Coopers Devils Half Ruby Porter

[jayk34]

Hi all,

I'm a Newbie to homebrew and just bought the Coopers Devils half ruby porter kit. I started the kit yesterday and just following the instructions exactly to start the learning process. I used the kit with 1kg dry light malt extract. It's going off like a rocket at the minute !!

My question is, what should I prime the bottles with for this kit when fermentation is finished ?

 

[Datanode101]

Hey, just joined this site my self, I made a post a few days back it's got a brew calculator etc. and it also tells you the sugar level for priming etc. (i used to just whack half a gram in and I've been way under cutting it) and don't fall for my mistakes with rushing it, also, it'll be going mad because of the temps, I got mine down buy 3 wet cold towels wrapped around it. (I found out that yeast has it's perfect brewing temp rather than just yeast brewing at any old temp)

LINK

 

[terrym]

Welcome to the forum.
This might help you if you are new to brewing.
https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/...de-to-brewing-your-own-beer-from-a-kit.57526/Fundamentals of home brewing are
- cleanliness of the all the equipment you use without being paranoid about it
- steady fermentation temperature (and neither too hot or to cold for the yeast to perform)
- and patience; the 2+2+2 rule will help on that with 2 weeks in the fermenting vessel (FV), 2 weeks to carb up, and 2 weeks to condition or mature before you find out if its ready, then with some experience you can adjust these timings
As far as priming is concerned l suggest you learn to use a priming calculator which takes the guesswork out of things. Here is one
https://www.brewersfriend.com/bottling-calculator/Normally there is no real reason to use anything other than table sugar, so using the calculator above and priming your porter to 2.2 vols about 5.5 g sugar are needed per litre, which is about a rounded tsp per litre.
Finally dont be in a rush to drink your porter. Darker beers usually take longer than light beers to get better, so my guess it will be good to start drinking in quantity at about 7-8 weeks from bottling, but you can sample along the way of course to find out how it changes (which it will), starting at about 4 weeks after bottling.

 

[jayk34]

Thanks, much appreciated. It's currently bubbling away at 22°C which is just in between the 21-27° stated in the instructions but will keep an eye on it in case it starts going up.

 

[jayk34]

Hey, just joined this site my self, I made a post a few days back it's got a brew calculator etc. and it also tells you the sugar level for priming etc. (i used to just whack half a gram in and I've been way under cutting it) and don't fall for my mistakes with rushing it, also, it'll be going mad because of the temps, I got mine down buy 3 wet cold towels wrapped around it. (I found out that yeast has it's perfect brewing temp rather than just yeast brewing at any old temp)

LINK

Welcome to the forum.
This might help you if you are new to brewing.
https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/...de-to-brewing-your-own-beer-from-a-kit.57526/Fundamentals of home brewing are
- cleanliness of the all the equipment you use without being paranoid about it
- steady fermentation temperature (and neither too hot or to cold for the yeast to perform)
- and patience; the 2+2+2 rule will help on that with 2 weeks in the fermenting vessel (FV), 2 weeks to carb up, and 2 weeks to condition or mature before you find out if its ready, then with some experience you can adjust these timings
As far as priming is concerned l suggest you learn to use a priming calculator which takes the guesswork out of things. Here is one
https://www.brewersfriend.com/bottling-calculator/Normally there is no real reason to use anything other than table sugar, so using the calculator above and priming your porter to 2.2 vols about 5.5 g sugar are needed per litre, which is about a rounded tsp per litre.
Finally dont be in a rush to drink your porter. Darker beers usually take longer than light beers to get better, so my guess it will be good to start drinking in quantity at about 7-8 weeks from bottling, but you can sample along the way of course to find out how it changes (which it will), starting at about 4 weeks after bottling.

Will be ready for Christmas then ! My favourite tipple is Guinness West Indies porter. Now I know being my first time and also not a commercial brewery that it will not taste like that but fingers crossed for something drinkable

Thanks for the advice and links will get reading.

 

[Datanode101]

The great thing about home brew is the is no banging hang over the next day as there's no chemicals, preserves etc. I mean don't get me wrong 14 bottles of the stuff and your pretty ****** and that was only on a 4.5% batch, when I see them on you tube making like 8% and that, it's what we used to have, LCL "Lose Control Lager" that stuff will just blow your face off, start drinking at 5.00pm, ****** and ordering food 5.16pm......

Did you say Christmas? what for? that's like years away! LOL (oh i see where that come from..lol)

my temps yesterday was way off the scale, but cooled it down, and it's a lot cooler here today so it's back to about 24 degrees.

 

[jayk34]

Lose control lager brilliant !


I have another kit if the same to do in a few weeks time. Trying to build up a stock for Christmas, but probably won't last that long if it is in anyway drinkable.

My wife was asking why I was keeping the 500ml bottles from the West Indies porter and now she knows. Have a nice collection of 100 since lockdown.

Today has been the warmest day for us in N Ireland so far during the summer. We haven't been getting anywhere near the weather the South of England have been getting. It has been so wet and dull for weeks with an occasional bit of sun. We were really spoilt for weather at the start of lockdown and should have know that was our lot for the year .

Thanks again for the advice.

 

[PhilBrew]

Hi @jayk34

I find the Guinness West Indies Porter to have a distinctive, brown sugar, almost treacle-y flavour to it ... if you agree, and like that aspect to it, you may well want to consider swapping the (white, granulated) table sugar that Terry suggested for some of the darkest brown sugar you can get hold of, to get some of those aspects into the beer ... still follow all of the rest of Terry's advice, just swap dark demarera (or whatever) gram for gram in place of the table sugar, at priming

Cheers, PhilB

 

[jayk34]

@PhilBrew yeah totally agree about the taste and will definitely try the demarera sugar for priming. Cheers

 

[terrym]

@PhilBrew yeah totally agree about the taste and will definitely try the demarera sugar for priming. Cheers

The dark sugar idea suggested by @PhilBrew is a good one. However you won't get much flavour addition from demerera so the best option is dark muscavado, which is what I use in kit stouts and it works well provided you don't overdo which it won't at priming sugar quantities.

 

[PhilBrew]

Thanks Terry ... muscavado, that's the word I was struggling to remember :tinhat:

 

[jayk34]

Thanks @terrym

 

[Gerryjo]

Good to see another norn iron member as there only a few of us. West indies porter is certainly a good shout but there is also some fantastic beer to be brewed once you get your teeth into it...

 

[jayk34]

@Gerryjo good to hear from you. Look forward to any hints, tips and recommendations in future posts. Take it easy

 

[terrym]

@jayk34
Right. I thought I would share this with you being relevant to what I said earlier.
I don't normally do kits now, but in the height of the lockdown I bought three Coopers kits to eke out my supplies, one of which was a Coopers Ruby Porter. I made it up with 500g dark DME, 600g of home made invert sugar syrup which was just going past the golden syrup stage, 100g dark muscavado sugar and a 100g crystal malt steep.
On 12 June it went into bottle and 5 litres went into a minikeg. After two weeks I sampled it. It was harsh, bitter, and almost unpleasant to drink. I had visions of it ultimately going down the sink. Anyway I have sampled from the minikeg from time to time and noticed it improving and tonight about two weeks on since the last sample, and a full two months on from packaging it is nearly drinkable, with a distinct bonfire toffee taste and the harshness has nearly gone. I will now be leaving it alone for another two weeks until the next sample and my guess is I will start to drink it in about a month's time. So be aware of my experience with this kit and dont be tempted to dive in too soon, unless you think its ready, and even then leaving it alone for a longer may be beneficial.

 

[jayk34]

@jayk34
Right. I thought I would share this with you being relevant to what I said earlier.
I don't normally do kits now, but in the height of the lockdown I bought three Coopers kits to eke out my supplies, one of which was a Coopers Ruby Porter. I made it up with 500g dark DME, 600g of home made invert sugar syrup which was just going past the golden syrup stage, 100g dark muscavado sugar and a 100g crystal malt steep.
On 12 June it went into bottle and 5 litres went into a minikeg. After two weeks I sampled it. It was harsh, bitter, and almost unpleasant to drink. I had visions of it ultimately going down the sink. Anyway I have sampled from the minikeg from time to time and noticed it improving and tonight about two weeks on since the last sample, and a full two months on from packaging it is nearly drinkable, with a distinct bonfire toffee taste and the harshness has nearly gone. I will now be leaving it alone for another two weeks until the next sample and my guess is I will start to drink it in about a month's time. So be aware of my experience with this kit and dont be tempted to dive in too soon, unless you think its ready, and even then leaving it alone for a longer may be beneficial.

Excellent, thank you for the advice. Was hoping for honest advice and experience from brewing this kit from the forum. Although it doesn't match %100 my starting ingredients, it's invaluable to get advice from those who have a lot more experience than me. I was planning on doing this and another of the same for the festive season so hopefully should have enough time to mature.

Will update results if anyone is interested and may help other newbies.

Thanks again

 

[jayk34]

After 3 days of extremely vigorous fermentation there is no activity at all through the airlock today. After reading some of the advice suggested here on the forum I have taken a reading with the hydrometer and intend to do that over the next few days in an attempt to verify that the fermentation is either finished or stalled.

Was looking some general advice or specific advice from those who may have brewed this kit before. The OG was 1040 and the current reading taken today is 1012. If this stays at this reading for a few days, is it worth putting in some more yeast as this reading seems a bit high ?

The temperature of the brew has stayed between 21-23°C which is well within the suggested range of 21-27° C on the instructions.

Cheers

 

[LED_ZEP]

@terrym I'm surprised you didn't advise using a pressure barrel instead of bottles.

 

[terrym]

After 3 days of extremely vigorous fermentation there is no activity at all through the airlock today. After reading some of the advice suggested here on the forum I have taken a reading with the hydrometer and intend to do that over the next few days in an attempt to verify that the fermentation is either finished or stalled.

Was looking some general advice or specific advice from those who may have brewed this kit before. The OG was 1040 and the current reading taken today is 1012. If this stays at this reading for a few days, is it worth putting in some more yeast as this reading seems a bit high ?

The temperature of the brew has stayed between 21-23°C which is well within the suggested range of 21-27° C on the instructions.

Cheers

At 1.012 its done or nearly done. Most kits end up somewhere around 1.010 +/- 0.002, unless they have been 'adjusted' in some way. Now leave it alone, no more readings are necessary for the time being, no need to take the lid off or interfere. After another week find a cool place, if you have one, and leave it there for another two or three days at which time it will be ready to bottle, and you can satisfy your curiosity by taking the FG..

 

[jayk34]

Thanks @terrym