Coopers Best Bitter Adapted.

[Providence]

I have just made the Best Bitter recipe from here:

http://www.geocities.com/lesjudith/Cust ... opers.html

Following the method suggested apart from using 20gms of Goldings.

It has produced a good result and I will be making it again in a couple of weeks.

The method suggested is as follows:

1. Mix the cracked grains with about 1 litre of water and bring to the boil.

2. Boil gently for 20 minutes then add the hop pellets and turn the heat off at the same time. Let

the hot mixture stand for about 10 minutes.

3. Pour the hot mixture through a fine strainer into the fermenter. Gently pour some hot water through

the collected grain to rinse all the goodness into the fermenter.

4. Add the other ingredients to the fermenter plus some hot water if necessary and mix thoroughly.

5. Add cold water up to the 23 litre mark and stir well.

6. When the temperature is below 30 deg.C. add the yeast and make your beer the usual way.

I was thinking of adapting the method in the following ways.

Simmering the crystal malt for 1 hour at 60 to 70 degrees in 4 litres of water (the maximum capacity of my pot).

Steeping the 20gms of hops at 70 degrees in 1 litre of water for 15 mins.

Then following the rest of the instructions.

My objective would be to up the hoppiness of the final brew and to improve extraction from the grain.

Should I increase the amount of hops/grain used?

Any comments on this from the experienced would be appreciated!

Thanks in advance.

[OldSpeckledBadger]

Simmering the crystal malt for 1 hour at 60 to 70 degrees in 4 litres of water (the maximum capacity of my pot).

70C is well below simmer heat. What you want to do is steep them. You won't find any advantage in steeping for longer than about 30 minutes.

Steeping the 20gms of hops at 70 degrees in 1 litre of water for 15 mins.

80C is more usual for finishing hops.

[Providence]

Thanks for the response OldSpeckled.

So as I understand it, your advice would be:

Get the 4 litres of water boiling and then turn off the stove and steep the grain for 30 minutes.
Heat 1 litre of water to 80 degrees and then add hops and turn off stove and leave for 15 mins.

I have mentioned on another thread that this brew tastes a bit like Gales HSB. I note that Dave LInes uses 14oz of soft dark sugar in his HSB clone. If I were trying to make it more like HSB, would this be a useful addition in your opinion? And if so when? To this end, do the amounts of grain/hops seem OK to you?

[OldSpeckledBadger]

Get the 4 litres of water boiling and then turn off the stove and steep the grain for 30 minutes.
Heat 1 litre of water to 80 degrees and then add hops and turn off stove and leave for 15 mins.

You'll probably find that whilst steeping the grains you need give a little extra burst of heat every 5 minutes or so to keep the temperature up.

I have mentioned on another thread that this brew tastes a bit like Gales HSB. I note that Dave LInes uses 14oz of soft dark sugar in his HSB clone. If I were trying to make it more like HSB, would this be a useful addition in your opinion? And if so when? To this end, do the amounts of grain/hops seem OK to you?

To be honest if you want to an HSB clone you're better off getting Graham Wheeler's new book and following that rather that wasting your time trying to turn a pig's ear (or maybe that should be a kangeroo's ear) into a silk purse. I can;t help you with the grain bill and hop schedule because a) the link you posted doesn't work and b) I don't know the recipe of the Cooper's kit beer.

[Providence]

Fixed the link.

Thanks a lot OldSpeckled. I'll follow your advice next time I brew this and report back. I'm tempted to try the additional soft brown sugar anyway purely on the basis of upping the ABV!

[OldSpeckledBadger]

OK I've had a look at the recipe now. 15g looks fine for the additional hops. How much crystal malt is going to be down to personal taste. If you really want to up the quality then use more spraymalt and less sugar.

[Providence]

Thanks for looking.

I think I'll just stick to the recipe for the amounts but change the techniques to those you suggested and see what comes out! Too many changes at once and I won't know which one improved it! Or made it worse.