First Brew Questions

Tapped my first keg of homebrew last night. John Bull Irish Stout extract kit. Timeline goes something like this: 5 weeks ago I brewed and it set in primary for 12 days. Then I put it in the corny and purged the air with CO2. It set there in the basement (65F) for another 2 weeks. Then I force carbed and let it set another week. Then it went into the kegerator and I released the pressure to serving pressure (apx 6-8lbs) and let it set there for about 3 days. Tapped it last night and it is good. However there is a slight alchohol after taste??
This is my first homebrew so my question is what is the after taste? Could it be that the beer needs more time to condition (not likely to happen now that I have sampled, but for future reference)? Or maybe I screwed something up along the way? Please critique. Thanks.

Most likely it fermented a little warm and you got some fusel alcohols.

Bloody hell! Thats a sweet setup for a first-timer.

Thanks. I have had a kegerator with BMC kegs for several years now, so it was a no brainer to go to kegging when I started homebrewing.

Yeah, man...you got a leg up on most of us! X2 on the fusel alcohols. You may notice in the next few weeks that the beer will improve...off flavors can mellow with time.

Yeah. I did a little reading on the fusel alcohols and that is a good bet. The primary fermentor was in my workshop at about 75-80f before I transferred to the keg in the basement at 65f. So it sounds like I had things a little warm in the primary. I have noticed that the flavors tend to mellow after only a few glasses! I don't think the keg will make the second week!

If your basement stays in the 65 range I would do my primary fermenting there. 75-80 is way to high. 65-70 would be much better.

Ok, so if I fermented my ale at too high a temperature and i end up with the taste of fusel alcohol, is there anything I can do to reduce these flavors in the bottles I am currently maturing?

Just give them time, and the flavors should mellow out. Try one every week or two and you should notice them mellowing out over time.