Comments on: Brew Your Own Beer From a Kit – Part 4 Brewing

By: Scott-TheBrewClub

Scott-TheBrewClub — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 13:03:30 +0000

Dude, thanks so much for the tips!

I agree, its a good kit, but some small modifications like the ones you mention above might help step it up a notch. I noted how the bottles were easy to use, but they are definitely cheezy. Glass would be an improvement in taste I’m sure, but as you mention you need a capper. (Small price to pay for better beer I think.)

I’d also second the Star San or a similar product over the bleach for cleaning. Having cleaned with bleach initially, and then again after use, there’s got to be a better way!

By: Dude

Dude — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 04:35:42 +0000

Also dont forget to get a spring loaded bottle washer and gods gift to homebrewers: star san.
The Coopers booklet recommends using diluted bleach. Which is a nightmare. Star San is a no rinse power cleaner. Which saves hours and is worth its weight in gold.

By: Dude

Dude — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 04:24:17 +0000

I started out with the same kit and its a good kit. Heres some recommendations. An Emily capper($15) and some crown caps(cheap) are a great investment. Some people say PET bottles make beer taste as good as glass but its a lie. Theres a reason beyond tradition that people havent accepted PET bottles for beer on the open market. Beer in glass tastes better.
The Brewers Sugar is awful, its just sucrose and gives beer a cidery taste. A good basic recipe for the Coopers cans is 500g light dry malt extract and 500g of corn sugar and 100g of maltodextrin. This stuff is cheap at brew shops.
Or there are canned malt/hop extract kits that dont require the addition of any other ingredients. Aka Muntons Gold.
These minor changes create much better beer.

By: Scott-TheBrewClub

Scott-TheBrewClub — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 13:02:41 +0000

@Don – I’ve a way to go before I’m a master brewer, that’s for sure! Gotta start someplace though, right? Yes, all that stuff can be calculated and manipulated if you want to – I think you vary the amount if sugar but with the kit you pretty much get what you get if you use the ingredients as instructed. I think my beer should be about 4.5% ABV.
Scott-TheBrewClub´s last blog ..How Much is too Much to Spend on Beer

By: Don

Don — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 22:56:37 +0000

Cool stuff Scott. Pretty soon you’ll be a master brewer! So with a terminal gravity of 11 does that translate into ABV? Can you calculate that, or manipulate it? Or do you just get what you get?
Don´s last blog ..Aging Takes Care of Everything

By: Scott-TBC

Scott-TBC — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 22:53:49 +0000

@Jim – Yes, exploding bottles would be next, except that the kit comes with plastic bottles which make for one less thing to worry about! Glad you’re getting something out of it too. I know I am, and I already know a few things I’ll do differently next time which I’ll write about in my concluding post.

@Patrick – thanks again. Between taking on this little project and all the great comments along the way, I’m learning quite a bit – and having fun too! I think you’re right, the kits are geared toward the beginner who most likely is a lager drinker. My next batch will likely be the stout or maybe the wheat brew. We’ll see, but it won’t be the lager!
Scott-TBC´s last blog ..Brewing Beer at Home With the Coopers Homebrew Kit

By: Patrick

Patrick — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 21:51:38 +0000

I would guess that they do the lager kit with the initial brew kit because most people starting out homebrewing are lager drinkers and it sells better that way. It’s kind of silly though since a lager is significantly harder to homebrew to style (you need an extra fridge or fermentation control chamber). If their instructions said to ferment at room temperature then it’s not really a lager, it is a steam beer – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steam_beer
For a first timer it’s not really important that the beer is authentic to style, the more important thing is that they get people to buy the kit and get into the hobby – if they can do that by marketing to lager drinkers (which are the majority of beer drinkers here and presumably in Australia, where Coopers is based) then so be it.

By: Jim

Jim — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 21:49:08 +0000

Holy crap, Scott, I’m actually learning things! This has been a really good series. And the Coopers / Fisher Price “My First Brewer’s” set is the perfect way to learn the basics. By the time you’re done, you’ll have learned lots and be ready to try again, maybe with grains this time.

I can’t wait for step five, where the beers all explode. That is what happens next, right?

It’ll be fun to see how this turns out.

By: Scott-TBC

Scott-TBC — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 21:31:40 +0000

@TC – More great tips, thanks! A lot of people have told me to give the lager more time and I’m definitely going to do that now. I wonder why they send the Lager package with the kit. Is it the cheapest, or most popular? I’m thinking Coopers should package an Ale with the kit. Might be less problems for the first-timer than the lager?
Scott-TBC´s last blog ..Brewing Beer With the Coopers Home Brew Kit-Part 2

By: TinCoyote

TinCoyote — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 20:54:59 +0000

Couple of quick things:

Don’t rush to drink the beer. Three weeks in the bottle minimum, six would be better. Most home brewers don’t even bottle until three weeks, and then let the bottles sit for another three weeks. That method is called “1-2-3″ One week in primary, two weeks in secondary, three weeks in bottle. Obviously, with a kit like this you can’t do a secondary, and its not really necessary. But the time is. Green beer sucks.

Comparing it to Cooper’s Lager will be unfair to your beer. At the temperatures Coopers recommended you ferment at, that’s an ale kit. On top of that you didn’t go through the cold “lagering” process. “Lager” is a yeast, a process, and a type of beer. So it will be different than Cooper’s in the bottle.

I hope it all turns out well for you!