Reviews

Black Rock Pilsner Blonde Perks123 January 23rd 2015

A bit of a donkey

Same method as all my kit brews, and yet it's disappointing. Redeeming quality? Fruity taste, apricots maybe. But what lets it down is it is overly yeasty, and consequently, cloudy. Meh.

Czech Pilsner elreplica December 31st 2014

Festa Czech Pils

Wow! While in between on the cooking, I picked up a couple seasonal Czech Pils from Magnotta's Festa Brew lineup. This stuff is awesome and as good as most microbrews or Euro Pils on the market. Straight up by the book and it's a great session beer. I'm going to try some true lagering in my FastFerments as well as some liquid smackpak over the winter. Right now, it's so good it's got my cooking on hold as I stockpiled at least ten of these to bottle and keg. Three weeks in the Grolsch bottles made this beer come alive. Next on deck is a corny keg, followed by a carboy that doesn't know which way to swing - Grolsch swing tops or corny. Stand by!

Mangrove Jack's Munich Lager Benjennison December 6th 2014

Munich Lager

New to homebrewing and i thought id have a try of this one. Used the tin, german lager enhancer, kit yeast +200gm dex.

Been my least favourite so far, tastes way overhopped and I beleive the yeast has imparted a very slight metallic taste to it.

Im not going to try it again but i think it would be a lot more drinkable with a bohemian lager yeast and an unhopped enhancer (#15)? maybe.

Coopers India Pale Ale (IPA) galwayhopper December 4th 2014

Just hop-tastic!

This is really fantastic, even after only 10 days in the bottle. Lovey dark amber colour with plenty of hop kick. It has cleared really well in the bottles with a nice firm yeast sediment that doesn't mix up too much when you pour.  I used a 100g of Amarillo hops in the boil (just for a couple of minutes) and left the hops in during the fermentation. Lovely aroma hits you when you pour it out. Might try with a little more priming sugar next time - I used 1 Coopers drop per 500ml bottle and think 2 might be a little better. Don't know if it makes much difference but I made 20L instead of recommended 23L, to to give an extra bit of depth to the falvour. But overall couldn't be more impressed. If you like IPA you'll love this. 

Coopers Real Ale Drielander November 12th 2014

Very nice - reminds me of De Koninck

Just made this with 500g LDME and 500g glucose/dextrose.

Fermented using kit yeast at 20 degrees (temp controlled using fridge and STC-1000), only took a week or so. Brewed slightly short to 22 liters.

After 2 weeks in the bottle (5g/l bottling sugar) already very enjoyable indeed!

Fruity but with a malty mouthfeel, well carbonated, decent lacing, not very bitter, easy drinking. Reminded me of Belgian (Antwerp) beer "De Koninck".

Very curious to see how this turns out in a month or two - but I'm unsure if I can leave them for that long...

 

Edit 21 Nov:

We're a few weeks later now and I'm happy to say this has evolved into an even nicer, very stable beer. Once again, top quality from Coopers!

Muntons Midland Mild Ale Drielander November 12th 2014

OK but nothing special

Brewed short as per advice from vendor (18l) using regular table sugar.

Waited for 3 months before sampling (again as per advice from vendor): bit disappointing. Not very flavourful, to be honest (controlled fermentation temp was a bit low maybe, 18 degrees). No brew errors/off flavours though.

However, I have to admit that dark beers are not my regular/preferred tipple, so I may be biased.

As there are so many other good & great kits out there I like better, I won't be making this one again.

Recommendation: add brew kit enhancer (500g glucose/dextrose and 500g or more of DME, especially if brewing to full 40 pints)

Coopers India Pale Ale (IPA) Drielander November 12th 2014

dry hopped with Cascade: amazing

Made this with 1kg of LDME, no other fermentables, to 23 liters, fermented with supplied kit yeast at 20 degrees (temp controlled).

Bottled after 15 days.

Turned out at 4.3% ABV which is low for an IPA but within specs of this kit.

Dry hopped with 33g of Cascade pellets (added as is -> not recommended: use muslin bag next time) for last 8 days of fermentation.

 

Turned out terrific! Will certainly make this again :)

Cascade hops gave bitter lemon and grapefruit in the nose and initial taste, kit had sufficient bittering hops to compensate. Reminds me a little of the Fuller's IPA.

After some months in the bottle, the initial Cascade hop 'punch' has diminished a bit, it's still there though.

Black Rock Nut Brown Ale Drielander November 12th 2014

Not bad

Made this with 500g of LDME and late sugar addition, fermented at 18 degrees, brewed short to 18l.

 

Still the mouthfeel of the beer is not very rich.

 

There is, however, a slightly nutty aftertaste.

 

On the whole, as for so many darker ales, this one wasn't really to my liking so I won't brew it again.

Coopers Wheat Beer smoltz69 November 10th 2014

Easy, fast and very drinkable

I have made this twice as a Hefeweizen attempt. Once in a 12 litre with the kit only and once as a 23 litre with the kit and coopers wheat LME. I guess they came out pretty much the same, but the latter slightly better as I used a 3.party Bavarian Yeast strain from Mangrove Jack´s. Both got a lot of banana and "soapy" taste, which is not unusual in wheat beers. They will clear up a lot in a few weeks and become more of a crystal weiss beer. Not that that matters to much. I can´t put my finger on it, but believe they taste a bit extract like and looses some of the character of a great weiss beer; Expect a thin, clear and "soapy" wheat beer, that is somewhat lager like. It certainly helps to throw in a slice of lemon at serving and it becomes very drinkable. Just don´t expect a Paulander or anything really close to German weiss beers, but it still works somehow.   The good is that it will ferment fast (7 days) and mature in (14-20 days). Good turn-around alternative for summer days.

Coopers Mexican Cerveza Robman October 26th 2014

mexican

Great beer,

I have done at least a twenty of these kits I always add no. 2 enhancer & either 800grm Dex or 2 kg honey

or for A twist, On priming bottles use rice syrup, adds a sweet taste.

My guests have all enjoyed it even some non beer drinkers

Coopers India Pale Ale (IPA) Marcoeloco October 13th 2014

won't make again

This is my 3rd or 4th attempt at Coopers IPA and I have decided that this car wreck of a  kit beer is simply not worth the effort to panel beat into something that is acceptable. In its standard form it is very bitter and has a nasty edge to it. I have added extra Aroma hops, light malt and light crystal in my latest effort and it is now about 6 weeks old and is ok as long as it is not consumed too cold. For the effort I put into this I might as well have made an all extract beer from scratch. All in all a very disappointing kit.

Muntons Irish Style Stout guinness September 21st 2014

Add Super alpha hops to get the guinness bitter finish

I boil 20g of super alpha pellets in muslin (10 mins) and add to the brew along with 1.5kgs dark liquid malt. Nearest thing to the mighty G I've ever had and certainly better than the locally brewed draught version. ABV about 3.5%.

Coopers Original Lager mickster1916 September 21st 2014

Coopers Lager Kit

First homebrew and christ this was terrible. Tasted like badly watered down cheap scotch after 3 weeks in the bottle, but then after about 2 weeks in the fridge tasted ok. Drinkable. I reckon this one might be ok if you can leave it for at least 3 months in a glass bottle.

Muntons Premium Gold Midas Touch jp September 17th 2014

Superb!

Second year of brewing - tried quite a few and so far this was the best.  My brew turned out less strong tasting than the Smugglers which can be a little overpowering, but Midas Touch had a lovely mix of depth and hoppieness (=happyness?).

My first brews were less successful - many had yeasty or other flavours, so I built a fermentation unit that keeps temp dead level and I brew at 18.5 deg C.  Also found that using S04 yeast (not used with this) improves the flavour.  

If the taste is not right or soapy then I expect that something not right with the brewing.

JP

Triple jp September 17th 2014

Good after 8 months!

Took ages to mature, yeasty before, then settled down to a rich tasting beer not too unlike a real triple.  Maybe brewed at too high a temp, shall try again sometime.

JP

Coopers Mexican Cerveza Windowsurfer September 16th 2014

Cervezblah to Cervezaaaah?

First batch, followed kit instructions precisely. Only fair after a week in primary and 2 months in the bottle. Passable served ice-cold with lime. It has that damn cider taste that I dislike. I am optimistic about next batch. (I bought the kit for $8 Cdn, so I could not resist.) I boiled 2 g of fresh, wild East Kent Golding hops (8 min) that I picked locally along with a teaspn or so of lime zest. I then dissolved 500g of pure honey into the hops water and let it cool off. I mixed the wort with some boiling water - per the instructions - then added the hops/honey/H2O, a cup of dextrose and then filled the tub to about 21l (instead of 23).

I was afraid the hops would overpower the cerveza's weak grain flavour and thought the honey would round things out, and add some punch along with the dextrose. It smelled great before I pitched the yeast into it and I plan to leave it two weeks in the primary and keep it coolish, below 20 for sure. 

Rapid Creek Old Ale 1.7kg fred September 2nd 2014

Excellent old style beer

Rapid Creek Old Ale 1.7kg fred September 2nd 2014

Excellent old style beer

Coopers Bitter fred September 2nd 2014

Bottom dollar beer

Muntons Yorkshire Bitter Seth01 August 23rd 2014

Adding this to the roster

Brewed this with 250gm of crystal 60l steeped for 30mins, 1.7kg amber liquid malt, 15gm fuggles hops boiled for 10mins and used the standard brewing yeast that came with the kit. Must say this is a great drop! Tried it after 2weeks of ageing and it was good, now left it for 5 weeks and it's great. Don't think it will last much longer the way it's going down. Will add this to my brew roster when I want to throw down a great brew and don't have the time to do an all grain.

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