Coopers Ginger Ale by the professor @ 30, Oct 2006
Simple to make thirst quencher if you want to save some money in the summer months but not a decent substitute for the real thing (I'm referring to the non-alcoholic brewed soft drink option, not the alcoholic version you can also make with this kit). Morgans Ginger Beer is a superior product, in my opinion. By comparison, Coopers is thin, with a slightly metallic aftertaste. I know some folks contend Morgans and Coopers are the same stuff (since Morgans is part-owned by Coopers), but a side by side taste test puts paid to that idea.

Malt Shovel Pale Ale by the professor @ 10, Sep 2006
2nd go, as I thought there was a good ale in this kit somewhere -the challenge is to coax it out. Kit, 50gms crystal malt grain steeped, 1 plug East Kent Goldings hops added to this, 125 gm mix malt, dextrose, maltodextrine, volume 11 litres, Saf K-97 German Ale yeast. The yeast gives a cleaner, less fruity flavour, the crystal adds some depth and the hops some character. Hardly recognisable from the first go. Cleaner, more complex, after the style of a German Alt.

Black Rock Lager by the professor @ 24, Jul 2006
One of the first kits I ever did after a few batches of Cooper's. Used 5oo gms dextrose but reduced the volume by a few litres, trying to get more body and avoid cidery flavours.Fermented in winter at the bottom end of the recommended temp. range for the supplied yeast. Took longer than expected to ferment out (10 days as opposed to the 3-4 with Cooper's yeast in summertime). Turned out very clean tasting in comparison with, say, Cooper's Lager. Gold colour, small bubbles, but fast dissipating head. I suspect it has a fairly low HBU rating, so it might be a candidate for a "toucan" brew with a proper lager yeast (or even US-56 in summer). I think you would get a nice enough result if you like standard lagers/light ales for quaffing in the warmer months.

Muntons Barley Wine by the professor @ 17, Jul 2006
A Barley Wine is a very high gravity English Ale (therefore higher in alcoholthan regular ales, hence barley "wine"). Commercial examples have a rich, warming effect, this is a beer to be sipped by a winter fire, rather than gulped down. Followed instructions to the letter. Result after 6-12 months = more like a brown ale than a barley wine. I thi8nk this is a difficult style to replicate with malt extract and kit dried yeast. If doing again I would try some added grains, some dextrose for the alcoholic warmth not, and some Fuggles hops for finishing, as well as a suitable liquid yeast. Might try it again sometime. Not a bad kit, just a difficult style to replicate.

Coopers India Pale Ale (IPA) by the professor @ 10, Jun 2006
Brewed kit plus 500 gms dme, 250 gms dextrose for balance,and Muntons Gold yeast. No extra hops as the hbs guy thought it was already a hoppy kit. He wasn't wrong. At 4/52 it was hoppy++ but after 6/12 it has matured into a very impressive emulation of the ipa style. First impression is the hoppiness. I never thought kit manufacturers could achieve such a hoppy flavour. IMO could do with a little extra crystal malt for richness and some flavouring hops for balance (Goldings). Probably the best kit I've used to date. Will experiment further with this one.

Malt Shovel Oatmeal Stout by the professor @ 26, Apr 2006
An 11.5 litre batch was brewed with the substitution of a live yeast cultured from a bottle of Cooper's Ale for the dried yeast supplied with the kit. Opaque, dark brown in colour,unusually smooth mouthfeel(result of the oats, no doubt)and a medium-dry, bittersweet palate. Not strong on the burnt, roasted grain notes of bigger stouts, in keeping with the more subtle oatmeal stout style. The sample was only two weeks in the bottle, so I expect this beer to evolve and become more complex with time. Quite impressive and worth a try for something a little bit different.

Coopers India Pale Ale (superseded) by the professor @ 16, Dec 2005
India Pale Ales were highly hopped, high in alcohol, cask ales dispatched from the mother country to the thirsty troops in India. This Cooper's version is an impressive extract version. Used Munton's P Gold yeast X2, 500 gms DME, 300 gms dextrose, volume 20 l, temp 20*C. OG 1.040 FG 1.012. After 4 weeks in bottle has a full, hoppy flavour with a dryness appropriate to the style. Has the best hop character of any home brew kit I have done. Will experiment further with this one.

Muntons Yorkshire Bitter by the professor @ 29, Nov 2005
A superb beer. Used the kit yeast but reduced the volume just a tad (well, to about 12 litres, if memory serves correct!). The only thing I added was some Hallertau hop pellets for flavouring. Not exactly to style, I know, but it worked. Result = a crystal malt charged dark bitter with ridiculously little effort that drinks well after just one month's bottle conditioning. Muntons obviously use quality ingredients to produce a beer like this from a tin of extract. The malt must be first-rate,and the yeast is certainly up to the job as well. Recommended, provided you get a fresh can. Has hints of complexity you rarely get with an extract based beer, yet is honest and unpretentious, as befits a Yorkshire bitter.

Coopers Australian Pale Ale by the professor @ 21, Nov 2005
To test my recommendation that this is a good base for experimentation I did the following: 1.7 KG Cooper’s PA kit + 700gms Morgan’s Lager LME + 100 gms Cooper’s DME + 14 gms POR Hops boiled with 2 l water then added to fermenter and topped up to 19l. Fermented with yeast cultured from bottle of Cooper's PA. MB 89 hop bag added when racked to secondary. Bottled. After 1/12= v. good pale ale, just about the equal of many an imported English ale. Can only improve with conditioning.

Morgans Blue Mountain Lager by the professor @ 17, Oct 2005
Used as a base for experimentation as I knew it was a quality product from other reviews. Added caramalt LME and Cooper's dme in a boil with contents of kit & some Hallertau pellets for flavouring. Aiming for a Vienna style lager, but I fermented with Cooper's ale yeast cultured from the bottle. Cold conditioned for 1 week to help yeast settle, then I didn't get 'round to bottling for c. 6 weeks. Result: Beautiful, delicate amber bitter. My most successful brew yet.

Malt Shovel Two-Row Lager by the professor @ 31, Aug 2005
Made to 11.5 litres with supplied yeast. The yeast is Saflager S-189,a quality yeast which will ferment at low temperatures. Each can is infused with hop pellets before being sealed. Yes, it is chunky, but don't complain, those are real hops! I racked it to a secondary when fermentation was complete and let it sit for two weeks. If you can do this, or at least let the beer settle in the primary after fermentation has completed, you will get a clear, bright, fresh, crisp lager. A quality kit.

Morgans Royal Oak Amber Ale by the professor @ 31, Aug 2005
Used as a base for an all malt brew as an experiment. I just used the kit in 12.5 litres of water with Safale yeast and Goldings finishing hops. Turned out to be quite an acceptable version of an English style bitter at about 4% abv with medium body, good head and deep copper colour. Certainly had the right malty sweetness balanced by hop bitterness. If you like this English bitter ales then try this kit, you won't be disappointed.

Morgans Golden Saaz Pilsener by the professor @ 05, Aug 2005
Used as a base to which I added Saaz hop pellets in a boil with Morgan's extra pale liquid malt extract and a partial mash of 'Vienna' malted grain with Saaz finishing hops thrown in the fermenter. Saflager yeast fermented it at 14* C for 2 weeks in middle of winter. I also used quality purified water. The result is surprisingly good for an extract based Pilsener - nice golden colour, good mouthfeel, malty with Saaz hop character coming through. Very drinkable.

Coopers Australian Pale Ale by the professor @ 20, Jul 2005
Made up in summer as per instructions with Brew Enhancer #1. Vigorous fermentation - as is typical for Cooper's yeast in summertime. No further brew notes - my first brew after 10 years! Nice golden colour and good hop character. True beer flavours rather than 'home brew' flavours predominate. Good base for further experimentation.

Malt Shovel Nut Brown Ale by the professor @ 20, Jul 2005
Made up tp 11.5 litres. Safale yeast. 250 gms Cooper's DME + 15 gms Fuggles finishing hops. Temp 21 celsius. 6 days fermentation,left a further 7 cold days in fermenter before bottling. OG 1.045 FG1.014 After 2 weeks in bottle tasted like Toohey's Old but better (less carbonated). Promising.

Malt Shovel Pale Ale by the professor @ 20, Jul 2005
Made up to 11.5 litres. Safale yeast. Fermented at 21 celsius. OG 1.040 FG 1.014 At six weeks: colour exactly right for style: deep amber with hints of ruby; carbonation OK, finely beaded; good head; little malt or hop aroma. Taste is bland. More an 'ordinary' bitter than a PA. Slightly rough - could be from the kit hops. Not to the same standard as others in this range. Disappointing considering price of the kit.