Slightly Off Taste

So I am a case through my American Light (Brewers Best Kit - bottled for about 5 weeks) and I am just realizing it tastes slightly off...almost a little sour. It isn't anything over whelming and I can't really put my finger on the taste. No one else who has had it has mentioned anything about it (maybe I have too nice of friends, or they are all just alcoholics lol). Honestly if I take a nice swig and just swallow it the taste isn't really there. Out of curiosity I cracked a bottle of my dunklewizen (brewers best kit - only been bottled 1 week now) - the beer has great head although it goes flat quick (as I would expect at this point), and the taste is great besides the same slight off aftertaste as my American Light.

Now I believe the problem is pitching and fermentation temp since I realized on my last batch I was fermenting at 77 wort temp. I also usually pitch around 80 (I know better know from reading HBT).

Would the combination of a slightly high fermentation temp and pitch temp be the most probable cause for my ever elusive off taste?

I think I have the same taste in my first couple of batches as well, I'm trying to put my finger on it but I cannot. Mine is coming from a brewers best kit as well... I'd like to hear what others say about it too. I have tried to keep my temps down lately to see if that's it.

Desrever said:

I think I have the same taste in my first couple of batches as well, I'm trying to put my finger on it but I cannot. Mine is coming from a brewers best kit as well... I'd like to hear what others say about it too. I have tried to keep my temps down lately to see if that's it.

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Yeah its definitely interesting - nothing close to ruining the beer, but something I would like to get rid of nonetheless

As I'm reading more about this it seems it may just be green beer, So I suppose we should probably let those babies sit around a little longer before we try them again.

high temperatures usually cause your beer to taste fruity like bananas or cloves. if you don't know what i'm talking about, go to a store with a good selection of import beer and get a bottle of Aventinus.

I brew the BB kits as well and can relate. I think you are spot on with the temperature hypothesis. I'll also throw the yeast under the bus as well. As robust as the Danstar Nottingham yeast is, I have deduced that the batches that I have brewed with the Notty and in the summer months have this estery finish. The batches I have brewed with Safale or liquid yeasts, not so much. I am going to stay away from the Notty and see how it goes for a while. Regardless, a fermentation chamber will be my next upgrade to better control that variable.
FWIW, the Dunklweizen is supposed to have a phenolic sort of aftertaste (according to BB). I really don't care for it and doubt I'll ever go down that road again, although the body and initial taste are very nice, IMO.

Cheers

extract twang and or old extract. make sure your kits are fresh as extract goes bad in a hurry. upgrade to all grain or source fresh kits (and even then I still taste the "extract twang"

I've noticed a similar taste in my brewers best kits as well. Haven't noticed it since switching to all grain. I just assumed it was extract twang. I can't say that I'm sure it's the extract though since I added a fermentation chamber at the same time I switched to all grain.

very interesting...If a lot of other people are having the problem with BB kits it makes me feel a little better. I am already done with kits and have started buying the ingredients myself. My DME on the last batch was from Briess so we will find out in a month or so if switching off of BB solved my problem

Fermentation temperature is definitely the issue here. 77 is way too high, and you're going to get all manner of off flavors from that. It should improve with age, though. I had a wheat that fermented in the mid 80s, and after about 6 weeks in the bottle, it was fairly drinkable.

I'm having the same thing with a True Brew "Pilsner" kit. It is like a lingering bitterness. I pitched about 80 degrees, but my temps stay between 68 at night to 71 max in the day. Two weeks in the fermenter, a week and a half in the bottle so far. I was thinking it sat in the trub too long, but being green makes sense.