goplayoutside
Well-Known Member
After brewing with coopers due to the yeast I wanted not being available (and coopers being cheap), I must say I believe this yeast to be under-appreciated on this board. The ale I made, which is an o.g. 1.050 English type pale with Fuggles hops, is simply tremendous -- I pitched a 7g packet into a 3gal batch (without re-hydrating), fermented a week in a water bath at 67 and then let the primary sit for a month at 52 in my basement to clear (you can read a newspaper through a pint of this red-amber bottle-conditioned beauty). I primed using DME and let it sit "21 days at 70 degrees," and the head shows up perfectly and sticks around for a couple minutes, leaving a delicate lace on the glass as the brew is gulped away (people only sip this beer once). The yeast character is a bit fruity and has a very pleasant, barely spicy aftertaste but is clean enough and compliments the malt and the hops very nicely. Everybody who tries the beer compliments me and most ask for more. The brew is great on it's own but also goes great with... everything I've ever eaten with it. I will brew another batch soon!
It's only one batch, but... regarding all of those "I can't get (blank) should I use the coopers or (blank)" questions, I say coopers is some great stuff and don't by shy with it! I'd say it would be appropriate in examples of almost any ale style of UK origin (pale, mild, amber, brown, porter, stout) where some contribution to the flavor from the yeast is desired. It would also probably make a phenomenal wheat or rye beer for summertime heat (American wheat style).
Note: if you DON'T want your beer to have some yeast character, skip the coopers and go with US-05 and ferment between 60 and 65 degrees, it will come out nice and clean for you (I've heard Nottingham also works well for this).
Anyways, the main point of this is:
STOP THINKING OF COOPERS AS JUST "BACK-UP" YEAST, IT'S REALLY GOOD!
*edit - discussion on this forum obligates me to note that coopers might not be appropriate for all styles or personal tastes. Give it a try in an experimental batch if you really want to know what it contributes, and as always be conscious of the fermentation temperature because as with most yeasts, fermented warm vs fermented cold is probably notably different.
It's only one batch, but... regarding all of those "I can't get (blank) should I use the coopers or (blank)" questions, I say coopers is some great stuff and don't by shy with it! I'd say it would be appropriate in examples of almost any ale style of UK origin (pale, mild, amber, brown, porter, stout) where some contribution to the flavor from the yeast is desired. It would also probably make a phenomenal wheat or rye beer for summertime heat (American wheat style).
Note: if you DON'T want your beer to have some yeast character, skip the coopers and go with US-05 and ferment between 60 and 65 degrees, it will come out nice and clean for you (I've heard Nottingham also works well for this).
Anyways, the main point of this is:
STOP THINKING OF COOPERS AS JUST "BACK-UP" YEAST, IT'S REALLY GOOD!
*edit - discussion on this forum obligates me to note that coopers might not be appropriate for all styles or personal tastes. Give it a try in an experimental batch if you really want to know what it contributes, and as always be conscious of the fermentation temperature because as with most yeasts, fermented warm vs fermented cold is probably notably different.