There has been a lot of interest in football lately in my family. My son's junior football team made it all the way to the championship game. He has become a big Tom Brady fan -- he wants to buy his jersey. Oh well. It's too late for that now. My prediction for the game is that we'll see a tough grind it out game decided in the waning moments of the fourth quarter. At least I hope so. I really don't root for either team but I'm going to go with the Giants because it appears that all this late season mojo has been going for them.

Let's hear what you have in mind?

Cheers

Your home brew is done fermenting and it’s time to start bottling the culmination of your time and effort. Now for those of us who have a couple of brews under their belts this seems relatively easy. But for an inexperienced brewer bottling your first beer can be a little intimidating.  You might be wondering how full do I fill my bottles or how do I bottle without making a mess. Bellow are some tips for making sure the your first bottling day is a success. 

The Set Up: If you have a dishwasher place your fermenter above the dishwasher on the counter and open the dishwasher door making sure that it is fully extended. The dishwasher door will act as a drip tray and should catch any drips from the bottle filler. 

How Much Beer Per Bottle: A general guideline is to fill the bottle to the top. Due to displacement caused by the bottle filler roughly one inch of space will be left once the bottling device is removed leaving the perfect amount of space for carbonation to occur. 

After filling each bottle and adding the appropriate amount of sugar or carbonation drops proceed to tighten the cap as tight you can before turning the bottle upside down several times. Once your brew is bottled store in a dark place like a cupboard at room temperature.

With February just around the corner people are starting to think about Valentines Day. But if you’re a beer enthusiast you can’t help but think of Stouts. Whether you are eagerly awaiting the release of an Oatmeal Stout from your favorite brewery or starting to think about brewing a Stout for St. Patrick’s Day. February might as well be renamed Stoutuary.

So in honor of Stoutuary quickly approaching lets take a quick look into the history of Stouts.  The term stout was originally used to describe stronger beers that had a relatively high alcohol content in comparison to the beers of today. So back in the 14^th century an ale, pilsner, lager could be described as stout depending on the alcohol content.  It wasn’t until the early 1800s that Guiness started brewing a Stout Porter  leading to the phasing out of stout as an term to describe the strength of a beer. Eventually, porter was dropped from the name and the style of Stouts we drink today was created.

So in preparation in for Stoutuary and St. Patrick's Day, the day when every one has some Irish in them, start brewing your Stouts now. The rich blend of coffee, chocolate and grain aromas will only improve with time. In fact you can age or cellar you stouts for up to 2 years with out risking off flavors.  So Get a jump jump start on Stoutary and St. Patrick's Day with our Original Stout and Irish Stout packages. Or if you feeling a little more ambitious and craving something a bit stronger consider our Best Extra Stout or Stouter Stout. 

When home brewers hear sanitation we usually  start thinking about our fermenters. But let us not forget where our tasty brew spends most of its time…bottles. Proper sanitation of your bottles is crucial to crafting the perfect home brew. 

Now conventional wisdom states that when cleaning or sanitizing something elbow grease and cleaning solution is the best route. However, when it comes to PET bottles elbow grease can actually do more harm than good. Rigorous cleaning of your bottles with a brush or sponge can lead to microscopic scratches, which in turn can become home to bacteria.

At this point you may be thinking if I can’t scrub the hell out of my bottles to get them clean, what can I do.  The answer is simple! Next time you are sanitizing your fermenter in preparation for next brew throw the bottles in there too. We recommend soaking them for at least 10-15 minutes.

Brew Master Tips: 
Tip 1: Rinse every bottle out as soon as you’re done drinking it. Just make sure not to leave any water in the bottom of the bottle to stagnate tell your next brew. Rinsing your bottles as soon as you empty them is a sure fire way to get prevent any sediment build up. 
Tip 2:  For people who didn't follow Tip 1 and find themselves with caked on sediment in the bottom of the bottle the dishwasher can help. Sanitize your bottles and then place them in dishwasher without soap. Make sure the heat dry option isn't on when you are washing your bottles. 

So this year we challenge our home brewers to brew the best beer they can possibly brew to serve at their Super Bowl gathering. The stakes will be high your guest will be bombarded by commercials featuring the Budweiser Horses and good looking women. But if you are a true master of your craft, your guests will be mocking those beer commercials and toasting your home brew.

So before you take down your holiday decorations, break out your fermenter sanitize it and start brewing! This way your beer will have time to age before the big game.  

Brew Master's Recommendations for Super Bowl Sunday 

• Best Extra Stout
• American Amber Ale

The age old saying it is better to give than receive may not be true if you’re the one giving away tickets to the Superbowl. But it definitely plays true when giving the gift of home brew.  The personal satisfaction you get from sharing the culmination of your efforts and time in the form of a tasty beverage is unmatched.  

So embrace the spirit of the holidays and invite your family and friends to sample some of your tasty home brews over a warm meal or happy hour. Or if you are going to be out of town for the holidays but still want to give the gift of home brewing consider giving someone a Make Beer.Net gift card. 

Now typically when we think about adding additional hops, we automatically start thinking about bitterness. However, because the flavoring or aroma hops are not boiled you get the flavor associated with the hops without the bitterness. 

What Types of Hops to Use: Finishing or aroma hops such as Cascade, Saaz or Fuggles.

How to Dry Hop: Purchase a Musiln Bag or Cheese Cloth and put 1 to 2 ounces of hops in before sealing the bag or cloth and placing it in the fermenter. Brew Master Tip: Sanitize Marbles and put them in with the hops guaranteeing the bag will fall to the bottom and diffuse the flavors more evenly. We recommend leaving the hops in for 3 to 5 days based on your desired effects.

When to Dry Hop: Dry Hopping should only occur once the head generated from the fermentation is gone. In other words don’t drop the hops in when there is still foam from the fermentation.  

If you are eager to start dry hopping check out a couple recipes from our Brew Master including; our March Madness IPA, American Amber Ale or Cascadian Dark Ale.

• I will only use fresh, clean water in my efforts to produces great tasting home brews! If I won’t drink it, I will not brew with it!
• I will maintain the ideal temperature of 18-27 Celsius during fermentation to guarantee my brew ferments properly.
• I will only bottle or keg my delicious beer after the Final Gravity (FG) has remained constant for 24 to 48 hours and I know my beer is done fermenting.
• I will appreciate that great tasting beer takes time to develop and I must be patient and let my home brew age.
• I will carefully sanitize my equipment before and after brewing to prevent my home brew from becoming infected. 
• I will share my enthusiasm for home brewing with my friends and family while managing not to give away all my home brew.
• I will plan out my seasonal brews and brew them long before they are meant to be consumed to give them time to properly develop. 
• Think we are missing something? Let us know and we'll add it to the creed. 

Now that Thanksgiving is over it’s time for the holiday season to kick into high gear. For those of you braving the crazed crowds of shoppers this weekend, good luck and remember to be civil. But if you’re like me and plan to stay in this weekend, there is a lot to enjoy at the football buffet table as today marks the start of College Football Rivalry Weekend.

So kick back this weekend, fix yourself some tasty Thanksgiving leftovers, pour yourself a home brew and get ready to enjoy one of the  greatest weekends of the year for college football fans. This weekend football teams across the nation will take to the gridiron to battle their most hated rivals. Bragging rights well be earned and lost and a few upsets are sure to occur.

To learn more about the top college rivalry games this weekend click here.

• 1 Pound of Bacon
• 2 (8 Ounce) Cans of Water Chestnuts
• 1 Pack of Tooth Picks 
• 1 Cup of BBQ Sauce
• 1 Cup of Your Favorite Beer 

Now don’t worry folks you might be thinking what does Chili have to do with Home Brew. The answer is simple both improve with time and both taste delicious. Time allows the flavors in both Chili and Beer to blend together and improve. So keep things simple and cook up your Chili 1-2 days ahead of time. The recipe calls for the use of an IPA or Pilsner, but any type of beer is a great to drink with Chili.

Ingredients Need:

• 2 slices thick-cut bacon, finely chopped 
• 1 large onion, finely chopped 
• 1 large glove of garlic clove, minced
• 1 1/2 pounds of lean ground beef
• 1-1/2 table spoons of chili powder
• 1 1/2 tea spoons of smoked Spanish paprika 
• 1/2 to 1 1/2 tea spoons of cayenne pepper  
• 1 tea spoon of salt 
• 1 can (14.5 oz.) crushed tomatoes 
• 1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce 
• 1 cup of beer( Indian Pale Ale or Pilsner) 
• 1 tea spoon of Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 can (14.5 oz.) pinto beans, drained 

Time just like water quality plays a huge role in a home brewer’s ability to make a great beer. Too often we get caught up with following the processes and procedures of brewing and neglect the really important stuff, such as giving our beer time to properly develop. 

I like to think I am a mature adult but once I have brewed a beer I am like a kid on Christmas morning. Only instead of opening gifts I am chomping-at-the-bit to pour myself a home brew and relax.

At a minimum, we suggest waiting at least two weeks after bottling before consuming your brew. However, there are multiple benefits to waiting longer. To help you and me avoid the temptation of cracking into our home brew too early here are a few reasons why you should wait.

Simply put, allowing a beer to age will improve the quality and smoothness of your homebrew. Whether you are brewing a basic draught beer or a more complex recipe like our American Amber Ale, flavors take time to develop. The longer you age a beer the more time you allow for the flavor intertwine and mingle leaving you with a great tasting beer.

Now don’t go overboard folks. We are not advocating that your turn you spare bedroom into a beer cellar and age your homebrews for four years. We are simply suggesting that you age your beer roughly two to four months for best results. Each beer is different so we encourage TASTE TESTING to determine the how long to age your home brew.

It seems like making a Pumpkin Ale is all the rage this time of year. I can't say that it is a type of beer that I really enjoy. But I have tried a couple of versions that impressed me. It's just that I didn't think I would want to make 20 liters of it. But you never know until you try. So last week I was in search of a pumpkin to use in my next home brew. I failed. So I decided to give sweet potatoes a go. Why not? They have a similar texture and they have more sweetness. I can use the same spices I would use to make a Pumpkin Ale. "Perfect." So I guess this blog entry should be titled "Sweet Potato Ale." However my feeling is that you can easily substitute the vegetable.

My ingredients:

Procedures:

I've tasted some samples and it tastes good. I plan to keg this batch.

Last Friday I put together my second brew using my new DIY beer kit. This time I brewed the Coopers Sparkling Ale using the Complete Sparkling Ale package and the reactivated yeast from 4 commercial Coopers Pale bottles. To be specific, my ingredients were the Coopers Sparkling Ale beer kit, 1 can of Coopers Unhopped Light Malt Extract, 500 grams of Coopers Dry Malt Extract, 400 grams of Coopers Dextrose, the reactivated yeast and the sachet of yeast that came with the beer kit for good measure.

So far it has been fermenting at an average temperature of 68F. It appears to be doing quite well. Check out the pictures of my fermenter. This is after 4 days.

 

My next brew I am considering making a lawn mower lager "light" with lime based on a recipe from Chris Crosby who is one of our Facebook fans. We're waiting for Chris to post the recipe to the fan page.

Cheers!!

Coopers, encourage home brewers to use the yeast from naturally conditioned Coopers ales. The same ale strain is used across the range - Mild Ale, Pale Ale, Dark Ale, Sparkling Ale, Best Extra Stout and Extra Strong Vintage Ale.

There are numerous documented techniques, with varying levels of complexity, for re-activating the yeast in naturally conditioned beer. The method described below may leave some readers, experienced in growing yeast cultures, aghast. “What! No stir plate, no malt, no alcohol swabs, no nutrient, no way! However, for Coopers yeast, it works...

Method
1. Buy a six pack of Coopers Original Pale Ale and place upright in the fridge for about a week for the yeast to settle.
2. Mix about 600ml of boiling water and 4 tablespoons of dextrose/sugar in a pyrex jug, cover with cling-wrap and leave to cool in the fridge for about 30mins.
3. Open 4 bottles and decant the beer into a jug, leaving behind the yeast sediment - about a couple of centimetres.
4. Pour the sugared water equally into each bottle, cover with cling-wrap and secure with a rubber band.
5. Shake the bottles then place them in a dark spot at a temperature in the mid 20’s C or around 70 F
6. Give the bottles a shake in the morning and at night to keep the yeast in suspension.
7. After around 2 to 3 days the yeast should become active and begin forming a head.
8. Pitch the active yeast into a brew immediately or store in the fridge for about a week. Just remember to pull it out of the fridge to warm for couple of hours prior to pitching.

Some additional points to keep in mind;
- start with more yeast by using all 6 bottles,
- buy beer with the freshest yeast (ie. latest “Best After” date),
- lower alcohol content is better (mild ale or pale ale),
- it’s okay to hold the culture at slightly higher temps to promote a quicker reactivation,
- one sanitised vessel (approx 1 litre) may be used rather than separate bottles,
- make sure the culture smells okay before pitching,
- buy another 6 pack for each culture and
- don’t forget to drink the decanted beer  

1. A temperature controller
2. A heat source (light bulb)
3. An air circulating fan (computer cooling fan)

The first is using the Mexican Cerveza Complete Beer Package ingredients-

-Mexican Cerveza Beer Kit
-Brew Enhancer #2
-Carbonation Drops

Method
1. Dissolve Coopers Brew Enhancer 2 in 2 liters of hot water as per instruction on the top flap.
2. Add Coopers Mexican Cerveza and dissolve.
3. Fill fermenter with cool water to the 23 liter mark and stir.
4. Sprinkle supplied yeast over the wort surface.
5. Try to keep the ferment temperature at 21°C.
6. Bottle when specific gravity has reached 1.008 (or two readings the same over 24 hours).

The second is using the recipe on the Coopers website that they refer to as Aztec Gold-

-Mexican Cerveza Beer Kit
- 500 grams Light Dry Malt
-Carbonation Drops

Method-
1. Dissolve Coopers Light Dry Malt in 2 liters of hot water as per instruction on the top flap.
2. Add Coopers Mexican Cerveza and dissolve.
3. Fill fermenter with cool water to the 21 liter mark and stir.
4. Sprinkle supplied yeast over the wort surface.
5. Try to keep the ferment temperature at 21°C.
6. Bottle when specific gravity has reached 1.008 (or two readings the same over 24 hours).

The difference between the two is obviously the Brew Enhancer 2 and the Light Dry Malt and different levels of water 21L v 23L. The preferred way in our office is with the BE2 but the Aussies swear the Aztec Gold method makes a beer that you could easily mistake for a Corona. The Aztec gold method will give you more mouth feel while the BE2 method will be a more clean taste.

Any other brewers have a successful Mexican Cerveza recipe they like?

I think I'm going to break out one of my Mardi Gras Pilseners even though they are no doubt too green. I bottled about 4 740 ml bottles of the Pilsener and the rest is lagering in a keg. This beer is quite good considering it's age. No off flavors. The flavors just need to meld together and there is a lot of alcohol heat.

Since my March Madness IPA was such hit I decided to make another one. This time I am going to bump up the bitterness level and add hops at several different intervals. My ingredients are:

1 can Coopers IPA beer kit
1 can Coopers Unhopped Light Malt Extract
1 pkg Coopers Dry Malt Extract (500 grams)
1 oz Simcoe hops
1 oz Citra hops
1 oz Amarillo hops
2 sachets of Coopers original series yeast

Method
Add the Dry Malt Extract to a brew pot. Add about 4 liters of hot water to the pot to dissolve the dry malt extract. Bring this mixture to a boil and then add the Simcoe hops. After about 30 minutes add about 1/2 oz of Citra hops, After about another 10 minutes add about 1/2 oz of Amarillo hops. After about another 10 minutes add the remaining Citra and Amarillo hops.  Boil for another 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, add the syrup from the IPA kit and the unhopped malt can to the fermenter. Once the boiling mixture is complete, strain the hops and add to the fermenter. Now stir to make sure that all of the liquid is adequately mixed. Top up to the 23 liter mark with cold drinking water. Stir again to make sure all of the liquid is adequately mixed. Add the yeast when the temperature of the wort is around 70F. Try to bring the temperature of the wort down to 65 F (I use an ice bath).  Ferment until complete (at least 2 weeks). Bottle or keg. Enjoy!

Cheers! 

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1. 1 Thomas Coopers Pilsener beer kit
2. 2 pkgs of Coopers Dry Malt Extract
3. 1 oz of Saaz hops

For the method of how I made the beer, watch the video.

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Time to prepare- 30 minties
Total Cook time- 6-8 hours

What you will need:

-Slowcooker/Crock Pot
-4 pounds corned beef brisket (flat cut works best)
-1 cup brown sugar
-20 ounces of Coopers Irish Stout Home Brew
-Vegetable(s) of your choice such as cabbage, new potatoes, onion or carrot.

1. Rinse the beef completely and pat dry. 
   
2. Place the brisket in the slowcooker. Rub the brown sugar on the corned beef to coat entire beef, including the bottom. (If your corned beef came with a spice packet you can also use this.  I have done this with and without the spice packet and both turned out great!)
   
3. Pour the Irish Stout beer around, and gently over the beef to wet the sugar.  Depending on the cut of your meat you may need to add or subtract the amount of beer you use.  Try and make sure the meet is covered.
   
4. Cook on the low setting for at least 3-4 hours.
5. 2 1/2 hours before serving add your choice of vegetables and switch to the setting to high.  (If adding cabbage add to pot only 1 hour before serving)
   
   Enjoy!

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Ingredients-

1 Coopers Real Ale Kit
500 grams of Coopers Light Dry Malt
25g US Northern Brewer Hops (or Cluster)
White Labs WLP810 or Wyeast 2112, alternatively you can use the Coopers yeast in the Real Ale Kit

Directions-

In 2 Liters of boiling water dissolve the light dry malt in the fermenting tub and add the contents of the Real Ale can.
*Add the light dry malt slowly while stiring to avoid clumping*

Steep the hops using a straining cloth for 15mins in a liter of water just taken off the boil and strain into the fermenting tub.

Mix thoroughly then top up with cool water to the 18 liter mark and stir vigorously.

Stir in the wet yeast or sprinkle on the dry yeast, seal and ferment between 18°C and 22°C.(64°-72°F)

Bottle once the SG readings are stable over a couple of days and prime at the normal rate, 8g of white sugar per litre (2 carbonation drops per 740ml PET bottle).

Serve cold in a clean glass.  Makes 18 Liters. 4.5% ABV. ENJOY! 

THE TECHNIQUE: BEER BRINED

Brining—soaking the bird in salt water—creates juicy turkey. Here, stout beer and barley malt syrup add a richness to the brine, which infuses the meat with flavor. And the malt glaze gives the bird a crisp, burnished skin.



Glaze

-2/3 cup Barley Malt (You can use the Coopers Light, Amber or Dark Malt Extract)

-1/4 cup malt vinegar or apple cider vinegar 

-6 fresh sage sprigs 

-4 fresh thyme sprigs 

-1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 

-2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter



Brine, Turkey, and Aromatics

-4 quarts water 

-2 cups Diamond Crystal coarse kosher salt or 1 1/2 cups Morton coarse kosher salt 

-3 12-ounce bottles stout beer (such as Coopers Stout) 

-1 1/2 cups barley malt syrup 

-1 14- to 16-pound turkey 

-2 teaspoons ground black pepper 

-2 peeled onions, quartered 

-2 celery stalks, cut into chunks

-1 bunch fresh sage 

-1 bunch fresh thyme 

-1 unpeeled head of garlic, cut crosswise in half 

-3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 

-2 cups (or more) water 



Special Equipment

-2 turkey-size oven bags 

-Turkey lacing pins 

-Charcoal chimney (if grilling) 

-13x9x2-inch disposable aluminum baking pan (to catch drips; if grilling) 

PREPARATION

Glaze

-Bring malt syrup, vinegar, herbs, and pepper to boil in small saucepan, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low and simmer until glaze coats spoon, 4 to 5 minutes. Mix in butter. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill. Rewarm before using.

Brine, Turkey, and Aromatics

-Pour 4 quarts water into 16-quart nonreactive bowl or pot. Add salt; stir to dissolve. Mix in beer and malt syrup. Insert 1 oven bag into second bag; place in large bowl. Rinse turkey inside and out. Slide turkey, breast side down, into doubled bag. Pour brine into bag. Press out any air; seal bags. Chill turkey in brine (still in bowl) 16 to 18 hours.



-Remove turkey from brine. Pat very dry, inside and out, with paper towels. Sprinkle main cavity with 2 teaspoons pepper; fill with onions, celery, sage, thyme, and garlic. Close cavity with turkey lacing pins. Tuck wing tips under; brush all over with oil.

To Roast Turkey

-Set oven rack at lowest position; preheat to 350°F. Place turkey on rack in roasting pan; add 2 cups water.



-Roast turkey 2 hours. Brush with glaze; add water if pan is dry. Roast 30 minutes. Brush with glaze. Tent with foil if browning too quickly. Roast until thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 165°F, 30 to 45 minutes. Brush with more glaze. Transfer to platter; let rest 30 minutes (temperature will rise 5 to 10 degrees).

To Grill Turkey



-Prepare barbecue (medium heat). Remove top grill rack. If using charcoal, light briquettes in chimney. When briquettes are covered with white ash, push to opposite sides of bottom grill rack, leaving center empty. Place disposable aluminum pan in center of rack (you will need to light additional briquettes, checking every 30 minutes during grilling time). Replace top grill rack. If using 3-burner gas grill, light burners on left and right sides, leaving center burner off. If using 2-burner gas grill, light burner on 1 side; place disposable pan over unlit side.



-Place turkey, breast side up, on grill rack over disposable pan. Cover barbecue. Insert instant-read thermometer into hole in hood. Maintain temperature as close as possible to 350°F on charcoal grill by opening vents to increase temperature and closing vents to reduce temperature or adjusting temperature on gas grill with controls. Cook turkey 2 hours, tenting loosely with foil if browning too quickly. Brush turkey with glaze. Cover grill; cook 30 minutes longer. Brush again with glaze. Cook until thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 165°F, about 30 minutes longer. Transfer turkey to platter. Brush with glaze. Let rest 30 minutes (temperature will rise 5 to 10 degrees).

21 Liter/5.5 US Gallons
1 Coopers Australian Bitter Kit
1.5 lbs Sugar
11 ounces LME or 9 ounces DME. Any color is fine.
PS Yeast that comes with kit
4-5 ounces fresh Ginger root

-Add sugar and extract to 2 quarts of boiling water to dissolve. Add to fermenter and top off to 5.5 gallons. Pitch the yeast that came with the kit. Ferment at 60F but plan on starting in the 70's to obtain a quicker start before dropping the temp.

-After primary fermentation (about 10 days) prepare to rack to a secondary. Get a piece of ginger root about 4-5 ounces. Cut out any bad spots and dice. Bring enough water to a boil to cover the diced ginger. Add ginger and boil for a minute or two to sanitize. Add the ginger and water to the secondary and rack beer.

-The ginger will create some new fermentation activity. After this done and the beer has dropped clear it's time to bottle. Carbonate on the high side and serve cold.

Brewer's Notes:
This is meant to be a light, very easy drinking crowd pleaser. The sugar really lightens the body and allows for a drier finish that helps with the drinkability along with its 4.7% ABV. The high carbonation and cold serving temps will give almost a ginger ale type effect. Just about any sugar can be used with the exception of dark brown. Light brown should be just fine.

This recipe was submitted by PT.

1.7kg Coopers Home Brew (Lager, Draught, Real Ale or Dark Ale)
1 kg Light Dry Malt - or 2 boxes
250g Brown Sugar
1 star anise
2 sticks cinnamon
1 vanilla bean pod
2 tblspns coriander seeds
1 oz saaz hops (or aroma hop of your choice)
Active Coopers yeast culture (or yeast of your choice). Watch video here on how to culture the yeast from bottles of the commercial Coopers Pale Ale.

Hints:
1. Choose a Home Brew can depending on the final color and bitterness desired.  Keeping in mind that bitterness softens in the bottle over time.
2. Simmer spices and hops for 15 mins in 2 liters of water and strain.
3. If pitching dry yeast try to use at least 15g.
4. Bottle when two SG readings are the same over consecutive days.
5. Some of the flavors and aromas may seem wrong when the beer is young but, given time, they should meld together.

Here's something else that might interest you. This is a recipe that was submitted by PT who has a Youtube handle of yartp. The beer that he made can best be described as a "Macro" beer in the style of Victoria Bitter. PT is an accomplished homebrewer and I will defer to him to describe his beer.

Description:

Deep golden color
Adjunct lager type aroma with very little malt and no hops
Carbonation should be on the high side and served ice cold.
Medium dry with a firm bitter finish. A certain twang from high percentage of sucrose.
Overall a very refreshing, drinkable beer.

Recipe:

Makes 5.5 Gallons/21 Liters
-Coopers Australian Bitter kit
-750 grams Cane Sugar
-250 grams DME
-Kit yeast

-Bring 1 quart of water to a boil. Turn heat off, add DME to dissolve. Add to fermenter with 3 quarts of cool water. Pitch yeast when wort is below 80 F and keep between 70-80 degrees for 2 days.
-On day 2 add 2 quarts of water and the 750 grams of sugar in a pot. Bring to a boil. Turn off heat and add Australian Bitter kit. Combine with 3.5 gallons of prechilled water and add to bucket from day one.
-Ferment at 60 degrees for 10-14 days.
-Rack to secondary for 2 weeks at near freezing temps.
-Bottle as usual.

Watch this video of the tasting. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zN9Ss9k9Tzw

There are a limited amount of the Australian Beer kit available at a 50% discount. Act fast!  

Coopers Imperial IPA

Ingredients
1.7kg Original Series Draught beer kit
1.7kg Premium Series IPA
500 gram of Coopers Dry Malt Extract
8 oz. of 20L Crystal Malt
6 oz Centennial Hops
The kit yeast - preferably making a starter
Made to 23 litres
Start ferment at 70F then go down to 65F.

Procedures
- Add Crystal malt to 2 liters of water in a pot.
- Heat up to just under boiling. Remove from heat and let sit for a few minutes.
- Strain liquid into another pot (leaving the grain behind). Bring liquid to a boil. Add 2 oz. of Centennial hops. After 5 minutes add an additional 2 oz. of Centennial hops. Continue boiling for another 5 minutes.
- Add Dry Malt to fermenter.
- Strain the hot liquid into the fermenter (leaving the hops behind).
- Add the hopped concentrate from the beer kits to the fermenter.
- Top up to 23 liters with cold water.
- Add the yeast from the kits when temperature is below 70 F.
- After vigorous fermentation is complete (about 5 days), add the last 2 oz. of Centennial hops to the fermenter (using a muslin bag or cheese cloth).
- Keep the hops in the fermenter for 20 days or until bottling, whatever is shorter.
 

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Cascadian Dark Ale - 23 Liters

The recipe should make a beer at approx 6.5% A/Vol.

Ingredients
2 1.7kg can Coopers Dark Ale kits
500g Coopers Dry Malt Extract
2 oz. Amarillo hops
2 oz. Cascade hops
1 pkg Coopers Coopers Carbonation Drops
Optional - Recultured yeast from Coopers Pale Ale bottles. Watch This

Method - The easiest way to learn how to make this beer is to watch this video.
1. Add 500 gm of Dry Malt to pot. Add 2 liters of hot water. Shake pot to dissolve Dry Malt.
2. Bring Dry Malt solution to a boil and add 1 oz each of the Amarillo and Cascade hops.
3. Boil for 5 minutes
4. Add 2 cans of Coopers Dark Ale to the fermenter.
5. Add Dry Malt solution to fermenter straining out the hops. Mix the ingredients.
6. Top the fermenter to the 23 liter mark with cold water.
7. Ferment temperature should be as close to 20deg C as possible.
8. After vigorous fermentation is complete, add remaining hops to fermenter using a muslin bar or cheese cloth
9. Bottle when specific gravity has reached 1.009 (or two readings the same over 24 hours).

From BJCP style guidelines:

3B. Oktoberfest
Aroma: Rich German malt aroma (of Vienna and/or Munich malt). A light to moderate toasted malt aroma is often present. Clean lager aroma with no fruity esters or diacetyl. No hop aroma. Caramel aroma is inappropriate.

Appearance: Dark gold to deep orange-red color. Bright clarity, with solid, off-white, foam stand.

Flavor: Initial malty sweetness, but finish is moderately dry. Distinctive and complex maltiness often includes a toasted aspect. Hop bitterness is moderate, and noble hop flavor is low to none. Balance is toward malt, though the finish is not sweet. Noticeable caramel or roasted flavors are inappropriate. Clean lager character with no diacetyl or fruity esters.

Mouthfeel: Medium body, with a creamy texture and medium carbonation. Smooth. Fully fermented, without a cloying finish.

Overall Impression: Smooth, clean, and rather rich, with a depth of malt character. This is one of the classic malty styles, with a maltiness that is often described as soft, complex, and elegant but never cloying.

Comments: Domestic German versions tend to be golden, like a strong Pils-dominated Helles. Export German versions are typically orange-amber in color, and have a distinctive toasty malt character. German beer tax law limits the OG of the style at 14?P since it is a vollbier, although American versions can be stronger. Fest type beers are special occasion beers that are usually stronger than their everyday counterparts.

History: Origin is credited to Gabriel Sedlmayr, based on an adaptation of the Vienna style developed by Anton Dreher around 1840, shortly after lager yeast was first isolated. Typically brewed in the spring, signaling the end of the traditional brewing season and stored in cold caves or cellars during the warm summer months. Served in autumn amidst traditional celebrations.

Perhaps the European Lager Beer kit could be the base for this brew, even though it contains some aromatic hop??

1.7kg European Lager beer kit
500g Light Dry Malt
200g (7 oz.) Crystal or Cararoma malt or Munich Malt
15g of European Lager yeast + the kit yeast
Made to 20 litres
Start ferment at 24C for 12hrs then draw down to 15C

Heat the 2 liters of water to between 150 and 170 degrees F, and then add the grains. The grains should be crushed to expose the sugars within the grain. It is usually best to put the grains in a grain bag to make them easy to remove, however you can remove the grains by running the hot mixture through a strainer if necessary.

The grain bag will float at the top of the mixture. Leave it in and attempt to hold a constant temperature for 20-30 minutes. If you leave it in too long or steep at temperatures above 170F you will extract excessive tannins which will result in a dry astringent flavor in the finished beer.

Add the Dry Malt extract to the fermenter. Add the 2 liters of liquid to the fermenter. Shake the fermenter to dissolve the dry malt extract. Add the European Lager beer kit to the fermenter. Stir to dissolve. Top up with cold water to the 20 liter mark.

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Zephyr Light - 23 Liters

STEP 1: Mix
Coopers Original Series Draught Home Brew produces a flavor and aroma suited to making Light Beer. The recipe should make a beer at approx 2.9%A/Vol.

Ingredients
1.7kg can Coopers Draught
100g Dextrose/Sugar

Method
1. Dissolve Coopers Draught and Dextrose/Sugar in 2 litres of hot water.
2. Fill fermenter with cool water to the 23 litre mark and stir.
3. Sprinkle supplied yeast over the wort surface.
4. Ferment temperature should be as close to 20degC as possible.
5. Bottle when specific gravity has reached 1.006 (or two readings the same over 24 hours).

STEP 2: Brew
A thinner brew (lower Original Gravity) will make a beer with less alcohol. Where possible, make the brew thinner by reducing additional sugars rather than increasing total volume (dilution of the home brew can contents will dilute the final beer flavour). In most cases dried ale yeast requires some simple sugar. Add at least 100g sucrose/dextrose in 23 litres to assist with fermentation. To avoid the risk of overcarbonation - glass bottles may explode - only bottle your brew when the fermentation process is complete. Fermentation is complete when the density of the brew remains constant over 2 days. We recommend the use of a hydrometer to check the specific gravity (density) of your brew.

STEP 3: Bottle
Bottles need to be primed so that secondary fermentation (producing the gas in the bottle) can take place We recommend the use of PET bottles or reusable glass bottles designed for storing beer. For information about kegging see the FAQ section. Priming:  Add carbonation drops at the rate of 1 per 330ml/375ml bottle and 2 per 740ml/750ml bottle. Sugar or dextrose may be used at the rate of 8g per litre (approximately 6g of sugar to a level metric teaspoon). Store the bottles out of direct sunlight at 18 deg C or above for at least 1 week while secondary fermentation occurs. Your beer can be consumed after 2 weeks. Bottles may be stored (conditioned) for long periods of time (3 months or more). Conditioning should improve flavor, reduce the size of the bubbles and make the yeast sediment more compacted.

STEP 4: Enjoy
While we recommend leaving your bottles to condition at or above 18 deg C for at least 2 weeks - you may find that your brew benefits from further conditioning. Light Beer is normally consumed as a bright beverage. Keep your bottles standing upright and pour the brew in the one motion leaving the sediment behind in the bottle. Home Brewed light beer is low in alcohol but packed with plenty of flavor!

Ingredients:

• 1 can Coopers Wheat Beer Concentrate Kit
• 500 grams Coopers Light Dry Malt Extract
• 300 grams Coopers Dextrose
• 1/2 lb. clover honey
• 4 lbs. fresh raspberries
• Coopers Carbonation Drops

Procedures

• Purée the raspberries and mix into 1 liter of hot water on the stove. This sanitizes the fruit. Allow to cool, the strain into your Coopers fermenter
• Add 2 liters of hot water to your Coopers fermenter.
• Mix in Wheat Beer Concentrate Kit, Light Dry Malt Extract, Dextrose and honey. Be sure to get all the ingredients well dissolved.
• Mix in raspberry purée.
• Top up fermenter to 21 liters with cold water.
• Cool to fermentation temperature (below 21°C/73°F) and add yeast.
• At bottling time add one Coopers Carbonation Drop to each 12 oz/375ml bottle.
• Condition in bottle 2-4 weeks.

2 pounds ground beef chuck
1 pound bulk Italian sausage
3 (15 ounce) cans chili beans, drained
1 (15 ounce) can chili beans in spicy sauce
2 (28 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with juice
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 large yellow onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 green chile peppers, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon bacon bits
4 cubes beef bouillon
1/2 cup beer
1/4 cup chili powder
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce (e.g. Tabasco™)
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 (10.5 ounce) bag corn chips such as Fritos®
1 (8 ounce) package shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions
1.Heat a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Crumble the ground chuck and sausage into the hot pan, and cook until evenly browned. Drain off excess grease.
2.Pour in the chili beans, spicy chili beans, diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Add the onion, celery, green and red bell peppers, chile peppers, bacon bits, bouillon, and beer. Season with chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, oregano, cumin, hot pepper sauce, basil, salt, pepper, cayenne, paprika, and sugar. Stir to blend, then cover and simmer over low heat for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
3.After 2 hours, taste, and adjust salt, pepper, and chili powder if necessary. The longer the chili simmers, the better it will taste. Remove from heat and serve, or refrigerate, and serve the next day.
4.To serve, ladle into bowls, and top with corn chips and shredded Cheddar cheese.

Ingredients

• 1.7kg Coopers Stout
• 1kg Coopers Brew Enhancer 2
• Nothing Else!

Method
• Dissolve Coopers Stout and Brew Enhancer 2 in 2 litres of hot water.
• Fill fermenter with cool water to the 18 litre mark and stir.
• Sprinkle supplied yeast over the wort surface.
• Ferment temperature should be in the range 21C-27C.
• Bottle when specific gravity has reached 1.014 (or two readings the same over 24 hours). 

SERVES 4 -6

Ingredients
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup flour
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups cooked diced chicken
1 lb spicy smoked sausage
1 quart chicken broth
2-3 tablespoons cajun seasoning, to taste
1 dash hot pepper sauce
2-3 tablespoons gumbo file

Directions

1. Cook chicken if it's not already cooked. Leftovers work fine for this. Set aside.
2. Place sausage in a large stockpot over medium high heat, and cook until lightly browned, and some oil is released. Set aside with chicken.
3. Add 2 tbsp oil to pot, and saute onion, bell pepper, and celery until soft. Add garlic in the last few minutes. Set vegetables aside with chicken and sausage, wipe stockpot to remove any vegetable pieces.
4. Add 1/4 cup oil to pot, and allow to heat over medium until it starts to "shimmer". Add flour, and cook, stirring constantly until the flour and oil mixture takes on a rich brown color. If using sausage or ham, do a chocolate colored roux, for seafood and poultry, do a caramel color. Use your own judgment.
5. When your roux is as you like it, add the chicken broth (You may sub seafood broth, or turkey stock, depending on your ingredients) stir constantly while adding broth to avoid lumps. You should have something resembling a thin gravy.
6. Add meats and vegetables back to pot, add cajun seasoning. (I like Tony Chachere's)
7. Simmer your gumbo for half an hour, or more if you like, keeping the heat low to avoid breaking the roux. This gives time for the flavors to mingle. If you're using a delicate shellfish, like shrimp, add it later in the simmer to avoid toughening it.
8. When ready to serve, add hot sauce and filé, stir well, and ladle over a bowl of rice. Keep the filé, hot sauce, and Cajun seasoning out on the table, so diners may add more of any they like. This is wonderful accompanied by a loaf of crusty French bread and a crisp salad. You may want to consume with the Coopers IPA or Sparkling Ale.
    

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

• 36 chicken wing pieces (one wing makes 2 pieces - the "flat" and the "drum")
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons Louisiana hot sauce (Frank's is the brand used in Buffalo)
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter or margarine
• celery sticks

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

1. If necessary, cut whole wings into two pieces. In a bowl toss the wings with the oil, and salt. Place into a large plastic shopping bag, and add the flour. Shake to coat evenly. Remove wings from the bag, shaking off excess flour, and spread out evenly on oiled foil-lined baking pan(s). Do not crowd. Bake for about 20 minutes, turn the wings over, and cook another 20 minutes, or until the wings are cooked through and browned.
2. While the wings are baking, mix all the ingredients for the sauce in a pan, and over low heat bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, and then turn off.
3. After the wings are cooked, transfer to a large mixing bowl. Pour the sauce over the hot wings and toss with a spoon or spatula to completely coat.

These are always served with celery sticks and blue cheese dressing on the side.

Fullers Extra Special Bitter – makes 21 litres

Ingredients

• 1.7kg Coopers Series English Bitter beer kit
• 2 x 500g Coopers Light Dry Malt
• 250g of Sugar/Dextrose (about 1 cup)
  
  Steps

1. Dissolve Coopers Light Dry Malt as per instructions on the top flap.
2. Add Coopers English Bitter, Sugar Dextrose and dissolve.
3. Fill the fermenter with cool water to the 21 litre mark and stir.
4. Sprinkle supplied yeast over the wort surface.
5. Ferment temperature should be as close to 21C as possible.
6. Bottle when the specific gravity has reached 1.008 (or two readings the same over 24hours).

1 Coopers Mexican Cerveza kit

1 KG dextrose or even better Brew Enhancer 2

Made up to 23L

Kept in primary for 14 days at 18C

Day 10 added juice of one lime.  At the same time make up a homemade lime extract using the zest of three limes and two ounces of vodka in a cup, then covered with plastic wrap. The vodka extracts the green color and flavor oils from the lime zest which turns white after a few days. This extract smelled really limey and just before bottling on Day 14 we strained out the zest.

1 Tbsp Club House pure lemon zest extract 2oz pure lime extract (using the zest of three limes and two ounces of vodka in a cup, then covered with plastic wrap. The vodka extracts the green color and flavor oils from the lime zest which turns white after a few days. This extract smelled really limey so just before bottling we strained out the zest.) added to the fermenter.

Before bottling our group did some sample taste testing and liked the sample with lime extract better than without. The lime flavor was not quite strong enough so we also added 1 Tbsp of pure natural lemon extract, stirred well then bottled. A week in the bottle its carbonated nicely resulting in a great Corona with lime clone beer. At first you taste the subtle limey flavors followed by the light hops so it is definitely beer but its not bitter nor sweet. Result is a very smooth, light tasting beer with the clear color of a Corona. If you need a quick, easy drinking beer then this Cerveza kit is a great Corona clone.

1 can Coopers Real Ale
1 can Coopers Unhopped Light Malt Extract
500 grams of Coopers Light Dry Malt Extract
2 kg Dextrose (2 boxes)
2 oz. Fuggles Hops
1 extra pkg. of Coopers yeast

Method:

1. Bring about 3 litres of water to the boil, then add hops. Boil for 5 minutes.
2. Add the dry malt to the fermenter.
3. Pour the boiling water mixture into the fermenter, straining out the hops. Shake the fermenter as illustrated in video.
4. Add remaining ingredients to fermenter. Read this blog entry which explains an easier way to pour the can into the fermenter.
5. Add cold water up to the 23 litre mark and stir well.
6. When the temperature is below 30 deg.C., add the yeast and make your beer the usual way.

Scotch Ale

• 1.7 kg Thomas Coopers Sparkling Ale Home Brew Kit
• 1.5 kg Thomas Coopers Amber Malt Extract
• 500 g Dark Brown Sugar
• Made to 21 liters
• Ferment at 18C with yeast supplied
• Bottle when the SG reading is stable over a couple of days
• The alchol content should be around 5.5% - 6% ABV.

Cheers! 

Ingredients

• 1 can Coopers Wheat Beer Concentrate Kit
• 500 grams Coopers Light Dry Malt Extract
• 300 grams Coopers Dextrose
• 1/2 lb. clover honey
• 4 lbs. fresh raspberries
• Coopers Carbonation Drops

Procedures

• Purée the raspberries and mix into 1 liter of hot water on the stove. This sanitizes the fruit. Allow to cool, then strain into your Coopers fermenter.
• Add 2 liters of hot water to your Coopers fermenter.
• Mix in Wheat Beer Concentrate Kit, Light Dry Malt Extract, Dextrose and honey. Be sure to get all the ingredients well dissolved.
• Mix in raspberry purée.
• Top up fermenter to 21 liters with cold water.
• Cool to fermentation temperature (below 21°C/73°F) and add yeast.
• At bottling time add one Coopers Carbonation Drop to each 12 oz/375ml bottle.
• Condition in bottle 2-4 weeks.

Coopers Brewmaster Selection IPA recipe can be easily modified to make an authentic IPA like those produced in the early 1800s.  Beware, as this recipe produces a beer with serious bitterness, sure to please the "Hopheads"!

Ingredients

• 1.7kg Brewmaster IPA
• 1kg Coopers Light Dry Malt
• 500g Sugar or Dextrose

Method

1. Place the Coopers Light Dry Malt into a drained, sanitised fermenter.
2. Add 2 litres of hot water.
3. Immediately pick the fermenter up and swirl the contents until dissolved (approx 15 secs).
4. Mix in the balance of ingredients  then top up the fermenter with cool water to the 20litre mark.
5. Pitch the yeast and seal

Serves 4

4 halibut fillets

FOR THE MARINADE:

• 6 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 1 tablespoon peeled, grated ginger
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro leaves
• 1 teaspoon washed, chopped cilantro root or 1 addtional tablespoon cilantro leaves
• 3 tablesspoons sugar
• 1/4 cup Asian fish sauce or soy sauce, plus more for brushing
• 3 tablespoons sake, Chinese rice wine, or dry sherry
• 3 tablespoons Asian (dark) sesame oil, plus more for brushing (optional)
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

1. Prepare the marinade: Puree the garlic, ginger, cilantro leaves and root, if using, in a minichopper or food processor. Work in th fish sauce, sake, sesame oil, salt, and pepper. Spoon the marinade on bothe sides of the fillets. Cover the fish with plastic wrap and let marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 1 hour, turning the fillets once or twice.
2. A fish basket is recommended for grilling. I just used a lot of oil on the grill.
3. Grill until each side of the fillets is browned and cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes per side.

We also marinated some asparagus and cooked that on the grill. We served the Coopers Australian Bitter that we made a few months ago.

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 (12-ounce) beer
1/2 cup raw sunflower or flax seeds (optional)

Steps:
Mix dry ingredients.
If desired, add 1/2 cup raw sunflower or flax seeds, or anything else that won't absorb much liquid. You can even use cooked rye flakes or oatmeal.
Pour in liquids, and mix well.
Turn dough mixture into a greased (or sprayed with vegetable oil) standard loaf pan.
Bake about an hour at 400. Test for doneness with wooden toothpick - it often looks done when it isn't.

You can play with this recipe, so long as you use at least 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour with a total of 3 1/2 cups of flour. Do not alter the amounts of baking powder and soda, or beer. Obviously, using stout versus lager etc. will influence the taste. You can also change the flavour and texture by changing the contents and/or ratio of the 1 cup of "identity" flour as you wish: 1/2 cup soy with 1/2 cup whole wheat; all soy; part rye or potato flour; all plain white flour, etc. If you want it less sweet, reduce or eliminate the sugar.

Food Preperation:
Cut meat into serving portions. Press crushed pepper into steaks and season with salt,
if desired. Place 30g of the butter in heavy casserole over medium heat and brown
meat on both sides. Remove meat and wipe out pot. Add remaining 15g of butter to
casserole and saute carrot and onion for approximmately 3 minutes. Add meat and
herbs to pot, pour over Coopers Dark Ale and stock and layer potatoes gently in medium
oven until meat is tender. Towards end of cooking time, add mushrooms. If desired,
the sauce may be thickened with a roux (by stirring in balls of flour mixed with butter.)
Garnish with chopped parsley and green onions and serve with colcannon.

Give it a try and let us know how it turned out!

6.6 lbs. (2cans)  Coopers Unhopped Malt extract

1.5 oz. Perle hops (boiling)

0.5 oz. Cascade hops (finishing)

(Adapted from "HeinieStella European Delight" recipe in The Complete Joy of Home Brewing, 3rd Ed., by Charlie Papazian)

1. Airlock activity  (Even though the airlock is not active,  it does not mean that your brew is not fermenting. You ALWAYS want to do the following checks as well)

2. Check for a layer of cake (foam) at the top of the brew. (If you have foam, then your brew is doing ok)

3. Hydrometer reading. (Take an initial reading and then follow up reading a couple days later. If there is a change, that means its still fermenting)

4. Smell (Does it smell like beer or is there an odd smell? Odd smells mean that there is a problem)

Coopers kits are very consistent and leaves very little room for error. If you follow the directions you should get a great beer everytime.

Don't hesitate to contact us if you ever have concerns about your brew.

Cheers

The Adventures of Bob & Doug McKenzie: Strange Brew (1983)

2) This microorganism is used to turn wort into beer.

YEAST

3) This region of Germany defines beer as a staple food.

BAVARIA

4) This U.S. currency features three brewers.

2 Dollar Bill

Bonus - Name those 3 brewers.

George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Samual Adams

We a have some brews to recommend for the fall season. Let us know your favorites!!!

Also check out that we have free ground shipping for orders over $99.00 (only within the contingent 48 states)

Heritage Lager- Because is good all the time

IPA (India Pale Ale) - Has the attributes of a harvest ale

European Lager - Its good fermenting temperature this time of the year for this beer

Irish Stout - You can't get any closer to a good irish stout using any other brew kit.

And last but not least....Ever had Red Hook ESP? We have a close runner up for you. Even if you haven't tried RH, you should give this one a shot.

Our Real Ale Kit with Unhopped Light Malt Extract.

Cheers!!

We have been doing a lot of international brewing this summer. We began the summer by brewing a Mexican Cerveza which was consumed very quickly and help us get through the hot summer. Then we made the European Lager which is still aging in a keg in our refrigerator. We did some product testing (work, work, work) to see how it's coming along. It is very yummy . As you can tell, our passport is getting quite full. Next stop Canada.

Cheers!!

Central Florida Beer Festival is an event to raise money for the local Boys & Girls clubs in the area.

We at Makebeer have donated a Microbrewery Kit with a Real Ale for their raffle.

There will also be beer girls handing out Makebeer gifts and coupons!

If you are in the Florida area or maybe visiting, it would be worth checking out. Plus it's for a great cause!

The event happens in the afternoon of September 27th at the Central Florida Fairgrounds.

Here is a link to the site for more in formation

Central Florida Beer Festival

Cheers!!

After helping him out, We talked a little more and I learned what brought him to Alaska. Alex Whitworth is his name and his in the midst of an adventure. He and a couple of companions are traveling from Sidney,Australia to ultimately the United Kingdom in a 30 ft. sailboat via the Northwest passage. This trip was inspired at a bar outside of LSU's campuss afte a symposium on rish in which Alex and his associate were asked to present.The symposium involved astronauts including the commander of the International Space Station. For more details of his adventure and background, you can check out his website at www.berrimilla.com/tng/.

When we started making the Coopers European Lager on June 23 we noticed that the instructions that come with the beer kit call for cooler fermentation temperatures. The yeast supplied with Coopers European Lager is a true lager yeast strain. Lager yeast behaves differently to the normal Coopers Yeast. Preferred brewing temperature is at the low end of the recommended range (ie. 21°C or 70°F). Coopers European yeast can ferment as low as 13°C or 55°F. Lower ferment temperatures extend the fermentation period. Make sure fermentation has completed before bottling. It is common for lager yeast to produce a smell like eggs when fermenting, this should dissipate as the beer conditions in the bottle. Allow Coopers European lager at least 12 weeks in the bottle before consuming.

The day that we made the beer was very hot here in Seattle. So in order to get the fermentation temperature down we immersed the fermenter in a cold bath. Because fermentation had commenced and we had space available in our refrigerator, we moved the fermenter there after one day. We set the refrigerator temperature to the warmer setting. After 1 day we took the fermenter out of the refrigerator and left it at room temperature for 2 days.This is what is called a diacetyl rest. Then we put the fermenter back in the refrigerator for 6 days. On July 13 we kegged the beer and returned it to the refrigerator where we intend to leave it for 12 weeks. we did however take a little sample for testing purposes. There was slight nose of sulfur or egg. However once you move beyond that, it was quite smooth and delicious – similar to Stella Artois.

Cheers!!

It brews better in the cooler temperatures. We have ours sitting in a cool bath to keep the temp down.

We are getting the aroma of a lager brew..unfortunately is the smell of eggs (LOL), which is part of using a true lager yeast.

Cheers!

Get the Irish Stout kit package, which includes the kit, Light Dry Malt and Dextrose, and also get another 500 gr package of Light Dry Malt. Use the kit, all of the Light Dry Malt and the 300 grams Dextrose. This will give you a bigger, maltier beer.

Good fermentation temperature is critical for quality beer. Different types of beers have different temperatures.

Lagers generally should ferment in the range of 50-62'F (depending upon the requirements of the particular yeast strain). Ales should ferment in the 65-75'F range, again depending upon the particular yeast. I would ferment the Irish Stout in the 68-72'F range.

BMaster - Not surprising that it shows more carbonation when warm. CO2 comes out of suspension faster in warm beer than in cold. After 3.5 weeks you should have good carbonation, but sometimes beer needs a little help.

My suggestion would be to shake up your bottles, then store them on their side for a week at room temp. This helps to get the yeast in the bottles going again and finish the job they started. You will likely find that the carbonation level when chilled is much improved.

BMaster on Increasing Alcohol Percentage-

The alcohol percentage of a beer you make is governed solely by the amount of fermentable sugar you make available to the yeast to convert into alcohol. The more sugar, the more alcohol. The catch though, is sugar in what form? You don't want to add too much brewing sugar, or your beer will be higher in alcohol, but will be compromised in body and flavor. My recommendation would be to add an additional package (1kg) of Coopers Brew Enhancer 2. This is a blend of dry malt extract (dme), brewing sugar, and maltodextrine. The dry malt extract (sugar based on barley) and the brewing sugar are both quite fermentable, with the DME also contributing flavor components and the maltodextrine contributing body. Adding one box of Coopers Brew Enhancer 2 will add just over 1% ABV.

Rob - Love my Coopers kit!  My “beer tastes” tend to run the gamut: I like trying ALL kinds of beer…from heavy stouts to light bodied every day types. That being said, my girlfriend (who also loves beer…thank God!), only seems to like the light-bodied beer types. For her, the less hoppy, the better!  (Her favorite beers are: Blue Moon, Miller Chill, Yuenling, Amber Bock, Samuel Adams Cherry Wheat, in that order.)  

Brewmaster - For your beer loving girlfriend (I'm quite envious!),  here are my two recommendations - the Mexican Cerveza and the Canadian Blonde.  They are tied for 1a and 1b on the bitterness scale.  Another thing you might try is the Wheat Beer, and add in about 4-5 pounds of puried raspberries in the fermenter just before you add your yeast.

This is officially day #1 of our new site. YEAH!!!  Please take a browse through MB 2.0. We have started a blog section to help communicate to with our Makebeer buddies.

If you have any questions or ideas you'd like posted on our blogs feel free to email us at brewmaster@makbeer.net

We are excited to hear from you and get our little Cooper's beer community rockin'!

TODAY'S TIP: We know that the beer kit instructions are in metric measurements. That is quite confusion when trying to convert to US measurements. We have placed a quick conversion tips on our FAQ page You can get this information on Wikipedia as well.