Who makes it?

[Ol fart]

Just having a browse on the AHB forum, one topic was who makes the Woolies homebrand kits, it was suggested that Coopers make Coppers, Home Brand and Morgans.....any comments?

[Waylon]

My guess is coopers LOL

[PB2]

Don't know about "Coppers".

 

Coopers Brewery Limited is a public unlisted company with around 143 shareholders. You'll find the company's most recent annual reports here.

 

You will see, in these reports, that Coopers own Morgan's and MR BEER. As such, Coopers produces Morgan's and MR BEER brew cans and malt extract.

 

Presently, Morgan's has the contract for a generic brand but this may change in the future.

 

 

 

Points from a thread back in 2010, for your consideration.

1. There are very few malt extract producers' date=' in the local region (Aus/NZ).

2. The contracts for making generic product come up for tender on a regular basis.

3. As with most contracts, price is a major consideration.

4. The rule, "[i']you get what you pay for[/i]" holds true for most retail items.

5. Generic brands compete with name brands for shelf space. Consider this when you find yourself frustrated because your local supermarket does not stock your favourite or latest released Coopers Beer Kit - English Bitter, for example.

[Waylon]

wow close guess,

[MarkC]

I've never considered buying a Home Brand brew tin, because as PB2 points out, you get what you pay for, so it's likely a much cheaper blend than the branded Coopers cans.

Having said that, it's also frustrating that Coopers doesn't give some information about the composition of each can, especially blend of malts used, in addition to the mandatory stuff.

I agree about the shelf space issue, and while Foodland (Metcash) has a slightly better range than Coles and Woolworths, it's still not much compared to the full range offered by Coopers. Maybe that's not such a bad thing, because that way I'm obliged to visit my LHBS (actually 10km away), and that way I get fantastic advice and the most suitable adjuncts for my next experimental brew.

[Phoenix76]

G'day Mark

 

Mate in terms of what is in a Coopers tin, the following might help. It's on the forum somewhere but it's easier just to copy it again. Hope it helps

 

Some more 'reverse-engineering' research:

 

That whiteboard picture Sean referred to a while back is very interesting indeed. Not only does it give grain quantities for a lot of the Coopers beers, it also gives the ingredients for their extracts and kits. Here's the chart (dated 20.11.2000) (apologies for the dodgy formatting - figures are for pale, crystal, wheat and black malt, eg 4000.500.400.0 means 4000 of pale, 500 of crystal, 400 of wheat and no black):

 

EXTRACT BREWS

 

Pale Crystal Wheat Black

Malt N/O 6400.0.0.0

Lager 6400.0.0.0

Pilsener 5400.0.0.0

Draught 6400.100.0.0

Stout 5200.0.440*.880

Dark malt 5600.0.0.800

Ale 6000.240.160.40

Bitter 5000.400.320.120

Classic 5000.260.320.240

IPA 5700.280.320.40

Nut Brown 5000.280.320.240

Crystal 3200.3200.0.0

Amber 6300.240.0.60

Extra light 2900 BARLEY 4000

Light amber 6100.260.0.0

 

* This figure appears to have been erased, but is still faintly visible.

 

"LAGER CELLAR BREWS"

 

Pale Crystal Wheat Black

Birell 5500.160.0.0

DB 5100.80.0.0

Export 6200.240.0.0

Pale Ale 4600.40.200

Premium 5500.Medium 60.280.0

Dark Ale 4650.0.200.200

Ale 5900.40.240.0

Stout 5000.0.440.600

Vintage 6200.Medium 60.350.0

 

 

Example:

 

From above, the Best Extra Stout is: 82% pale malt, 8% wheat malt and 10% black malt.

 

The stout tin is 80% pale malt, 7% wheat malt, and 13% black malt.

 

Assuming that the tin, when completely dried, would be 80% of its initial weight of 1.7kg, that would make it 1360g. Its weights of dried components are therefore:

 

pale.crystal.wheat.black 1040g.0g.91g.169g

 

Now, we want 3350g in total to produce the 6.3% ABV of the Extra. So, in addition to what's provided by the tin, we need:

 

2750g pale - 1040 = 1710 268g wheat - 91 = 177 335g black - 169 = 166

 

Now, assuming that DDME is LDME plus some other stuff to make it dark, I can replace the 1710g of pale malt plus 166g of black malt with 1kg DDME and 1kg LDME. Add 200g of wheat malt, and our malt schedule is done. Add a bit of Goldings to bring the IBU up, and that's it!

[King Ruddager]

I for one can vouch that the Home Brand draught kit is horrible

[BlackSands]

I for one can vouch that the Home Brand draught kit is horrible

I recall seeing your video on the topic! It's surprising actually because I made a brew a while back using so-called 'food grade' LME as my entire base malt. Turned out to be a very delicious blonde ale. The implication therefore is that the Homebrand kit isn't even as good as liquid malt intended for baking purposes!

[Graculus]

I for one can vouch that the Home Brand draught kit is horrible

 

I'll have you know that a Homebrand kit and a kilo of table sugar fermented at 30C in a back shed in full sunlight is fantastic. One of my neighbours told me so a few weeks ago.

[Waylon]

I used the no brand kits many a time...

Worst was using it with kit n kilo

When I did a 23 litre brews with 2 can no brand added quality yeast and late hops it was quite good

2 x no brand cans @ 23 litres is actually nicely bittered and 1 is way under hopped for bitterness for my likings...

 

trick up the kit properly and its not so bad for cheap extract base and bittering

 

[Otto Von Blotto]

It is fantastic if you have no tastebuds.

 

I suspect the food grade LME worked alright because the kit was better quality and it was fermented at proper temperatures with a decent amount of yeast.

[JAXBRO]

Sounds good Graculus, cats piss is an old fave

[Waylon]

I cant say I entered it any comps... it was a great base for experimenting at the time,

If you can trick up No brand Kit and make it taste good its not so bad...for discount $2 a can

 

 

 

 

[MarkC]

Thanks Phoenix, that's really handy. I guess we have to assume that the kits have remained the same in terms of formulation.

Does Ale = Real Ale, and IPA = APA?

Cheers, Mark.

[Phoenix76]

Yeah that's a good question Mark. I would suggest it is pretty close. Some the types mentioned there are no longer in production but I guess an ale is an ale and a PA is a PA.

 

As I see it, the grain/malt mixes are the basics of that style of beer, and then you can play specialty grains, hops, extra dry/liquid malts and so on. The "original" IPA had a big hop hit so that it could travel from the UK to India, but these days maybe the hops are a bit less than then.

 

From what I can gather the chart of grains came from an old whiteboard at Coopers. Can't swear to that but there is a mention of the whiteboard. Somebody else on the forum may have a better understanding of the source rather than me.

 

I've used that information to construct a spreadsheet to calculate how to convert those grain figures to extract. The examples at the end of the chart sort of explain how to do it.

 

So yeah mate, very interesting for anyone who wants to experiment in their brewing apart from kits & bits.

 

Cheers

Bill

[PB2]

From what I can gather the chart of grains came from an old whiteboard at Coopers. Can't swear to that but there is a mention of the whiteboard. Somebody else on the forum may have a better understanding of the source rather than me.

A photo was taken of the whiteboard located in the brewhouse at the old Leabrook site. It appeared in the book AMBER and BLACK by Willie Simpson.

[Mark D Pirate]

I for one can vouch that the Home Brand draught kit is horrible

 

I'll have you know that a Homebrand kit and a kilo of table sugar fermented at 30C in a back shed in full sunlight is fantastic. One of my neighbours told me so a few weeks ago.

 

Think we all know brewers like that , old boy I know does much the same and has done for years ....admits my beer is very tasty but a bit " wanky " since I do more than wave hops over the boil .

All grain is a waste of time and money in his book .

[ChristinaS1]

Does Ale = Real Ale' date=' and IPA = APA?[/quote']

 

I am guessing no. "Ale" could be Sparkling Ale. Sparkling Ale and IPA are not longer being made in the extract line. They were in the old Thomas Coopers line.

 

Cheers.

 

Christina.

[Phoenix76]

Hi Christina

 

Guess it's one of those things that we can debate 'til the chooks come home.

 

Guess what I'm getting at is that a lot of styles can have the same basic pale malts etc, and then you add your specialty grains to get the different effects.

 

Obviously the chart I put up has been around a bit, but still gives you a fairly good idea of what goes into the basic make-up of different styles. Suppose if you looked at the BJCP 2015 guide, and compared the two, you might build up a better idea of style.

 

Still all a bit over my head Christina, not that that would be hard , but always trying to learn a bit more about my hobbie, and why things work as they do.

 

Cheers

Bill

[JimInCollie]

After putting it off for a long time, I am finally trying Woolworths home brand DRAUGHT and LAGER.

The only deviation from the recipe on the tin is that I used Cooper's Brew Enhancer #2.

Currently they are kegged and undergoing secondary fermentation. Thus far they both taste delicious.

Woolworths bought out Sail & Anchor, a very successful micro brewery. Maybe that is who makes their beer kits?

I'll let you know how the finished product turns out when it graduates to my keezer. I'm hopeful. If it is as good as it promises to be, at around $10 a can it is great VFM and a good base for experimental brews.

Jim

[Graculus]

16 minutes ago, JimInCollie said:

After putting it off for a long time, I am finally trying Woolworths home brand DRAUGHT and LAGER.

The only deviation from the recipe on the tin is that I used Cooper's Brew Enhancer #2.

Currently they are kegged and undergoing secondary fermentation. Thus far they both taste delicious.

Woolworths bought out Sail & Anchor, a very successful micro brewery. Maybe that is who makes their beer kits?

I'll let you know how the finished product turns out when it graduates to my keezer. I'm hopeful. If it is as good as it promises to be, at around $10 a can it is great VFM and a good base for experimental brews.

Jim

You need to get yourself on the Larger Appreciation facebook page. Yes, they do call it LARGER.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/891127104707990

I did notice the other week that my local woolies had Coopers Lager reduced to clear.

The $1.05 off didn't really appeal to me, but it's all gone now. So it seems has all the homebrew stock.

Replaced with shelves full of non alcoholic stuff.

Edited August 10, 2022 by Graculus

[FusterCluck]

On 8/10/2022 at 9:40 AM, Graculus said:

You need to get yourself on the Larger Appreciation facebook page. Yes, they do call it LARGER.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/891127104707990

I did notice the other week that my local woolies had Coopers Lager reduced to clear.

The $1.05 off didn't really appeal to me, but it's all gone now. So it seems has all the homebrew stock.

Replaced with shelves full of non alcoholic stuff.

I've noticed the shelves stacked with the stuff.  I've also noticed that nobody seems to buy it.  I mean.....Coopers Birrell has been around forever......if 0% ABV was what the consumer was chasing, you'd think the market would've been sewn-up? Or am I not getting the zeitgeist?