Coopers Cerveza Review

[Mr BR]

hi to all, this is a nice fresh tasting beer not heavy very much like a sol tasting beer only problem with it was couldnt get it primed right but other than that highly recommended nice session beer or a good one for the summer bbq will be doing again :

 

[Darcey]

I brewed this using 100% sugar as stated on the packaging with an aim to avoid an overly malty lager! Fermentis SafLager W-34 was used and the supplied yeast was binned! I fermented at 12c for 3 weeks and then racked off to a secondary to crash cool to 2c for 2 weeks. I then filtered using a water filter to keg and carbonated up to 2.5vol/CO2. After 2 weeks in the keg I have sampled and honestly it tastes rather 'home brew like' but I did use 100% sugar so that in someway is understandable.

The lager is a pale straw colour and holds a nice tight head all the way down the glass. After the initial homebrew flavour I found it a little sweet for a lager but surprisingly clean. Slight citrus notes but nothing of the lemon flavour many people comment on. Aroma wise its is slightly unpleasant, slightly acidic perhaps, there is alittle of the sulphurus nose it had during fermentation. Hopefully this with fade after time. As I used a lager yeast I am going to store at 10c for at least 2 months before re-gassing and serving at 8C at which point I'll post an update. All the coopers kits apart from Ginger Beer have taken about 8 weeks to come good so I am expecting this to improve with age. Even in its immature state I was fairly impressed and I am looking forward to something light to drink in the summer months. The main reason for brewing this beer is for friends and family who wont trust beer with too much flavour and/or slightly cloudy. Allready it has passed the clarity test, hopefully it will clean itself up over the coming months.

Using the method above the first pint from the cornelius keg served at 12c was as bright as any pub or bottled lager I have tried. It would pass the feck test 100%. I would recommend this kit to fellow brewers however I have taken a fairly lengthy approach to conditioning and have the equipment ferment at lager temperatures, crash cool and filter before force carbonating and then maturing. I think next time I may try this kit with a Kolsh yeast and see the difference. It is after all alot of effort to go thru for a kit lager.

For now...
D

 

[Robo1984]

Well, this was my first ever brew and I'm quite pleased, I brewed with 500g of dextrose and 500g of light spray malt all supplied by Swansea's new homebrew shop, Abertawe Homebrew. Took about 8 days to stop fermenting, then left in the fermenter for a few days to clear a little and get me to the weekend (to get time to bottle).

Bottled in 500ml glass and plastic brown bottles with one Cooper's Carbination drop in each. Then stored away behind the sofa in the front room. It's now been in the bottle for the best part of a month, so decided to crack one open as my brother fancied a beer. The results are nice, definitely more of a Sol taste and screams out for some fresh lime, but considering this owes me 47p a pint and Corona is a quid a bottle I'm well impressed. Head is good and fizz holds for the whole pint...

stupid camera phone...

 

[mick w]

looks good to me :

 

[James24785]

I've also just cracked open my first few bottles of this. Has been bottled for a month, and was sat in the FV for around a month before bottling. Tastes amazing! A really light drink, that goes down FAR too easily : Its similar to the likes of Sol and Corona, but wouldnt say it tastes exactly the same.

Tastes really good with a tiny drop of lime cordial in, which shall be the way I drink all mine I think.

Also, I had no carbination problems like I think a few on here have. Infact, next time I brew a cerveza, I shall prime with half of what I did this time as to create a nice "lightly carbonated" lager.

 

[pegasus4787]

Well, this was my first ever brew and I'm quite pleased, I brewed with 500g of dextrose and 500g of light spray malt all supplied by Swansea's new homebrew shop, Abertawe Homebrew. Took about 8 days to stop fermenting, then left in the fermenter for a few days to clear a little and get me to the weekend (to get time to bottle).

Bottled in 500ml glass and plastic brown bottles with one Cooper's Carbination drop in each. Then stored away behind the sofa in the front room. It's now been in the bottle for the best part of a month, so decided to crack one open as my brother fancied a beer. The results are nice, definitely more of a Sol taste and screams out for some fresh lime, but considering this owes me 47p a pint and Corona is a quid a bottle I'm well impressed. Head is good and fizz holds for the whole pint...

stupid camera phone...

Robo
Do you recommend the carbination drops or priming with sugar?

 

[Robo1984]

carbonation drops, im lazy lol. Honestly don't think it make much odds to be honest...

 

[dermy]

Hi All.

I brewed this kit with 900g of cooper brew enhancer 2 and 1 litre of Coca cola (which has 11% sugar ((shaken until gas removed!))

I must say that this is a lovely brew.

When poured it producs a light coloured beer much like Budweiser in colour and has a really clean crisp bite - nice and fizzy but not too much so.
The coca cola leaves a pleasent caramel/vanilla aftertaste - overall a great experimental brew.

 

[Sandimas]

Been meaning to have a go at this kit for a while, and finally picked one up last week.

Quick question: has anyone brewed this with extras like lemon and lime? If so how did you do it? I saw something on another HB forum and meant to copy it down, but the forum has now disappeared after the associated shop stopped trading.

 

[pegasus4787]

i only put the cut lime in the pint glass...nice

 

[Sandimas]

Came across some advice on another forum, so made this kit up at the weekend, with the addition of zest and juice from 4 limes and 2 lemons, boiled up for 20 mins then added to the wort. Bit of a gamble as I'm normally a traditional ale drinker, but sounded nice for summer. Smelt awesome before I added the yeast.

Bubbling away nicely, will report back when it's done. Gonna bottle the lot as I think it'll benefit from the carbonation.

 

[BrewDan]

Came across some advice on another forum, so made this kit up at the weekend, with the addition of zest and juice from 4 limes and 2 lemons, boiled up for 20 mins then added to the wort. Bit of a gamble as I'm normally a traditional ale drinker, but sounded nice for summer. Smelt awesome before I added the yeast.

Bubbling away nicely, will report back when it's done. Gonna bottle the lot as I think it'll benefit from the carbonation.

I'd be interested in seeing how this turns out, I made this kits and as darcey said it had a bit of a home brew taste to it, I put it down to my temps/tap water.

Made a few and bottled with priming sugar, the rest I added some lime cordial to the bottle, and a few of those had a cap of tequila, didn't really like any of them. But I want to give this another go fermenting in a fridge to see what happens. Like your zest idea though

 

[Sandimas]

I got impatient so thought I'd try one :grin: I don't think I've ever been so apprehensiveabout a brew, as I really had no idea what to expect, other than it wouldn't be like the usual ales.

First taste out of the FV whilst syphoning and it was 'orrible :shock: ...but then again I suppose warm flat lager is. I bottled it all, primed with about 3/4 teaspoon of sugar per bottle to try to give is some extra fizz, been bottled a week so I stuck one in the fridge for 24 hrs and tried it sat out in the garden yesterday, when the sun came out.

Re-assuring amount of fizz when the top came off and the beer has gassed up fairly well. Hasn't cleared yet, as you can see. Tastes unlike anything I've had before, but then I've never tried Sol. Nicely refreshing, the lemon and lime are not coming through as strong as I'd hoped, so may try adding even more next time. I added a bit of lime cordial to the glass and it really began to grow on me, such that by the time I got to the end, I wanted another...but that was the only bottle I'd cooled Conclusion: lovely refreshing summer beer, needs to be cooled and gassed up, will probably brew again, but for me a hot weather / summer months only drink. Will report back when it's hopefully cleared and matured more.

 

[Darcey]

I have just ditched 15l of this from a cornie. It didnt lager well (I used a lager yeast @ 12c and lagered for 3 months. Tastes like cats ****, abit of a lager flavour but not really drinkable.

Its a shame because everyone seems to enjoy it otherwise.

D

 

[LeffeFan]

This is mine after 5 and a half weeks. Definitely getting better. I will be making it again with dextrin/spraymalt and bottled water rather than brewing sugar and tap water.

 

[Pawlo7671]

Brewed this one on 22/4 and bottled after 10 days, cracked open the first of these today and have to say its a lovely beer, very light and refreshing and deffo on the same plane as corona etc, I cut a wedge of lime and sqeese it in to my glass before pouring, sure , it's no pilsner or proper lager, and doesn't hold a candle to an IPA, but it's crisp and refreshing - how a cervaza should be, a Deffinate BBQ drink.
Very pleased with it so much so iv bought another as its going down far too well with friends ( and me ) gonna brew the next with 500g DME and dextrose, I was considering doing a hop tea with it but TBH I think it would ruin it.

 

[ScottM]

This was the first kit I had semi-success with. It wasn't particularly clear, particularly gassy or particularly good but it was the first one I actually managed to drink without pouring it down the toilet. My main problem with the kit is probably that I followed the instructions. After joining up here recently my eyes have been opened to what's what with regards to these kits. The colour was lovely, the nose was sulpher, the aftertaste was acidic and a little clinical, it was around 4% and I reckon I got around 3/4 of a pint from each bottle due to the sediment being so loose. Granted I only waited 2 weeks after bottling before opening, it was as clear as it got though as even a month or 3 later it was still the same.

If I EVER decide to make something like this again I'll probably go for extract but anyone thinking of using this kit I would definitely recommend using extra light spray malt & enhancer rather than just plain old sugar as this lager had no body/legs at all. This meant that the gas came through as huge big soda pop bubbles and lasted no time at all with no head whatsoever.

As I said though, the drink was liveable so there is MASSIVE room for improvement with this one. As far as lager kits go it's actually the best I've tried

 

[Sandimas]

Suddenly it's all made sense: the temperature has gone up, I've had a hot day working outside, and the Mexican Cerveza really hits the spot

Next time I'll definately brew short to 20L to get a bit more flavour. It hasn't cleared yet but maybe it won't, as I made a lemon and lime tea to add to the wort. But it's got plenty of gas (I bottled all of it), and with a shot of lime cordial it definately does the business at the end of a hot day.

Changed my mind, will definately brew again (summertime drink only) :thumb:

 

[neil-c-8]

I'm interested to here from people who have brewed this beer using the yeast provided in the kit... At what temperature did you ferment at? Is it a true larger yeast which needs 12-14 degrees or does it use a ale yeast which can be done at 18-22??

Also darrellm did you carbonate in the bottle with brewing sugar? And how much did you use?

I'm a first time brewer so forgive the novice questions! :)

 

[Sandimas]

The yeast it comes with is beer yeast rather than lager yeast, mine was brewed around 21c and was fine. Just the kit, beer enhancer and water. I bottled the lot with 3/4 teaspoon of normal household sugar per bottle, left in the warm for 10 days or so then cooled - it carbonated absolutely fine, plenty of fizz, decent head.

Really wasn't sure when I brewed this, but in this hot weather it all makes sense. Suddenly my finest ale is yuk and I've been hitting the Cerveza, another 2 bottles tonight...gonna have to pick up another kit tomorrow, which I'll brew short (20L) for a bit more flavour, and bottle it all again.
Well happy with this kit now we've got tropical temperatures. :