Brew 'A'

  • MaltyMalty
  • FloralFloral
  • FruityFruity
  • EsteryEstery
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In 1862 Thomas Cooper was prompted to brew a batch of ale to be used as a tonic for his ailing wife, Ann. It was Ann, the daughter of an Innkeeper, who supplied the recipe. On the 17th of May 1862, Thomas wrote in his Day Book, '"The Ale brewed on 13 put in Cask and in drawing it out of the Working Tub the tap came out and I lost 2 or 3 gal Ale. Pity". Luckily for us, he salvaged the remainder and upon sampling the brew, his neighbours were asking for more – a situation that Brewers know too well! Thomas went on to use alphabet characters for identifying his brews with this (Brew 'A') being his first. His base recipe was 4 bushels (B) of English Malt, 8 pounds (lb) of Kent Hops to 46 Gallons (gal) of water. At the time and being unlicensed, he could only sell parcels of his brew not less than 5 gallons at a time. This equates to 2 ½ dozen quart bottles or 23 litres, which coincidentally, has become the standard brew length for modern day DIY brewers. In those days, the beer making process may have taken as long as 9 weeks prior to bottling; brew the wort, allow the wort to cool, primary fermentation in a large vat (about 4 days) then transfer to casks for secondary fermentation and clearing (up to 8 weeks). Averaging a batch every two weeks, he soon settled on a formula of 1B Malt, 2lbs Hops made to 13 gal selling for 6 shilling per dozen and a stronger version, only made to 11 gal, for 7 shilling per dozen. So based on modern brewing techniques this recipe has been designed to replicate as closely as possible Brew ‘A’, The brewery's first ever recorded brew. Unlike the 'good ol' days', we don’t have to endure substandard equipment, poorly converted malt, stale hops, lazy yeast and airborne spoilage organisms – phew!!

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Recipe Contains

2 × Australian Pale Ale (1.7kg)
1 × Thomas Coopers Light Malt Extract (1.5kg)
1 × Carbonation Drops (250g)

You'll Need

1 × 50g East Kent Goldings Hops
1 × Coopers Commercial Yeast Culture
1 × S-33 Yeast Sachet

Beer Style: Ale

Colour (EBC): 17
Volume: 23L
Difficulty: Intermediate

ABV 7.1%

Alcohol by Volume

40 IBU

International Bitterness Units

EBC 17

Colour

This Recipe

Print Recipe
Ingredients

2 x 1.7kg Coopers Australian Pale Ale
1 x 1.5kg Thomas Coopers Light Malt Extract
1 x 50g East Kent Goldings Hops
1 x Coopers Commercial Yeast Culture
1 x Safbrew S-33 Dry Yeast
1 x 250g Coopers Carbonation Drop

Mix

Steep 25g of East Kent Goldings Hops in about a litre of just boiled water for 15 to 30 mins.
In a fermenting vessel, mix the Australian Pale Ale extracts and Light Malt Extract together with the
strained hop infusion and 2 litres of cold water.
Add cold water up to the 20 litre mark and stir vigorously.
Check the brew temperature and top up to the 23 litre mark with warm or cold water (refrigerated if
necessary) to get as close as possible to 21C.
Stir in the Coopers Commercial Yeast Culture and sprinkle the Safbrew S-33 Yeast, then fit the lid.
Click here to view our how-to-video on Harvesting Commercial Yeast.

Home Recipes BREW 'A'

Brew 'A'

In 1862 Thomas Cooper was prompted to brew a batch of ale to be used as a tonic for his ailing wife, Ann. It was Ann, the daughter of an Innkeeper, who supplied the recipe. On the 17th of May 1862, Thomas wrote in his Day Book, '"The Ale brewed on 13 put in Cask and in drawing it out of the Working Tub the tap came out and I lost 2 or 3 gal Ale. Pity". Luckily for us, he salvaged the remainder and upon sampling the brew, his neighbours were asking for more – a situation that Brewers know too well! Thomas went on to use alphabet characters for identifying his brews with this (Brew 'A') being his first. His base recipe was 4 bushels (B) of English Malt, 8 pounds (lb) of Kent Hops to 46 Gallons (gal) of water. At the time and being unlicensed, he could only sell parcels of his brew not less than 5 gallons at a time. This equates to 2 ½ dozen quart bottles or 23 litres, which coincidentally, has become the standard brew length for modern day DIY brewers. In those days, the beer making process may have taken as long as 9 weeks prior to bottling; brew the wort, allow the wort to cool, primary fermentation in a large vat (about 4 days) then transfer to casks for secondary fermentation and clearing (up to 8 weeks). Averaging a batch every two weeks, he soon settled on a formula of 1B Malt, 2lbs Hops made to 13 gal selling for 6 shilling per dozen and a stronger version, only made to 11 gal, for 7 shilling per dozen. So based on modern brewing techniques this recipe has been designed to replicate as closely as possible Brew ‘A’, The brewery's first ever recorded brew. Unlike the 'good ol' days', we don’t have to endure substandard equipment, poorly converted malt, stale hops, lazy yeast and airborne spoilage organisms – phew!!

Brew 'A'
Beer Style Ale
Flavour Profile Malty, Floral, Fruity, Estery
Alcohol Content 7.1%
Colour (EBC) 17
Bitterness (IBU) 40
Volume 23L
Difficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

2 x 1.7kg Coopers Australian Pale Ale
1 x 1.5kg Thomas Coopers Light Malt Extract
1 x 50g East Kent Goldings Hops
1 x Coopers Commercial Yeast Culture
1 x Safbrew S-33 Dry Yeast
1 x 250g Coopers Carbonation Drop

1. Mix

Steep 25g of East Kent Goldings Hops in about a litre of just boiled water for 15 to 30 mins.
In a fermenting vessel, mix the Australian Pale Ale extracts and Light Malt Extract together with the
strained hop infusion and 2 litres of cold water.
Add cold water up to the 20 litre mark and stir vigorously.
Check the brew temperature and top up to the 23 litre mark with warm or cold water (refrigerated if
necessary) to get as close as possible to 21C.
Stir in the Coopers Commercial Yeast Culture and sprinkle the Safbrew S-33 Yeast, then fit the lid.
Click here to view our how-to-video on Harvesting Commercial Yeast.

2. Brew

Ferment temperature should be around 21C.
After a few days of fermentation, add the remaining East Kent Goldings Hops (we recommend
wrapping them in a mesh cleaning cloth, pulled straight from the wrapper).
Fermentation has finished once the specific gravity is stable over 2 days.

3. Bottle

Gently fill clean PET bottles to about 3cm from the top.
Add 2 carbonation drops per bottle and secure the caps (use only one carbonation drop for bottles
intended to be stored for a longer period).
Store the bottles upright in a location out of direct sunlight at or above 18C.

4. Enjoy

After at least two weeks, check for sufficient carbonation by squeezing the PET bottles.
Naturally conditioned Strong brews, being higher in alcohol and fuller of body, benefit from extended
conditioning at or above 18C.
Try one less chilled to get the benefits of the extra aromas and flavour.
Remember these brews are very high in alcohol and are not intended to be consumed as a session
beer.
When ready to drink, chill the bottles upright.
The chilled beer may be poured into clean glassware, leaving the sediment behind.
Expect the alcohol content to be approximately 7.1% ABV.

Common Questions

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