Another new boy on the home brew

[nivaguk]

Evening all,

I was kindly gifted a coopers micro kit for Christmas (my first go at making home brew ever) and i am now ready to make a start on it.

I have had a look through some of the forums and understand little parts of what people are saying.

The kit comes with a 1.7kg lager tin. 1kg brew enhancer 1 and a bag of carbination drops.

From what i have read i might has well bin the instructions that came with it and go with my gut feeling but.

I am right in thinking i can replace the brew enhancer with LME?

Also do i need to add any hops to it?

Thanks all

 

[RobM]

hi i am quite new to home brewing as well, this was my first kit and i used the brew enhancer, the beer is still bottling but from what i have tasted it is slightly watery, using lme or dme would definitely improve the beer, also the yeast is not a true lager yeast but an ale/lager yeast, i fermented it at 18c and it turned out fine however i didnt know what skunking was and so it had contact with direct sunlight for a while, but ya learn as you go, i hope yours turns out well.

good luck.

 

[twistr25]

My guess is the tin is already prehopped, but it should tell you that on there.

 

[nivaguk]

Cheers rob i heard that the yeast was lager/ale yeast.

Skunking????

First time i have heard that.

 

[twistr25]

Light is bad for the beer. Sunlight reacts with the hops and breaks them down to compounds that are actually similar to skunk musk and it can smell pretty bad.

 

[nivaguk]

I see, well i am certainly glad you told me that.

How long would you recommend for fermentation for the coopers??

 

[RobM]

yep, bad thing is i never smelled a skunk before so i dont know what to be looking out for

 

[RobM]

How long would you recommend for fermentation for the coopers??

2 weeks at 18c should be grand, if you have a secondary then maybe 5 days more in that but 2 weeks should do it fine

 

[twistr25]

yep, bad thing is i never smelled a skunk before so i dont know what to be looking out for

Never passed one that's been hit on the road? It's quite rancid, if your beer is skunked, you will know it.

 

[RobM]

i live in ireland, no skunks, i am kinda guessing its like sulfur/eggy smell

 

[twistr25]

i live in ireland, no skunks, i am kinda guessing its like sulfur/eggy smell

O, gotcha. Worse and it lingers forever....