Coopers Dark Ale, oops

[b33risGOOD]

So I made a 5 gal batch using two coopers dark ale extract kits. No dextrose just the LME. Its a no boil kit.

Anyways took my first taste sample and gravity reading. Its done fermenting but the flavor is VERY intense. I guess due to me using two kits instead of one plus dextrose.

Its not bad per say, but its soo flavorfull with a strong after taste im kinda worried about the end product. What are my options?

Wait it out?
Add something in a seconday to balance it out?
Sell it behind the plaza?
or?

 

[mlanoue]

Wait it out.

There's no telling how it will taste in a few weeks, but I bet it wil be more palatable. Even if it stays intense, then you can just consider it a "sippng" beet and drink it out of a snifter!

 

[mlyday]

Water it down a little.

 

[b33risGOOD]

does that work?

 

[BrookdaleBrew]

You should've used extra light DME to make up the rest of your fermentables rather than another kit. That would've given you the intended flavor profile but without the thinness and cidery flavors associated with using straight dextrose.

You could make another 5 gallon batch with straight DME and blend them before bottling or you could just brew up a blond ale, bottle and then blend them in the glass.

 

[mlyday]

does that work?

I think it would work. Think of it as making lemonade from powder. It says use 2 scoops and you use four. it comes out way t0o strong. All your really doing is equaling out the solution. I would do it slowly if your going to try it. You can always add more later, but you cant take any out.

 

[slantedbolt]

I would not water it down... I would wait it out man.

 

[BrookdaleBrew]

These kits assume you're also adding corn sugar, so just adding water probably won't give you the results you want. You'll just get weaker, watery beer.

 

[tomheff]

What you have is a beer with high IBUs. To calculate your approximate IBUs use this formula.

Multiply the quoted product bitterness (The Dark Ale is 590) by the weight of the product (3.4 kg) * and divide by the total brew volume (in your case approximately 19 liters).
* Use the weight because the quoted color/bitterness figures are based on a weight/volume dilution.
Product bitterness x Weight of product / Brew volume = Total bitterness before fermentation

This figure represents the brew bitterness prior to fermentation. Generally, fermentation reduces bitterness by between 10 to 30%. So final bitterness of the fermented brew may be anything from 70 to 90 IBU.

So you have a very bitter beer with no hop aroma. You could try to create a Black IPA or Cascadian Dark Ale by dry-hopping with 4 ounces of aroma hops (Amarillo and Cascade come to mind).