Coopers English Bitter fermentables

[Slayer]

I picked up a Coopers English Bitter can at the weekend. I'm looking for advice on what fermentables to use, what has anyone used in the past that has worked well?
I have 1kg of brewing sugar and 500g of medium spray malt in the cupboard. Will this combo work?

Cheers.

 

[terrym]

I would go for adding the spray malt and only 500g of the dextrose. This will give a beer that has an OG somewhere in the region of 1.038.
If you add all of the dextrose you will get about 1.046 but it will be 'thinner' in taste since all the dextrose does is to add alcohol to the finished brew.
If you are looking for a stronger beer than OG 1.038 I suggest you brew short to say 21 litres with the DME and 500g dextrose, or use the 500g DME, plus 500g dextrose and the contents of a jar of Holland and Barrett Liquid Malt extract (454g) which is fine for brewing, and brew to the full 23 litres, and will give you an OG of about 1.044.

 

[Slayer]

I would go for adding the spray malt and only 500g of the dextrose. This will give a beer that has an OG somewhere in the region of 1.038.
If you add all of the dextrose you will get about 1.046 but it will be 'thinner' in taste since all the dextrose does is to add alcohol to the finished brew.
If you are looking for a stronger beer than OG 1.038 I suggest you brew short to say 21 litres with the DME and 500g dextrose, or use the 500g DME, plus 500g dextrose and the contents of a jar of Holland and Barrett Liquid Malt extract (454g) which is fine for brewing, and brew to the full 23 litres, and will give you an OG of about 1.044.

Thanks for the advice. I think I'll go with 500g of dextrose and brew short :thumb:

I've seen their lager kits on the shelf, would the same principle go for that kit? Assuming I substitute the medium spray malt for light spray malt?
Or just go for their beer enhancer?

 

[terrym]

I've seen their lager kits on the shelf, would the same principle go for that kit? Assuming I substitute the medium spray malt for light spray malt? Or just go for their beer enhancer?

Coopers Beer Enhancer comes in two forms, with slightly different ingredients. The kit instructions will advise which one to use.
Personally I would go with spray malt plus dextrose since you know what you are adding, and it will probably work out slightly cheaper.

 

[Slayer]

Thanks Terry, I assume the same quantity regardless of the kit?

 

[Pirate_Pete]

Coopers Beer Enhancer comes in two forms, with slightly different ingredients. The kit instructions will advise which one to use.
Personally I would go with spray malt plus dextrose since you know what you are adding, and it will probably work out slightly cheaper.

There's three now mate. Not sure if you've got the latest one in the UK yet.
Do your LHBS do their mixes? They do here.

• Brew Enhancer 1 - 60% dextrose, 40% maltodextrin
• Brew Enhancer 2 - 50% dextrose, 25% maltodextrin, 25% light dry malt
• Brew Enhancer 3 - 50% light dry malt, 30% dextrose, 20% maltodextrin

Personally I put 1 kg of malt in my Coopers English Bitters.

 

[terrym]

There's three now mate. Not sure if you've got the latest one in the UK yet.
Do your LHBS do their mixes? They do here.

• Brew Enhancer 1 - 60% dextrose, 40% maltodextrin
• Brew Enhancer 2 - 50% dextrose, 25% maltodextrin, 25% light dry malt
• Brew Enhancer 3 - 50% light dry malt, 30% dextrose, 20% maltodextrin

Good to know. :thumb:
If you have a LHBS (I don't now) they will probably only stock Coopers or Youngs.
If I'm going to use premixed at all I will use Youngs which is 50/50 DME/dextrose as far as I'm aware, but will only buy it when its on offer at Tesco.

 

[H0PM0NSTER]

I made a Coopers English Bitter kit last year. Brewed it to 23ltrs with 1kg of dried malt and a tin of golden syrup. It was a very smooth pint - almost buttery in taste but wasn't my favourite Coopers kit. If a did it again I think I would try dry hopping it to help lift the flavour.

 

[Slayer]

Kicked this off last night with 500g of brewing sugar and 500g of medium spray malt, brewed short to 20l.

Woke up this morning and it's bubbling away nicely even though the night time temperatures have dropped.

 

[Brewed_Force]

I made this kit recently with some steeped crystal malt and a tin of light liquid malt extract, plus a Fuggles dry hop
It turned out really tasty, definitely a step up from the basic kit. Only problem is it didn't last very long...:whistle:

 

[Sandimas]

I've just done one of these using additions suggested on the Coopers website for Battleship Bitter with addional EKG and Centennial hops, and boy is it good
http://store.coopers.com.au/recipes/index/view/id/81/

 

[terrym]

Virtually all one can kits can be lifted by a dry hop or a hop tea to replace the hop bite lost in the kit manufacture, and English Bitter is no exception.
Just use your hop of choice which matches the beer style and in a quantity which matches your brew. This is a good start point for hop selection...http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showthread.php?p=483777#post483777
And a starting rule of thumb for quantity is 50g of hop pellets for 20-23 litres; more and it may overpower it, and less and it might be lost, although in time you will find out what you like by experimentation .

 

[Pirate_Pete]

I've just done one of these using additions suggested on the Coopers website for Battleship Bitter with addional EKG and Centennial hops, and boy is it good
http://store.coopers.com.au/recipes/index/view/id/81/

I'm going to try and find time to put one of these on. Won't be my next brew, but definitely the one after.


whoops my mistake. this is the one I have the ingredients for. Hop Gobbler

http://store.coopers.com.au/recipes/index/view/id/37/

 

[Clint]

Did you go with the 25g of each? My hops came today ready for this recipe...won't be exact as I have a wilko hoppy copper and 1.5kg of liquid malt to use,I'll make up the difference with another 500g of dry malt. Is it comparable to the original?

Cheers

Clint

 

[Slayer]

11 days in and got a SG of 1.005.

Colour and clearness looks good in the sample tube. Had a taste, like you do, and there is a hint of, dare I say, 'homebrew tang'. Almost tastes a little bit 'plasticy'. I'm careful with my steralising.

Just wonder if any one knows what causes this? Or will it change with conditioning?