The no sanitizer part is what is causing the funk. That is only going to get worse. Tannins taste like strong or oversteeped tea. It has a drying effect on your mouth.
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I'm too lazy and have too many beers going to keep updating this!
Same thing happened to me, only my third batch. Brewed an extract irish red with specialty grains and tasted same as you said. Just opened the second one a month after bottled and man it tastes good. It seems like its all about time with brewing.
So, I decided to crack open my first beer after being the in the bottle for 2 weeks. It was an Irish Red Ale from Midwest Supplies. It used simple Amber LME and some grains. I don't remember the hops I used, but it was like only one ounce, not much.
The beer looks ok after pouring. It has carbonation, but very very low head retention. It smells ok, nothing amazing... but OK. I hit my OG and FG.
But, the problem is... it just doesn't taste that great. I mean its not undrinkable but it seems slightly watery, it leaves kind of a slimey/film like flavor in the mouth. The flavor is very lacking. I want to write it off to Munton's dry yeast and almost purely Amber LME, but it just seems lacking to me.
It got decent reviews on Midwest Supplies website, but to me... it just isn't that great. I drank it last week. It was 2 weeks in the bottle. I might drink another one tonight to see how 3 weeks has done on it.
But, what might have caused this neutral flavor?
First of all, congrats on your first.
Now, its way too green bro, leave it for another 2 weeks at least (if you can). Or, drink one every day until then to literally experience the flavours improve. This is what I did (still do sometimes) because I could not wait. Personaly, I have not had great beers from that yeast, but it could be my lack of skill in using the yeast also. Thats a tricky yeast imo. Your beer probably finished with a higher than avg FG, which might explain the slimy mouthfeel.
So, I tossed one in the fridge for a little bit and let it get cool before I opened it up.
Right off the bat I noticed it had carbed up significantly. It had clear head retention and a nice foam. It was amazing how worlds apart it was from the first bottle.
The taste was not the same either. But, not for better. It tasted "funky," not gross funky, but not good either. It was definitely something I would consider an "off" flavor. I could also notice the lack of some hop flavor. It had a very slight bitterness, but zero hop flavor/aroma.
There were no visible sign of infection. I didn't get to use sanitizer, but I cleaned as thoroughly as possible. Luckily, every batch after this one had Star San used on the fermenters and equipment.
Is it possible its still green? It was bottled on 2/10. Also, how does tannin taste? I think there is a clear flavor in there that is throwing it off and it might be this... I cooked the grains all whacky because I had no clue what I was doing then...
Thanks!
Oh... wait... i might take my last post back. The lack of sanitizer will mean its infected. No sanitizer = you didn't make beer, you made a slurry for bacteria/undesirable organisms to grow in. Maybe that statement is too strong, but making a beer starts with sanitization. Oh well, you live and you learn bro, make another one, and drink this one quick You wont get sick, it just wont taste great.
I hate to break it to you dude, but it's most likely a mediocre beer. I am by no means a brewmaster, but this hobby takes time. You can't expect your first beer to be "holy **** this is awesome". Give it time. Learn the process. Kits can be hit or miss, and often times the directions are poorly written or just plain wrong. My suggestion is to search this site for the tried and true recipes...those that everyone loves (BierMunchers & Orfy's are a start). The beer may be green, but in my experience, if it is lame when it is green, it is not going to be world class when it's not. It might be more drinkable, but you aren't winning any awards with it. Read, read, & then read some more. Brew, brew, & then brew some more. It will come with time.
You wont get sick, it just wont taste great.
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