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coopers heritage lager advice appreciated

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  • 23-11-2011 2:29pm
    #1
    calvin_zola
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,028 ✭✭✭


    Hi there I am doing a coopers heritage lager tonight with some munich wheat bear yeast. I have bought some hallertau hops vacuem packed to add aswell. Can somebody point me at what temperature should I let the lager ferment for, it says 18-23 on the instructions, but some guys online here have suggest that when using a lger yeast the temperature should be a lot less ...

    Also how long would ye boil/simmer the hops for if looking for a nice balance between aroma and taste!


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    #2
    mayto
    Registered Users Posts: 850 ✭✭✭mayto


    Supposedly the premium kits come with a blend of ale and lager yeasts, so they recommend fermenting at 16C if you can. If you ferment too low there might not be enough lager yeast to get a good fermentation. At 16C the ale yeast will ferment too they say. Another option would be to use a true lager yeast
    but ideally you will ferment this at 12C and maybe need two packs, though one might be fine. I made a pilsner last year with the same yeast and it turned out well, but very long time before I was drinking it :). I would add the hops in a sanitised muslin bag about a week before bottling when fermentation is virtually done, ideally in a secondary fermenter.


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    #3
    calvin_zola
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,028 ✭✭✭calvin_zola


    Ok, so you reckon it will take considerably longer in the fermmenter than stout or ale which would be about 3weeks! 12degrees is no problem, me house is bloody freezing atm!


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    #4
    calvin_zola
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,028 ✭✭✭calvin_zola


    mayto wrote: »
    Another option would be to use a true lager yeast

    the yeast I have is a munich wheat beer one @ http://www.thehomebrewcompany.ie/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=62_63&products_id=544

    Id like to maybe achieve a steam beer by using this stuff!


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    #5
    mayto
    Registered Users Posts: 850 ✭✭✭mayto


    Sorry read post wrong :o, munich will ferment at room temp fine , say 18C. I would not use the munich yeast as its a wheat beer yeast and will produce wheat beer characteristics for your lager, but maybe you will like that :). You could ferment low with the supplied kit yeast and have a lager yeast at hand if fermentation struggles. Also you could just increase the temp to 16C+ and the ale yeast will kick in.


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    #6
    calvin_zola
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,028 ✭✭✭calvin_zola


    mayto wrote: »
    Sorry read post wrong :o, munich will ferment at room temp fine , say 18C. I would not use the munich yeast as its a wheat beer yeast and will produce wheat beer characteristics for your lager, but maybe you will like that :). You could ferment low with the supplied kit yeast and have a lager yeast at hand if fermentation struggles. Also you could just increase the temp to 16C+ and the ale yeast will kick in.

    Thanks mate I appreciate all your advice, I will go with the wheat beer as I want to have such characteristics... now I have used hop tea in the past,where I would boil and simmer the hop leaves before hand in a muslin sock and add mix the tea with the wort, now if I where to dry hop this would it be as simple as adding the hop leaves in muslin bag to a secondary for 2 weeks ? Also would a hop-tea not be suitable. Sorry for all the questions I am still relatively new to homebrewing.

    What Im trying to achieve here is a refreshing cloudy steam beer with fruity characteristics and aroma so through my own research came up with this stuff from some imgrediants i want to use in the cupboard before their expiry date!


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    #7
    mayto
    Registered Users Posts: 850 ✭✭✭mayto


    calvin_zola wrote: »
    Thanks mate I appreciate all your advice, I will go with the wheat beer as I want to have such characteristics... now I have used hop tea in the past,where I would boil and simmer the hop leaves before hand in a muslin sock and add mix the tea with the wort, now if I where to dry hop this would it be as simple as adding the hop leaves in muslin bag to a secondary for 2 weeks ? Also would a hop-tea not be suitable. Sorry for all the questions I am still relatively new to homebrewing.

    What Im trying to achieve here is a refreshing cloudy steam beer with fruity characteristics and aroma so through my own research came up with this stuff from some imgrediants i want to use in the cupboard before their expiry date!

    You could do a hop tea but if your after a nice aroma to your beer dry hopping in secondary is generally done. I have an english ale bubbling away since Monday and I will dry hop it with some east kent goldings when I transfer it to a secondary fermenter.


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    #8
    calvin_zola
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,028 ✭✭✭calvin_zola


    mayto wrote: »
    You could do a hop tea but if your after a nice aroma to your beer dry hopping in secondary is generally done. I have an english ale bubbling away since Monday and I will dry hop it with some east kent goldings when I transfer it to a secondary fermenter.

    what do you use as a secondary fermenter, could I use another fermenter with a tap in it and then bottle from that 2 weeks after


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    #9
    mayto
    Registered Users Posts: 850 ✭✭✭mayto


    calvin_zola wrote: »
    what do you use as a secondary fermenter, could I use another fermenter with a tap in it and then bottle from that 2 weeks after

    I just use another fermenter with a tap attached. You do not need a tap though and can just use a syphon of course, less cleaning too:). Some say its better to dry hop when transfering the beer to a new fermenter and get the beer off the yeast slurry which will absorb some hop oils. I batch prime when bottling so I will transfer to another empty fermenter with the dissolved brewing sugar.


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    #10
    calvin_zola
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,028 ✭✭✭calvin_zola


    mayto wrote: »
    I just use another fermenter with a tap attached. You do not need a tap though and can just use a syphon of course, less cleaning too:). Some say its better to dry hop when transfering the beer to a new fermenter and get the beer off the yeast slurry which will absorb some hop oils. I batch prime when bottling so I will transfer to another empty fermenter with the dissolved brewing sugar.

    very interesting, il be doing yeast starter this evening neways, will update as I go along, cheers again.


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    #11
    mayto
    Registered Users Posts: 850 ✭✭✭mayto


    calvin_zola wrote: »
    very interesting, il be doing yeast starter this evening neways, will update as I go along, cheers again.

    Are you using a liquid yeast? as dried yeast only need to be rehydrated in a bit of water in a cup of at about 30C. Only takes about 20 min. I sterilise a clean glass with starsan, add some boiling water and then add tap water until it reaches about 30C. Then add the yeast, cover with foil and wait a while :)


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    #12
    calvin_zola
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,028 ✭✭✭calvin_zola


    mayto wrote: »
    Are you using a liquid yeast? as dried yeast only need to be rehydrated in a bit of water in a cup of at about 30C. Only takes about 20 min. I sterilise a clean glass with starsan, add some boiling water and then add tap water until it reaches about 30C. Then add the yeast, cover with foil and wait a while :)

    yeah Im using dry yeast, i've done the yeast starter in the past with dry yeast sachets and its yielded good results, I'm in no hurry anyways!


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