Extra Strong Vintage Ale '13 Recipe

Apr 26, 2017

Extra Strong Vintage Ale '13 (21 Litres)

Back in 1998, Coopers drinkers were introduced to the Strong Ale style (19.A of the BJCP Style Guidelines) with the first release of Coopers Extra Strong Vintage Ale (ESVA). ESVA is a high alcohol, high bitterness, flavoursome beer, which may be consumed young whilst holding excellent prospects for developing with bottle age. When young, it displays a blend of esters and hop aromatics with some alcohol heat and a firm bitter finish. Ageing should see the esters, hops and alcohol meld together, the bitterness soften and toffee/sherry like characters develop. You may like to add a small amount of specialty grain and dry hop with your favourite variety (Nelson Sauvin, Fuggles, Saaz, Hallertau, Hersbrucker, Cascade, Perle and Magnum were used in previous vintages).

Ingredients

1.7kg Australian Pale Ale
1.7kg Real Ale
500g Dextrose Corn Sugar
300g Crystal Malt Grains (optional)
25g Centennial hop pellets
25g Citra hop pellets
25g Chinook hop pellets
Commercial Coopers Ale yeast (both sachets of kit yeast or yeast of your choice)
Dextrose Corn Sugar or Carbonation Drops

Features:

Colour: Amber
Body: Heavy
Bitterness: High
Approx. Alcohol Level: 7.5% ABV
Naturally Carbonated: Natural

Instructions:

STEP 1: The day before

Line a pot (at least 4 litres) with a mesh cleaning cloth (pulled straight from the pack), then add the cracked grain and 2 litres of cold water. Fit the lid and sit in the fridge for 24hrs. Look in our DIY FAQ's for a guide on growing our commercial yeast.

STEP 2: Brew

Remove from the fridge then gather up the corners of the mesh cloth and lift, allowing the liquid to drain from the grains back into the pot. Place the strained liquid onto the stovetop and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat, add 25g of Centennial hops and let steep for 30mins. Cool the liquid by placing pot in a bath of cold water for about 15mins then strain into a Fermenting Vessel. Add the contents of the two beer kits plus dextrose and stir to dissolve. Fill with cool water to the 18 litre mark, stir vigorously and check the brew temperature. Top up to the 21 litre mark with warm or cold water (refrigerated if necessary) to get as close to 18C as possible. Stir in the wet yeast or sprinkle on the dry yeast and fit the lid. Try to ferment at 18C. After about 3 days- Add the remaining hops to the brew by wrapping them in a mesh cleaning cloth (pulled straight from the pack) and place directly on top of the brew then re-fit the lid.

STEP 3: Bottle

The brew may be bottled only after the SG readings are stable over a couple of days – it should finish around the 1008 to 1012 mark. We recommend the use of PET bottles. Sturdy reusable glass bottles, designed for storing beer, should be used if planning to keep some of the brew in bottle beyond 18 months. Prime at the normal rate of 8g/l (2 carbonation drops per 740/750 ml bottle) or slightly lower, in accordance with the style.

STEP 4: Enjoy!

Store the bottles at or above 18C for at least two weeks to allow the secondary fermentation to take place. The final alcohol content should be approximately 7.5% ABV.