Coopers Dark Ale

Okay. My second kit was a Coopers Dark Ale. It is a mid-range kit that I seen good reviews for, so I thought I would give it a whirl. Again, its another 40 pint kit, that you need to add 1kg of sugar too.

Muntons Beerkit Enhancer

This time I decided to use a beer kit enhancer from Muntons to give it more body, as my last brew seemed quite watery. I also only topped up the FV to 21 liters to help with the body.

Like last time, after sanitizing my equipment, I got down to business

Brew Date:  Monday 14th March. 7-8pm
OG: 1040
Pitching Temp: 22C
Yeast: 7g Coopers Yeast

Start of blow out

I heard this beer was a real 'goer' but I wasn't expecting a blowout that lasted near 12 hours. I reckon I lost about a pint in foam. :(

Ive can't remember, when I bottled this or what the final gravity was, but again it was kept in the hot press for about a week then moved to the roofspace for about 3 weeks before I started drinking. As with all homebrew, it tastes better over time, so next brew I will try to leave it for at least a month before drinking

Brewmaker Northumberland Brown Ale

This was my first kit, since starting to home brew again. It was bought by my sister as a birthday present. Thanks Sis :)

Its a 40 pint budget ale kit, that comes in a tin with 1.8kg pre-hopped Liquid Malt Extract. You will need 1kg of sugar or DME (Dried Malt Extract) or a beer kit enhancer (Which is a mixture of sugar and DME). Since this was a present, my sis had got me 1kg of sugar. Ok, so down to business...

After pitching the yeast

 Brew Date: Friday 10th December. 7-8pm
OG: 1.044
Pitching Temp: 24C
Yeast: CKB

Test Date: Tuesday 14th December. 12.15pm
SG: 1.013
Temp: 26C
Notes: Brown & cloudy. Very bitter taste. Bubbles rising to surface (Still fermenting)

Test Date: Thursday 16th December. 10.40am
SG: 1.013
Temp: 20C
Notes: Not as bitter.

Test Date: Tuesday, 21st December. 11.20am
FG: 1.010
Temp: 20C
Notes: Bottling. 5grams of Normal sugar per 750ml PET bottle.

After Bottling

Bottles were left in the hot press, for 1 week, before moving to the roof-space to condition. I will never use plastic bottle caps again, as they let the gas escape. Half my batch ended up flat!

After 3 weeks the beer was clear and ready to drink. It wasn't to bad for a budget kit, but it seemed a bit watery. If I was going to brew this kit again, I would defiantly substitute the 1kg of sugar for some beer kit enhancer of DME to give it a bit more body. It also ended up quite strong.

Introduction

Ok, this blog is where I will be posting my homebrewing experiences.More to follow..