Additions to Coopers Irish Stout Extract??

[jrk4295]

Ok. Im about to brew my first beer, and simply slap it together and run it is not a concept I enjoy. I would thoroughly like to do something with it, if only even just small things. What I have is a can of Coopers Irish Stout Extract and what was labeled as a brewpack which consists of 1lbCorn Sugar, 1lb Light DME, and 1/4lb Malto Dextrin.

What I would like to know is: I bought 1oz Chinook hops and would like to add them in the mix; is this a good addition to an already hopped extract? (I dont mind if the hops are prominent.)

Another addition im curious about is steeping a pound or two of oatmeal. What would this do? Ive read that steeping oats gives a sort of velvety mouthfeel, as well as adding body.

I also have access to many crushed pecans. Add them to the secondary?

Comments? Im open to any and all constructive suggestions!

 

[DaNewf]

My understanding is that oats have to be mashed with a base grain to truly get any benefit from it. Later on maybe try a partial mash including oatmeal while using the Irish stout kit as a base.

You say this is your first brew. Others might offer different advice but I'd suggest doing it as per the included instructions with 2 small changes: ferment around 18C if possible and extend the time in the fermenter to atleast three weeks. That will give you a baseline to compare to on subsequent batches.

Also be aware that your beer will improve with more time in the bottle. Don't judge it after trying one after one week (it's your first batch you won't be able to wait three or four weeks).

 

[JDGator]

My understanding is that oats have to be mashed with a base grain to truly get any benefit from it. Later on maybe try a partial mash including oatmeal while using the Irish stout kit as a base.

You say this is your first brew. Others might offer different advice but I'd suggest doing it as per the included instructions with 2 small changes: ferment around 18C if possible and extend the time in the fermenter to atleast three weeks. That will give you a baseline to compare to on subsequent batches.

Also be aware that your beer will improve with more time in the bottle. Don't judge it after trying one after one week (it's your first batch you won't be able to wait three or four weeks).

i agree. i did about 6 Coopers kits and kept them basic. i used 1 Coopers can and either 1kg of DME or 500gr of DME and 500gr of Dextrose.

This way you are able to get a sense of what the Coopers can have to offer. I like there IPA almost the way it is. quick and simple kit and it makes a reasonable beer.

 

[unionrdr]

I feel the same about the Cooper's International Series English bitter. Darn good as a session beer with the kilo of light DME.
In your case,the maltodextrin is going to do the same job as the oatmeal,so no need steep that. Steeping oatmeal will just give a starch haze to the beer,it must be mashed. You could do a partial boil with the chinook hops with the DME for 15-20 minutes. Then flame out & add the other fermentables,stiring till completely dissolved. Cover & chill in ice bath down to about 70F. Then strain into fermenter & add cold chilled top off water to 23L or 6 gallons for the Cooper's can recipe. It'll make a good average ale that will still be quite sessionable. Look at my recipes under my avatar for further details of this description.

 

[jrk4295]

Awesome...Thanks everyone!

This info really helps alot..Ill get a few of these extract brews under my belt before I start gettin crazy, experimenting. (Ill probably do the partial boil with the hops this go around...sounds good) Cant wait to work my way to all grain.....*sigh*...one day....haha.. College is a little constraining on my time/budget(actually writing a paper right now), but I hope to pick up some food grade buckets within the next few days. I have a 5 gallon glass carboy, but it needs to be scrubbed inside, and i have nothing with which to scrub it. Once I complete this brew Ill post a link to the thread in this thread. Gotta share it with the people that helped me out!

Any more ideas are welcomed!...itll be a few day before I can start anyways
Thanks again everyone!

 

[unionrdr]

You need a 6.5 gallon container to brew 5 gallons of beer in. It needs the head space for krausen & co2 expansion. Not to mention airlocks & a blow off tube/jug. That 5G carboy will be good for a secondary,where fermentation is done & you want as little head space as possible. A hydroemter & stick on temp strips will come in handy as well. And start saving pop top bottles to bottle your beer in. 48 bottles on average for a 5 gallon batch.

 

[jrk4295]

Update!!

Got all my ingredients in!!....just need to find some time to get after it!!....what would be the bare minimum in bottling equipment that I would need to invest in?

 

[DaNewf]

Depends on a couple of things.

What kind of fermenter are you using and how do you plan to prime?

Bottles and caps are a given. A bottle capper is required if you are using glass bottles with crimped caps.

The Coopers DIY fermenter I use has a tap and includes a bottling wand that fits into it. If if were still bottle priming then I wouldn't need anything else.

If your fermenter does not have a tap then I'd recommend an autoshiphon, 5 or 6 feet ot tubing and a bottling wand.

If you plan on bulk priming then you'll need another bucket to bottle from.

 

[unionrdr]

Yeah,a bottling bucket with the red & white Italian spigot is great. The spout on that spigot has a recess to fit the length of 3/8" ID tubing for the bottling wand. I have spigots on both my fermenters to make life easier. And here's a priming sugar calculator that'll allow you to prime to style; http://www.tastybrew.com/calculators/priming.html
It gives the amount of priming sugar/DME by weight,not volume. So get a cheap digital scale to weigh the sugar with. good for weighing hops,grains,etc as well. Then boil2C of water in a small saucepan for a few minutes. Then remove from heat & stir in sugar till the water clears again. Cover & cool a bit before pouring into bottling bucket & racking beer onto it.

 

[cooldood]

Do a toucan
1 can coopers stout
1 can coopers dark ale
1kg dex

makes agreat brew

 

[unionrdr]

Yeah,toucans (two cans) are quite popular in Australia where Cooper's is based. I did one for my Buckeye Burton ale. With everything I added,it was a big one that cost a little to make. I'm researching grains to make it a partial mash next time. I'm trying to get the flavors with partial mash,1 hour boil that they got in the late 19th century by boiling a couple hours. The dark ale & stout cans should be interesting. The dark ale has a smooth,almost cream ale thing going ime. so it should make a smoother roastiness with the stout.

 

[DaNewf]

Do a toucan
1 can coopers stout
1 can coopers dark ale
1kg dex

makes agreat brew

I did this back in December using the original series stout. I've got 13 or 14 bottles left. I really wish I went easier on it since its supposed to change a great deal as it ages. Now I really have to pace myself on it (Maybe hide a six pack till next December).

It's really bitter, roasty and strong (pushing 8% I think). I'm enjoying it a lot but I don't know if it's for every one.

 

[STB]

5oz of Hershey cocoa at flame out makes a seriously good chocolate stout. It was my first deviation from the can instruction. Now a complete deviant. Haaa

 

[jrk4295]

A toucan does sound a touch too expensive for my current budget, but seems like a neat deal. I do really like the 5oz of hershey's cocoa....i may go with 2-3oz of some specialty dutch cocoa that was given to me...not sure yet....

....anyone ever try adding some coconut flakes in their stout? or any beer for that matter?...i know coconut is oily...idk what that might do, depending on when you add it...

 

[DaNewf]

Toucan's are expensive. The only reason I was willing to do it is because my LHBS has a rewards program. They gave me a gift certificate that just about covered the cost of one Cooper's Beer kit.

So I got a toucan for the price of a onecan.

 

[scootette]

I just got a Cooper's Dark ale and want to add a lb of chocolate malt and some chipotle powder to make a chocolate chipotle ale. What do y'all think about adding 5 oz of cocoa too? Too much? I want it to be rich and as velvety as possible. Looking to use 1.25 oz of chipotle powder. Thanks in advance!

 

[unionrdr]

Be carefull with the chocolate malt. It also makes dark colors. The name however is misleading. It doesn't get a chocolate-like bit of flavor till more is used. And 1.25oz of chipotle powder could be a lot in a beer as weighed on a scale.

 

[scootette]

Hmm, so yes to the cocoa AND malt? I brewed a peach chipotle IPA last fall and used 1.25 oz of chipotle and it was badass. I'm not weighing it though. Using a shot glass.

 

[unionrdr]

I bought one of those graduated shot glasses from Bed Bath & way Beyond. What it measured didn't compare to my digital scale. And just use some cocoa in place of the chocolate malt with the ground peppers.