Brewers Blog

May 18 2011, 2:45 PM Don Moore
Thanks for this recipe. I wrote my email to you without looking at this recipe. We can do this very easily. I have modified your brewing instructions. We mix the extract can contents in 3.5 US gal hot water in a stove pot, transfer it via a wort chiller to a glass carboy and add additional hot water the same way to bring the desired total fermentation volume, then add the yeast. When the fermentation begins to slow the wort is transferred to another carboy until the fermentation is complete. This is followed by transfer to another carboy into which the charging sugar has been added for the transfer to 12oz US brown bottles. It then aged for at least 28 days at room temperature before tasting. I encourage the brewers to wait even longer. Thanks for your help. Don

Jun 02 2011, 2:34 PM Makebeer
Don- Sounds like you added a few extra steps in there. Just make sure you don't boil the extract!

Jul 03 2011, 12:44 PM unionrdr
I've been using Cooper's cans in all my brews so far. I like the fact that the OS cans have a clean bittering only. I add half a 3lb bag of plain DME (1.5lbs) to 2.5 gallons of boiling water in the BK. Then sock up 1oz of hops & add to BK,setting timer for 20 minutes. At 10 minutes,add .5oz of 2nd hop. At flame out,add remaining .5oz of the 2nd hop for 10 minute steep with the lid on the brew kettle. Remove/drain hop sacks,stir in remaining 1.5lbs of DME. Then tgoroughly stir in Cooper's can,recover kettle,& allow to steep 15minutes. Chill kettle in ice water bath with floating thermometer down to 70F (21C). Then add to fermenter & top off to 23L. Stir like mad for 5 minutes to mix the wort & top off water,which isn't easy. You'll get a more accurate OG that way. And all those transfers aren't needed,as it's better to let the beer sit on the yeast cake a week or so after FG is reached to let the yeast clean up there by-products. It'll clear to a slight haze right there in primary. And the yeast will not die & foul anything,as was previously thought. 3-4 weeks in the bottle is plenty at room temp to condition the average gravity ale. Try these ideas,you may like them better!

Nov 30 2011, 6:19 PM Dennis
So there is no brew enhancer, dextrose, or dry malt? How about a recommended OG and FG? And maybe I picture of the brew? Sorry for the 20 questions I new to making beer....this will be my 2nd home brew so I need all the help I can get!

Dec 01 2011, 12:01 PM Makebeer
Hi Dennis, You are correct there is no brew enhancer, dextrose or dry malt needed. Our SG was something around 1.07 last time we brewed this at the office but i can't find my notes for the FG. Let us know if you have any other questions.

Dec 01 2011, 12:50 PM Dennis
Awesome! I'll let you know how it turns out.

Dec 01 2011, 1:36 PM Makebeer
Sounds great Dennis. Let us know if you have any questions about adding the hops.

Dec 02 2011, 8:45 AM Dennis
Now that you bring it up, are you just dry hopping by sprinkling them on top of the brew....no stirring? Or do you have them in a bag or something like that? Again sorry for all the questions! I can not wait to make it!!

Dec 02 2011, 12:51 PM Makebeer
Hey Dennis, No worries we are always happy to answer questions. When you dry hop you want to either purchase a muslin bag or wrap your hops in cheese cloth tie it off and drop it in. A great trick for getting the bag sink to the bottom is to throw a couple of marbles in with the hops. JUST REMEMBER TO SANITIZE THE MARBLES FIRST SO YOU DON'T RISK INFECTING YOUR BEER. Happy Brewing.

Jan 05 2012, 3:29 PM Aaron
What was the IBU for this beer? I was thinking of using 1/2 Chinook and 1/2 Cascade hops for the bittering as well as the piney flavor; and adding a little mint/honey or basil/honey. What do you think about that and exactly how much do you think I would need?

Jan 05 2012, 5:51 PM Makebeer
Hi Aaron, The bitterness of the Thomas Coopers Traditional Draught can be calculated with the formula listed bellow (Product Bitterness X 1.7)/Brew Volume. Based on my calculation the bitterness should be approximately 31.04 IBU. Since you are dry hopping your brew the hops should provide flavors without increasing the bitterness very much. Typically, the bitterness associated with adding hops to a brew occurs when you boil them first. The decision to add basil or mint to your brew really comes down to personal preference. The last time we brewed this beer it reminded me of an Alaskan Amber or a Manny’s Pale Ale. So if you have ever tried either of those beers and think they could benefit from Mint or Basil flavor then I would add one of them.

Feb 15 2012, 6:19 AM Pete Doherty
Hi, I brewed your Best Extra Stout (now in bottles) and now I have the Amber Ale brewing. I started it a week ago but I have concerns. First of all it never had fermentation "lift-off", nothing like the amount of foam that was generated by the stout (but maybe that is due to the amount of sugar in that?), at most there has been half an inch of foam on it. Would you expect much foam to be generated? This is my second brew so I don't have much to compare it to. O.G. was 1024. Today's S.G. is 0.992. Also, it was very amber colour, now it has gone very dark grey-brown. Time to chuck it? Or does any of that sound in any way normal? Thanks, Pete

Feb 15 2012, 11:30 AM Makebeer
@Pete that seems very low for original gravity for this beer. It should be over 1.040 with the amount of malt extract used. Regarding the foam, the yeast with the Traditional Draught kit is different than the yeast with the Stout. It is hybrid yeast. It is part ale and part lager strain. So it will ferment differently. I think the dark grey-brown is because of the sediment that is still in suspension. Give it another week or so before bottling. It should be fine.

Feb 15 2012, 11:43 AM Pete Doherty
@Makebeer Thanks for response. I should have said I'm using Safale US-05 yeast for the brew, so I don't know what sort of foam that strain should generate? I'm going to distill some water tonight and test my hydrometer to see if its reading correctly. Hopefully that is off and I can adjust my gravity readings so far. Thanks! Pete

Feb 17 2012, 5:07 PM Makebeer
@Pete I used Safale on this brew as well and I testify that the krausen was much lighter user the Safeale.