Strong Malt taste

I've got two kegs on the go, one I brewed a Coopers IPA the other is a Canadian Red. I'm finding that there's a strong malt taste to both final products. Could that be the result of something I've done wrong, or is that just what I should come to expect from such products?

more info needed. how long ago did you keg? what where the SG readings? did you change the recipe any?

if we are going to know if you did something wrong you have to tell us what you did.

What do you mean strong malt taste? DO the hops in the IPA not balance it out? Might want to post your recipes and method on this one.

As far as the IPA goes, both for that matter, I followed the directions on the can directly. it did say to bottle after 5 days, i let it sit in primary for 2 weeks, then secondary for 2 weeks before kegging. Instructions are as simple as they come, warm can in water, dump in sterile bucket, added 500g dry malt extract, 500g dextrose (200 more than required, but advised and brew store to add extra. Did the whole boil water, mix product with boiled water, added the cold water, dropped to 24 c, added supplied yeast and then let sit as previously described. Then transferred to clean/sterile keg, let temp drop over 2 days to serving temp, hit it with 30psi for 10 minutes while rocking, put it back in fridge, dropped psi to 12, let it sit for about 5 days and poured a nice looking, but somewhat malty taste. The IPA is definately smoother (less of a malt taste) than the red.

OG on the IPA 1.040, FG a small hair under 1.006 but maintained that reading x3 days.

good move on waiting the extra time. well it sounds like you did everything right. its possible you scorched the extract but i don't see any evidence of that in your description of your process. assuming you didn't i don't see why it would come out wrong. that may just be what the kit intended.

It's probably just what those kits are supposed to taste like. If you want a better quality kit, they make some really good ones. I am not a fan of the type of kit that you've used, the no-boil kind. They are easy and convenient, but I find that I get better flavor and a fresher "beer" taste with a kit that includes hops and grains.

I guess I could liken it to spaghetti sauce. The canned ones are ok, the jarred ones better, and the ones you make yourself from canned tomatoes and your own seasonings are best.

Canned spaghetti sauce = Cooper's no-boil kit
Jarred sauce= A boil kit with extract
Canned tomatoes, but "homemade"= A recipe with steeping grains, good quality yeast, and fresh ingredients.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with the Cooper's kits, and if you like them they are fine for what they are. I agree that something is not balanced very well in them, and most of them seem to taste pretty much the same no matter what kind they are. If you want to try a higher quality kit, I like the extract kits from northernbrewer.com, and austinhomebrew.com.

I did an Oktoberfest last fall that had a really powerful malt flavor. After about 3 months it really mellowed to almost perfection.

no mention of hops in the description post (#4) - pre-hopped kits? As long as you followed directions, you did everything right and you get what you got. Peruse the recipe section, find a recipe where you add your own hops, (which will balance out the malt) and make another batch!

I have been brewing some coopers cans recently but have not tried the
two products you mentioned. I have mostly brewed with the lighter versions
but they sure do not cheat us on the hops. I have also had much better
results by boiling the full volume rather than topping up with tap or whatever.
Those kits are for 6 us gallons, did you brew 5 instead? That would make it
taste a little stronger maybe.

Just Like Laughing Gnome Invisible said in a previous thread (Note it is also in my signature box)... "There are good kits and bad kits. If you order a kit from Ikea you will probably get beer that looks (tastes too) like a coffee table."

I agree they are no match for all grain but on the other hand, the coopers
kits are a great way for a new brewer to "cut his teeth" and get the process
down before moving on. I brew mine with dme and steep or mash grains and
sometimes dry hop them. Those modifications make for some suprisingly
good beer.

i've noticed that the malt taste in the IPA has basically gone away since i kegged it a week ago. I've got a festabrew cerveza on the go right now, apparantly an amazing product