On the 1st December I Brewed this Lager with a kilo of Light Spray Malt and had it in the FV for 2 weeks followed by 2 weeks in the bottle in a warm room and then 5 weeks in a cold garage, making 7 weeks in the bottle in total. I know the kit says 12 weeks in the bottle but tonight I thought I would try a bottle. Well it was yuk, flat, thin and not nice tasting, so I opened another to see if it was just an unlucky bottle but it wasn't and bottle number 2 was the same. Both bottles were sticky on the outside which may have been me spilling the beer as I filled the bottles but I'm not 100% sure.
Has anyone had the same a same with this kit and did it improve by weak 12?
Coopers European Lager
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john_drummer
Re: Coopers European Lager
I've got batch #4 of this brew in the FV & it's been fine every time so far. Tastes a bit yeasty at first but they do say to leave it. It's usually drinkable after 6 weeks.
What kind of bottles are you using? Glass, glass swing-top (Grolsch) or PET screw cap? 2 weeks in a warm room should be fine for secondary fermentation, while the longer you can leave it conditioning, the better.
I have had some issues with PET screw caps, i.e. not fastening the, tightly enough, but glass or grolsch bottles should be fine
What kind of bottles are you using? Glass, glass swing-top (Grolsch) or PET screw cap? 2 weeks in a warm room should be fine for secondary fermentation, while the longer you can leave it conditioning, the better.
I have had some issues with PET screw caps, i.e. not fastening the, tightly enough, but glass or grolsch bottles should be fine
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andyd30
Re: Coopers European Lager
I brewed this in December (following the Coopers Green Neck recipe http://www.coopers.com.au/the-brewers-g ... neck-lager) and it spent about four weeks in the FV @ 13 degrees. I bottled it and having left it in the warm for two weeks, is has spent the remainder of the time in the garage. I tried a couple last weekend and it tastes really good. It had real bite and a good head, but most important tastes great (for a lager lol).
What temperature did you brew at and how much sugar did you put in each bottle when you bottled?
What temperature did you brew at and how much sugar did you put in each bottle when you bottled?
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fatbelly
Re: Coopers European Lager
I brewed at 18c or close to, I primed the bottles with a 1/2 teaspoon of spray malt. I'm well and truly pigged off I was really looking forward to this one.
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john_drummer
Re: Coopers European Lager
well you could probably reprime & recap the bottles. I'd use 1/2 tsp of plain old table sugar rather than wasting spraymalt at, what £6 a kilo?
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fatbelly
Re: Coopers European Lager
Thanks for the replies guys I really appreciate the advice.
John will there still be yeast in the bottle after 7 weeks? 5 of which have been a in cold garage!
John will there still be yeast in the bottle after 7 weeks? 5 of which have been a in cold garage!
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john_drummer
Re: Coopers European Lager
yes, but it'll be sat on the bottom! give em a shake & put em back in the warm for another 2 weeks. Hell, no, make it 3 at this time of year. Then back into the cool for conditioning.
It might also be worth using a couple of PET screw cap bottles in the batch, so you can see if they're carbonating properly. I do this with every brew, and usually one or two in clear (i.e not brown) bottles so I can see how well they're clearing.
If you don't have any PET beer bottles, try dandelion & burdock 500ml bottles from the supermarket/garage, they're usually brown & suitable for carbonated drinks.
When you bottle it, you'll be able to squeeze the bottle. As it carbonates, the bottle will get stiffer, same as a brand new bottle of fizzy pop. This will tell you how well your glass bottles are doing too, which of course you can't squeeze to test
It might also be worth using a couple of PET screw cap bottles in the batch, so you can see if they're carbonating properly. I do this with every brew, and usually one or two in clear (i.e not brown) bottles so I can see how well they're clearing.
If you don't have any PET beer bottles, try dandelion & burdock 500ml bottles from the supermarket/garage, they're usually brown & suitable for carbonated drinks.
When you bottle it, you'll be able to squeeze the bottle. As it carbonates, the bottle will get stiffer, same as a brand new bottle of fizzy pop. This will tell you how well your glass bottles are doing too, which of course you can't squeeze to test