How to Brew Beer Using Coopers Beer Kits
Posted by Ron on 29th Jul 2022
With these easy-to-follow Coopers DIY beer kit instructions, you are guaranteed to brew at least 6 gallons of fresh, fine-tasting beer in the comfort of your kitchen.
Although Coopers offers a wide variety of different styles of beer in the form of Coopers beer kit refills, the brewing process is mainly the same. Let’s see how it’s done!
How Good Is Coopers Beer Kit and How to Choose the Right One?
Coopers is a popular Australian brand that produces beer kits, refills, hops, fermentables, and other homebrewing products. In fact, Coopers were one of the pioneers who started producing DIY beer kits as early as the 1970s. After a slow but gradual expansion to the North American and European markets, Coopers soon became the world’s top-selling brand of DIY beer extracts.
The great thing about Coopers is that they design products that make homebrewing really easy and affordable - even if you don’t have much experience in homebrewing, with proper Coopers DIY beer kit instructions, you will be able to brew a perfect batch right from the get-go.
With a variety of beer styles ranging from crisp Lagers to hop-filled IPAs or hearty Stouts (all complete with Coopers beer kit instructions), you will always find something for your taste.
If you are looking for a Coopers DIY beer kit for yourself, we’ve got it along with a plenty of Coopers refills to choose from on the Beverage Craft website. Be sure to visit our Coopers beer kits page for more information.
For Coopers Canadian blonde beer kit instructions (and other styles of beer, for that matter), please read on - we’ll get right into it!
Preparing to Brew Beer With Coopers DIY Beer Kit
Before you start brewing, check the contents of your Cooper DIY beer kit. Ideally, you should have the following ingredients/tools:
- One 6-gallon single-stage fermenter
- 30 plastic bottles with caps
- A refill pack with brewing extract and yeast (enough to make 23 litres of beer)
- Coopers beer hydrometer
- Bottling wand
- Beer mixing spoon
- Brewing thermometer
- Brew enhancer
- Carbonation drops
- Coopers beer kit instructions
Check the ingredients best before dates - the fresher, the better. The water you will be using for brewing (and cleaning as well) should be free of chlorine odour and acceptable for drinking. Otherwise, it might seriously affect the taste and even following the Coopers lager beer kit instructions won’t help.
Also worth noting is the fact that you should keep your kit in a suitable position during fermentation - it is not recommended to move the brew kit until bottling is complete. Your kit should be kept out of direct sunlight and preferably at a consistent temperature.
For more Coopers new range beer kits instructions, please visit the Beverage Craft website where we offer the best Coopers beer kits in Canada.
Coopers Craft Beer Kit: Step-By-Step Instructions
Alright, now let’s get down to brewing. According to a Coopers DIY beer kit tutorial, there are 6 distinct stages to complete when brewing beer at home. Here they are:
Preparation
Take all of the elements out of the box. Put the bottles and caps away for now since the first thing you’ll need is a fermenter and of course, the beer mix ingredients. Open one of your Coopers beer kit recipes, and let’s go!
Cleaning
All equipment that comes in contact with the brew must be cleaned to remove all visible soiling. If it’s your first time using the kit, you can just rinse it in hot water. For future brews, sanitize your brewing equipment with unscented household bleach.
Once everything is clean, do the following:
- Connect your tap,
- Wet the rubber ring with water for easy insertion
- Apply the thermometer strip directly to the fermenter
Mixing
Pour dry ingredients into the fermenting vessel and add two litres of water to dissolve. Open the brew can with a can opener and pour it into the fermenting vessel. Mix thoroughly and then add water to the 20 liter mark. Give it a stir and check the brew temperature.
To get the brew temperature in a 21°C to 27°C range, top up to the 23-litre mark with cold or hot water as required by the Coopers beer kit instructions.
Adding Yeast
First, fit the Krausen collar and then sprinkle the dry yeast evenly over the surface. Fit the lid to the Krausen collar with the lid clips.
Next, measure the original gravity of your brew. To do this, take the hydrometer and draw the brew from the tap to half-fill the sample tube and then discard this sample. After that, draw another sample with enough brew to float the hydrometer.
Read the gravity scale at the meniscus of the brew and write it down.
Fermentation
For the brew to ferment, just make sure it stays within the recommended temperature range (according to the Coopers DIY beer kit instructions). After 12 to 24 hours, you'll know that fermentation is underway because you'll see foam beginning to occur and the brew becoming cloudy.
Make sure the temperature is consistent and leave the brew for a few days. On day three of fermentation, remove the Krausen collar for cleaning and replace the lid.
On day 6, measure the specific gravity of your brew again. Do this again each day after that. Final gravity is reached once specific gravity is stable two days in a row - this means your brew is ready to bottle.
Bottling
To fit your bottling valve, just slip it inside the tap and switch the tap on full. Now, you can easily fill your bottles without having to keep turning the tap on and off.
Once filled, add two carbonation drops for every 740 to 750 ml bottle and then screw the cap onto the bottle tightly.
Store the bottles at or above 180C for at least two weeks to allow the secondary fermentation to take place.
How Much Beer Does a Coopers Beer Kit?
After a couple of weeks of secondary fermentation, you can place your bottles in the fridge, get them nice and frosty then sit back and enjoy your Coopers DIY beer. That’s it!
If you’ve been following the Coopers DIY beer kit instructions right, you should get around 23 litres of beer from one batch.
The great thing about Coopers DIY kits is that they are fully reusable. This means you can use the kit to brew one batch after another easily - all you have to do is sanitize the equipment and purchase another refill.
Thanks for reading Cooper's beer kit instructions - good luck in your homebrewing! For more information and tips on homebrewing, be sure to follow the Beverage Craft blog and check this article.