Advice needed - Coopers Australian Pale Lager

[leon103]

I have recently started homebrewing and boutht Coopers Australian Pale Lager. My first attempt didn't go well. I followed the very confusing instructions. Well I got confused using the hydrometer and working out how much sugar to use because I was using a 5 gallon keg but instructions are for bottling the lager. I left it for just short of a month and poured myself a glass and its flat, hardly now fizz. I believe this was down to me not putting the 1kg of sugar at the first stage, although I also forgot to put water in the airlock and notice the screw cap on my keg was aligned properly so it might have been leaking air.


I have had a second attempt, with mixed results. This time I used a different pressure barrel has i believe the first attempt turned out flat because the screw top wasn't screwing on correctly.

I followed the instructions given using 1kg of lager enhancing sugar. I had 3 grolsch style bottles and opened them over the weekend and the lager was lovely. Great taste and plenty of fizz. I have gone and tried some out of the barrel and its flat, well not completely flat but nothing compared to the bottles. Why is this? Anyway of saving it?

[shandypants5]

Fancy seeing YOU here..

Welcome to Jims Leon your in the right place.

They are a freindly bunch here (mostly ) and will soon have you on the road to sparkling drunkenness...

[mickhew]

Never barrel lager, always bottle it, you won't get the fizz from using a barrel, as you've found out. Not a lot you can do at this stage, unless someone corrects me. DON'T give up brewing though, you can get good results, and save a load of money doing it.
Golden rule....Lagers in bottles, bitters in barrels or bottles.
Mick

[leon103]

Never barrel lager, always bottle it, you won't get the fizz from using a barrel, as you've found out. Not a lot you can do at this stage, unless someone corrects me. DON'T give up brewing though, you can get good results, and save a load of money doing it.
Golden rule....Lagers in bottles, bitters in barrels or bottles.
Mick

Thanks. Which type of bottles is best to use. I am saving up my 2liter plastic bottles but the problem with them is that I would have to drink it all at once of the fizz would go just like pop. Grolsch style bottles can be expensive. I was thinking of getting a capper. Are glass bottles with caps just as good as grolsch style bottles?

[guidomax]

Thanks. Which type of bottles is best to use. I am saving up my 2liter plastic bottles but the problem with them is that I would have to drink it all at once of the fizz would go just like pop. Grolsch style bottles can be expensive. I was thinking of getting a capper. Are glass bottles with caps just as good as grolsch style bottles?

Yup, glass bottles with caps are just as good as the swing-top bottles - swing-tops are expensive to buy, need the gaskets replacing every so often, etc etc.

If you buy empty bottles, you end up paying a fortune for them - so instead get yourself down to your local supermarket, buy several bottles of your favourite beer/ale (ale-type brown bottles are best as they're strong and the brown colour stops the light spoiling the beer), drink the beer, and save and re-use the bottles. This way you end up paying, what, £1.60 or so? for a pint of beer, and you get a bottle for free. Bargain.

[mickhew]

I got loads of beer bottles from the local recycling bins, head for the BROWN glass one. I looked like a bit of a tramp, but didn't care! Have loads of 500mls bottles, and they were FREE. Bought a capper for £12, and they work fine.

[moobli]

or get in with the barmaid down the local and ask them to put aside the magners bottles
and get a capper wilkos do it for about £8 and £3 for 50 caps
sterlises the caps and prime the bottle
sorted
i had a failed lager ina barrel my first time i think because i didnt vasaline the seals and screws on my cap

[leon103]

Thanks everyone. I will buy myself a capper. My father is getting bottles free from his local so should be fully stocked up within a week or so. Another problem I have is understanding the hydrometer. Mine doesn't seem to have readings such as 1.008 etc.

[ianac1]

Thanks everyone. I will buy myself a capper. My father is getting bottles free from his local so should be fully stocked up within a week or so. Another problem I have is understanding the hydrometer. Mine doesn't seem to have readings such as 1.008 etc.

I was stumped with this orginally too but really it's simple.

Here's a pic showing you 1.000 and 1.008 as an example i made up.

Hope this helps you understand, it just jumps up in increments of 2 and you add them to the end of the 1.000, whatever it's sitting at.

If it's too small to see save it to your pc and zoom in on it.

[leon103]

Thanks. Yes I understand now. So i fill it to the top with the lager and then read along the top of the hydrometer?

[EoinMag]

You have to get a trial jar, fill that with the beer to be tested and then float the hydrometer in the sample.



Like so

[ianac1]

Thanks. Yes I understand now. So i fill it to the top with the lager and then read along the top of the hydrometer?

Yep, spot on m8. If it's sitting at that big number 10 mark then you've got 1.010

Once you get it you wonder why you ever struggled with it.

[leon103]

You have to get a trial jar, fill that with the beer to be tested and then float the hydrometer in the sample.



Like so

I have a jar with my hydrometer. Do I fill the jar with the ale then place the hydrometer inside? Do I then read from the top of the jar?

[EoinMag]

Sorry mate, I can't be any clearer than the picture.

[phildodd]

You have to get a trial jar, fill that with the beer to be tested and then float the hydrometer in the sample.



Like so

I have a jar with my hydrometer. Do I fill the jar with the ale then place the hydrometer inside?

Yes.

Do I then read from the top of the jar?

No, you take the reading from where the top of the ale meets the hydrometer. So for example, the reading of the hydrometer in the above diagram is 1.07

Clearer?