I am usually a wine maker. I made beer a while ago, but stopped because we moved. Now I live in a small place where It will be hard to do full brewing. Has anybody ever tried Coopers complete kits. They look easy to do, and I think I would like to try them. I await your feedback.

I know the international series are much better than their normal extract range. I've used the Coopers Canadian Blonde, Australian Pale Ale, and Mexican Cervaza cans of liquid malt extract before (in conjunction with a kilogram packs of Coopers "Brew Enhancer 2" which is just light dry malt, dextrose and maltodextrin.)

With these kits it is very very easy to make a drinkable beer, even one that will be a crowd pleaser at parties. All you have to do is make sure your equipment is sanitised, mix it with about 21 litres of water and keep the fermentation temperatures within a broadly plausable range (which is actually quite wide because the packets of yeast that come with some Coopers kits include multiple strains of yeast that can ferment at various different temperatures.)

HOWEVER, after a few batches you'll get bored with how simple and uninvolved it all is and yearn for a more complex recipe. And while these beers will be fine for your average beer consumer, hard lined beer fanatics will find them a little flavourless. Or as the boys at Brewdog would say "Bland. Boring. and Apathetic!" My personal suggestion would be to supliment them by experimenting with extra hops and steeped Crystal grains.

Joseph.