tester
New Member
So i'm hitting at least 2-3 weeks on all of the last 3 I brewed.
- Coopers Euro ale - At a week it tasted ok, with a very IPA-ish finish. After 2 weeks in, the finish though has dropped off to a good half of what it was which is good. I guess this is why they say to leave a month lol. However, everything seems to have been lessened during the wait, including the overall flavor. I didn't find the flavor to be that intense at a week, and I brewed this to 20L, not 23. Now it seems even lighter than a light beer in taste. The finish seems to still, even though it is far less bitter, overwhelm any flavor and be the most noticeable thing as it is all relative as those things dropped together over the 2 weeks. I'll drink all of these, but a bit disappointed.
- Mangrove Jacks Mango Ale - Like the coopers above, this has sat for a week longer so now pushing 3 weeks. The overpowering bitter finish (what I think is overpowering) is now about half of what it was. This smells nice, but there is hardly any taste to it. Others have said the same and I think have added juices prior to bottling.
- Mangrove Jacks Grapefruit Ale - Like above, another IPA. Even though I'm not a huge IPA fan, was looking forward to this because of all of the positive reviews on it. Like above, bitterness has dropped considerably, but also any flavor this had.
Last night I bottled the Coopers 86. I needed some extra bottles so had to pour a good 20 bottles of previous brews. I didn't want to hit the Coopers Euro Ale, so I chilled and opened one of each of the grapefruit and mango, and let the wife chose. She loves IPAs, but was meh on both of these so really doubt she will crack many of them. The grapefruit she said reminded her of the little floral gum candies, or what we call 'soap candies'. I think I mentioned above, that I also tasted a bit of a soapiness to this early on. Overall she chose the grapefruit if I had to empty more of one or the other. But also commented that there is no real taste.. no IPA punchiness with the floral fruity flavors in the middle, before the bitter ending. It's like an IPA, but it's missing a piece right in the middle. Disappointed in both of these, especially considering the rave reviews. I have to also consider that this is a UK site, I'm in Canada, so tastes might be different.
A local craft brewery here I hit last Friday had a great IPA that they added a couple different fruit juices to, and it was really good. I think I may try a frozen fruit punch concentrate, or grapefruit/citrus concentrate and add a small scoop to the bottom of a glass before pouring and see how these taste.
I still have a Mangrove Jacks session IPA to brew down the road. I have a feeling it will taste pretty close to these. What would adding a can or two of frozen juice concentrate do if done prior to bottling? If the yeast processed all of the sugar in that, would the flavor still be there or be appealing?
- Coopers Euro ale - At a week it tasted ok, with a very IPA-ish finish. After 2 weeks in, the finish though has dropped off to a good half of what it was which is good. I guess this is why they say to leave a month lol. However, everything seems to have been lessened during the wait, including the overall flavor. I didn't find the flavor to be that intense at a week, and I brewed this to 20L, not 23. Now it seems even lighter than a light beer in taste. The finish seems to still, even though it is far less bitter, overwhelm any flavor and be the most noticeable thing as it is all relative as those things dropped together over the 2 weeks. I'll drink all of these, but a bit disappointed.
- Mangrove Jacks Mango Ale - Like the coopers above, this has sat for a week longer so now pushing 3 weeks. The overpowering bitter finish (what I think is overpowering) is now about half of what it was. This smells nice, but there is hardly any taste to it. Others have said the same and I think have added juices prior to bottling.
- Mangrove Jacks Grapefruit Ale - Like above, another IPA. Even though I'm not a huge IPA fan, was looking forward to this because of all of the positive reviews on it. Like above, bitterness has dropped considerably, but also any flavor this had.
Last night I bottled the Coopers 86. I needed some extra bottles so had to pour a good 20 bottles of previous brews. I didn't want to hit the Coopers Euro Ale, so I chilled and opened one of each of the grapefruit and mango, and let the wife chose. She loves IPAs, but was meh on both of these so really doubt she will crack many of them. The grapefruit she said reminded her of the little floral gum candies, or what we call 'soap candies'. I think I mentioned above, that I also tasted a bit of a soapiness to this early on. Overall she chose the grapefruit if I had to empty more of one or the other. But also commented that there is no real taste.. no IPA punchiness with the floral fruity flavors in the middle, before the bitter ending. It's like an IPA, but it's missing a piece right in the middle. Disappointed in both of these, especially considering the rave reviews. I have to also consider that this is a UK site, I'm in Canada, so tastes might be different.
A local craft brewery here I hit last Friday had a great IPA that they added a couple different fruit juices to, and it was really good. I think I may try a frozen fruit punch concentrate, or grapefruit/citrus concentrate and add a small scoop to the bottom of a glass before pouring and see how these taste.
I still have a Mangrove Jacks session IPA to brew down the road. I have a feeling it will taste pretty close to these. What would adding a can or two of frozen juice concentrate do if done prior to bottling? If the yeast processed all of the sugar in that, would the flavor still be there or be appealing?
