Coopers IPA

[mysterio]

I'm just finishing off a keg of this wonderful stuff. I recommend it to all kit brewers looking for a flavourful hoppy session beer.

For best results I recommend making it up to 20L, with 500g of light spray malt and 300g of brewing sugar, and dry hopping with an ounce of Cascades in the keg. I find Coopers yeast is pretty good so I just use the yeast supplied. You should have an OG of about 1.038 and finish up around 1.009 with that.

[inthedark]

What volume to you make that up to, DaaB? Do you aim for a specific OG? I've got two of these one the go at the moment - the first with Beerkit enhancer and the second with DME.

[chopperswookie]

cheers lads, my next question on the forum would have been concerning an IPA. after getting "princess margaret-ed" (check out the "bladdered" topic in the tap room!!) on a Marstons old empire IPA at wetherspoons want to re-create it at home!

[mysterio]

This kit is F-all like Marstons Old Empire, which is more like a traditional English IPA.

There's enough info about ingredients on the Marston's website for me to have a stab at doing a recipe if you're serious about brewing it.

[J_P]

Princess Margaret-ed - best euphemism for drunk I've heard in a while!

[ade1865]

resurrecting an old thread I know, but do you boil and steep the hops in water or diluted wort, presumably prior to adding the yeast starter? and is this an alternative to dry hopping? Just trying to get it all straight in my head.

[WelshAl]

Hi, here goes for post number one!

I've done homebrew kits before, the first being a Kwiksave special in the early 90s in a bag

I've just done a Coopers IPA, a present from a friend, and it was remarkably easy to get right.

I used Beer Enhancer (burton bridge spray dried malt & dextrose meritose) in the brew, as i didn't see the kilo of glucose powder in the box .

Still, it came out alright in the bottles. Tastes a bit like cheap bitter you get from supermarkets but eminently drinkable. User error might have caused a fall from grace; it's probably capable of much better quality.

I'm tempted to do another Coopers kit, and old dark ale perhaps, but can recommend this for beginners.

[markbatten]

I've got one of these kits hidden in the garage to get started when the boss and No. 1 child are out shopping on Saturday.
I bought 1/2 a kilo of spraymalt and brewers sugar to make it up as Mysterio describes, maybe without the dry hops.
Can't wait as I have corny No. 1 ready to accept its first brew!! The KK is already gathering dust in the corner of the garage!

[Russ]

Get the KK full as well!

[mysterio]

resurrecting an old thread I know, but do you boil and steep the hops in water or diluted wort, presumably prior to adding the yeast starter? and is this an alternative to dry hopping? Just trying to get it all straight in my head.

I don't make it the way DaaB describes but I think he means boiling the hops along with the dried malt extract for 15 minutes, then adding some more hops to steep.

I like to dry hop kits sometimes because you tend not to get much aromatics from a kit beer. I usually just use whatever I've got leftover in the freezer.

[sparky Paul]

An alternative would be to rinse the tin out and use that to boil the hops. For some reason the reduced ph of the water caused by the addition of wort improves the flavour extraction.

I've used DaaB's suggestion several times now, and it works really well.

Fill the emptied can/s with boiling water, make sure the remaining extract is fully dissolved and empty into a pan. Add some hops, say 10-15g, and boil for ten minutes, then add a further 10-15g during cooling. Leave for 30 mins, strain and add to fermenter.

[GTATTY]

I purchased this kit yesterday from Flagon and Cask, Bulwell, Nottingham.
Dunno what the going rate is but it was £9.45. I know they have a few in stock because they opened up a new full box if anyone is interested

How is the included Yeast, is it any good?

I got some Safale S-04 aswell just in case!
Can't wait to do it and compare it to my fermenting Munton's Gold IPA.

Regards

Graham

[Hoppkins]

The Coopers IPA kit is top notch. I shop at the Flagon on occasion too. Thats the going rate just about.

A 3kg Woodfordes kit goes for approx 16 quid so this kit + ddecent sugars is close. But when this is kegged and left for 4+ weeks it turns into something easily comparable.

I made this with 1kg of light spray malt and it's gorgeous

[J_P]

The coopers yeast is good stuff - you shouldn't have any problems with it. It doesn't stick to the bottom of the bottle quite as well as Safale S04 but Daab and Sub Sub reckoned it was right for the kit so that's what I used.

[ade1865]

Time for Brew 4, 3 being the Turbo cider that I kicked off last night. See exhibit A, one pint of Admiral’s Revenge, to take away the worries and rtemind me of the goals ahead. Also it tastes nice at the end of a long day. As you may be able to see, there’s a lot of cleaning up to do first! Made pizza earlier on!



Exhibit B, fermentation bins in various stages of cleaning and sanitising. Wish the same could be said for the bathroom!



Exhibit C, the Admiral’s going down a treat.



The chocolate sauce!



Big bag of weed and a muggers balaclava, er sorry, no, that’s the hops and the muslin bag! I didn't use the bag in the end.



So I basically carried out the mission, which I chose to accept, along the usual lines, but added 15g of goldings to the rinsed can of wort in a pan as suggested by daaB and Paul and boiled for 15 mins, then added another 15g for the steep for 25 mins. poured this all in and paddled like crazy. Learnt a bit about paddkling too, trying to replicate a drill action through rubbing hands together in a kind of ' I'm sure I've seen them make fire this way on telly' way. I'd also used 1 Kg of spraymalt. Makes you want to drink it while its hot yum yummmmmm.

bit concerned about the lack of action in the yeast starter, but as ?I only finished this off at 2.30 this morning its a bit early to be getting my knickers in a twist.

I can't belive it took 4HOURS to do it all. I'm sure it'll get quicker as I get more adept at realising what needs to be done where, but the cleaning and sanitising takes an age. Should drink more beer in future.

Incidentally, the Admirals Reserve is turning into a right little belter. Pity its nearly run out!

Finally a screen shot of EvE online, my other addiction. I always wanted to be Han Solo. Now I can!



'You mean you've never heard of the Millenium Falcon?'