Coopers Stout

[magic999]

Hi folks,

Going to start a brew this week and using the following..

Coopers Original Stout
1.2kg Coopers dark LME
1kg brew enhancer

I am going to reduce to 20 litres but I also have about 800g of light spray malt left over from another brew, but wondering if I should throw this in as well? Will the supplied yeast that came with the kit be sufficient enough to take this all on? Also, my FV is just the standard bucket without an airlock so just wondering if it will still be ok providing I put plenty of towels down etc and a towel on top of the lid?? I know a lot of people put treacle in there as well but just want to try it without it first as I am not a seasoned stout drinker but I like the odd Guinness and am very keen to try this next.

 

[CraftyZA]

It should. Just aerate a lot before hand. Yeast will multiply in the 1st 24 hours.
I've added 10kg of sugar to a marula cider/wine that took sg to well over 1090. This was 50l wort. Took 6 weeks to ferment down to 1010.
Bottled that as drinks, then added 2kg sugar and let it ferment another 2 weeks and made brandy with the last 15L
Managed to get 3.5 bottles of brandy out of it at 40%

 

[LarryF]

That's going to be quite a strong brew magic, the Coopers Stout with 1kg of Beer Enhancer will give you a SG of about 1040 and fermenting down to 1010 will give 4% ABV. A further tin of dark LME will kick that ABV considerably higher, as will the 800g of spray malt. On my last Coopers Stout I used 1kg BE and 100g of honey and ended up with an ABV of 6.8% brewed at 23L. I have also previously done a Coopers Stout with 1kg of BE and 454g of Lyons Golden Syrup and got about the same 6.8% at 23L The dark LME and the 800g spray malt would make a nice SMASH, where you make a brew using a single hop to really gauge it's flavour or a mix of hops and I'm sure you'd get a nice ale out of it.

PS I would suggest that you think about a blow off tube (check the how to section) Coopers Stout goes off like a rocket in the first few days.

 

[terrym]

Wot I did (twice)
-1 kit can
-500g Dark DME
-500g Golden Syrup
-100g Dark Muscavado sugar
-3 shots strong espresso coffee
Brewed short to 19 litres giving OG 1.047, FG 1.011 using kit yeast
As LarryF has said this kit is known for a vigorous primary, that's why I brewed short in my 25 litre FV. The krausen hit the lid but I didn't need the blow off tube.
None of the enhancement flavours overpower the others, it's just well balanced.
Better served from a PB, I prime with 80g table sugar and get a long lasting creamy head on the pint.
I was also drinking after about one week in the PB which I do not often do.

 

[Graz]

Going to have to make a batch of this.

Stopped doing 1 can kits in favour of the more premium 2 can variety years ago but this kit sounds a bit special given the number of threads about it on here.

 

[magic999]

Thanks for advice folks. For 20 litres, what is the best sugar to prime with and what measurements of sugar to water would you use for this? Thanks.

 

[terrym]

Thanks for advice folks. For 20 litres, what is the best sugar to prime with and what measurements of sugar to water would you use for this? Thanks.

My view on priming this kit is that table sugar (sucrose) or brewing sugar (dextrose) are as good or better than other sugars since they are predictable, and easy to use. If you wanted extra flavour from using other sugars e.g molasses why not just chuck it in at the beginning of the primary?
Look at http://www.brewersfriend.com/beer-priming-calculator/ for priming dosing rates which is easy to use and works.
So I use 80g table sugar or 85 g dextrose to a PB for 19 litres.

 

[00bygrees]

I got a batch of this underway on Sunday along with the following:

1kg Coopers Brew Enhancer 2
1/2 tin treacle
100g muscovado sugar

and brewed short to 19l. S.G. was 1.047
No sign of the krausen getting close to the lid, but it is a good couple of inches high.

I was wondering about how much to prime with, but think I will follow you, terry, with the 80g table sugar.
How long did yours stay in the FV?

 

[terrym]

How long did yours stay in the FV?

Five days at about 19*C to get to SG 1.011, racked off to another FV, another five days at same temperature then into the PB at the same SG.
I usually give it a few days longer before I bottle/barrel but didn't bother this time.
And I started to drink after about a week. Initially it was quite fruity but lost this with time.

 

[00bygrees]

Five days at about 19*C to get to SG 1.011, racked off to another FV, another five days at same temperature then into the PB at the same SG.
I usually give it a few days longer before I bottle/barrel but didn't bother this time.
And I started to drink after about a week. Initially it was quite fruity but lost this with time.

Thanks - what is the purpose of transferring it halfway into a different FV?

 

[Cqr]

Hi folks,

Going to start a brew this week and using the following..

Coopers Original Stout
1.2kg Coopers dark LME
1kg brew enhancer

I am going to reduce to 20 litres but I also have about 800g of light spray malt left over from another brew, but wondering if I should throw this in as well? Will the supplied yeast that came with the kit be sufficient enough to take this all on? Also, my FV is just the standard bucket without an airlock so just wondering if it will still be ok providing I put plenty of towels down etc and a towel on top of the lid?? I know a lot of people put treacle in there as well but just want to try it without it first as I am not a seasoned stout drinker but I like the odd Guinness and am very keen to try this next.

I did this but sugar in stead off kit enhance+ Nottingham yeast
Tastes toffee, malty

 

[terrym]

Thanks - what is the purpose of transferring it halfway into a different FV?

Principal objective for me is to help get the beer clear and reduce the yeast load going forward into bottles or PB, since you are removing it from the main yeast crop and remaining trub, but still leaving sufficient yeast in suspension to 'clean up after itself ' for a while after the primary has substantially finished. It's something that I do, but others don't bother or even avoid since they feel it comes with a risk of oxidation and/or contamination. For me the benefits outweigh the risks
You can leave the beer in the FV for longer (two weeks?) and/or cold crash and it will still have cleared a lot. Certainly if you left it long enough at a low temperature it will have pretty much cleared.

 

[00bygrees]

Principal objective for me is to help get the beer clear and reduce the yeast load going forward into bottles or PB, since you are removing it from the main yeast crop and remaining trub, but still leaving sufficient yeast in suspension to 'clean up after itself ' for a while after the primary has substantially finished. It's something that I do, but others don't bother or even avoid since they feel it comes with a risk of oxidation and/or contamination. For me the benefits outweigh the risks
You can leave the beer in the FV for longer (two weeks?) and/or cold crash and it will still have cleared a lot. Certainly if you left it long enough at a low temperature it will have pretty much cleared.

Makes sense - thanks.
I was planning on 10 days in the FV followed by a week in the PB to let it prime, then cold crashing it - but I'll see how things pan out!

 

[terrym]

Makes sense - thanks.
I was planning on 10 days in the FV followed by a week in the PB to let it prime, then cold crashing it - but I'll see how things pan out!

Sounds like a good plan, on the assumption you do the usual SG checks on at least two consecutive days to confirm that the primary is over before it goes in the PB.

 

[Bigcol49]

Hi!
I've just got a new PB and plan to brew Coopers stout to christen it.
My usual routine is 1 week in Primary, rack to Secondary, in Secondary for two weeks, cold condition two weeks, rack into Bottling bin and then into bottles.
Based on previous comments 13 and 14, should I use the PB as the Secondary vessel and leave the beer in there during the remainder of the routine?
It will mean more sediment in the PB - is this going to be an issue?

 

[terrym]

Hi!
I've just got a new PB and plan to brew Coopers stout to christen it.
My usual routine is 1 week in Primary, rack to Secondary, in Secondary for two weeks, cold condition two weeks, rack into Bottling bin and then into bottles.
Based on previous comments 13 and 14, should I use the PB as the Secondary vessel and leave the beer in there during the remainder of the routine?
It will mean more sediment in the PB - is this going to be an issue?

Based on my experience no, and especially since there is more than enough space at the bottom of the PB above the tap to accommodate a small quantity of settled yeast.
Your routine from pitching to bottling is far more rigorous than mine.
My normal practice (other than for this stout) for normal strength brews is usually 8/9 days in the FV, rack off (and dry hop) to a second FV and leave at fermenting temperature for a further 3/4 days, and then put in a cool place for 1/2 days more (if ambient temperatures allow), then bottle/barrel. The yeast load I get doing this is acceptable to me, and I use 2 litre bottles so it is fairly important to keep sediment quantities low.

 

[Bigcol49]

Thanks, terrym :thumb:

 

[wheazy_joe]

Started one of these on Saturday. Added 1kg of Brew Enhancer 1 and 95g of 100% cocoa powder boiled in couple of litres of water. Brewed to 22 litres. I've been surprised by the lack of activity, from reading other folks experiences I was expecting this to go like a rocket but it's been pretty sedate so far. A small had formed and there's the odd wee bubble forming but nothing too exciting.

Will keep an eye on it.

 

[IainM]

Hi wheazy_joe,
Fat from the cocoa powder lowers the ability to form bubbles in the krausen, so it could be that. That said, I did mine with just 500g dark DME and 1kg enhancer, brewed to 19 litres, and never got any crazy monkey brain. It finished at 1014, and tastes delicious. So nice, in fact, that I'm planning another one, but with 1kg BKE, 1kg dark DME and creme de cacao essence.

 

[wheazy_joe]

Hi wheazy_joe,
Fat from the cocoa powder lowers the ability to form bubbles in the krausen, so it could be that. That said, I did mine with just 500g dark DME and 1kg enhancer, brewed to 19 litres, and never got any crazy monkey brain. It finished at 1014, and tastes delicious. So nice, in fact, that I'm planning another one, but with 1kg BKE, 1kg dark DME and creme de cacao essence.

Hopefully it's just that and not a problem with the yeast. I've had a couple of sticky brews lately could do with this one going smoothly.