Coopers sparkling ale

[rollin danny]

Im about to do the sparkling ale and Im wondering what fermentables to use.The instructions recomend a whopping 1.5 kg liquid malt ,500 g dry malt and 300 g dextrose[brew sugar]. That seems a hell of a lot to me.I dont really want to brew rocket fuel. I was thinking maybe just 1kg light dry malt .Any thoughts?

[sparky Paul]

It does sound a lot, but the kit is hopped for the intended strength, using less fermentables may throw the hop balance out a bit. That said, if you want a beer around 4%, I'm sure I've read of some Aussie brewers making this kit up at that strength.

FWIW, I add 1.5kg of light spraymalt, 500g of dextrose and extra hops to this kit with excellent results.

[Normski]

Hi rollin danny
I've just Bottled and Kegged a Coopers Sparkling Ale useing the full monty yesterday. It finished at 6.8%. Cant say how it tastes just yet, but it took a little longer than the usual Coopers to ferment, think it was about 6 - 7 days. I have an early drawn bottle that I was gonna have a taste tonight. I'll let you know what its like tommorow. If I survive.

[rollin danny]

Thanks to every one who replied Im interested to know about how to add hops to improve kits. can anyone go through it step by step?

[JayBee]

Its supposed to be quite a strong drink anyway. Its probably my all time fave bottled ale and it comes in at 5.8abv. The only reason I`ve not made the kit is because I don`t believe it could be nearly as good as the commercial equivalent.
On some of the Aussie forums they reckon the only way to get close to the real thing from the kit is to re-culture yeast from either a couple of bottles of the real sparkling ale or pale ale. Havent tried it yet but I might give it a go some time this year.

[Normski]

I drank a bottle of my Sparkling Ale last night. It was still a bit cloudy but tasted nice. It's strong at 6.8% and will need a bit of conditioning to be at its best, but when its ready it should be a realy nice but very strong drink. Its somewhere between a Light Ale and a Lager. Sparkling Ale describes it about spot on.

[Manx Guy]

hi!
Thanks for the tips, as i'm thinking of doing the sparkling ale as I'm a fan of the commercialy available stuff...
I tend to agree that 6.8% is going to bring it in on the strong side...
would it really off balance the hopiness to leave out the 300g brew sugar? am i right in thinking that the ommision of the sugar would bring the ABV down to nearer 6%?
I love the stuff but dont want to brew rocket fuel lol

I'd be interested to know how you get on....
Cheers!

Guy

[Normski]

Hi Manx Guy an Chris
It started at 1062 and finished at 1015. I made that 5.8% what do you guys make it.
1062 - 1015 = 47 devided by 7.46 = 6.3% oops.
I had another bottle last night, Its still well strong at 6.3%.
Think if I make it again, I'd made it weaker, it may even improve my maths.

[rollin danny]

Hi Manx Guy an Chris
It started at 1062 and finished at 1015. I made that 5.8% what do you guys make it.
1062 - 1015 = 47 devided by 7.46 = 6.3% oops.
I had another bottle last night, Its still well strong at 6.3%.
Think if I make it again, I'd made it weaker, it may even improve my maths.

You forgot that the Coopers method also says to add 0.5 to the calculation and that would have give you the 6.8 %.The other method I use is og - fg x 131 this method gives 6.1 abv.

[Manx Guy]

Thanks guys...

I'm still going to give it a go as directed...
I just won't drink it on a 'school day/night'....
lol

I'll let you know how I get on...
Can't really start it untill my Pale Ale is bottled and then my first brew (Aussie Lager) should be ready to drink!

[sparky Paul]

1.7kg of liquid malt extract x 300/23 = 22.17
+
1.5kg of DME x 374/23 = 24.4
+
0.3kg of dextrose x 300/23 = 4

= 50.57

or 1051 (rounded up)

it'll ferment roughly down to 1010

and alcohol can be estimated by subtracting FG from OG and dividing by 7.45

(51-10)/7.45 = 5.5%

IIRC, that's more or less the figures I get with this kit and the same fermentables. I don't think it fermented quite down to 1010, perhaps a little higher, but you can add 0.2%-ish for the priming sugars...

Definitely around the 5.5% mark.

[Manx Guy]

cool...
5.5% is acceptable and more importantly it will be a pleasant drink...

Sparky Paul: I'm interested to hear how your Coopers Lager with the SM and hops goes...
I've tried my (not fully conditioned) aussie lager and am pleased with the results... Even tho;' I fermented it at the recomended 24C ish which I suspect might be a bit too high to get a nice crisp lager (?)
having read a few threads on here I would do it again possibly using a light Spray malt and hops or maybe a hopped spray malt...(?)
so let me know how yours goes...

Slainte!

[sparky Paul]

Sparky Paul: I'm interested to hear how your Coopers Lager with the SM and hops goes...
I've tried my (not fully conditioned) aussie lager and am pleased with the results... Even tho;' I fermented it at the recomended 24C ish which I suspect might be a bit too high to get a nice crisp lager (?)
having read a few threads on here I would do it again possibly using a light Spray malt and hops or maybe a hopped spray malt...(?)

I've done quite a few of these Coopers lager kits over the last few years, IMHO you can't beat adding lots of classic lager hops. Sometimes I use Saflager yeast, particularly if ambient temperature is low enough to do it's stuff, but I often I use the supplied Cooper's yeast which works very well too. Saflager definitely has the edge, the resulting beer has a very clean taste, but it doesn't half stink when it's fermenting! In either case, it helps to keep the fermentation temperature lower, 12-15°C for Saflager, around 18°C for the supplied yeast.

My recommendations for a kit lager...

1] Use any of the Cooper's lager-type kits.

2] When adding your fermentables, use 50%-75% light or extra-light spraymalt, make the rest up with brewing sugar/dextrose. The dextrose lightens the 'mouthfeel' nicely, you don't want a lager to be too heavy.

3] Add hops. I prefer Saaz, which is a classic European lager hop, but Halletauer are good too. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, here's my favourite method for adding hops (thanks Chris) and it works for me... Empty the content of the kit can into the fermenter, and fill the can with boiling water from a kettle. Stir to dissolve the remaining extract, and tip into a large pan. Repeat, so you have two can fulls in the pan. Take a quantity of hops, add one third of the quantity and boil for 15 minutes, stirring any froth back in. Remove from the heat and add the remaining two thirds of the hops, and leave to steep for 20-30 minutes. Strain the liquor back into the fermenter through a sanitised sieve. I would start with 25-30g of Saaz. I often add 40g+, but I would err on the side of caution initially, particularly if the hops are very fresh.

4] Bottle... you'll never get the required level of carbonation in a plastic keg. I add 4tsp of priming sugar per 2L PET, which sounds a lot, but it gives you the fizz and the necessary CO2 bite you need in a lager. The bottles will be very lively, so will need to be chilled in the fridge for several hours before opening, otherwise you will be met by an instant sediment snowstorm upon opening. The only viable alternative IMHO is force carbonating in a cornie keg.

5] Give it time to condition. A couple of months in the bottle makes all the difference.


Sorry to ramble on a bit, but if you get it all right, you can make a beer from a kit which will make most pub lager drinkers widen their eyes. In a good way, that is...

Hope this helps!

[Manx Guy]

Hi!

Many thanks for a very thorough and helpul answer!
I'll give that a go... I'm already brewing my pale ale at the cooler end of what coopers recomend to get the cleaner taste...

I'll certainly try hopping my next Coopers lager kit!

Obviously letting you all know how it goes...

[Manx Guy]

Hi!

by way of an update... I have bottled my Aussie Pale Ale now leaving the way clear for the Sparkling ale....

Got everything in place (fermentables & Clean bottles etc) but wondering how I would go about using the sediment from the bottom of a bottle of the commercially available sparkling ale to cultivate the yeast...

I thought I might give it a go assuming i can produce some viable yeast, but I'm clueless as to how to do it...
Any one any ideas?

Slainte!