Coopers Premium selection

[NadoHawk]

So my extract Dunkleweizen turned out great, but I am running low on beer so I need a new batch before I finish my all-grain kit (waiting for my cooler to ship to finish my HLT).

I bought three Coopers kits on discount a while back: an Australian Pale Ale I cannot find, the Traditional Draught, and the Heritage Lager.

I bought these online as none of these I found at the local brew shops (my go-to one does not even carry pre-hopped extracts) and thus don't carry the special Coopers malt extracts the Premium selection recommended for these kits.

I was wondering if I could get away with a 3.3 pound LME (or using DME as I have two pounds right now from MoreBeer) from Briess or if it is better to go for the Coopers if I can buy it online.

Also, I have removed mold from my transfer/bottling tubing as I live on an island...will PBW (or equivalent) and starsan be enough to fully clean them out?

 

[unionrdr]

I typically use plain light DME with the Cooper's cans to get the OG up to 1.04X-1.050 or so. I even use half the DME in a 2.5-3.5 gallon boil in my 5 gallon SS BK for hop additions. Since the Cooper's cans are pre hoped (the OS bittering only),I do flavor & aroma additions with them. I even use Cooper's cans as the extract in partial mash beers. So plain DME from any manufacturer will work fine.
I bought a 66" long keg line cleaning brush with the 3/8" brush for using with PBW to clean the inside of my racking tubes,blow off tubes,bottling wand tube,etc. Makes it easy to get'em clean as new. I got the brush from here; http://www.beveragefactory.com/index.shtml

 

[NadoHawk]

Would I get a less-quality batch from the Traditional Draught if I used a Briess Light LME (my best batch was with the Bavarian LME) without hops? Or the Australian Pale Ale if I find it in time (it expires the earliest and was the kit that I most wanted to try)?

Since this would be my first pre-hopped kit since my three Mr. Beer Kit recipes, I want to go by how Coopers formulated it before experimenting on the other two beers though I have seen many change up the beers on Youtube (but they've brewed dozens of these beer kits).

 

[unionrdr]

I done a truckload of beers with Cooper's cans & other products. I've done more with them than most on here. I guess I was just too stubborn to give up on them. I noticed that Northern Brewer & Midwest carry the 15g size of the Cooper's ale yeast. They're also a lot fresher than the 7g packet that comes with the cans. I've used LME & DME with Cooper's cans. I def prefer the DME for the boil,as it doesn't darken as fast as LME does. LME gets more mailard reactions. Breisse LME is def good quality stuff. I just prefer plain light DME for the lighter colors I get with it. So I use plain DME in the boil for hop additions,Cooper's can in at flame out,along with the remaining half bag of DME. Don't worry,flame out addition is fine. The wort is still boiling hot,& pasteurization happening at 160F in seconds,so it'll be fine covered & steeped after stirring it in for a couple minutes. The Cooper's instructions aren't all that great & a bit backward from how most folks brew beer. But the 23L (or 6.072USG) recipe volume Cooper's is designed for I do stick with when doing AE batches to wind up with as many as 67 12oz bottles. I like Munton's plain DME's as well. I use a 3lb bag of Munton's plain light or extra light DME as the extract in my PB/PM BIAB beers of 5 gallons. Light colors & cleaner flavors result. Different countries like different flavors traditionally,so I mix & match on that basis.
Check out my recipes under my avatar for more details & ideas m8. It's also important to realise that when you add more malt,you should add more hops to keep the brew balanced.

 

[raf1919]

How much beer would just using 1 can of coopers w/ no brew enchancer yield?

 

[unionrdr]

With just the can, it'd be a little thin. You might get a half-decent batch @ 19L (5.016 USG). That's why I used a 3lb bag of plain light DME with the cooper's cans & a couple ounces of hops. I could brew 23L of good beer that way, even changing the can into another style.

 

[kh54s10]

The question of using another manufacturer... The ones mentioned are all quality outfits, as good or better than Cooper. If you get an equivalent ingredient from another company I would say that you could not tell the difference.

IMO - get away from pre-hopped extracts. You will have a lot more variety and control by selecting your own hops. It does take some education on which hops, how much and when to add them though.

 

[unionrdr]

While that is true to an extent, we all had to start somewhere. Even learning the basics of modifying kits or recipes is usually done in gradual steps. So I give advice in that regard & let the op decide.

 

[kh54s10]

While that is true to an extent, we all had to start somewhere. Even learning the basics of modifying kits or recipes is usually done in gradual steps. So I give advice in that regard & let the op decide.

Exactly. If you need to make a change in an ingredient or add one a product from another manufacturer is often available. This will also help with learning about substitutions.

Getting away from hopped extract does not have to be a "right now" proposition.

I started with Northern Brewer extract kits and specialty grains and did not stray for the first 4 extract then 2 partial mash kits. The next few were from recipes with little to no changes. I then worked my way to all grain, modifying recipes then on to making my own recipes.

It is not difficult and very much fun.

Today's brew is using up different base grains, Maris Otter, Golden Promise, Pale Ale with some Cara-Pils and C-77. Hopped with all Cascade. With US05 yeast it should make a nice American Pale Ale with a UK twist.

 

[unionrdr]

Yup. I combined, for example, A Cooper's can with a 3lb bag of Munton's DME & hops in varying amounts & types to make different beers from them. Then E/SG & onto pb/pm bib that I do currently. Bu8t I still jump back & forth s whim carries me. I like the Morebeer E/SG- ESB kit so much as is I don't bother changing that one. It usually goes first. Anyway, making little changes as you learn how brewing generally goes is best from my experiences. Each beer brewed teaches something new to remember. But still in all, this site can make the learning process go a little faster.