Brew Enhancers

[BrewHaus]

Hi All,

I was just about to embark on my third brew and after reading loads of helpful posts on HB, I'm a little confused about a couple of things; hopefully someone will be able to straighten me out a bit.

Coopers BE1 and BE2 have been recommended for a number of brews, esp PA and IPA's.

I like a punchy beer (Belguims are a fav) from 6-10% alc so for my first beer, I used a 1.7 tin of Ale, 1KG of BE2 and 500gm LDM on my first brew and it tastes pretty good...just fairly flat 3 weeks later...I'll keep it aging to see how it goes.

My second brew was 1kg of BE1, 1.5KG of LDM and a 1.7 larger tin with SafBrew T-58 which has just hit the bottle for a 3 month rest.

My query is that if I delete the Brew Enhancers (as people have been saying it makes a 'Homebrew Taste' in the beer), how do I keep the alc up without adding another KG of LDM?

How do the AG brewers get strong (alc) beers? Do they add 3-4kg of LDM? I know Crystal/Choc malts etc arn't considered fermentables.

Essentially I want to produce nice beer with say a 5.5-8% alc rating with a full body and crisp finish.

So I guess I am asking if I still should continue to use the BE in conjunction with a 1.7KG tin of ale goop (is this called a liquid malt?) and just add the 1kg of malt and hops to produce a nice taste or should I just replace them both (the BE and tin) with malt/hops etc?

Any potential advice/recipes for a newbie will be a great help.

Thanks,
BrewHaus

[drsmurto]

AG brewers dont add LDME to their beer

Adding more LDME is the preferred way of increaisng your alc % alhto if you are making belgians then candi sugar is also used.

Just make sure when you do increase the amount of LDME used you add more hops to balance out the extra sweetness.

Replacing the tin with LDME puts you into all-extract brewing which does allow you more control.

Do you have any big pots (>5L) to be able to boil the LDME in? If so you can start adding extra hops and boiling them to add extra bitterness.

The other option which is easier and seems to be done a bit it using 2 cans of the lager/ale goop. The tins are already hopped so by adding 2 you are effectively doubling the bitterness.

2 tins of coopers lager, 1kg of LDME topped up to 20L gets you 6.7%. I would be adding some fresh hops, either steeped for 10 mins ro so or even boiled with some LDME for 5-10 mins.

[BrewHaus]

Thanks Drsmurto,

The guy at the HB shop said something similar yesterday. He used to do AG but found it just too time consuming and found using a couple of cans, LDM, some grains and good quality yeast and hops created a pretty decent brew in no time at all.

I've got a big pot so will try doing my next batch (if the temp in the room drops down to manageable levels - in Vic and it's so hot at the moment) with some Crystal and Choc malt, LDM, some maltodextrin, an Coopers Ale tin and some hops with safebrew T-58 to see how it comes out.

Will give the next brew a try with a couple of tins and some of the above as well...depending on how everything goes I might even give an extract brew a go soon.

The only thing I've realised about the HB was the wait that no one warns of! The better brews (strong complex brews) need time to age and this can take 3-6 months!

I kinda like this though as it's similar to aging a fine wine to get the most of it and you can savour a host of beers you've made during this waiting phase.

I think the wife has finally realised the reality of the beer brewing experience and is now chipping in helping me bottle...soon I'll hopefully have a hand helping with the brewing and sanitising! She appreciates a good Belguim beer so I can use this angle about trying to make the best brew I can...and she can help realise it!

Cheers,
BrewHaus

[Gym_]

The only thing I've realised about the HB was the wait that no one warns of! The better brews (strong complex brews) need time to age and this can take 3-6 months!

If you decide you really want to get into the hobby then kegs will be your next investment..
I don’t know the exact number but a very high % of us on here use kegs
The waiting time is cut down dramatically.. If your really thirsty ( cough* ) then you can start getting into it within 3 weeks and still have a half decent beer ..
And I must admit I feel like a millionaire when I can walk past the fridge and pour a beer on tap ..

[drsmurto]

If you want some slightly more advanced recipes than simple kit and kilo have a read of these 5 which i converted from my AG beers that did ok at ANAWBS last year

Shameless plug for my recipes

[BrewHaus]

Thanks Doc,

Congrats...top beer at the show and 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th!...these are some really great recipes for me to work toward. I'll give one a go for my next brew.

Cheers,
BrewHaus

[drsmurto]

2 x 1st

[Lucky Phils]

Doc,

I am shamelessly going to copy your Goldern Ale this weekend (thanks for the Recipe), but just one question maybe I'm not reading it right. But how long is the boil time, I'm thinking 60 minutes as that is normal but I just wanted to check.

Thanks in advance and congratulations on the awards.

Phil

[drsmurto]

AG?

I boil for 90 mins but 60 is prob fine.

Cheers
DrSmurto

[Gym_]

Narr i think he's talking about this one Doc

Golden Ale
1 x tin Coopers Lager (1.7kg)
1 x tin Coopers Wheat Malt (1.5kg - note this is actually 50/50 barley/wheat)
250g of JW caramalt or english light crystal
15g of Amarillo hops at 15, 5 and flameout.
Yeast - US05
Top up to 21L for OG 1.048, IBU ~ 30. ABV ~ 4.6%

[drsmurto]

Ah, well in that case only boil for 15 mins

[billybushcook]

Had a look at the label on the Coopers Brew enhancers yesterday, turns out that the BE2 is made up of Maltodextrin, dextrose & LIGHT DRY MALT!
BE1 is just Maltodextrin & dextrose!

Mick.

[Lucky Phils]

Thanks everyone,

I should have stated not an Ag at this time, have everything ready for AG except for the time at present. I'll be doing the Goldern this weekend, looking forward to tasting it.

Thanks again,

Phil.