Charlottesville Area Masters of Real Ale

I wanted to give a review about a hopped malt extract that I tried recently.  I brew extract with steeped grains regularly, and I wanted to make a beer sort of in between Cooper's pale ale and their vintage strong ale.  Prior to the hop shortage it was hard enough to find Pride of Ringwood hops, and now it's virtually impossible.  So I decided I'd try using one of the already hopped Cooper's can kits.  I used the International Series Cooper's Pale Ale can. This malt extract is already hopped with POR and also comes with instructions and a packet of dried yeast. I didn't follow the instructions however since I had something a little different in mind. Here's what I did:
Steeped 0.5 lb Caramunich for 20'
Brought wort to a boil. Add 0.75 lb table sugar and 1.75 lb. Briess extra light Pilsen DME.
Boil for 15'.  Turn flame off.  Add hopped wort from Coopers can (do not boil this!).
Cool on ice.
I pitched a 2 qt. starter of WLP 009 Australian Ale yeast that had another 0.5 lb of DME in it.  I kept the yeast packet that came with the can in my fridge for the future in case I'm ever in a pinch.  After krausen, I dry hopped with 1/6 oz. Saaz (probably could have used more dry hop).
That's it.  I have to say that for the minimal time and money, this beer turned out quite well.  The hop aroma is a bit weak and the flavor could also be a bit stronger.  But seriously, it took less than an hour to brew!!!!!  If nothing else, it was a fun little experiment with a nice result.  And certainly something to consider if you're looking to rip off a decent batch of homebrew with minimal effort.

Why do you not boil the hopped extract?  I imagine that it would make the beer more bitter, but were those the instructions on the extract?

The instructions do specifically state not to boil the hopped extract, and I agree with the logic. The proper balance of flavor hops, bittering hops, and aroma hops have already been achieved so boiling will put this out-of-whack.  Besides, it's a canned LME.  You never NEED to boil canned LME because everything that a boil would do to the malt has already been done during the making of the extract and canning process (conversion, sterilization, etc).  This is the premise behind late extract additions, which can increase hop utilization, lighten color, and reduce caramelization.  On the other hand, I always boil DME and sugars. My DME is usually not completely sterile, being a powder loose in a bag that I usually weigh out.  Same with sugar.  So if for no other reason, I boil it just to sterilize it.