Coopers kit tweaks/mini mashes

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Ingredients
1.3kg Bewitched Amber Ale x2
500g Light spray Malt
100g crushed pale malt
24g Columbus Hop Pellets
24g Cascade Hop Pellets
30g Cascade Hop Leaf (dry hop)
American West Coast yeast M44
Head retention 2.5ml
Table sugar for prime
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Step 1: Mix
Clean and sanitise all equipment that will come in contact with the brew.Bring water to boil add crushed pale malt and let steep for 30 min
Once cool strain the pale malt and dispose of it, mix a 500g pouch of Light Malt Extract with 500ml of water and bring to the boil.Add the Cascade Hop Pellets and boil for 5mins.Then add the Columbus Hop Pellets and boil for another 5mins.Remove from heat and cool the pan in a sink of iced water.Strain the cooled malt/hop mix into the Fermenting Vessel (FV).Add the Bewitched Amber Ale to the FV.Fill the FV with cold water to the 4 gallon mark.Check OG Sprinkle the yeast and fit the lid. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Step 2: Brew
Place the FV in a location out of direct sunlight and try to ferment between 20C-23C.Fermentation should take 7 to 14 days.At around day 7 check the specific gravity (SG).Check the SG again the following day and so on.
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Step 3: Dry hop
Dryhop 2days before bottling
30g Cascade leaf
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Step 4: Bottle
Add head retention 2.5ml
The brew is ready once the SG has stabilised over a couple of days.

Add sugar to carbonate, use calculator to see how much
 
Ingredients
1.3kg Northwest Pale Ale x2
500g Light spray Malt
100g crushed pale malt
24g Columbus Hop Pellets
24g Cascade Hop Pellets
12g Amarillo Hop Pellets
12g Chinook Hop Pellets
15g Cascade Hop Leaf (dry hop)
15g Amarillo pellet (dry hop)
15g Chinook pellet (dry hop)
American West Coast yeast M44 10g
Head retention 2.5ml?
Table sugar for prime (check calculator)

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Step 1: Mix
Clean and sanitise all equipment that will come in contact with the brew. Put cans of liquid malt into hot water and in a pan bring water to boil add crushed pale malt and let steep for 30 min
Prior to mixing the brew, rehydrate the sachets of yeast by adding to 250ml of tepid water, stir to make a creamy mix, cover with cling-wrap and sit for 15 to 30mins
Once cool strain the pale malt and dispose of it, mix a 500g pouch of Light Malt Extract with 500ml of water and bring to the boil.Add the Cascade & Chinook Hop Pellets and boil for 5 mins.Then add the Columbus & Amirillo Hop Pellets and boil for another 5mins.Remove from heat and cool the pan in a sink of iced water.Strain the cooled malt/hop mix into the Fermenting BucketAdd the Malt extract Fill the Bucket with cold water to the 20 litre markCheck OG Pour the yeast and fit the lid. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Step 2: Brew
Place the bucket in a location out of direct sunlight and try to ferment between 20C-23C.Fermentation should take 7 to 14 days.At around day 7 check the SG Check the SG again the following day and so on.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Step 3: Dry hop
Add hops 5 days before bottling
15g Cascade leaf
15g Chinook
15g Amirillo
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Step 4: Bottle
Add 2.5ml of head retention
Add sugar to 1/2pint of water
 
I spent a long time searching around the internet for good tweaks to the English Bitter kit, and eventually came up with this, which has conditioned into a nice malty ESB.

2.4 kg Maris Otter
200g Crystal
100g Chocolate
200g Amber Malt
100g Torrified Wheat

Mashed at 68 degrees for an hour in 12 litres of water, sparged with another two litres to get 10 litres post boil.
I hour boil
10g Bramling Cross Pellets at 45 minutes
10g East Kent Golding pellets at 15 minutes

Added to the Coopers English Bitter Kit and topped up to 22 litres.
OG 1062
Safale S-04 yeast sprinkled
Dry hopped after two weeks with 25g of East Kent Golding Pellets.
 
I spent a long time searching around the internet for good tweaks to the English Bitter kit, and eventually came up with this, which has conditioned into a nice malty ESB.

2.4 kg Maris Otter
200g Crystal
100g Chocolate
200g Amber Malt
100g Torrified Wheat

Mashed at 68 degrees for an hour in 12 litres of water, sparged with another two litres to get 10 litres post boil.
I hour boil
10g Bramling Cross Pellets at 45 minutes
10g East Kent Golding pellets at 15 minutes

Added to the Coopers English Bitter Kit and topped up to 22 litres.
OG 1062
Safale S-04 yeast sprinkled
Dry hopped after two weeks with 25g of East Kent Golding Pellets.

This is quite similar to the ESB in my GH book. But in that recipe the choccy is only 17g, just a dab for colouring. I think 100g would be too much. Your more or less in brown ale territory
 
This is quite similar to the ESB in my GH book. But in that recipe the choccy is only 17g, just a dab for colouring. I think 100g would be too much. Your more or less in brown ale territory

It's given it perhaps a bit more sweetness than I anticipated, but the kit is quite heavily hopped, so I wasn't sure how it would balance out. I like it, but yes, you could certainly drop the chocolate down.
 
It's given it perhaps a bit more sweetness than I anticipated, but the kit is quite heavily hopped, so I wasn't sure how it would balance out. I like it, but yes, you could certainly drop the chocolate down.

That would have been the crystal you added rather than the choccy. The choccy wouldn't add sweetness. It adds colour and chocolate/coffee like flavours. The Coopers bitter kit would have had crystal in it anyway and then you added 200g more so that would acount for the extra sweetness
 
you've made me realise why on earth do I use spray malt. and liquid. cheers man
 
hi mate

do you cool down the malt/hops to a certain temp before pouring into the FV?
 
Hi All

im about to cold steep 150g of cara malt for the coopers real ale kit. would 150g of amber on top be a good idea?, im struggling to see what beer this suits best.

Cheers
 
Hi All

im about to cold steep 150g of cara malt for the coopers real ale kit. would 150g of amber on top be a good idea?, im struggling to see what beer this suits best.

Cheers

From my reading, Amber adds biscuity flavour and is particular good in stouts and porters. I will be using some in a Caladonian Porter soon
 
always reliable cheers mate. ill prob up the cara to 200g and leave the amber for another time. I did use amber with the st peters ruby and from a quick taste during bottling today seemed a good (yet early) tweak.
 
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