Newcastle: first like wild grapes, then just roasty?

So, I bought a 6 pack of Newcastle last weekend. I'd never had it before, but my first impression upon tasting was muscadine (a wild grape if you don't know what they are). I suppose it could also be described as plum or grape. I didn't detect much if any roastiness, it was just really fruity...dark fruity.

Skip ahead to today, about a week later. I can hardly taste anything BUT roasty! There's no muscadine flavor. What happened? I was really looking forward to another fruity brew Did my taste buds change their mind? Did this beer somehow come from a different lot as the others? If it did, why do they taste so different??

The problem with Newcastle is that it's sold in clear glass bottles, making it very vulnerable to skunking. One pack can easily vary from the next if it's been stored differently somewhere between the bottling plant and your home. It's a very annoying practice from a famous brewery that really ought to know better

I'm not sure from your post if you were describing bottles from the same six-pack or two different packs. If both bottles were from one six-pack then perhaps consider the way you stored the bottles? Otherwise, if it was a single six-pack stored well then it might be tricky subjective reasons, like the food you ate at the time, or the variation of your taste buds over that week. It's very unlikely that the bottles tasted differently when they left the bottling facility, but that doesn't mean it's your mistake.

now, now,*brown bottles skunk, too, just takes more time .