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Yes they are awesome, beer is good for you.
Just don't drink after 2 weeks bottled. I leave it for a few months, longer if possible.
A great way of starting. It's how I got into brewing 17 years ago :-)
Two quick pointers. The Temp control is really important - far more than Coopers paraphenalia suggests. Keep your ales at 18-20º as a goal - avoid the higher temps. Don't bother using a Lager yeast unless you have a temp controlled fermentation setup. Don't stress about the airlock bubbles. Look for a consistant final gravity with your hydrometer for when to decide to bottle.
It's a fun slippery slope :-)
What's good reading/viewing material? I'd love to start, but unsure how much space I need and how much it all costs.
I think there are Cooper's YouTube vids around. You don't need much space, however the brew area will smell like beer, so you probably need to brew in the garage or shed, which adds to the temperature control issues.
P.s. the beer tastes great.
I learnt so much through the Aussiehomebrewer forum. I don't get there much these days but it's a treasure trove of information.
@doogiechap: +1 to the forum. The guy I learnt most of my home brew techniques from has been a regular there is the past. He was part of the team that wrote up the original brew-in-a-bag instructions.
+100 to temperature control. If you can get a good thermostat and a working fridge or freezer it’ll make a world of difference. That was the single best upgrade I ever did.
Craig tube a good channel to look up on YouTube. Just search for his Coopers instructional videos. I brew in the garage in winter and use an ink bird temperature regulator connected to heat pads wrapped around the fermenters. Very cheap set up. The heat pads bring the temperature up to a consistent 20° two weeks. As mentioned, temperature is very important. Also cleanliness is very important, need to use Starsan.
I’ve also done full grain brews using a large 12litre stockpot on the stove. It is possible to make amazing beer if you get it all right.
When you're up and running do yourself a favour and change just one thing each time so you can isolate what is and isn't working.
Great advice. Just tapped my keg of a Coopers XPA clone over the weekend. So good!
These are pre-hopped extract, usually with a cheap high alpha variety that has all the subtle bitterness of a brick to the head, like Pride of Ringwood. They have zero hop flavour or aroma and yeast that ferments fast but is prone to cidery esters.
Do yourself a favour and go to your friendly local homebrew store, grab some unhopped extract, some fresh hops and a decent yeast. Step up your game over time by steeping speciality grains in a paint strainer bag from Bunnings.
You shouldn't have to leave beer for months for it to be drinkable, especially a normal gravity ale.
Read John Palmer's How To Brew for free online.
You shouldn't have to leave beer for months for it to be drinkable,
I've been brewing Coopers cans for over 10 years and it's definitely better if you can leave it bottled for a few months or longer. Others that drink my home brew agree.
I like Aus Pale Ale for $13.60 the best.
I agree that you need to leave Coopers kits for months until they're drinkable.
This is not a good thing.
@GrueHunter: Strange. I find 3 weeks is ideal but with 100-150grms of extra hops that's what I'm pretty much waiting for
@GrueHunter: It is a good thing.
Hop driven beer like American Pale Ales (which I'm assuming is your preference) is best drinking earlier because the hop flavour dissipates quickly.
Malt driven beer, like the traditional Coopers ales & lager, use the hops for bitterness, not flavour. They're quite bitter when younger, but the malt flavour comes through as the bitterness eases off with age.
And those above talking about temperature, well that is dependent on the yeast strain you use. In colder weather, use lager as it's happy about the low teens, ales around the high teens and if you live in FNQ/Darwin, there's a farmhouse ale yeast that's happy in the low-mid 30's. Different yeasts give different flavours.
For my palette, the lagers hit their sweet spot from 6-10wks, the American Ales around the 8-12 weeks, the English Ales around 12-20 weeks, Stouts 4-6mths although still excellent after 12mths.
My tips for cans is a Toucan (or two cans) fill it up to 25-28lt, pitch the yeast and you'll get heaps of flavour. I used to do Coopers Pale Ale & Woolies draught.
Also if you can get Morgan's cans, they have better flavour & better kit yeast.
American Pale Ales (which I'm assuming is your preference)
You'd be wrong.
Malt driven beer, like the traditional Coopers ales & lager
I've had corn flakes that were more malt-forward than anything brewed or sold by Coopers.
For my palette, the lagers hit their sweet spot from 6-10wks, the American Ales around the 8-12 weeks, the English Ales around 12-20 weeks, Stouts 4-6mths
Those are outrageous times when everyone who's moved past kits is going from grain to brain to drain in two weeks, tops - as little as a week with pressurised fermenters. I might let a strong Belgian sit that long before I tried it, but waiting two to three months for the fusels in a regular gravity ale to drop back so it doesn't taste like apple cider mixed with petrol isn't a sign of a quality product.
If anybody really wants to go the kit in a can route, get the 3kg ESB kits. If you want fast decent beer, get a wort kit and a decent yeast. I'd say stick with Coopers kits if you just want cheap alcohol, except you could go all grain and make better beer for cents on the dollar.
Yep. So true about Pride to Ringwood. I am growing out in the garden, It’s not great. Mostly used as a bittering agent
I have been home brewing for over three years now and when possible I wait for these sales. Yesterday I picked up some Mexican cerveza and Pale Ale as well as a couple of boxes of brew enhancer #2 for a total of $40, saving me $10!
Might get some more before the sale ends because I have a feeling that the retail price is going to increase like everything else very soon.
Aus pale is the best. Always great results when made during the cooler months of the year. 23L of beer for less than $20 is great.
I was very disappointed in the Brew A IPA. Very sweet and not much hops flavour at all.
Can't go wrong with these. Suggest going onto Cooper's diy website. Free delivery with orders over $80. Recommend malt extra can instead of the extra sugars. I've always found it to have better head retention and a smoother rounder taste. These kits really need additional hops and a better quality yeast for a premium result. Brew in a fridge if you can. Enjoy in daily moderation
Bigw is free delivery > $100
Best tip is to chuck the kit yeast and use US 05 Ale yeast. You can get 3 packs for $12 delivered from eBay.
Also, if you find brewing a hobby you enjoy. Don't hesitate to ditch the bottles and start kegging. It's so good!
I have been using Coopers plastic bottles for several years now. How would you recommend beginning with kegging? I don’t really know where to start.
Most cost effective way is if you have room for a beer fridge. Grab one from facebook marketplace for next to nothing. Then all you need is a 19 litre ball lock Corny Keg (or 3 lol) a 2.6kg Co2 bottle with regulator, some beer line and a gun, or tap if you want to mount it through the fridge door. You can also buy dedicated Kegerators, but they will cost more.
Sounds like a great setup. Will look into it. Thanks !
In addition, water quality!
Bad town water will skew your final product. Your brew will taste bland to why ……. bother if you do not sort it out.
Are these actually any good?