Brews 3 & 4. Coopers Stout x 2 malt extract tins, one with dextrose(5.76% alc/vol) one with Dark Ale Brew Blend (6.55% alc/vol)

Brews  3 . Coopers Stout x 2 malt extract tins, with dextrose 1Kg- alk/Vol =5.76%

I thought that brew 2 Oatmeal stout extract tins were rather expensive.
I noticed that Pak'n'Save sells Coopers Home Brew cans and sanitizer and carbonating pills so I've been keeping an eye out for some Stout cans as the first time I saw the area there was only one can of stout.

Last week they restocked, and the Coopers cans are about $14 compared to $24 for the extract.
So a couple of cans of this and dextrose should do Ok.
 I started the fermentation process on the day I bottled the Oatmeal (4 weeks before I can try), that was Thursday 8th August.
I inspected it on Sunday and the air trap was clear of water and covered in froth at the top, also the top of the fermenter. A bit of spatter on the duvet wrapped around it too. It was a bit too active.
I cleaned the air trap and put it back, hopefully no damage done and the brew will be fine.
The OG was 1.058 and the bits of docs that I can see online suggest it should get down to about FG 1.014. I'll leave it for about 10 days , like the oatmeal stout as its also a double can brew.
So if the Coopers stout is tasty that is what I'll aim to use.

I don't think I'm making headway on the financial side of the brewing yet.
 I've had to get extra kit (the bottle press).
I thought I'd save by using empty beer bottles but the extra money on the press has offset that to date.
Also the heating of the cupboard to keep the temp above 18 Deg C, that's an added cost component I hadn't foreseen.
Hopefully I'll get a brew that I can make and enjoy so that I can maintain the process for budget reasons.
The first brew I'm drinking now, as its not that strong I'm drinking a lot more of it, so that's not working, although alcohol content is low.
I need to collect a lot more bottles, and I do prefer beer from a bottle (rather than a PET bottle). Its a bit like coffee from a wax paper cup, what extra flavours are you getting from the vessel?
I'll re-use whatever I have, bottle or PET and carry on, I need to justify the bottle cap press.
So not as economically viable as I'd thought to begin with, and I've got to get a few brews made and aged in the bottles so that I've got a few different types to try. That is going to be my next objective, to get a few successful brews that I enjoy.

Bottling

I've had issues doing the bottling in the laundry room as the bench is standard height and you are bending down to view the level of the fill in the bottles.  Also there is not that much room in there for the process.
So I moved it to the dining area and used a chair on the table and the process went so much more smoothly. The bottle fill was nearer eye level so easier to judge when to stop, so less waste.
 I also put the carbonation drops in all the bottles first, so I ended up with a more efficient process.
I didn't have that many glass bottles so bought another 15 PET bottles for this batch, I only needed about half of them.
I had 10 glass bottles so used the bottle press, which is nice to use. 

So now they are bottled I'll have to wait for 2nd fermentation before drinking them.
The FG of this was 1.014   so its alcohol content should be about 5.76%.

Brew 4 -Coopers Stout x 2  tins with Dark Ale Brew Blend- 20/8/2019- Alk/Vol =6.55%

This is same as before but putting a bit more body in with Dark Ale brew blend from Brew House.
I picked it up when I went to get extra PET bottles.
I had everything ready for when I did the bottling so could just steralise everything and set up for the next batch.
It was not as frothy a mix as the previous batch, maybe the Brew Blend has less sugars. The OG was 1.060 which was slightly higher than Brew 3 (1.058). Hopefully it will not blow the seal.
I've put the duvet around the tank and as the first days are more active than the later days I wont heat the cupboard but monitor the temperature. Its started at 24 deg C.
I'll leave that to ferment  for about 10 days then check.
I'll most probably need some more bottles as although I've bought some Stella's I'm working my way through the first batch of Brew that I've made, about 8 bottles to go then back onto the lager.
Actually, I should hold a few of the original batch back to do a taste test on some of the other brews.

The OG of this was 1010, so that is a 6.55% brew, so quite strong.

 
The new bottling process went well and minimal spillage.

Next batch? 

I feel I've made enough Stout for the time being, so maybe make some lighter beers. There is a Coopers Real Ale and Dark Ale so maybe I need to try doing some of those as well. It would be good to have a variety of beers to try.
So I should prepare to purchase something next time I head to the shops.
I'll stick with the Coopers for the time being.  I'm not sure whether to do a double extract or add an enhancer.
I've bought a couple of  Coopers Real Ale cans and dextrose, but I think I'll try only 500g of dextrose for this.
Brew 4 went mad, like brew 3 and frothed out of the air lock, a couple of times. So I think its a bit too active. Not sure if that's too much yeast or too much sugars. Will try with a reduced sugar level initially(see comment above).

Too Much Yeast

In the last 3 batches I use 2 cans of extract and I used 2 sachets of yeast. I think that sped up the reaction causing it to overflow on all the first fermentations on the first couple of days. I'll have to check up on that next time I do a double can. Maybe test out only one sachet of yeast.

Wine making

This looks interesting too, I watched a couple of videos on that and the process is similar to the Beer kitset process. I'd like to give it a try sometime. The basic kit is about $129-$140 and the concentrate pack is about $120 ish. This will do about 30 bottles. You also need a corker and maybe a sealer too.
Also the bottles, but I could collect those. About 4 weeks from start to bottling.
It works out about $8.50 per bottle (starter Kit & concentrate kit) and 2 bottles a week  would work out about 3 1/2 months worth of wine.
This is one vid that shows a process, seems reasonably straight forward.s:

Tasting

Brew 2, only about a week for the 2nd fermentation, but as I've hidden away the first brew (mild strength) I thought I'd like to try it. I've been wondering about the coopers flavour, and I like it. A bit of sediment in the bottle, I'm drinking this one first so I can have a couple of lagers after, so hopefully the sediment wont be too hard on my head. Nice taste, flavoursome, more body than the first brew, so a thumbs up for this one so far. May not be the same view tomorrow morning.

15th Sept 2019 - Tasting Brew 3. 
This one has a bit of strength to it. You do not notice the alc content but it is a thick and rich flavour. I like it. I've been mainly drinking these over the OatBear Stout as that gives me a bit of a head. Although this one is mainly in 750ml bottles so I tend to drink more of this and get mellow, then i drink some of the Oat one , so its sneaking below the radar and I'm drinking too much at times.
 The 4th brew is ready, so I'll have to try some of that one now and see how that is doing.
I like the flavour of the Coopers Stout. I will have to try to make a milder one  with only one can to have for summer. Its good that I've got some strong ones now, but its time I got a few more milder ones for summer.