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Coopers Sparkling Ale Recipe

Apr 26, 2017

Coopers Sparkling Ale (23 Litres)

Coopers Sparkling Ale is considered to be the big brother of Coopers Original Pale Ale - displaying fruity esters on the nose, full malty palate with firm hop bitterness and a clean finish. Its origins date back to the late 1800s when Thomas Cooper & Sons produced only ale and stout. Although Coopers now offer numerous varieties of ale, links to the original product remain, with employees at the Brewery referring to Sparkling Ale as just “ale”. Perhaps not so surprising, when many other old terms, such as “pints”and “quarts”, are aired around the Brewery still! This recipe produces a beer with emphasis on malt. We think fermentation using a Coopers Commercial Ale yeast culture will give a result even closer to the real thing!

Ingredients

1.7kg Thomas Coopers Inkeeper's Daughter Sparkling Ale
3 x 500g Light Dry Malt
300g Dextrose Corn Sugar
Dextrose Corn Sugar or Carbonation Drops

Features:

Colour: Gold
Body: Heavy
Bitterness: Medium/High
Approx. Alcohol Level: 5.8% ABV
Naturally Carbonated: Natural

Instructions:

STEP 1: Mix

Place the Coopers Light Dry Malt into a sanitised, drained Fermenting Vessel (FV), add 2 litres of hot water. Immediately pick the FV up and swirl the contents until dissolved (approx 15 secs) - this method shoud minimise any lumps. Mix the balance of ingredients with a spoon until dissolved but don't be too concerned if lumps of malt remain as they will dissolve within a few hours. Top up to the 20 litre mark, stir and check the brew’s temperature. Add 3 litres of hot or cold water (from the fridge if necessary) to achieve a temperature close 21C. Sprinkle the kit yeast or stir in the commercial yeast culture then fit the lid. Look in our DIY FAQS or a guide on growing our commercial yeast.

STEP 2: Brew

Try to ferment the brew at 18C-21C, if possible. Fermentation has finished once the specific gravity is stable over 2 days.

STEP 3: Bottle

We recommend the use of PET bottles or reusable glass bottles designed for storing beer. Bottles need to be primed so that secondary fermentation (producing the gas in the bottle) can take place

Priming

Add carbonation drops at the rate of 1 per 330ml/375ml bottle and 2 per 740ml/750ml bottle. Sugar or dextrose may be used at the rate of 8g per litre (approximately 6g of sugar to a level metric teaspoon). Store the bottles out of direct sunlight at 18C or above for at least 1 week while secondary fermentation occurs. Your beer can be consumed after 2 weeks.

STEP 4: Enjoy!

While we recommend leaving your bottles to condition at or above 18C for at least 2 weeks - you may find that your brew benefits from further conditioning. This brew is intended to be served cloudy and normally has less carbonation than Lagers - mix the yeast evenly through the beer prior to serving in a clean glass.