Coopers Original Stout Review

[Tony1951]

This was one of my first brews on my return to brewing after about thirty years absence. I was amazed how much better homebrew tastes these days in comparison to the way it was back in the 1970s and 1980s. FAR BETTER - no comparison. No off yeasty taste that dogged my youthful homebrew efforts.

Anyway, I made this kit as a low alcohol dinner time drink to have with my evening meal, so I underwhelmed it with fermentables. I just used the Coopers can and half a kilo of dark malt extract. It fermented out in about four days, and by about day six I had it in the plastic pressure keg. I drank it very young. I don't think I had any left by week four from pitching the yeast.

It had a great burned flavour but was obviously a low alcohol version by my design. You could drink it with abandon and be pretty clear headed. I think it came out about 3% ABV as I intended it to be. Really nice, powerful flavour and very smooth. I'll try it again with 1KG of DME and see how that tastes. Better no doubt, but I won't be able to knock it back like pop.

 

[Linalmeemow]

I've just done this with the Cooper's Brew Enhancer 1 (it was all I had at the time, I know the Enhancer 2 would be preferable) and half a tin of black treacle. It's my first venture into homebrewing but I think it's gone OK. Started at 1052, ended up at 1018 so after conditioning it'll be in the region of 5% abv I think. I've read that this is good young but better aged - any advance on that from your learned selves?

 

[Tanach67]

I brewed it pretty much same, with enhancer and black treacle. I drank mine within 5 weeks of bottling. Dont make that mistake. The first bottle was ok, the last bottle was fantastic. Leave it six weeks from bottling before u drink ur first, longer if u can.

 

[DaveofNorway]

I brewed mine pretty much the same but left it in the fv for 3 weeks. It tasted great straight out of the fv. Tasted it again two weeks later, it tasted even better. Two weeks after that it was amazing but it hasn't really improved much more after that, nothing to speak of really. I think leaving beers for at least 3 weeks in the fv is very much key.

 

[coupe3234]

Hi guys

I intend to do this kit with a 1.5kg tin of dark malt and possibly 500g of sugar to up the abv, do you think this is a bit too much or will it ferment out okay.

 

[Tanach67]

Sounds ok. I would leave the suger and just brew a few litres short with the malt to keep abv up. I brewed it with just 1kg & a bit of black treacle at 18ltrs and it came out at 5%.

 

[rodabod]

I've just started brewing a kit with a small pack of dried molasses and some dried cherries. I boiled these in a pan to make sure that they were sterilised.

OG was 1060.

Airlock activity took off within maybe 12-24 hours with a slightly high pitching temp of 27c, though the vessel is kept in a bath which is thermostatically controlled at 22c, so should have dropped to 22c within hours. It was bubbling every 3 seconds.... Very active.

Bubbling has now almost stopped entirely after 4 days, so I've measured again at between 1012 and 1014. Could it really be that fast?

Also, I took a swig, and it was not very pleasant compared to the kit brewed as per instructions (which I did last time). It had a slightly cider-y twang to it. I hope I don't have an infection. Hoping that it's maybe just what an extremely young turbo-charged Coopers Stout smells and tastes like.

 

[LarryF]

I put on my second Coopers Stout today as it seems that someone has been breaking into my house on a regular basis and drinking all the bottles of my last one. Anyway, I took down my Wherry and put on the stout, I used Ikg Youngs BE, 454g of Lyons black treacle, 22g or Aramis hops on a 20 minute boil (all I had left, all or nothing sort of attitude), a tsp of yeast nutrient and a mug of very strong coffee thrown in for good measure. I pitched 11g of Wilko Gervin yeast at 21c and had an OG of 1050. What I tasted in the sample jar seemed to have a clash of tastes with sweet and bitter mixed together and if the bitterness remains I'm quite looking forward to it as I quite like the more bitter stouts. Blow off tube has been fitted in anticipation of this one going mental, the last one did and I ended up with a very stickY floor.

Evening all, Happy Friday, it took it's time getting here. I just tried my first bottle of this and I really have to say that this is a big boy stout. I had an OG of 1050 and an FG of 1010 so I’m looking at about 5.5%ish. I primed 600ml bottles with a teaspoon of sugar and it's had 11 days in the warm and two days in the fridge since bottling. It’s got a good head that thins as you drink it but it does stay and a rich dark texture to the beer. However the bitterness of the coffee (I’ll go easier on the coffee next time) with it’s underlying chocolate tones and the Aramis hops riding shotgun really take this somewhere near the limit of my taste preferences on the stout front. I’ll drink them and I’ll enjoy them but this is a second cousin removed to the Caribbean Guinness that’s 7.5%. This is my second Coopers Stout and I have to say that next time (I have another in the cupboard, I’m a big fan) I will go very subtle on any added flavours (although I will use the coffee again as I like the bitterness) as the flavour of the Coopers Stout itself is very nice. My first Coopers Stout I flavoured as it came and just bumped up the ABV with 1kg of BE and 250g of light brown sugar. The flavour was charming with a hint of sweetness and I’ve drowned that out this time and I quite miss it. Well, you live and learn but I’ll happily drink this lot and start planning the next lot

 

[coupe3234]

Hi all

Started this yesterday with a 1.5kg tin of Dark Malt Extract. I see what people are saying when they talk about a vigorous fermentation with this kit. My airlock this morning is just a foam fountain....!!! Took the precaution of standing the F.V. inside a large tub though.:drink:

 

[LarryF]

Evening all, Happy Friday, it took it's time getting here. I just tried my first bottle of this and I really have to say that this is a big boy stout. I had an OG of 1050 and an FG of 1010 so I'm looking at about 5.5%ish. I primed 600ml bottles with a teaspoon of sugar and it's had 11 days in the warm and two days in the fridge since bottling. It's got a good head that thins as you drink it but it does stay and a rich dark texture to the beer. However the bitterness of the coffee (I'll go easier on the coffee next time) with it's underlying chocolate tones and the Aramis hops riding shotgun really take this somewhere near the limit of my taste preferences on the stout front. I'll drink them and I'll enjoy them but this is a second cousin removed to the Caribbean Guinness that's 7.5%. This is my second Coopers Stout and I have to say that next time (I have another in the cupboard, I'm a big fan) I will go very subtle on any added flavours (although I will use the coffee again as I like the bitterness) as the flavour of the Coopers Stout itself is very nice. My first Coopers Stout I flavoured as it came and just bumped up the ABV with 1kg of BE and 250g of light brown sugar. The flavour was charming with a hint of sweetness and I've drowned that out this time and I quite miss it. Well, you live and learn but I'll happily drink this lot and start planning the next lot

Just a quick update, I've absolutely grown to love this stout, I'm having a hard time not necking the lot. It's just so meaty, I have one and then I'm just gagging for another one, who'd have thought?

 

[Gingerbrews]

Know exactly what you mean. I've got 2 lots in bottles (80 pints and rapidly diminishing) which are almost irresistible!

 

[Tony1951]

Just a quick update, I've absolutely grown to love this stout, I'm having a hard time not necking the lot. It's just so meaty, I have one and then I'm just gagging for another one, who'd have thought?

A good friend's son is 21 in August. He is a Guinness drinker, so I think I'll brew him a keg of this and give it to him for his birthday. I reckon I'll do it with a kilo of Dark Malt Extract and leave it at that. Maybe a bit more original as a present than a voucher or a cheque.

 

[BeerCat]

Know exactly what you mean. I've got 2 lots in bottles (80 pints and rapidly diminishing) which are almost irresistible!

That wouldnt last me long either :)

 

[coupe3234]

Hi all

Started this on Monday and just tested gravity there and it's down to 1012 already. It went crazy for 24 hrs and then calmed down to a bubble every 30 seconds or so. Is this normal for this kit and if so would you say the fermentation is finished. I will still let it sit for the remainder of the 14 days until I bottle though.

 

[rodabod]

Hoping that it's maybe just what an extremely young turbo-charged Coopers Stout smells and tastes like.

Turns out I don't have an infection; it's just that a very unripe turbocharged stout tastes pretty manky.

Tasting better now. I've given it a full two weeks in the ferementor, and will give it another couple fermenting in the bottles.

My last batch smoothed out and improved, probably after six weeks or so.

 

[Tooly48]

Hi all, recently bought my first kit (coopers beer making kit, which came with lager), im substituting the lager for the stout, the kit comes with coopers brew enhancer 1, im looking to get a brew up to around 5% what do i need to add,, please forgive my ignorance.

 

[Tony1951]

Hi all, recently bought my first kit (coopers beer making kit, which came with lager), im substituting the lager for the stout, the kit comes with coopers brew enhancer 1, im looking to get a brew up to around 5% what do i need to add,, please forgive my ignorance.

From memory, I think the instructions suggest you add about a kilo of brew enhancer. I've done Cooper's stout brews with both 500g of Dark Malt Extract, and with a kilo of the same. They came out lovely - the kilo version with more depth and alcohol content. People have different tastes with kit beers and add all kinds of different stuff. I think it might be a good idea to follow the kit maker's instructions for the first one as they are experienced brewers with plenty of labs and experts to try out ways of making a beer that matches the style they are aiming at. One thing most experienced brewers warn against is adding ordinary sugar, except for carbonation.

The Cooper's stout is famous for a vigorous fermentation when it gets going.

 

[Tooly48]

Thanks Tony. I have 2 stouts so I will follow instructions for the first then mod the recipe for the second.

 

[Linalmeemow]

I did precisely what you did - subbed out the lager for the stout and used brew enhancer 1 where they recommend enhancer 2 for the stout. I also added half a tin of black treacle. It came out at around 5.1% and tastes great - it's hard work keeping friends from pinching it!

 

[Tooly48]

Hmmm got a tin of black treacle and 500g musavado sugar sitting in the cupboard, may try same as you Linalmeemow