Coopers Amber Malt Extract, what it does in your beer
What's actually in the tin
Coopers Amber Malt Extract is 1.5kg of liquid malt made from a selection of pale and crystal malts, and that second word is the one doing all the work, because crystal malt is what separates this tin from the light one sitting next to it on the shelf. Coopers describe it as giving a rich amber colour and a balanced malt sweetness, and they put it up as a straight replacement for the brewing sugar in a kit, which is the same job the light and the dark tins do, just landing in a different place.
Why crystal malt tastes the way it does
Crystal malt gets treated differently when it's made, and the sugars that come out of it are partly ones your yeast can't ferment, so instead of turning into alcohol and disappearing they stay in the glass and you taste them. That's where the toffee-ish sweetness in an amber beer comes from, and it's also why a beer built on crystal feels rounder in the mouth rather than just tasting sweeter. Plain sugar does the opposite. It ferments right out and takes its own flavour with it, which is fine when all you wanted was the alcohol.
What that gets you in the finished beer
Swap the sugar in your kit for this and Coopers say you'll pick up better body, more flavour and better head retention, and the colour moves with it. In practice the head is the bit people notice first, because a beer made on plain dextrose can pour with a lovely head that's gone by the time you sit down, while one carrying malt holds it. The colour is the bit people notice second, and it is genuinely amber rather than a shade darker than before.
Which beers it suits
It's the middle one of the three and that's what makes it the most generally useful. The obvious home for it is an amber ale, and after that anything that keeps coming out thinner than you wanted, which for most people means a pale ale. An English bitter wants exactly the sort of toffee note crystal brings, so that's a good one to try it in. You can put some into a lager you found hollow as well, although keep a light hand there, because the whole point of a lager is that there isn't much standing between you and the malt.
Amber, light or dark
The three tins differ only in which malts went into them. Pale malt on its own is the light extract, which builds body and head without shifting the colour much. Pale and crystal together is this one, with the sweetness and the amber colour. Pale and roasted takes you to the dark tin, which is a stout and dark ale proposition rather than an everyday one.
Getting it in and keeping the rest
It's thick, so stand the tin in hot water for a few minutes before you try to pour it, and stir it into hot water rather than dropping it into a cold fermenter where it will sink and sit there. Coopers say the tin is resealable and that anything left over goes into a sanitised jar in the fridge, which is worth doing on the day rather than the day after, because malt extract is sugar and it will grow something if you leave it warm with air over it.
Where it's the wrong answer
If you're chasing a crisp dry finish, this is not your tin, because the sweetness it leaves behind is the whole thing it does. Dextrose or a brew enhancer will get you closer to dry. And it won't lighten a beer, so if your last batch came out darker than you wanted, adding amber makes that worse rather than better. Pick the tin for where you want to end up instead of for how the last batch went.
If you're stuck between the light and the amber, ask us when you're in the shop and we'll talk through what you're trying to brew.
Shop related products
- Coopers Amber Malt Extract 1.5kg. The tin this post is about. Pale and crystal malts, amber colour, balanced malt sweetness.
- Thomas Coopers Family Secret Amber Ale 1.7kg. An amber kit to put it in, if you want the style rather than a tweak.
- Coopers English Bitter 1.7kg. A bitter is where the crystal note earns its keep.
- Coopers Light Malt Extract 1.5kg. Body without the colour, for when the beer is meant to stay pale.
- Coopers Brew Enhancer 2 1kg. The dry-goods version of the same idea, with dextrose in it as well.
Did you know we keep malts in the shop that aren't on the website. There's Gladfield medium crystal malted grain in 1kg, which is the actual grain behind everything this post is about, plus a Brewmakers light malt extract in 500g, a premium spray dried wheat malt extract in 500g, and the Brewblend malt plus booster. Give us a ring on (08) 8536 4333 to check what's on the shelf.
The rest of it is in our homebrew collection, and Brewhilder will help you work out what belongs in your next batch.
More from the homebrew blog
- Thomas Coopers Family Secret Amber Ale, how to brew it
- Coopers Light Malt Extract, when to use it
- Beer styles explained: pale ale, amber, porter and stout
Amber is the one I reach for when I can't decide, which is more often than I'd like to admit.
Cheers,
Candeece
