Coopers European Lager Review

[chrispurvis]

Hi guys. Just thought id give you an update. My euro lager i put on roughly start of nov. Added 25g saaz hops loose on top. Fermented for lil over 2 weeks. Bottled and kept next to a radiater for 1 week. Then in the shed since.
Come out really tastey and very clear. However it lacks body and the head retention is non exsistant.
This is the 2nd time ive done this brew and the first ticked all the boxes. So a lil dissapointed in the end result. But again all in all it aint a bad kit.
The first one i compared to singha. This time with the saaz hops its almost like a heineken.
Oh should prob mention i brewed both to 20L(if my memory serves me right) and used 1kg brew enhancer. And as stated used saaz leafs in 2nd brew.
Also first time round i used two coopers carb drops for carbonating and got great head retention. This time i used 1 teaspoon table suger.
The head looks ok"ish" in pics but its a "big bubble head" like you get on coca cola. Doesnt last long.
The pic also dont give credit for how clear this is.
Sorry the pics are wrong way round i cant change them as im using phone app. If a admin wouldn't mind rotating them id be very gratefull.

Cheers all and happy new yr
Chris

 

[Smileysmiles]

Mine came out like a butter bomb. Need to raise the temp b4 krausen goes next time.

 

[Bernie]

Was given this one as a Christmas present (2013).
Added 1.8 kg light Muntons LME
Fermented it at 14 °C in for about a month but the FG would not fall below 1.010 brought it into the dining room at 20 °C for about a week then kegged it and left it in the cellar for about 2 months at 5 °C.
Bottled it with about 120 g of table sugar to prime and left in the cellar which rose to about 15 °C before the summer.

A good lager with a fine head and bit of kick.

I think fermenting at low temps and keeping it there ensures a decent amount of CO2 in solution.

 

[Bjorn Toulouse]

sorry for the delay in responce, I ment that I had made it so it would be ready for xmas, I tend to let this beer mature prior to drinking, normaly 12-15 weeks.

 

[pms67]

Hi guys,I know most people are partial mash or mini all grain batches but some advice welcome.
I now have a fermentation freezer boast boast :: and am planning my first euro lager,apart from the usual Saaz hops any ideas ? I have 100g of falconers flight in the freezer or was thinking of buying some mosaic ?
Cheers

 

[Slid]

Hi guys,I know most people are partial mash or mini all grain batches but some advice welcome.
I now have a fermentation freezer boast boast :: and am planning my first euro lager,apart from the usual Saaz hops any ideas ? I have 100g of falconers flight in the freezer or was thinking of buying some mosaic ?
Cheers

Great to see you still experimenting, mate. That it what it is all about.

Saaz for the first?

 

[pms67]

Yeah,prob should :wha:
I split my last batch in two,a Festival Belgian effort,left one plain and added a whack of hops to the other,both good in their own way and if the hopped one ever clears may be even better.
All good I suppose,cheers mate.

 

[Alnarp]

Is it possible to ferment this kit at 22c, I have no belt and I live in a apartment, but would still want to try brewing a lager. If I choose a ale yeast instead, what impact would this do to the taste etc?

 

[Bernie]

Is it possible to ferment this kit at 22c, I have no belt and I live in a apartment, but would still want to try brewing a lager. If I choose a ale yeast instead, what impact would this do to the taste etc?

There's a style called steam beer that ferments lager yeasts at that temperature. I did this kit at 15-17 and it came out very well, just like a decent lager after storing at 10 °C or less over winter.

 

[acuk63]

Thought I'd give a lager a go, I must admit I didn't have high expectations, but I have been pleasantly surprised. I brewed it as per the kit instructions with coopers brew enhancer 2 added and left it in the brewing fridge at a constant 21 degrees for 3 weeks, then bottled with a carbonation drop in each. Instructions say leave for 12 weeks, well it's been about 4 and myself and SWMBO have caved in and opened a few bottles. we've found it very drinkable and will definitely be getting another one on the go soon. I will try to keep 1 bottle for the 12 weeks :thumb:

 

[connelly4245]

I'm onto my 2nd batch of this. didnt bulk lager the first batch and it turned out quite good so decided if I was to bulk lager another batch it should hopefully turn out superb

1st batch was brewed with 1kg of BE2 and 200g of golden syrup. hop tea of 15g of amarillo and 15g of cascade. fermented with the kit yeast at 13 degrees for 3 weeks, raised to 16 for a few days for a diacytel rest and then bottled. was in the bottle for 3 weeks and had one to carb test then the rest went to the fridge to lager in the bottle for 3 weeks at 1 degree. it turned out really well, though I dont think the hops suited the style very much. this one turned out at 5.6%

2nd batch I brewed short to 22L with 1kg of BE2 and nothing else. I purchased some saflager s23 to use with this one, bit of added expense but allowed me to ferment cooler. Again I fermented for 3 weeks, this time at 11 degrees. raised to 16 for a week to ensure any diacytel was removed and started lagering in bulk. brought it down 2 degrees a day until I hit 0 degrees and it was left like that for 6 weeks. brought it into the house day before bottling to allow the temp to come up slightly. after bottling its now been at room temp for 4 weeks. Going to start bringing the temp down again to give it another lager in the bottle, will be giving one a taste test next week after the temp has reached 0 so will give you all an update.

really have high hopes for this 2nd batch as the taste test sample at bottling time blew me away. the 6 weeks bulk lagering certainly helped and the beer was CRYSTAL clear. I didnt add any more yeast after lagering due to it only being over a month and the bottles have carbed up fine. usual beers using ale yeast, I find carb in around a week, whereas this one has taken 3. with another week for added luck!

This is the longest I've waited to taste a beer since starting brewing, if I dont have one till next week it will be 15 weeks since pitching. I plan to lager them in bottle for a few weeks as well before I start to drink them regular. If it doesnt turn out good I'll be very dissapointed!!!

 

[Blinky]

I made this and fear it might end up down the drain. I used the yeast that came with the kit and fermented at 14 degrees for 3 weeks. Then brought the temp down to about 4 degrees and left for another 2 weeks. It's been bottled since the end of October but does not taste nice at all and the couple I have so far had have went down the drain. Not sure what the taste is, maybe DMS? its very to describe....... I just dont know if its going to improve or not, my thinking is that as its been lagering for a good 6 weeks or so it should be at least drinkable by now?

 

[Sandimas]

my thinking is that as its been lagering for a good 6 weeks or so it should be at least drinkable by now?

Instructions say to stash it away for at least 12 weeks before drinking, and I think they're pretty spot-on: unlike the Austalian Lager, the European takes much longer to come good, but it'll be worth the wait.

 

[Blinky]

Dunno, Im not convinced! No harm in leaving it for another couple of months though...

 

[pms67]

I was drinking this last night,it's about six weeks old and the "eggy" smell has just gone from the beer now.The pint looks great,it's clearer than a hermits diary but it's not got much taste,I have another in the FV at the moment and it's getting dry hopped with 100g of Falconers Flight for five days before bottling.
Will report back if anyone interested in this kit.
Cheers:thumb:

 

[pms67]

Added hops tonight, hopefully its not too much,time will tell

I opened a beerworks bitter tonight that had been bottled in a just drunk m and s Sorachi ace Saison, mmmmmm so,so good,the yeast must have went to work in the bottle, superb.

 

[pms67]

Oops,this might have been too much ?
I had a look under the lid last night and the brew looks like a swamp monster,I'm sure it got angry when I looked closely and belched at me :lol:
Reminds me of the biology pond at high school,hope it stops fermenting soon so that I can crash cool it to four degrees and try and sink the floating hulk

 

[pms67]

Ok,so at this early stage(maybe for some but not for me!) its way overhopped,tasty but harsh as a harsh thing?
Not enough time or malt to balance out the 100g of Falconers Flight, either that or i dont really like Falconers hops!! :)

 

[Bjorn Toulouse]

This lager is at its best after 12 weeks.
I make this kit at least 10 times a year November through till march as IMHO the brew benefits from cooler temps. This year I have just bottled my first 3 batches as December and November was too warm.
I make this stuff in various guises (all malt, BE1, BE2 and dark malt extract as a dunkle)
All benefit by 12 weeks rest.
If you like the beer at 8 - 10 weeks then fair play. My taste buds prefer it at 12 weeks on. I make a lot of this stuff.

 

[mikeloretta]

Has anyone tried the recipe on the coopers website for this one? was wondering whether to mess about with this kit and came across their recipe which sounds interesting, or having not made this one before stick to what it says, i've done a few lager kits and the only one up to know that has been really good was a Tom Caxton Traditional Lager with the extra hop sachet they supply, can't find this for sale anywhere now so i'm hoping for something with plenty of flavour and this coopers recipe seems to fit the bill, any ideas?? http://store.coopers.com.au/recipes/index/view/id/77/