Customer Reviews

Coopers Brewery DIY Beer Kit

5 star:		(67)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Although the kit has some substantial drawbacks, which I'll discuss shortly, it was enough to get me started in home brewing and teach me enough to know what upgrades I needed to make. I rated it a 4 based based primariliy on its value.

The drawbacks are these: 1) the screw on lid to the fermenter bucket is very difficult to take off - it desperately needs a better way to grip it while holding the bucket still. I'm sure I looked pretty comical with the [round] fermenter stuck between my knees while trying to get a grip on the slippery lid; 2)the valve would not stay tightened within the fermenter bucket, and any attempt to open or close the valve with one hand merely twisted the whole valve assembly around in the bucket instead of just rotating the valve open or closed. Sometimes it was very difficult to have two hands free to work the valve. 3) although it was a nice touch to have included a bottle filler with the kit, I wished it was a little better made as it constantly dripped (and the valve is not the size for other bottle fillers, I discovered). Note that some of these problems (size discrepancies, for instance) may be related to the fact that the kit is made in Australia and I'm rating it based on my U.S. experience.

Some of the positives - 1) the bottles are large (25 oz.) so there's less washing, bottling, etc.; 2)the fermenter is HUGE so there's little worry of any disastrous beer explosions during the initial and heavy fermentation period; and 3) the Cooper's carbonation drops are unbelievably easy to use and a great idea (if you keep bottling and don't start kegging or mini-kegging as I did).

Overall, the kit is viable and can get you through enough batches to know whether you like to brew beer at home. If so, you may find yourself wanting to buy more and/or better equipment and using more traditional brewing methods. The canned "hopped" extract beers, like the one included in the kit, are not in my opinion as good as unhopped extract brews using grains and hops, especially if corn sugar is used as the primary fermentable. But it's important to remember that the equipment in the kit can be used for hopped or unhopped extract brewing. If you're curious about brewing beer, but don't want another mortgage to get started, I'd recommend this kit. Then after a few batches (make sure you let them age!) you'll know whether you're interested enough to move onward/upward, keep using the Cooper's Kit (perhaps with unhopped extract and grains), or post it on Ebay.

Before I proceed with this review, I must say that as I am an Australian residing *in* Australia, I am basing this review on the exact same Coopers kits that is available in local shops here. For this reason I cannot comment on this kit in comparison to others on Amazon, such as "Mr Beer" etc.

Well what *can* I say? This kit is fantastic. I have always enjoyed a beer, or two - or even ten - and this kit is capable of making some excellent product with little effort. I have never brewed in my life, yet with this kit I am able to produce some very respectable results when I follow the instructions. Its quite easy, and much less daunting than what I thought it would be.

Everything you need is in this kit, from a large fermenter (mine is 23L, or 40 pints), 30 plastic bottles, instruction manual (as well as DVD and VHS tape in mine), brewing sugar, initial brewing kit etc. Basically you can just purchase this product and get brewing immediately with no need for any extra purchases. Big thanks to Coopers for giving the absolute novice all they need to get brewing.

The instruction manual is decent but the supplied instructional DVD/VHS is extremely helpful. I chuckled seeing Paul Mercurio starring in it, and people who follow Australian cinema will probably do likewise at the incongruity of this casting decision. Anyway, Paul and his "lovely assistant" show you through all of the steps in a lighthearted and straightforward manner. I cannot emphasize how useful it is to actually see somebody do even the most basic steps to give you confidence and know you are on the right track. Sometimes instruction manuals - and mind you, the one included is great - don't cut it for first timers or the timid. Coopers score full marks here.

After you have followed the supplied instructions, give the end result a few more weeks after bottling (I know it can be tempting to guzzle your new creation) - believe me the longer you wait the better. I was very shocked with how good mine turned out, given my inexperience brewing anything. Its stratospherically better than many of the "Aussie Icons" such as the horrendous VB, Fosters etc. I will be sure to keep brewing using my Coopers kit, as it is not only works out much cheaper than buying beer, its also a fun hobby that anyone can have a go at. Not to mention the infinite scope for customizing your brew once you have a bit of confidence.

This product would make an excellent gift to a husband/boyfriend or something that would be undoubtedly worshipped by University / College age people. And not just that, anybody with a love of good beer and interest in what turns out to be quite a fun hobby should give it a go. You don't have to drop a lot of money on this kit, making it even more attractive.

Once you have done a few brews with this kit, may I suggest the Coopers 'Brewmaster Selection' kits, also available on Amazon. These provide other kinds of beer such as India Pale Ale (IPA) and so on. These are EXCELLENT if you wish to go further and expose yourself to what might be new kinds of beer to your tastes.

Another thing to look out for, which sadly does not appear to be for sale on Amazon, is Coopers Brew Enhancer (1 or 2). This is a mixture of Dextrose and other goodies that really add an extra dimension to your beer. For readers outside of Australia, you may have to check with your local brewshop for something that is equivalent. If you are really desperate for all things Coopers, you can order just about anything you could ask for off their website.

In conclusion, all I can say is that if you have ever thought about home brewing, but been daunted by stories of infections, beer that tastes like bilge water or other things, it is time to allay those fears. This Coopers kit will provide you with all you need to make excellent beer, even if you are a total novice. In addition to this, Coopers provide the excellent support you come to expect from a family owned and run business.

Cheers!

I purchased the Coopers Micro Brewery kit to upgrade from a smaller kit I already had. I must say that this kit is outstanding! The fermenter is first rate and worth the price of the kit alone. It is very well made and will serve your needs for many years and will even do well for moving up to all extract brewing.

I had a few questions when I got it and the support from the folks "down under" has been nothing short of amazing. They really stand behind their products and have a genuine concern for your success.

I HIGHLY recommend this product and the Coopers brewery folks that put it together.

This is a great kit for a beginner-better than Mr. Beer, BeerMan or BeerMachine. I don't have any problems (as expressed above) with the spigot coming loose in the fermenter (maybe he had a faulty one) or a leaky bottle filler. I have since advanced my beermaking to partial grain and boiled extracts, but I still use the Coopers as my primary fermenter. It's huge and it's very handy to be able to bottle directly from the fermenter. I love using this thing and the Coopers kits make great beer; they are always fool-proof. In fact, some of the Coopers beer kits I've made taste better than the boiled grain/extract/hops ones I've brewed! Definately recommended for anyone interesting in making beer at home; it's easy & very affordable!

I originally started using a Mr. Beer kit and decided to upgrade to this kit after there was a coupon which allowed this kit to be purchased for $75. I am now on my 4th batch of beer using the Cooper's Kit.

Overall, the value of this kit is amazing. It comes with almost everything you need to get started.

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Things That Are Not Included
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One thing that is missing is sanitizer. They recommend bleach to sanitize. This does work, but it takes a long time (allocate an hour to sanitize if you use bleach). I would recommend getting a product called Star-San. This is a no rinse 60-second food grade sanitizer.

You will also need some type of rack or place for you to let your bottles drain after sanitizing them regardless of you using Star-San or bleach. I have been using a standard sink rack for this, but it is hard to balance all of the plastic bottles in this. There is a specialized drying rack for this purpose that has a tree format (can be had for about $30). This is not a biggie, but I was scratching my head a little bit when trying to figure out were to put all these bottles while draining.

You will also need a regular sized pot for boiling water and a can opener.

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Drawbacks of the Kit/Recommendations For Use
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Now back to the kit - there are some small drawbacks:

1) The top lid is hard to get off. If you put it on so it is a tad looser, this will help. However, if you are a guy (which I assume most of you are), or if you have a guy worth his weight around, this should not be a problem.

2) The bottle filler drips. Putting a plate on the floor under this fixes this! But you will be so happy you have this at all since it makes things go much faster.

3) The tap valve is tight. Personally, I like this so it cannot be bumped when brewing and accidentally open. But, it is a bit tight. Make sure you screw the tap a bit tighter and you should have no problem opening it properly.

4) The hygrometer is very confusing. I have tried using this many times and I would just forget about using it. I believe you need to compare the original gravity and the final gravity to get the most accurate measure of alcohol content. I could not get it to work for me. I would just recommend leaving the beer in a bit longer and not worrying about this. The hygrometer is really intented for a more complex brewing process and is a bit of a gimmick. If you want more alcohol than standard, just add a source of sugar source (cane sugar, honey, fruit).

5) The fermenter so big it is hard to wash. Having a hose on your sink would certainly help. Can't really blame them for having a large fermenter, but just something to keep in mind.

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The Beer Mixes
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Overall the included mix was good, but not the best. I also tried the Cooper's Mexican Beer mix which was also good. The best (more complex) mixes will include other ingredients such as hops and body enhancers (dry malt extract). Cooper's offers these as their premium kits.

Any kit designed for 5 gallons will work with this kit even if it is not Coopers. Just make sure that you get some of those sugar drops or be prepared to measure/pour sugar for each bottle.

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Conclusion
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This kit is a great value for all that is included. It is a great kit for somebody who wants to try out home-brewing, but does not want to bother with the more complex preparation methods. Also, this is an economical way to make beer since you can prepare over 50 standard size beer bottles in one batch and the beer produced is a lot fresher than anything commercial beer you can get. Plus, you can customize the flavor by adding in extra spices/fruits.

I had been thinking about brewing beer for years. I finally decided to get this kit after trying a Coopers beer that was brewed by a friend. This was a great introduction to brewing. This kit has everything you need to brew great beer and the process is simple. The initial mixing took about one hour, then a week later I filled the bottles in less than a hour. The beer is great and I will be brewing some of the other Coopers beers soon.

I bought this kit for as a gift last year and my boyfriend liked it so much that he ordered more mix kits. I did a lot of research on beer kits before buying, because I didn't want to get anything too cheap that would be like a Mr. Beer kit and taste bad. I also wanted it to be a little challenging, but not make my boyfriend feel like he had to be a scientist to get the beer to come out correctly.

The instruction video that comes with the kit is pretty funny and we watched it a few times just for laughs. Everything you need is included in the kit, but we bought an extra room thermometer to make sure that the room was at the optimal temp for brewing.

It was also cool to notice that the beer changed taste over time after the brewing is complete. My boyfriend gave out bottles of the brew co-workers, guest, etc I think because there was a total pride behind saying that is was HIS own beer.

This kit, for whatever reason, does not seem to be carried by any home brew shops. That's a shame as this kit is probably the simplest way to get started in homebrewing. I have only brewed and sampled the beer that ships with this kit but I do have a second recipe kit already fermenting. I'm a beginner but I also spent a lot of time reading up on the hobby while waiting for the kit beer to ferment.

What you may want to buy in addition to the kit:
Star San or some other no-rinse sanitizer. Yes, I used unscented bleach before brewing but I quickly realized I had wasted a ton of water rinsing to get rid of the bleach smell. I went to the local brew shop and picked up Star San. Mix a little less than 1/4 oz (there are measuring marks on the container) into a gallon of distilled water. You can then use that solution to sanitize. Pour some into a spray bottle and you can spot sanitize spoons, thermometers, whatever. One of the most important steps in brewing is proper sanitation so don't skimp on this step.
A bottling bucket. Should be pretty cheap (~$15). The carb drops in the kit do work but cost more than just plain old table (cane) sugar. With a bottling bucket you dissolve sugar in boiling water, cool it, and then pour into the bottling bucket. You then drain the beer into the bucket and then bottle from there. I'm not giving all the details but it really does help speed the bottling process.
A bottle tree. Used to hold a large number of bottles after they have been rinsed and sanitized.
Your next beer recipe kit. Yeah, you're gonna love brewing beer. While you're waiting for this batch to ferment and/or carb up in bottles, you will want to start planning the next batch. The recipe in this kit is the simplest type -- a no boil extract kit. Think of it like a boxed cake mix. Pretty darn hard to mess it up. The next step up is an extract kit with hops and specialty grains (the liquid malt in the Coopers kit is pre-hopped). From there it's mini-mash and then full grain. I haven't tried those yet but I have a specialty grains kit in the fermentation container right now.

Tips:
I spent a lot of time reading on the Home Brew talk forum. One thing that kept getting stated over and over was to be patient, let the yeast do it's work. I let the beer sit for two weeks before bottling (even though the hydrometer reading didn't change after the first week). I'm convinced that this helped the beer clarify (see my picture of the beer glass). Also be patient once the beer is bottled. I sampled a bit (flat) at bottling, cracked a bottle at one week, two weeks, and then three weeks after bottling. It's a great way to see how the carbonation and flavor change over time.
As mentioned by others, the bottle filler will drip a bit from the end. Just stick a small bucket underneath to catch the drops.
Read, read, and read some more. There are some good books out there and some great discussion forums. You can find out about more advanced brewing methods, how to brew clones of commercial beers, and lots of other things. You can choose to stay with extract brewing or, as I am, try and take baby steps to the next level and beyond.
Oh, and before you even start with the kit beer, set all of the parts out, test fit them, and then make sure you know how you're going to handle the process. I mixed in the kitchen but then had to haul the fermentation container down to my basement to ferment. It's probably a good 40+ pounds. Think about where you're going to prepare the wort and if you need to move the gear to allow it time to ferment.

I wish you good luck and good beer!

This Cooper's kit is by far the easiest, no hassle essential equiptment kit I've seen. Not knowing what I was getting into, being such a beginner, and with a friend's recomendation, I bought this one. After trying it out, I couldnt wait to make some more! My father had tried in the '70's to make beer, with no good results and I am back to buy him a Cooper's kit for his gift. I am convinced that this kit has far more value than what it is being sold for and now that I have something to compare to the other kits online and in town, I wish I could just slap everyone and say, "you dont need all that other stuff, just what's in the Cooper's brewery kit."

This kit has got to be the easiest system out there, and it makes SIX GALLONS! I've been brewing off and on for about 14 years, and this takes all the work out of beermaking. Not all of us want to be 'kraft brewers,' winning medals and impressing our friends. For those of us who just want to have a good beer with that fresh draft taste, you can't get any better than this. No boiling, no trub, no clarifiers and NO RACKING! Bottles don't need a special capping tool either, so you're using less gear. Wish I'd had this when I started years ago. Oh, and the Cooper's people offer great support too!