first time need help.

leejames

hi,i have just bought a coopers 1.75kg english bitter and 1kg of enhancer are these the only ingredients i need to get started ?

 

HBO_Staff

The Coopers English Bitter needs 500g of sugars or enhancer, they recommend spraymalt light but a brew enhancer will give similar results. You could use the whole kg it would just make it a bit stronger in flavour and strength. Alternatively use half of the bag or so of enhancer to brew it with, and that will leave some to prime your barrel/bottles with. Apart from that if you have all the equipment, all you need is water and off you go, the yeast needed is under the lid of the can with Coopers tins.

The English Biter is slightly different, most Coopers kits say to use a kg, but this particular one needs only half a kg, although as we say you could use more if you wanted

leejames

thankyou so much,ok lets get started..

HBO_Staff

let us know how you get on, any questions just ask!

leejames

ok lads all done,i decided to only use 1/2 of the enhancer and add the other 1/2 later.so my question is after fermentation is complete i am going to syphon into a barrel,do i add the enhancer then and do i need to stir it in or just sprinkle it in to the barrel thanks.

HBO_Staff

What you could do is prime the barrel with the enhancer whilst it is empty, then when you syphon the beer over it will mix it all up. Then it's just a case of putting the lid on and making sure it seals fully (ideally with a little Vaseline on the thread) and waiting for it to clear and carbonate. (Usually around 100g of enhancer will prime the barrel if the instructions don't say otherwise)

leejames

hi guys sorry to be back so quick but we are only on day 2 and the lid on the bin is getting dome shaped it looks like its going to explode,do i or do i not touch it??

HBO_Staff

No problem, the pressure is a good sign as it shows it is fermenting, but if the lid is sealed on then it will force itself off if under too much pressure. The thing to do is either use an airlock, which allows any excess pressure out as and when needed, or just crack the rim of the lid open very slightly by slightly opening it, this will just allow any gas to escape without building up. If there is the slightest gap anywhere on the vessel/lid the gas will find it's own way out