack of Canadian Blonde 1.7 kg tin, Brew Enhancer 2 and the drops?

[Morrie]

mrchoonz:

Cant wait to start the next brew already. I'll have to ask for a recipe for it too. Was just gonna go with the standard pack of Canadian Blonde 1.7 kg tin, Brew Enhancer 2 and the drops?

 

Have you considered using a tin of 1.5kg liquid malt extract (LME) or light dry malt powder (LDM) in lieu of the BE2?

[Otto Von Blotto]

Thanks Otto' date=' you're a legend in brewing!

 

Think I'll use 2 drops in half of the bottles (to drink sooner) and 1 drop in the other half (to drink later).

[/quote']No worries mate! That was pretty much exactly what I was gonna suggest actually. Partly for the reason you have given and partly so you can decide which level of carbonation you prefer in the stout.