On with my 2nd brew, Wilko's Hoppy Copper Bitter

[BrewerRS]

Hi all,

After bottling my first beer two days ago (Cooper's Australian Stout), I decided it's about time to brew again!

With the first batch, I used the Cooper's can with 1kg of brewing sugar at £2 a bag and the can was £14. I brewed it to the 23L mark as it suggested but decided after reading some reviews, to short brew this next one.

I've gone for the Hoppy Copper at £10 a can from Wilky's and a bag of Munton's Beerkit Enhancer for £6 (so it's worked out the same price!). I've also added a bottle of Lyle's golden syrup (~490g) that I had lying around and thought it couldn't hurt (opinions?) I made it up to 20L and sprinkled on the yeast that came with the pack (which didn't smell half as good and fruity as the one that came with the stout).

My OG was 1.044, looking forward to bottling this when it's ready and I hope it has some body to it.

What should my next steps be? I batch primed last time, but as I don't have a second FV yet, I stirred up a load of sediment back into the brew.

I like to think I now know a few things about brewing my own wine and beer :mrgreen: so don't be afraid to get technical if necessary. Has anyone got experience with these specific Wilko kits?

Thanks!

 

[RobWalker]

good steps to a good beer in my opinion! golden syrup has its own taste, to give you an idea it's what San Miguel clones use, and it can be used in Belgian beers too. a little different, and certainly not unwelcome.

I'd get another bucket, you can get one for transferring to for a fiver delivered here -

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Solus-Garden-an ... 837&sr=1-1

pretty priceless imo - plus you can use it to keep all your equipment in one place after.

if you wanna keep on the kits, you can start experimenting with adding malts and hops. a good place to start is getting a standard kit and adding some hops of your choice by boiling 50g or so of them up in a few litres of hot water and adding to your FV. :thumb:

but then, if you are happy with the beer you are making, there's not a huge point in fiddling :lol:

 

[BrewerRS]

good steps to a good beer in my opinion! golden syrup has its own taste, to give you an idea it's what San Miguel clones use, and it can be used in Belgian beers too. a little different, and certainly not unwelcome.

I'd get another bucket, you can get one for transferring to for a fiver delivered here -

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Solus-Garden-an ... 837&sr=1-1

pretty priceless imo - plus you can use it to keep all your equipment in one place after.

if you wanna keep on the kits, you can start experimenting with adding malts and hops. a good place to start is getting a standard kit and adding some hops of your choice by boiling 50g or so of them up in a few litres of hot water and adding to your FV. :thumb:

but then, if you are happy with the beer you are making, there's not a huge point in fiddling :lol:

Great! Thanks for the reassurance :thumb: .

Might even make a quick purchase for one of those buckets, have you got one yourself? I noticed a customer review on amazon said that the lid doesn't make a perfect seal. Not a major issue with fermentation anyway but it would be better if it does fit and that it was a one-off.

Cheers! :

 

[robbie1710]

Hi BrewerRS

Have you got round to drinking this?

Could you taste the golden syrrup through this or not?

Ive got this kit and everyone slates it on its own so I wanted to see what you thought?
Im not bothered in trying to add hops at the moment so the golden syrrup idea seemed good.

How much did you add

cheers

 

[BrewerRS]

Hi BrewerRS

Have you got round to drinking this?

Could you taste the golden syrrup through this or not?

Ive got this kit and everyone slates it on its own so I wanted to see what you thought?
Im not bothered in trying to add hops at the moment so the golden syrrup idea seemed good.

How much did you add

cheers

It is good in my opinion but I wouldn't add quite as much syrup as it left too much of an aftertaste. I did it short to 20 litres and added one of the squeezy bottles of golden syrup (454g). I think it probably would be better with 300-350g IMO. Also, I carbonated with 90g of brewing sugar but I would say I under carbonated it to be honest. It tastes more like a lager but with more character and better mouthfeel, so I would give it more carbonation somewhere between a bitter and a lager.

Hope this helps.