Dark Ale Kit - Advice on improvements

[andyd]

Hi All

Having made a few kits now since my return to brewing, I'm looking to branch out a little. AG brew in the new year maybe but first I have a couple of kits in hand to deal with. First up is a Coopers Dark Ale Kit, which I'm looking to customise/improve. I've already got a kg of dark spraymalt and 500g of beer kit enhancer that I'm planning to use.

What I was also considering was the addition of some chocolate malt or roast barley (or both?), say 200g in total. Steep this in hot water for 30 minutes, then remove the grain, add the dark spraymalt and 15g of Fuggles. Simmer for 10-15 minutes and then add into the kit.

Just an experiment to some extent but out of interest in trying to create a more complex flavour (not necessarily a stronger beer).

I'd welcome any advice/comment on ingredients/quantities/method.

Cheers

Andy

 

[hong]

Andy, I`ve just kegged my Coopers Dark ale tonight. I made mine with 2 jars of Holland & Barrett malt extract & 500g of dark unrefined sugar. I brewed it short to slightly over 4 gallons, & left it in the FV for 10 days. I didnt take a SG because i smashed my hydrometer So its in the keg now, with about 80g of dissolved sugar & i will leave it in the same place i brewed it for about 3-4 days maybe more, then put it in my garage where it its really cold for a couple of weeks or so, or until i cant resisit the urge anymore.
Please anyone, if this sounds ok or not advice is always welcome.
Cheers

 

[shocker]

You may want a bit longer in the house for a barrel to warm right through , a week maybe ?

 

[hong]

So, 1 week in the warm then into the cold yeah?

 

[doyley]

A good one I did recently was with 500g dark spraymalt and 500g demerara sugar. I boiled about 20 g Amarillo in a hop boiling bag in a couple of pints of water for ten minutes, removed the hops and added about 50 g of chocolate malt to steep for 30 mins. This was then strained off into the FV. Made with Shep's yeast cultured from a bottle of 1698, it was a cracking good brew. Be careful about using lots of roast barley, unless that is the taste you are going for.

 

[cask is best]

Can't offer you any advice but my Coopers dark ale has been in the barrel just over a month now six weeks at the most. and all i did was make it with ordinary sugar, room temp after barreling now in a cool place. It absolutely fantastic and improving week in week out. Definitely getting another one for the darker months yet to come.

: Enjoy

 

[andyd]

Doyley: thanks for the input, slightly different from my proposed method but same basic principle, that's helpful. Yes, I'm a little concerned about overdoing the flavour so perhaps I'll rein that back a little.

Cask is best: Good to get a recommendation for this. I've been very impressed with the Coopers IPA I made at the beginning of November (first brew for at least five years), hence my choice of another Coopers kit. It's been in the bottle for four weeks now, very easy to drink (too easy maybe :)). I used 1kg of light spraymalt in that but otherwise went with the standard kit.