Brewing lagers can be a daunting task since they require lower temperatures during fermentation to achieve the desired outcome.
Sine lagers are usually light in the body, it becomes very simple to tell a lager that has been fermented at too warm a temperature as they may taste too spicy or fruity as a result of too much ester production.
Personally, I have brewed a lot in the coopers kits and they are very drinkable and OK.
In total, I have done 10 draught, 5 lager, Cerveza, Canadian blonde, European lager. I switched over to KLARSTEIN Mundschenk beer brewer and I can tell the difference in taste (much better).
If I were you, I would try both the Cooper beer brew kit and the KLARSTEIN Mundschenk beer brewer. You could even brew the Tom caxton lager, coopers cerveza, lions pride or a milestone old hoem wrecker.
Best Homebrew Lager Kits
KLARSTEIN Mundschenk Beer Brewer – Complete Home Brewing System
Coopers DIY Beer Home Brewing 6 Gallon All Inclusive Craft Beer Making Kit with Patented Brewing Fermenter
BrewDemon Craft Beer Brewing Kit Extra with Bottles
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KLARSTEIN Mundschenk Beer Brewer – Complete Home Brewing System
This brewing system is the best lager kit on the market at the moment. The 7.5 gallon capacity and pump are important and the un-mentioned 25′ stainless chiller comes standard.
The panel is quite simple to figure out even without using the manual. The grain basket can be taken apart for easier cleaning and is quite secure when in use.
The automatic timer once the boil is reaches is helpful. It can be set with a hop schedule as well.
Pros
The pump is quite efficient and adjustable too. It has added time to my brew day but some of the automation also makes this easier than the cooler mash tun system.
Construction is on-par or better than the brewers edge mash and boil.
You just have to adjust the target temp to “boiling” and once it starts to boil, reduce the target temp to a true boiling temperature (which varies by elevation) in order to start the boil timer.
Cleanup was a breeze and it took like a half-hour. I was finished brewing at 1:00 am. I will not start a brew doing all-grain in this after 3:00 PM, but I had to try out my new toy.
I also spent almost an hour sanitizing and testing the boil before brewing, so it took probably 5.5 hours for a first time in this for me.
Cons
A 20 circuit is needed for it to operate. My complaints are very few. One of the rubber feet on the grain basket fell of after fifth use and it landed into the wort. So, it no longer remained on the basket once heated.
I also noticed that the screen does not completely prevent dusts from getting in. The lifting handle system has proven to be quite rudimentary and does not have a secure feeling.
An unlevel movement or bumping and tilting of the basket could lead to an issue when in use. While slower to boil or temp than the propane burners is self-contained.
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Coopers DIY Beer Home Brewing 6 Gallon All Inclusive Craft Beer Making Kit with Patented Brewing Fermenter
The Cooper DIY beer home brewing kit is one cool option for people looking to learn the basic and/or are low on space.
If you get into more advanced brewing forms, you could continue using this equipment, and just add to it.
Pros
- All you need is right in the box. Not much guess work here.
- Lots of beer mixes to choose from.
Cons
- Having to wait almost 21 days to give the beer a shot. It may not be good, or it may be good. Many beer mixes to pick from. This could get expensive.
I first used this Coopers canned kits brew with either no boil or a short boil for additional hop flavoring.
Ever since then, I have acquired more equipment: a 34-quart pot for whole boils, a propane burner, a thermometer, a large strainer, a wort chiller, etc.
This has let me practice and try better techniques and make better extract brews.
The best part is that you can add in the rest of other equipment piece-by-piece and still use the Coopers equipment as a base, and simply add on to it.
At the moment, I no longer make Coopers kits, but use either more advanced, full-boil kits, or make my own recipes. But it was the canned Coopers kits that taught me the fundamentals of brewing, and they were a great launching pad.
Other Extras
The coopers kits are decent, and great value for their money.
They can be easily modified
There is support and conversations going on the Cooper’s forums and elsewhere
Recipes are shared on there too.
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BrewDemon Craft Beer Brewing Kit Extra with Bottles
I have no personal experience with this brewing kits but reviews say it is great value for beginners and good for the money.