Excited isn't the word!

TheMoodieBrews

Have just closed the lid on my first ever home brew, a Coopers Lager Microbrewery kit. I am like a dog with 2 tails. Already looking forward to more refined, personalised, distinct beers in the future but I think this will be the perfect start to my brewing journey and I look forward to popping a bottle to celebrate Scotland winning the 6 Nations in a couple of months (daftly optimistic!). Any tips as to how long to leave in the FV before bottling, I know it all depends on the SG etc but when should I start to check? The instructions say 2-3 days, seems pretty short, going by other forums. There also seems to be quite a few solids floating about, are these to be expected?? Slàinte everybody

HBO_Staff

Welcome to home brewing and we're sure you'll enjoy it, the Coopers range are very popular and a good starting point, fermentation times depend on things such as the temperature, but if brewing around 20 degrees C then it will usually take around 5 to 7 days as a general guide, unless the instructions say otherwise. You could take a reading with a cleaned hydrometer after around 5 days, take note of it and then check it in another day or two's time and compare. If the reading continues to lower it just needs longer until you have two readings the same at least 24 hours apart. Some ingredients (although not Coopers) give a hydro reading to aim for as a guide, it will be around 1010 that the Coopers will finish if we remember right, or somewhere near that.

With many brews you will get froth and 'scum' on the surface, this is perfectly normal and is from the yeast fermenting, when you bottle or barrel your finished brew it will be left behind along with any sediment which has settled to the bottom of the fermenting vessel

TheMoodieBrews

Cheers guys, can't wait to get to the bottling stage so I can get another brew in the FV. Thinking about a creamy ale or a chocolate and vanilla stout next.

HBO_Staff

Great stuff, there are a few to choose from, see what you think but you might consider the St Peter's Cream Stout or the Bulldog Easter Brew Chocolate Stout perhaps:
http://www.home-brew-online.com/beer-kits-c1/easter-brew-chocolate-stout-p1485
Or you may prefer something different and could tweak it how you wanted with spraymalt or other flavourings

TheMoodieBrews

Have been looking at various reviews of beers and different recipes online and have come across a great sounding recipe for a coriander and orange wheat beer using coopers lager, using a wheat malt extract and a "blanche" yeast. Am determined to do the stout for something completely different but the sound of this beer has won me over. Is it bad I am already thinking I need to buy another FV so I can do several beers at a time???

HBO_Staff

Having a rolling batch of brew on the go is the best way to keep supplies topped up, and means it can be left to condition in bottles or a barrel for a while and allow the flavours to be at their best. The coriander and orange wheat beer recipe does get quiet a bit of interest and a few people have made this, let us know how you get on with it

TheMoodieBrews

well, I have now bottled my Coopers Lager adding the carbonation drops and have put the sealed bottles in a warm place. They have been there for about 3 days now but I cannot see any sign of activity whatsoever. Should I expect to see small bubbles rising? should there be any activity at all? I know that I should leave the bottles in a warmish place for a week or so and then move to a cooler place for around 3 weeks, but should there be a sign of second fermentation and carbonation?

HBO_Staff

There wont be much to see and this is perfectly normal, if using plastic bottles they will begin to feel harder to the touch as CO2 is produced and pressure begins to build, but it can vary on how long this takes. Warmer conditions help the drops/priming sugar to dissolve faster. It will then slowly start to clear, usually a minimum of 2 weeks before it is ready for an early sample, sometimes longer, and best left for at least a few weeks more for the best flavours to begin to develop. We always try to leave ours for around 12 weeks as the flavours just get better in most beers and lagers

TheMoodieBrews

excellent, thanks guys! looking forward to regular sampling

TheMoodieBrews

Update - just had my first sneaky taste and am super chuffed with it! It has been 3 weeks and already tastes good and some good head on it. You can tell it still has a "young" taste to it but would describe it as fresh. Perfect for drinking while watching the rugby with some spicy food. Decided to have a party on the 21st for end of the 6 nations and use this and one other beer. That means I need to get something else on the go NOW. Any recommendations? Think it needs to be something with a quick turnaround. Any advice on how long a wheat beer takes to brew? Very partial to a wheat beer just now. I would have plumped for a stout but not everyone is in to those so may not go down to well at a party. All advice welcome!

TheMoodieBrews

sorry, should have said 21st March, so still some time to work with

HBO_Staff

Excellent news, it sounds like a great success, the Coopers Wheat Beer is very popular, it takes around a couple of weeks to brew and is then best left for as long as possible, 2 weeks minimum to condition if possible as the flavours continue to improve, it's available here as a bundle deal:

http://www.home-brew-online.com/beer-kits-c1/coopers-selection-bundle-kits-wheat-beer-p1369

A Coopers Real Ale may have good results after just a few weeks, because we always recommend to leave as long as possible for the best flavours, whichever brew you choose we recommend you brew at a nice warm temperature at the top end of the scale the ingredients you use recommend, then once bottled or barrelled keep warm for the first week to help secondary fermentation get going, then move somewhere around 12 to 14 degrees C to help it clear and condition, this will help it develop it's taste as quickly as posisble

TheMoodieBrews

Cheers for all the help so far guys, I have the wheat beer on the go just now. Apologies for not buying from you but my local brew shop had all necessary ingredients which meant I could start ASAP without waiting for delivery times, but my shopping basket on here is already being filled for my stout beer as you have the chocolate malt and no one else does!

HOWEVER, a surprise trip to the pub at lunch time today and I have discovered a new beer, from the Isle of Skye Brewery, its called Eilean-Òr (Island Gold), its made with porridge oats and tastes amazing. It also got me wondering how to use porridge oats in a home-brew. I believe it adds a creaminess which I think could be great to the previously planned stout, or even a pale ale or 80 shilling, but as I am still a complete novice am unsure about how to use them. Any tips? currently researching online but as usual all input is very welcome. The beer I tasted is very much malt based but golden in colour and creamy to the taste, Can I add porridge oats to an extract kit (like the Coopers IPA), and if so how would I do it?

HBO_Staff

It is well worth experimenting with various ingredients to make a brew to your liking, oats are used in grain brewing, if using porridge oats you may want to check it has nothing else included which may affect the brew. If adding to an extract ingredients kit such as a Coopers, then you are probably best to steep it first, here is a guide to a similar process which you could try with the oats:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Syc2syCcAS0

Oat flakes are available specifically for brewing from brands such as Briess:

http://www.home-brew-online.com/ingredients-c45/briess-insta-grains-oat-flakes-500g-p1644

We'd love to hear how you get on with it if you decide to brew with oats, so please keep us posted....

TheMoodieBrews

Fantastic guys! cheers, love a video, always find it easier to learn from than just the written word. Definitely keen to try the oats so will let you know how I get on. Will be a while yet as my wheat beer has only just gone in the FV