Monday, November 23, 2015

Cheap Beer Challenge!!

I recently eyed a basic Coopers Real Ale kit on super special, and at just $4.99 I asked myself "Beer Whisperer, could you make something truly awesome out of such a cheap beer?" "Well, why not?" I thought.

Well, the proof's in the pudding, so i took the $4.99 plunge. Well, what to do with a cheap, bottom-of-the-range beer? Ideas started flowing through my head like beer through a beer whisperer, and a concoction to please the gods started to take place in my wild imaginings. Still, all I had was a cheap tin can, so, what to buy? Like all great plans of mice and men, I had some re-used and re-saved liquid German lager yeast, when went such a treat in earlier beers. Yeast, check. What else? Oh yeah, hops. Amarillo and Hallertau in the fridge!

But I need more.

Well, it's obvious, innit?! Ruby red grapefruit and ground coriander seed. Obviously.


 

But wait! The yeast is dead. A quick trip down to the brewer's supplies, and presto! New yeast. But not just any yeast, but Mangrove Jacks Bohemian Lager yeast! And to top it off, a new, fancy liquid malt in CBW Munich Pure Malt Extract - a lighter, paler malt for special beers.

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So, the final brew;
1.7kgs Coopers Real Ale kit
1.5ltr CBW Munich Pure Malt Extract
300g dextrose
Mangrove Jacks dry Bohemian Yeast
1 x ruby red grapefruit zest
50g coriander seed powder
50g Amarillo hops (following fermentation)

But the true test is in the beer, so give it a couple of months and I will self-review - guaranteed to be complimentary! Like a good scorer beats a good player, while I review my own beers, what could possibly go wrong?

1 comment:

  1. Interesting choice of yeast, any reason for a lager? What temps will you be fermenting at?

    ReplyDelete