Coopers Cerveza Review

[Zoomered]

First brew, think I brewed too high temp, prob around 24c, first reading 1040 final 1012, 10 days fermenting but think it had stopped before then, bottled for 3 weeks in 500ml pet with 1.5 carb drops, result...

Clear beer little to no fizz, not much taste but still drinkable :drink: Although not over the moon pleased its drinkable but not really a fizzy lager feel more a tasteless ale... Feels heavy on the stomach although I may be drinking it too quick :drink:

Looking forward to my second and branching out a bit with a festival golden stag ale kit, good reviews and need more hops! Glass bottles capper and second ferm bin bought

Any input on lack of fizz?? Fizz on tongue but no head.

 

[greyman]

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.

Hey Dermy. It's a long time since you posted your coca cola cerveza recipe but would you have any idea how much sugar( instead of the brew enhancer )I could use along with the Coke.the caramel vanilla after taste is what I'm really after
Thanks

 

[Spapro]

Just got this into my FV after king kegging my Milestone Lions Pride last night (the LPride was my first brew so very excited to get plenty of brews on ahead of Christmas). Anyway this cerveza is for the wife really as she likes a bottle of sol !

Brewed it to 23l and used the can plus 1kg of Brew Enhancer 2 plus 100g of extra brewers sugar.

Its all gone together well and the initial SG is 1045 so about right I think for a 4.5% ABV at the end.

 

[Slid]

Did this as a 2 can brew following the Wilko 25% offer over the summer. 1 Coopers Cerveza and one Wilko Cerveza, plus a 25g dry hop with Cascade hops.

Used the Coopers yeast, of course, given that there are some issues around the proximate alternative, and I am impressed.

Beautiful Pale Ale style result.

Absolutely in the modern style.

And almost exactly the same colour as the old, dearly beloved Boddingtons Bitter.

 

[jamesw]

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. :

Perfect, im sold! Cheers for the feedback

 

[Geithals]

I did this kit the other week. I heated up 900gr of lyles golden sirup, along with 800gr of LME (light blonde) and mixed it with the can ingredients, about 22 litres total in the FV. I forget or what the abv was, it fermented at a reasonable rate for 5 or so days, then it took another 7 days to go from 1012 to a bit less than 1010.
I put in 30gr of fuggles hops to soak in the FV for about 4 days before bottling.
I have a tap at the bottom of the FV, I don't bother to transfer to to a secondary.
Bottled with a decent amount of plain white sugar conditioner, probably about 7 or 8 grams a litre.
From cradle to grave about 5 weeks, 2 weeks in the FV, 1 week conditioning at 22C, a week stored in a cold place from 1C to 4 C and about 1 week to consume.
The end result was delicious. Was is past past tense,the 22L just went as if the tap had been left on all the time. Even the colour was a clear radiant golden brown. This was a delicious brew, far far superior to most commercial bottled beers.
i didn't think too much about the ingredients that I added, they were just what was available at the time and I didn't think they would be a negative factor. I would not want a sour hoppy taste with this brew, this is lemonade beer without the lemonade so I'm glad my added dry hops enhanced the fruity taste to this brew.
The brew was strong as well, I don't know the abv, but it had way way more body and potency than commercial 5.2% bottled brews.

 

[jamesw]

I did this kit the other week. I heated up 900gr of lyles golden sirup, along with 1.6kg of LME (light blonde) and mixed it with the can ingredients, about 22 litres total in the FV. I forget or what the abv was, it fermented at a reasonable rate for 5 or so days, then it took another 7 days to go from 1012 to a bit less than 1010.
I put in 30gr of fuggles hops to soak in the FV for about 4 days before bottling.
I have a tap at the bottom of the FV, I don't bother to transfer to to a secondary.
Bottled with a decent amount of plain white sugar conditioner, probably about 7 or 8 grams a litre.
From cradle to grave about 5 weeks, 2 weeks in the FV, 1 week conditioning at 22C, a week stored in a cold place from 1C to 4 C and about 1 week to consume.
The end result was delicious. Was is past past tense,the 22L just went as if the tap had been left on all the time. Even the colour was a clear radiant golden brown. This was a delicious brew, far far superior to most commercial bottled beers.
i didn't think too much about the ingredients that I added, they were just what was available at the time and I didn't think they would be a negative factor. I would not want a sour hoppy taste with this brew, this is lemonade beer without the lemonade so I'm glad my added dry hops enhanced the fruity taste to this brew.
The brew was strong as well, I don't know the abv, but it had way way more body and potency than commercial 5.2% bottled brews.

Sounds amazing. Did it taste like a corona, or was it a bit more like an ale with all those extras?
How much did it cost you? Better thann a 2 can kit?

 

[Geithals]

Sounds amazing. Did it taste like a corona, or was it a bit more like an ale with all those extras?
How much did it cost you? Better thann a 2 can kit?

I have corrected my post to record that I used a 1/2 can of LME and not the full can, sorry about that misunderstanding. I just got (temporarily) mixed up between kilos and pounds. As regards cost, where I live the lyles sirup costs just a bit more than white sugar, the LME was an out of date purchase at half price and 30 gr hops isn't being extravagant. I don't know what a 2 can kit brew would taste like.
If cost is a concern then just boil up or soak some crushed grain in conjunction with the kit, I haven't got the time to spend in the kitchen for that and the smell of such an operation would turn the house into smelling like a brewery. With a kit and a few additions which you just have to heat up and blend, one can do that operation with suitable discretion and minimum disruption.
And as regards comparisons, imo a home brew like this beats a commercial bottled brew hands down, even a hypo fart sulphur poisoned cider brew comes good eventually and beats the pants of commercial ciders.
Home grown beats store products just about every time, it's a sort of a truism.

 

[Roscoe9]

I've just brewed this yesterday. Had planned to add lemon and lime zest and juice but thought i'd just keep it simple and add a citrus flavour while drinking.

I brewed to 23L with BE2 (as recommended) plus 500g of brewing sugar. OG was only 1038 though which was under what I thought it would be. Hopefully this will get to around 1006-08 mark after two weeks on the FV. Will dry hop or add a hop tea with Hersbrucker 4 days before bottle to add taste.

I have high hopes for this beer, fingers crossed it doesn't disapoint!

 

[MartinHaworth]

Put this one last weekend, just did a straightforward brew as directed. Plan to give it a good condition for summer drinking..

 

[jamesw]

I've just brewed this yesterday. Had planned to add lemon and lime zest and juice but thought i'd just keep it simple and add a citrus flavour while drinking.

I brewed to 23L with BE2 (as recommended) plus 500g of brewing sugar. OG was only 1038 though which was under what I thought it would be. Hopefully this will get to around 1006-08 mark after two weeks on the FV. Will dry hop or add a hop tea with Hersbrucker 4 days before bottle to add taste.

I have high hopes for this beer, fingers crossed it doesn't disapoint!

Wouldn't be1 be better for this kit as be2 is more for ales and be1 lager style right?

 

[Roscoe9]

Wouldn't be1 be better for this kit as be2 is more for ales and be1 lager style right?

Coopers advised to use BE2 so I went with that. Very much a newbie so kind of sticking to instructions/recommended until I learn the ropes!

 

[jamesw]

Coopers advised to use BE2 so I went with that. Very much a newbie so kind of sticking to instructions/recommended until I learn the ropes!

Thats totally fair enough, im new too.

Let us know how it goes because im interested in doing this for a summer bbq.

I just thought that BE1, according to the packet is for "lighter style beers" and BE2 says for "any beer styles where a fuller, maltier flavour is preferred"
I would imagine one would want a lighter corona lagery style beer?

Anyone done the Cerveza with BE1?

 

[Roscoe9]

Thats totally fair enough, im new too.

Let us know how it goes because im interested in doing this for a summer bbq.

I just thought that BE1, according to the packet is for "lighter style beers" and BE2 says for "any beer styles where a fuller, maltier flavour is preferred"
I would imagine one would want a lighter corona lagery style beer?

Anyone done the Cerveza with BE1?

Maybe they suggest BE2 to give it more body and flavour due to it being a very light extract?? I'm only guessing.

Thats exactly the reason i'm brewing this as well! Hoping for an early May bank holiday bbq followed by the Mayweather v Pacquiao fight! Just hope its fully conditioned by then!

 

[legojohn]

I'll be making this up today with shmbo. Think its funny that most kits only need brewing sugar and this one calls for coopers no.2 or it turns out poo! I'll be using plane old Tate n lyle with this and adding a vanilla pod. I know it'll be thin on taste so I may add lime or chilli when bottled. Hoping for 6% ish ;-)

 

[jamesw]

I think ill go for a cerveva + BE1, just because i want it to be a light bbq brew, ill probably brew it short if its not very strong flavour, might add some lime extract if i can find any!

 

[Toffee]

I bought one of these kits in the tesco sale, + BE1. Anyone do it with just that? I do have some light DME I could bung in as well if it does need a bit of extra malt.

 

[jamesw]

Not sure mate, others might have more advice.
There are a lot if feeds on here about creating a sol or corona clone, and others about adding lime flavours, have a dig around (or just go for it and report bavk)

 

[Toffee]

I think I will go BE1 + 250g Light DME. I also saw some folk pimping with some extra cascade & amarillo hops for flavour so might as well do that too.

 

[MartinHaworth]

I have a confession to make. I think that I like beer from cheap beer kits.

I made this with sugar, batch primed and bottled, and 2 weeks on it is a lovely beer.