attempting first kit brew, assistance appreciated

[barry44]

Hi guys,

i bought myself a coopers kit from my local home brew shop after reading up on the process and i am going to start the brew.

Instead of the lager that comes packaged with the kit, i chose the IPA can and was given a pack of Coopers brew enhancer 2, which replaced the pack of brew enhancer 1 that was in the pack, i assume that this will be suitable for the IPA can and provide a decent result?

The instructions i was given in the shop was, brew at room temp until SG is constant, about a week. Bottle and keep at room temp for a week and then into a colder area for a further week and it would be good to go.

However, when browsing on here this appears to be quite a quick process compared to other posts, i.e. primary fermentation for 2 weeks, bottle and then keep for 2 weeks/4 weeks/6 weeks, etc.

Therefore, i would be very obliged if anybody could offer me any advice that would make the whole thing go easier and smoother culminating in a quality end product.

At this time, my equipment is the kit alone, i do not have heaters etc, although i have been looking at other poster's kit and think that i will be looking at these once i am more established.

I plan to brew in the spare room where the washing gets dried with the assistance of a dehumidifier. The dehumidifier shall maintain the temperature of the room but i was wondering if there would be any detrimental effects on the kit by keeping it in here? Can anyone confirm?

I reckon that the room shall be kept at a pretty steady 21 degrees which should keep the temperature of the brew within the acceptable range.

Living in glasgow, i would think that i would be more concerned with keeping the temperature up rather than getting it down!!

Also, i like a very hoppy taste which i can see that other posters like to add hops into the process which may be a bit too difficult for me at this time, but again i would really appreciate some points on choosing and adding these to the mix, if not this one then future brews.

Apologies for the long, somewhat wandering post and i look forward to hearing from you all soon.

thanks guys!!

[oldtom]

Just follow the instructions that come with the Coopers kit for mixing it up.

A room that is at a constant 21c if ideal for most beer/ale production.

Leaving the wort to ferment for two weeks is better than one as you are more sure of a complete fermentation and a lot of the yeast will have fallen to the bottom of the FV giving you a clearer beer to bottle or keg.

Most kit beers can be drunk after two weeks but if you can keep your hands off it for longer it does improve with age.

Don`t worry too much about adding extra hops and things yet. Get a few kits under your belt and read the past postings on the forum. They will tell you all you need to know about modifying your kits to fine tune them to your tastes.

Most of all, enjoy the whole process and be happy with the finished product.

Paul.

[barry44]

many thanks tom, you have put my mind at ease.

[cellone]

Hi Barry. Wise words from Tom, worth heeding.

As for the addition of hops, as soon as your first brew is out of the fv throw in the lager kit with 500g of extra light DME + 500g of dextrose + brupaks lager flavour pack ( the instructions are simple and it will give you a feel for the additional step).

Sorry missed the word instead in your post, still worth ago though.

[Barloch]

i agree with the above. 14 days min the primary. i have found coopers to be quite green up the 4-5 week mark. 7-8 weeks perfect.

[barry44]

thanks Cellone, i will have a look at the lager kit but after reading Barloch's post, it looks like i will need more bottles!!

Barloch, i assume that you mean 7-8 weeks after bottling with the drops? is this at room temp or cooler?

[oldtom]

Conditioning time is measured from when the beer is bottled. Personaly I find that two weeks in the warm then a couple of weeks in the cool make for a drinkable beer. If I can leave it longer then it improves with age. The Coopers Euro lager is the only one that I`ve left for a minimum of 6 weeks, should have been longer, again after bottling, two in the warm and four in the cold, before trying and it was the best lager I`ve ever tasted.

Paul.

[Srengam]

Coopers kits are fail-safe and tatse great with 3 weeks in FV,bottle up and store for 2 weeks inside, then 1 month in the garage, drink and enjoy.

(excluding the Euro_lager, it needs 3 months in bottles min).

[barry44]

gents thanks again for the responses and guidance.

Can i ask what temp range is cool as i don't have a garage or suitable sheds to store the bottles.

[oldtom]

As cool a place as you can find. An unheated back bedroom or somewhere against a north facing wall that get`s the least sun on it during the day. To be honest if it`s ales and beers that your doing then just put it in the coolest place you can find and keep it out if direct sunlight. The heat from the sun wont help keep things cool but strong light can affect the beer as well and is best avoided.
Even lager should be OK stored like this. You can go into low temp largering when you get more into the hobby.
Then just pop a couple of bottles in the fridge for a few hours before your ready to drink.

There`s fewer finer things than sitting in the sun with a pint of home made and looking through the beer at the sun and thinking "I made this". Well, one thing. That first drink, Lovely!

Paul.

[timbo41]

in agreement with all of above comments. The trouble with modding kits with extra hops, spraymalts etc is that should anything go wrong (unlikely:fairly simple process) it can be very disheartening. Plus of course its very hard to know what to add if you havent done the basic kit right through to tasting. My point is you might like it Coopers are great kits! And yes all the old hands on here are right generally speaking the longer the better for conditioning...advice I can very rarely keep to myself!!

[barry44]

Gents,

once again, many thanks for the advice.

Another quick query. Whilst i wait for the IPA to condition in the bottles, 7-8 weeks, i would like to get another batch on the go to test my brewing skills(!).

Can anyone advise a quick turnaround lager kit?

Quick insofar as brewed, conditioned and half finished within the 8 weeks IPA conditioning period?

Cheers all.

[Monkeybrew]

Coopers Australian or Heritage Lager are quite quick to condition.

You could also try the Coopers Australian Pale Ale which is very lager-like, and is very drinklable after 2 weeks in the bottle IMO

[oldtom]

+1 for the Coopers Australian. If I remember right it was made conditioned and drunk in about 6 weeks.

Paul.

[maevans]

Coopers Australian or Heritage Lager are quite quick to condition.

You could also try the Coopers Australian Pale Ale which is very lager-like, and is very drinklable after 2 weeks in the bottle IMO

Another vote for the coppers aussie lager.

It uses an ale yeast so also goodto brew in the 18-21oC range.