Mexican Cerveza

laustin72

I've brewed this (Coopers) with BE2 and it has been bottled for 2 weeks. We tasted it for the 1st time this weekend but it tastes weak although the level of fizz is about right. Do i need to leave it longer? What the recommended time before drinking? Any help would be appreciated - it is still a bit cloudy. We tried one of the 330ml and 500ml. The 330ml are completely clear but still weak and flat, the 500ml cloudy but fizzy...any ideas????

HBO_Staff

THe Cerveza level of fizz in the bottles will be determined by how much sugar or how many drops you primed them with, and will also improve with time. If the brew hasn't been in there too long then leave it for a good few weeks to allow it time to condition and develop it's best flavours. In the early stages it will still be cloudy, lack fizz and flavour, but this will really improve if left for at least a few weeks, - the longer the better. After bottling try to keep the bottles warm around 20 degrees C or so for a week, then you could move somewhere a few degrees cooler to help it clear, but always leave as long as possible after bottling and keep away from UV light if possible. Try them again in a few weeks and you will see a great improvement

laustin72

They were kept in my kitchen cupboard for approx 8 days then moved to my garage. It it worth bringing them back in for 1 week then putting them back out?

HBO_Staff

Warming the bottles for a few days will help if the brew is flat, but they will carbonate and condition with more time even if somewhere cooler, it will just take longer - it is sometimes helpful to speed it up though!

laustin72

Thanks. Will give that a go.

Beervai

My cooper mexican cerveza turned out pretty dull as well. Its turned out crystal clear but flat and lacking in flavour.

I ended up with a high FG it stopped at 1016 after about 6 days and despite a stir it was still 1016 after 12 days so I bottled it anyway. According to the kit it should have an ending FG of 1006..!! I think maybe the yeast packet was duff, it also seemed to contain less yeast than the other two kits I've tried. (think it was 7g packet if i recall correctly)

I gave it just over a week in the warm for secondary ferment and about three weeks in the cold. So far the two bottles i tried were both flat and the beer was thin tasting. Despite being mostly an ale drinker i do occasionally enjoy a corona or sol so its not that cervezas are not to my taste. I primed with the half teaspoon to the 500ml bottle as recommended by HBO on the phone.

Ive brought a couple bottles back into the warm for another week and then I'm going to put it in the fridge for a week to see if that makes any difference.

marko

Sorry to hear about your Cerveza, I've had the same problem with a few lagers as well. Things I find that really help it develop are light hopped spraymalt to replace the sugar, a lager yeast such as SafLager S-23 and Hallertau Finishing Hops 20g T-Bag.

Also with a yeast like this one you can brew in much cooler conditions, which lager traditional is, so all helps get a proper lager taste.

Mattleeds34

I quite liked my cerveza when I first brewed it but it was only my second attempt at homebrew. Since I have done a number of other brews including the Youngs AIPA , Woodfordes Wherry and Coopers Stout I have realised that there are many more kits to try with much more flavour. The cerveza was ok ice cold for a bbq but nothing more. I think if I tried it again I would try some hops for additional flavour and aroma.