Coopers Stout recipee and instructions

[just-me]

Hey, it's my first time i post here and my first time i'll brew beer. I bought some Coopers MicroBrewery kit and a kit named Coopers Stout (not irish stout). On the Coopers website, it said i need nothing more than the kit and some brew enhancer. Still, on various websites it said that i should add sugar, dried malt and some other things.

Seeing how this will be my first try and my first batch of beer, i want to do it right but still try out some things. So, what do you think, should i go just with the kit and nothing more, or should i add something ? Will the kit itself work without any add-ons ?

I am very open to suggestions, still i don't have much money left to spend on various products (i also got a kickass guitar that set me back pretty good and some pedals/effects for it) so i am looking forward in hearing your suggestions/recipes.

The kit is exactly like this one: http://www.williamsbrosbrew.com/sites/d ... -stout.png

[Monkeybrew]

Hi and welcome to Jims

The good news is that you have chosen well with your equipment and choice of kit.

With a single can kit like all of the Coopers range, you need to add additional fermentables. As you have already got a pack of brew enhancer you may aswell use it. Brew enhancer is usually made up of 50% dried malt and 50% dextrose (brewing sugar), so helps to produce a reasonable brew.

Have a read through the sticky at the top of this page called Ditchs Stout, its legendary!

My current Coopers Stout was brewed to 20L with 1kg of extra dark dried malt and 250g of demerara sugar and is very good.

I am sure that lots of other members will post in this topic, so give it a couple of days before you brew.

MB

[oldtom]

Monkey`s right on the money there. If you`ve got a 1kg bag of brew enhancer put it in the FV with the contents of the can rince the can with hot water to get every last drop out of it and then throw in 250 to 500 g of brown sugar, sprinkle the yeast on when the temp is below 25c and ferment for 10 days at 21-22c. If you have to bottle it don`t put too much priming sugar in. The best way is put it in a pressure barrel. The beauty of this kit is that you can start drinking it after a couple of days but it does improve with age. If you can leave it alone that long!

Paul.

[just-me]

Thanks a lot, i will do just that. The kit will be delivered tomorrow i think and i'll start brewing. Brown sugar you say ? i'll go and buy some, does it do something different from regular sugar ? and for the priming, i read about some pils you can put in, should i try them or just stick to sugar ?

[oldtom]

I think the brown sugar adds a bit more taste, more than white sugar does anyway. The pills are probably Coopers carbonation drops. For priming just ordinary white sugar is fine. Only put about half the normal amount in, around half a teaspoon per bottle, as you don`t the stout to be too gassy.

Paul.

[just-me]

I just received the package from the courier, a little early than i expected but there was the enhancer missing. i called them (the company i bought the kit from) and they said it was a mistake and that they'll ship it in a couple of days, probably by the end of the week or maybe monday
The thing is, i'm already running pretty late (i want my first batch to be ready for a big meet that's happening in a few weeks) so should i wait for the enhancer (and maybe i won't have the beer ready in time) or use something else or nothing at all ? And i'll use this enhancer (when it comes) for another batch.

I'm sorry for all these questions but i thought there won't be any problems once the package arrived. Thank you all for your patience with me

[Ditch]

i want my first batch to be ready for a big meet that's happening in a few weeks

Relax. Do it my way and ye'll be lucky not to have guzzled the bloody lot before that meet comes round!

[twentyfootwilf]

If you live near a Holland & Barret wholefood shop you could get yourself a couple of jars of their malt extract and use that along with the brown sugar and that should work very well or if you live near a homebrew shop you could buy yourself a kilo of dry malt extract or a 1.5kg tin of malt extract. I wouldn't use just sugar to make up the stout as it may come out a little thinner bodied than it should if only sugar is used. In the Coopers starter kits the brew enhancer that comes with the kit will either be Coopers Brew enhancer 1 which is 60% dextrose (brewing sugar) and 40% malto dextrin (this does not ferment but adds body to the beer) or it could be Coopers brew enhancer 2 which is 50% dextrose (brewing sugar) 25% <a class="ktg6us78hf8vdu7" href="#">light</a> dried malt extract and 25% malto dextrin. The brew enhancer 2 is the slightly better of the two but either of them is preferable to just sugar alone. Hope that doesn't sound too complicated and don't worry about asking questions that's how we all learn and forum members are only too happy to help out

[oldtom]

+1 for the Ditch. If you wait for the enhancer to come then follow the tutorial at the top of the page you`ll be drinking it 10 to 11 days later. Get another kit and enhancer ordered to get going as soon as the FV is empty. It soon dissapears!

Paul.

[lee1]

hi tom i know im going off course here but i seem to remember you liked woodfords great eastern i have found a place in runcorn that still stocks it

[oldtom]

A bit out of my way now old boy, Lost my job 3 years ago and can`t run a car any more. Thanks for the thought, by the way, I`m just tucking into a Ditch stout that I kegged 2 days ago and it`s bloody marvelous. Go for it pal!

Paul.

[Ditch]

I`m just tucking into a Ditch stout that I kegged 2 days ago and it`s bloody marvellous.

Go on, Paul; Get amongst it! Just know that I'm out here, with ye, doing the same!

[just-me]

Thanks guys, you've been very helpful. I just got some brown sugar, i am waiting for the enhancer but i have one more question before starting my first batch: On the kit, it says that i can make 23 litres of beer. Is it ok if i only make 20 ? or 18 ? logic tells me that it will be a little stronger and more.. flavory if i make less of it, but will it affect the taste (in a bad way) ?

[Monkeybrew]

20L is a good place to start

[just-me]

Done, i just put the seal & airlock on the FV.. now i just have to wait. When do i have to start measuring the SG ? and i don't see any bubbles coming out yet, of course.. i just put the cap on the FV but i am sooo eager to try it, i just hope the days will go by fast
My "hydrometer" (the one in the kit) is like this: http://i49.tinypic.com/r1bqft.jpg