It warms a newbies heart when...

Started of my first brew in over 30yrs yesterday,and when all was finished and done,it was about 11.30am.
Opened up the brew fridge at 10.30am today,and it looked like nothing has happened....TBH,I was expecting more,loads of froth,bubbles rising,etc,but no,very little activity at all:|.
Just checked again (at 3.30pm),and my goodness!,the foam is 1/3 way up the FV!,stinks likes a good'un!,and everything is doing what it should be doing!...HURRAY!.At least I must have got something right!.
The brew (Coopers Australian Lager),seems to be holding its own at 21.9c,It isn't going up or down at all,(I have the fridge set at 21.5c with a 1c leeway),so I presume all is going OK!.
I am well aware that "the proof of the pudding is in the drinking",but for a newbie like myself,it is a great confidence boost when,at 10.30am it looks no different to when I first put it in yesterday,to what it looks (and smells) like 4hrs later!. YEAH!!!!!.:rofl:

glad your enjoying it. You've caught the bug already ha hq

I've never used a Coopers Kit, but I assume it came with an ale yeast, rather than a lager (despite the name of the beer)? I only ask as the fermenation temp is on the high side if it came with a lager yeast.

YeastFace said:

I've never used a Coopers Kit, but I assume it came with an ale yeast, rather than a lager (despite the name of the beer)? I only ask as the fermenation temp is on the high side if it came with a lager yeast.

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Pretty sure it came with ale yeast,the pack instructions said between 21c-27c...

its Definitely Ale yeast. unfortunately because its an ale yeast to me the kit doesn't resemble a lager. its a nice beer but its not a lager.

Cooper's Ale Yeast seems to cope well with our summer temperatures. I've had a few brews reach 24C this June / July and none of them have had any off tastes. Maybe as they are made in Australia and aimed at beginners, they have evolved a yeast that tolerates the warmth pretty well. The Cooper's yeast doesn't take long to get going and it drops out well and sticks to the bottom of the bottle nice and firmly.

Glad Dr Terror is enjoying himself so much. Now he'll have to be patient while it sits around for a few weeks. I couldn't leave mine alone, feeling obliged to taste it after a week in the bottle. Weak willed or what?

I've used a coopers yeast in a TC brew and it's a corker and welcome to the forum Dr Terror you can't beat that first krausen. I'm impressed with a brew fridge so early, starting as you mean to go on, like it

Thanks guys!.I have to be honest,I really strained not to rush into brewing it in the 5 weeks since I got the kit!.I wanted to make sure I got as much right as possible (and as funds would allow)!,so I had the fridge up and running a fortnight ago,testing it with the probe sellotaped to cans of Stella,and insulated with bubble wrap,just to be sure it was working!.I should have done a wet run with the FV really,to get the final OG (1040,BTW) temp right,but thanks to the water changes in my fish keeping hobby,I have an uncanny knack of getting the temp fairly accurate by guess work (my fish water is 24c) and I got it fairly right at 25.5 (and I didnt even need to put my finger in)!,and the instructions for the kit said between 21c - 27c,so I think I was good to go at 25.5c:).Like I said above,the temp in the fridge hasn't really deviated from 21.9c,so Im hoping that works well.....
As for waiting for the brew to condition,well,I should be O.K!,I will probably try a mouthful when I bottle it,and open a bottle after a week! (for testing purposes only,you understand)!,I am determined to wait on the rest! (time will tell on that one)!.
I am now wondering about the carbonation drops in 500ml bottles though,I got the Coopers kit,so also got the Coopers carbonation drops,but I dont think I will have enough to put 2 in each bottle,I may have to get another pack,as I do like my Lager served up at 2-3c and rather 'fizzy'....lol!.

RobsHomebrew said:

its Definitely Ale yeast. unfortunately because its an ale yeast to me the kit doesn't resemble a lager. its a nice beer but its not a lager.

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Thats one of the reasons for my early brew fridge assembly!.I have read that the Coopers Lager doesn't taste like 'proper' lager,but that's what came in the brew kit,so I thought I would give it a go anyway as its my first attempt,and I will drink it unless it is totally foul...!:).

Now I just need more bottles,so whilst this kit is conditioning,I can try another using real lager yeast....

(And even more bottles,or a keg,as I am also rather partial to a pint or three of Woodfordes Headcracker,decisions,decisions)!.

I think the coopers European lager kit and pilsner kit both come supplied with lager yeast maybe you could try one of those but be prepared for a 12 week wait while they condition in the bottle.

It may be of interest... I have z European and Australia lager kit here.... both yeasts gave the same barcode and number... thoughts?

flash said:

I think the coopers European lager kit and pilsner kit both come supplied with lager yeast maybe you could try one of those but be prepared for a 12 week wait while they condition in the bottle.

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They're ale yeasts. The instructions tell you to ferment at too high a temperature for a lager yeast. As I recall it says 19 - 27C. Most ale yeasts are unhappy above about 22C.

Cheers

mike-os said:

It may be of interest... I have z European and Australia lager kit here.... both yeasts gave the same barcode and number... thoughts?

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The number on mine was 22714 ,didnt get the barcode though.

Tony1951 said:

They're ale yeasts. The instructions tell you to ferment at too high a temperature for a lager yeast. As I recall it says 19 - 27C. Most ale yeasts are unhappy above about 22C.

Cheers

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I am sort of glad you said that,as mine has remained a constant 21.9 until today,where it has dropped to 21.2 (but it is staying there).I thought the ale yeasts wanted a temp of 22.5-23.5?,not sure why I thought that,I think I read it somewhere!.Wish I had gone for 20c now....Oh well,live'n'learn!.:grin:

flash said:

I think the coopers European lager kit and pilsner kit both come supplied with lager yeast maybe you could try one of those but be prepared for a 12 week wait while they condition in the bottle.

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Yes I may well give the Euro lager a go,I think I would change the yeast for some real larger yeast though.

te

DrTerror said:

I am sort of glad you said that,as mine has remained a constant 21.9 until today,where it has dropped to 21.2 (but it is staying there).I thought the ale yeasts wanted a temp of 22.5-23.5?,not sure why I thought that,I think I read it somewhere!.Wish I had gone for 20c now....Oh well,live'n'learn!.:grin:

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It's Cooper's yeast. It will be fine. I must have brewed ten of those kits since February - if not more, and they are happy as can be at that temperature. Some other yeasts are much more sensitive to warmer weather than that one.

DrTerror said:

The number on mine was 22714 ,didnt get the barcode though.

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From what I read on the Coopers forum that means the yeast was packaged on the 227th day of 2014.

Sachets carry a Julian date code and may also carry letters to denote the type of yeast. For example, if they were packaged on the 25th of September 2007 = 268th day of 2007:

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I was a bit confused when I got my Coopers kit for Christmas and found the yeast supplied was an ale yeast, but the kit was Lager.
The beer came out OK, but I'm not sure I would ever bother making it again.

I'm beginning to realise that things have moved on in leaps and bounds since I gave up making beer twenty five years ago.
In those days you bought the kit and made the beer. There were no worries about what yeast was what.

mike-os said:

It may be of interest... I have z European and Australia lager kit here.... both yeasts gave the same barcode and number... thoughts?

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More from the Coopers site.

Original Series:- Ac (26807)

International Series:-
Australian Pale Ale - Ac+L (26807 Int)
Mexican Cerveza - Ac+L (26807 Int)
European Lager - L (26807 P)
Canadian Blonde - Ac (26807)
English Bitter - Ac (26807)

Thomas Coopers Selection:-
Wheat - A (26807 W)
IPA - Ac (26807 IPA)
Irish Stout - A (26807 IS)
Pilsener - L (26807 P)
Australian Bitter - Ac+L (26807 PS)
Heritage Lager - Ac+L (26807 PS)
Sparkling Ale - Ac+L (26807 PS)
Traditional Draught - Ac+L (26807 PS)

Note:
Ac = Coopers ale yeast (our own strain, not the same as the yeast in our commercial ales, developed in-house and propagated under contract).

A = ale yeast and L = lager yeast (these strains are commercially available dry yeast and their details are held in confidence).

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Pirate_Pete said:

More from the Coopers site.

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so the euro lager and pilsner kits do come with lager yeast,i was starting to doubt myself for a moment there.:wha:

DrTerror said:

Thats one of the reasons for my early brew fridge assembly!.I have read that the Coopers Lager doesn't taste like 'proper' lager,but that's what came in the brew kit,so I thought I would give it a go anyway as its my first attempt,and I will drink it unless it is totally foul...!:).

Now I just need more bottles,so whilst this kit is conditioning,I can try another using real lager yeast....

(And even more bottles,or a keg,as I am also rather partial to a pint or three of Woodfordes Headcracker,decisions,decisions)!.

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now you've got a brew fridge you should try switching your yeast for a true lager yeast. I only brew lager or styles of lager and I still buy coopers kits I just prefer to use proper lager yeast. you can taste a huge difference. give it a shot next time you buy a kit get a true yeast :)