watered down taste to beer kit

hi guys,

I just bottled my beer from a coopers original beer kit. I added 1 kg of dextrose, and .5 oz of cascade hops.

It tasted pretty good, just watered down. Perhaps once it has carbonated it will be a little better.


I made a beer kit years ago and I remember it being the same result. I didnt put to much water in.

Any advice on how to make it better for next time, I was thinking of adding malt extract as well but not sure if that will help.

jon

Until a beer is actually carbed up you really don't know how much body it really has. Co2 adds that feeling of fullness to the beer. Think about soda in a fountain dispenser, like at your favorite fast food joint. You ever pull some that wasn't carbed? It was thin and watery, not because the mix of liquids was off, but because the gas was not saturating the liquid.

Just wait til it's been carbed and conditioned in the bottle for about 6 weeks. Then you'll know what the mouthfeel is.

I agree with Revvy. But I will say that adding 1 Kg of sugar, per the Cooper's instructions, tends to produce a thin dry beer that isnt' very good. The carbonation will help a lot- that's for sure.

For next time, I'd suggest getting a "real" beer ingredients kit and ditching the Cooper's. There are literally hundreds and hundreds of good quality kits you can get, in any style beer you want. If you like stouts, for example, try this: http://www.austinhomebrew.com/produ...=1771&osCsid=ae31c0d923858f5eb860822f6d7bf61d

I've done their Fat Tire clone: http://www.austinhomebrew.com/produ...=1113&osCsid=ae31c0d923858f5eb860822f6d7bf61d and a few others.

If there is a beer you'd like to try, I'd suggest trying any "ale" kit, but staying away from lagers until you're well experienced.

I'm not a fan at all of the Cooper's kits, but a couple of people on this forum have used them and liked them. My feeling is you can do much better with a good quality kit from a good online homebrew store or your own local retailer, if they have knowledgeable staff.

It has been sitting in the secondary for a while, but I will pass my final judgement once its carbonated. I think I will pass on beer kits from now on and do some grains, or at very least a partial mash.