coopers

anthonyos

im just going to start my coopers home brew kit i got in tesco...im just wondering about the temp and were is the beat place to keep it in the house hotpress or cupboard wrapped up in a jacket

Sky King

heya anthony- have a good look around this forum here and on beoir for guys like you just starting out homebrewing who also started threads - there's a wealth of knowlege there and it is really really worthwhile taking your time and doing it right. Saniting your gear properly and taking care when fermenting and bottling.

It can be the difference between barely drinkable swill and really tasty home brewed beer to rival stuff you'd buy in a shop!!!

To answer your question, the general concensus is that the best temperature to ferment a kit such as yours is 18 to 20 C and to try it keep it as constant as possible.

The coopers kits instructions specify a warmer fermenting temp but the explanation i have read for that is that they are australian kits - where people houses are warmer and you would actually have to refrigerate the kit to get it down to 20C

the cooler temp takes a bit longer but the results are better with fewer 'off flavours'

I ferment mine in a large kitchen press which is a constant 19C and I am drinking the first few of a coopers engish bitter kit that i bottled recently and the results are really excellent.

happy brewing!

evolving_doors

Ya i followed the advice to ferment at the higher end if your gaff is cold (mines about constant 17-18deg) so I started off too high.. fermented like a b*st*rd the first few days but crashed and stuck on 1020 for 3 weeks despite rousing/feeding etc.. bottled it anyway.. bring on da bombs..

I reckon a constant 19-20 without overloading the initial sugar and fermenting temp.. The sugar amount coopers reckon is a little bit low though (500 dme and 300 gm brew sugar i think!!), maybe use a litre or 2 less water for those coopers kits to up the ABV a little.. (Although this might have been my problem on stuck fermentation!!)

evolving_doors

anthonyos wrote: »

im just going to start my coopers home brew kit i got in tesco...im just wondering about the temp and were is the beat place to keep it in the house hotpress or cupboard wrapped up in a jacket

Defo not the hotpress (unless it's constant 18-24deg)

BeerNut

Some good kit basics in this guide.

As everyone has said, 18-20 is ideal. Don't let it get above 24. (Sky King, I don't think constancy is necessarily required, it'll just change the speed of the fermentation.)

If you can get spraymalt or "kit enhancer" use that instead of sugar to top up the fermentables. Give it a minimum of two weeks fermentation time, and if it's the Canadian Blonde don't expect great results -- darker kit beers taste better, IMO.

Sky King

(Sky King, I don't think constancy is necessarily required, it'll just change the speed of the fermentation.)

Ah right - I always just presumed it would yield better results - sure it deffo can't be any harm to have a constant temp anyway!!

And I agree about the darker kits - My first kit was the Canadian blonde and I thought it was only mediocre and i was very careful when making it.

I have since done a coopers stout and a coopers English bitter kit (both with added spraymalt) and the results were great - really tasty beer out of both.