Finally getting around to brewing again. Don’t know why it’s been this long, but here it is.

Gonna be brewing another one of my old extract recipes that I’m moving to all grain. This one was supposed to be a Wicked Ale “clone”. Original extract recipe is
– 1 can of light LME
– 2 lbs light DME
– 1 lb crystal 40
– 1/4 lb chocolate malt
1 oz cascade at 60
– 1/2 oz. cascade at 10

So adjusting this to all grain I am going to use 10 lbs 2 row instead of the extract, and will add the last 1/2 oz of hops at flame out. Using 05 yeast. The original used coopers. Changing the name to Wiki’d Ale.

-34 degrees outside, Sun. Movie watched was Jingle all the Way
-3.5 gal of 167 water settled at 152. I was hoping for 154 though. Left it. 60 min mash
-First running got 2 gallons. scarey black for only a little choc malt
-2nd batch 4.5 gal of 165. And got that much back.
– 6.5 going into boil. Although it really took a long time to get there. 60 min boil
– nothing unusual except very large boil off again ,Cooled very fast, but not much seemed to drop out. Most of the gunk going into fermenter.
– yeast pitched. Everything looks good.
– yep, forgot to take reading again.

(update: 12 hours after pitch absolute no activity. Does not look good. Will repitch another packet when I get home.)
(2nd update: got home and fermenting fine. I am too used to using Windsor yeast I guess)

Just updating the Stout we made a few weeks ago
I wanted a few small bottles for the Titletown Open, so I ended up with 7-12oz and 20-22 oz.

Our OG was 1.074 and we ended at 1.014. A bit higher FG than what 05 usually gets for me, but we did mash a bit higher than what we normally do.

Pretty good right out of the bucket.

Well its been over 2 months now that I brewed the Scottish 60’s.
If you remember, I brewed 10 gallons and split that into 2 batches. 1 fermented with my usual Windsor yeast, the other with Coopers ale yeast.

They sat side by side they entire time. From fermentation to kegging. All things were as equal as I could keep them.

I guess we should start with the numbers. Both were OG of .042. And amazingly enough the FG on both pretty close. I knew the Windsor would finish right about .012. Its pretty predictable, But i was not sure about the coopers. It finish just a bit lower at .010

Fermentation was vastly different though.
The Windsor yeast of course had its usually explosion the first day then peter out over about 4-5 days. Huge foamy mass.
The Cooper’s Kinda just laid there and slightly gurgled for over a week. If you have used wine yeast before, thats what it did. I was kinda thinking it might be old yeast, but it did match the Windsor in numbers.

But when everything dropped out and were still in the carboys, you sure could tell something was different. And something that i have been trying to figure out recently, came to light.

I should have taken pics but alas I did not. But the haze that I have been trying to get rid of for months was NOT in the coopers. But exactly the same haze I have been having was in the Windsor.
Now that I had something to go on, I found similar claims in other forums about Windsor.

So they have been in the Keg for well over a month. And The Windsor batch is still hazy. It is getting better. But following exactly as my past beers have been.
The Coopers, clear as a bell. Not much more i can say about that,

The taste difference between them was pretty far apart. The Windsor beer was exactly what you would expect from this yeast. With the low hops and low Alc, the fruity really come thru. Sweet, and maybe a thicker “feel” to it some how,
Not so with the coopers. far more malt, caramel. Cleaner. I wouldnt call it thin, but different than the other.

From what I seen here, Cooper’s is the clear winner in this recipe.
Clearer, cleaner taste.
I like them both. (not just because I made them either) But definitely prefer the Coopers Ale yeast version.