Advice needed

[Wardy]

I am doing a Coopers Stout kit brew today substituting sugar for dark DME and adding extras to try improve it and add sugar to raise ABV.
Ingredients are-
Coopers stout kit,
1kg dark DME.
Black treacle (not sure how much)
Lyles Golden syrup (not sure how much)
My worry is that fermentation might stall because of concentrations of different sugars.
I now realise I should have probably bought more DME as I am looking for an ABV of around 5% and I'm thinking adding brewing sugar would be a bad Idea as it would reduce body.
The target volume is 23 litres but I'm also wondering if reducing this to around 19 litres would be the best option.
I've tried using the Beersmith app but I've got no idea how to use it properly yet.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks.

 

[clibit]

My advice to kit brewers would be to keep the sugar content below 20% of the total weight. By sugar I mean white sugar, brown sugar, golden syrup, treacle etc. Make sure you use at least 80% malt extract. Be aware that brew enhancer is 50% malt extract and 50% sugar.

This isn't a law, just a guide, I'm sure people make nice beer with more than 20% sugar, but breweries don't use more than that, unless they are making Budweiser or some other thin tasteless beer. Some brewers are against sugars at all, but I'm not, and neither are loads of great breweries.

Your Coopers tin is 1.7kg. If you brew to 21 litres, add 1kg of dried malt extract and 350g of sugars, you will have around 5% ABV, depending on the final gravity, and about 12% will be sugar. The mix won't stall the fermentation. Make sure you always aerate the wort well and pitch at the right temperature, around 20*C.

 

[Wardy]

My advice to kit brewers would be to keep the sugar content below 20% of the total weight. By sugar I mean white sugar, brown sugar, golden syrup, treacle etc. Make sure you use at least 80% malt extract. Be aware that brew enhancer is 50% malt extract and 50% sugar.

This isn't a law, just a guide, I'm sure people make nice beer with more than 20% sugar, but breweries don't use more than that, unless they are making Budweiser or some other thin tasteless beer. Some brewers are against sugars at all, but I'm not, and neither are loads of great breweries.

Your Coopers tin is 1.7kg. If you brew to 21 litres, add 1kg of dried malt extract and 350g of sugars, you will have around 5% ABV, depending on the final gravity, and about 12% will be sugar. The mix won't stall the fermentation. Make sure you always aerate the wort well and pitch at the right temperature, around 20*C.

Brilliant Clibit.
I will go with that. Thanks so much for your swift response, I will be starting the brew as soon as Russian gran prix ends.
I'm going to document this one because it's the first one that goes beyond the kit instructions. I decided to do a few kits like this to learn the ropes before starting AG brewing.

 

[Racinsnake]

Probably too late for you Wardy but I'd did a cracking coopers original stout with black treacle and coco. If you want details let me know :

Rob.

 

[Wardy]

Probably too late for you Wardy but I'd did a cracking coopers original stout with black treacle and coco. If you want details let me know :

Rob.

Not too late. I started a white wine earlier and just about to start the Stout. It's in the hot water bath just now to loosen it up. I have cocoa so if you have the details I will try it. Thanks.View attachment uploadfromtaptalk1444586669669.jpg

 

[Twostage]

This isn't a law, just a guide, I'm sure people make nice beer with more than 20% sugar, but breweries don't use more than that, unless they are making Budweiser or some other thin tasteless beer.

:-D, palpable disdain.

By the way on the news last week they were talking about the merger of the two biggest beer manufacturers, I should google it but I think it is Anhauser Busch (Budweiser) and In-Bev. Apparently it would mean that in some countries one in three pints would be brewed by the conglomerate.

 

[LarryF]

Wardy I've done a Coopers Stout with 1kg of Beer Enhancer (Youngs - ���£3.75 Tesco sale) and then added 454g of Lyons Treacle and I got OG:1050 - FG:1010 about 5.5%. I've also done Coopers Stout with the same 1kg Beer Enhancer and 454g of Lyons Golden Syrup, on this one I got OG:1068 - FG:1016 about 6.8%. One thing with the Coopers Stout,it ferments volcanically you might want to put "blow off tube" into the searches on both the forum and into YouTube. With that amount of fermentable sugar the big brain is definitely coming to get you.

 

[Wardy]

I've gone ahead and now at the dangerous stage because the wort is at 30 C. I've got it sat outside (12 C ambiant temp) and hosing the sides of the FV every 5 minutes until the side feels cooler. I went with 250 g of black treacle, 300 g of golden syrup, 1 Kg of extra dark DME. I read that cocoa/coffee can be added after fermentation so open to suggestions on that.
No idea of OG yet because I just wanted to get it covered and cooled.

 

[Wardy]

BTW, kit says yeast can be pitched at temperatures up to 32 C but I don't want to risk the off flavours and mess that can come from a very active fermentation.

 

[MyQul]

I often chill the wort down the next after doing a no chill from say 26C to pitching temp the following day and add ice bottles and stir. Obviously the FV is open and the wort is exposed the the air whilst I'm stirring but I've never had a problem. The only times I've had infections (from wild yeast) is when I took a gravity sample just after the krausen had dropped and when I had a go at top cropping. So I don't usually find the time before pitching a "danger time". Others may have had different experiences of course

 

[Wardy]

I often chill the wort down the next after doing a no chill from say 26C to pitching temp the following day and add ice bottles and stir. Obviously the FV is open and the wort is exposed the the air whilst I'm stirring but I've never had a problem. The only times I've had infections (from wild yeast) is when I took a gravity sample just after the krausen had dropped and when I had a go at top cropping. So I don't usually find the time before pitching a "danger time". Others may have had different experiences of course

View attachment uploadfromtaptalk1444590310208.jpg it's definitely feeling a lot cooler now. I'm going to take it in, dry it off and check temperature.

 

[Wardy]

Temperature now 26.4 so took gravity and with temperature adjustment the gravity is 1.055. I've pitched the yeast because I'm working tomorrow and won't have any time in the morning. It's probably going to be very active but there's lots of head space in the Coopers FV and the FV shelf in my brew cupboard is spill and leak friendly (as long as no more than 1 litre escapes) so I won't be worrying about it tonight.

 

[LarryF]

Well, I have to say that the good Lord is not only thorough but also swift, 6:40am this morning I got up to find that the John Bull IPA I put on yesterday decided that for it's spiritual well being that it would leave the confines of the FV. So there I am wiping up krausen digging out my blow off tube chuckling away to myself remembering telling Wardy only yesterday that the big brain's on it's way to get him when it was actually on it's way round to my house. Still, I can't complain, better a too vigorous fermentation that one that's doing nothing. One thing though, I re-pitched Wilko Gervin yeast from the brew I bottled yesterday and I'm finding that whatever yeast I re-pitch it goes off like a steam train so I'm really looking forward to this one, John Bull IPA is one of my favourites.

 

[Wardy]

Well, I have to say that the good Lord is not only thorough but also swift, 6:40am this morning I got up to find that the John Bull IPA I put on yesterday decided that for it's spiritual well being that it would leave the confines of the FV. So there I am wiping up krausen digging out my blow off tube chuckling away to myself remembering telling Wardy only yesterday that the big brain's on it's way to get him when it was actually on it's way round to my house. Still, I can't complain, better a too vigorous fermentation that one that's doing nothing. One thing though, I re-pitched Wilko Gervin yeast from the brew I bottled yesterday and I'm finding that whatever yeast I re-pitch it goes off like a steam train so I'm really looking forward to this one, John Bull IPA is one of my favourites.

The wine has no head and it's awesome seeing the fermentation churning up the wort. The Stout has the monster brain but I love the Coopers FV and the expansion space it has.View attachment uploadfromtaptalk1444634566055.jpg

 

[Wardy]

Wardy I've done a Coopers Stout with 1kg of Beer Enhancer (Youngs - ���£3.75 Tesco sale) and then added 454g of Lyons Treacle and I got OG:1050 - FG:1010 about 5.5%. I've also done Coopers Stout with the same 1kg Beer Enhancer and 454g of Lyons Golden Syrup, on this one I got OG:1068 - FG:1016 about 6.8%. One thing with the Coopers Stout,it ferments volcanically you might want to put "blow off tube" into the searches on both the forum and into YouTube. With that amount of fermentable sugar the big brain is definitely coming to get you.

Mine ended up pretty similar. OG was 1055 and FG 1013. About 5.6% ABV. Silly me ordered bottles and a Stout kit from tesco direct but I then thought I ordered the Coopers stout kit when I ordered brew sugar for the wine and the DME for the beer so ended going to Tesco Extra store to buy the Stout when it didn't turn up with the sugar and DME. I went to collect my bottles yesterday and was surprised when the Stout kit was handed to me. I've had a quick turn around tonight bottling and priming the Stout brew mentioned on this thread and started another one tonight with dark treacle, golden syrup and cocoa added. It might be a mistake because I only have 10 empty bottles left.

 

[Racinsnake]

Not too late. I started a white wine earlier and just about to start the Stout. It's in the hot water bath just now to loosen it up. I have cocoa so if you have the details I will try it. Thanks.

Sorry missed this post, I used .......
Coopers stout
full tin of black treacle 454g
100g coco powder
BKE 1kg

The coco was very strong for first 3 weeks but it mellowed out and turned into a tasty brew.

 

[Wardy]

Not too late. I started a white wine earlier and just about to start the Stout. It's in the hot water bath just now to loosen it up. I have cocoa so if you have the details I will try it. Thanks.

Sorry missed this post, I used .......
Coopers stout
full tin of black treacle 454g
100g coco powder
BKE 1kg

The coco was very strong for first 3 weeks but it mellowed out and turned into a tasty brew.

Thanks, I started another brew because I bought 2 stout kits by accident. I put 1K of dark DME, 250g of golden syrup, 300 g of dark syrup and 50g of coaco in it. It's looking good with 1057 OG and now at 1015 so nearly done.