Sunday brew...toucan Coopers stout to 23L

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Recipe.

20L tesco everyday mineral water 17p a bottle
2 cans coopers stout 20quid
1KG dark DME 5quid
500g Demarara sugar 80p or so
2 kit yeast (yeah im cheap LOL)

So the brew has cost me £27.50 all in so 68p a pint

This time no treacle....decided this one will not have it, I have 1 kit left to go at so will do another with treacle with that one for Jan thru march.

Technique was different for this one, 6L cold water, add the DME add 4L more cold water and the kits (warmed) then rinse the tins with 2L hot water with the sugar disolved, then add this and top up to 20L there after. temp was under 24.5C right off doing this, just got 2C to drop before i pitch the yeast. Stir a la Ditch with the cordless drill and a paint stirrer...absolutely battered it for a full 5 mins to make sure it was thoroughly mixed.
The transfer from the bucket to the conical again adding air into the mix....there is no way this one has not enough o2 mixed in.

Just waiting to pitch the yeast, the kitchen should be hovering around 19c for the next week, maybe touching 20c so perfect temps I feel for fermenting.

OG 1.070 on the nail. If this ferments out it should hit at least 7.5%ABV,

Praying it will be right for over Christmas

Tony

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So brainfart sunday, 20L water and 3.4L of kit =23L+....Helps to remember Kits are liquid too

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Woke up this morning to brewing spew all over the ceiling, all down the side of the fermenter and a gazzilian paper towels all over the place where the wife had cleaned up first.....very vigorous fermenter this one.

So it now has a blow off tube into a 1/3rd filled 2L mineral water bottle....

Fastferment lid not sealing 100% also which is not helping so work to do on this before next brew goes into it..

[liamtmt7]

So brainfart sunday, 20L water and 3.4L of kit =23L+....Helps to remember Kits are liquid too

I made that mistake one before! Doh!

[AnthonyUK]

The Coopers stout has quite a high level of bitterness which may make it unsuitable for a toucan.

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The Coopers stout has quite a high level of bitterness which may make it unsuitable for a toucan.

Well I was prompted to read this thread... viewtopic.php?f=80&t=73150 which changed my idea about the unsuitability of a toucan brew. Plus I long brewed this by mistake and added an extra 1KG of malt to the mix so it may mellow it a little.
Thinking about it if I brewed it to 20L it would have been 1.1XX gravity and probably a monster so better i did long brew it.

I will report back on the brew at Christmas time (im hoping its ready by then)

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Brewday Sunday night, today Thursday and its sat at 6.6% ABV and still going, so around 4 days into the ferment.
Starting gravity 1.070, today its sat at 1.020, if it drops all the way to 1.012 it will hit 7.6%, anywhere from 1.106 to 1.014 would do me

Taste is young and a little bitter, slight coffee and roasty notes to this one, hoping it will mellow in the keg for Christmas.

[Haydnexport]

Ive brewed this toucan , ala ditch just added extra can instead of dme. And i have to say it's the best stout ive ever tried, even my dad , (first gen brit born from irish family, still thinks he's irish) says he never drinks guiness outside of ireland but he wolfed it down.

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It has another week in the fermenter then im racking some into 330ml bottles and the rest into a keg. Not sure on how much fiz to add to this one, calculators tell me 2.2 but im thinking way lower, maybe 1.2 or 1.5 tops?

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slowing up now, 1.018, thinking 1.016 is all I will see from this for just over 7% ABV. Looking to rack off to bottles and the keg by next weekend.
No heater and its stayed at 19 to 20c for the whole of the fermentation, got to love this late October weather for fermenting beer

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So now 9 days in the fermenter and its still at 1.018, the last 2 days its been sat at just under 22C so guessing its finished.

Sneak taste from the sample jar.....superb!

Looks like it will come in around 7% ABV, not to bad for a winter warmer

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Had 1/3rd right out the fermenter tonight...utterly superb
Its still at 1.018, using the more complex calculation and adjusting for temperature it looks to be 7.2% ABV, mind you it does not give it away in the taste.

Bottling at the weekend, 34x 330ml bottles and the rest in 500ml ones, decided i want the keg for an APA im brewing...might have to see if the local has any 330ml bottles as this will be dangerous if supping pints. Going to batch prime at 90g sugar for the brew which is around 1.8.

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Caved in and cracked a 330ml bottle open.
Carbonation is light, just enough imo, however no head retention at all. Aroma is awesome, light coffee, toffee, roasty...taste is equally as awesome, everything i smell I taste but its VERY smooth.
Now this is over 7% so there is a hint of alcohol, its a sipper not a chugger, that said it is very moreish
Its only been outside a few days so its pretty young still. Plan is to leave this well alone now to Christmas, I will then update again.

If you are considering this brew, keep your eye on tesco for the 10quid offer and go for it. If I was to keep it dead simple I might pick up a pack of brew enhancer 1 to go with my recipe or just add 500g of maltodextrin to thicken it a little.

Awesome brew....very much a winter warmer and worth the effort. Just make sure to ferment in a bucket or container that can cope with the spew it creates, its quite explosive

[WalesAles]

Sounds a Good un!
I might try this!

WA

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Just cracked open another, now this is a brew , the booze is starting to mellow now although it does warm the stomach when its gone down.
Still very much a sipper not a chugger and I suggest you get a good glass for this one to let the aroma shine. Carbonation is perfect at 1.8 for me, had a half inch head from an aggressive pour which lasted till around half way, this may be a brew to add some oats too although it really is superb as is.

This may be how i brew Coopers stout going forward, will just need to decide if adding oats and a partial mash is worth the effort with it.