new brewer Coopers dark ale help

[Butlersbrew]

I am new to kit brewing. Very exited about giving it a go. With the help of a more experinced brewer I have started a coopers dark ale. It whent in on Friday and is volcanoing up well ( I have read this is normal??) now it's in the fermentation bin and I am a bit scared of it. I havnt completly sealed the lid it is slightly open, is it ok to have a peak at it or leave it as sealed as much as I can. Is it bet to be patient and leave in as long as poss? Do I stir, how do I know when to bottle? I have tasetd this before and like but would like to make slightly less bitter, will adding more priming sugar help???? So many questions! Any help appreciated!!:-)

[Ditch]

Butlers; Ripping the whole damn lid off and staring at the wonders inside won't hurt it now, mate

Just crack it open and take an admiring look, if ye like, though. It's good to familiarise oneself with the beauty that is a Coopers in full battle dress.

I use heater/stat's in my FV's. Lid's never fully sealed then. Never a problem. And airlocks are for wine makers

[Butlersbrew]

Many thanks Ditch. It looks lively, when will I know it's ready? Is their harm in leaving longer?

[Ditch]

No harm what so ever, mate!

It's fermenting. Like a baby growing. Just leave it to it and then do what ever ye decide to do with it next. After it's been in that FV for the Industry Standard ten days.

People have their own ideas here. Some like to Bottle. Some Keg. Some Secondary FV. What ever. Ask lots. Read a load more. Ye'll get the idea

[AlexCricket]

This is one kit I'm very keen of. It's not that bitter to the taste - a bit like Hobgoblin or Theakstons Old Peculiar - so I shouldn't worry about any extra sugar over normal priming amounts (would only work if you used an unfermentable sweetener like saccharine as sugar would just ferment out again)

With regards bottling I've started leaving my Coopers kits 14 days in the Fermenter. I find this way not only can I be pretty certain fermentation has stopped I also get a clearer beer into the bottles and less yeast deposit as a result.

[Butlersbrew]

I have just opened a hobgoblin and it is indeed like a coopers dark ale. I have tried a friends dark coopers before and I can see why people link coopers drk and hobgoblin. I would like mine to be slightly smoother than my friends, what advantages does leaving it in fv for a few extra weeks give?

Thanks to all for tips so far.

[Beard]

I have left Coopers kits in the FV for a full 2 weeks too, but not longer than that. I think at a certain point the yeast would become too inactive and sink down to the bottom, leaving too few zipping about the place for secondary fermentation. My current approach with them (including Dark Ale) is to give 10 full days in the primary FV, then rack into a secondary FV and leave for a further 24 hours, then bottle and leave for at least 2 weeks in a nice warm spot.

But everyone has their own approach! If you want yours to be that little bit smoother, than I'd say conditioning is probably the best way to achieve that. If you let it sit for a good 2 weeks in the FV, then bottle, then let it condition in the bottle for at least a month you'll get a pretty smooth result. If I had to hazard a guess I'd say that your friends' dark ale isn't so smooth because you're drinking it so soon!

[Ditch]

Butlers; I like my beer 'smooth'. That's why I always keg mine. In fact, I don't even use gas any more (Too much trouble getting hold of it here) and I'm fine.

'Mind you; My stuff doesn't stay in the keg long!

[Redimpz]

I did this one a couple of months ago. I made it up to 20l and used 1kg DME as a fermentable, it tastes nice and is somewhat dark, almost stout like, slightly sweet and i can't think of any commercial beer that is similar. (mines not like Hobgoblin more is the pity as i love HG). however, I don't feel that it is very strong, possibly due to the non fermentable part of the DME (this may also be causing the sweetness). On rfelection for the future i would consider replacing 1/2 of the DME with BKE and probably follow Ditch by adding a mugful (or 300g) of sugar to boost the strength (this could help to reduce the sweetness a bit too)