Strange aroma/flavor need help

So I decided to try and make a Pumpkin Pie Porter.... sort of designed my own recipe like this....

9 lbs Maris Otter
1 lbs Crystal 60
1 lbs Munich
.5 lbs Black Malt
.5 lbs Carafoam
.5 lbs Chocolate Malt


1.0 oz Chinook at 60min
0.5 oz Fuggles at 20min
1 tsp Irish moss at 10 min
1 tbsp cinnamon at 0 min
1 tbsp nutmeg at 0 min
1 tbsp ginger at 0 min


Used Nottingham dry yeast that i made into a starter 24 hrs earlier and sat on a stir plate

wort has been fermenting at about 64 degrees

I mashed at about 156-154 for a fuller body.... had a terrible brew house efficency of 55%...

After transfering to the secondary I tasted the beer... has a strong black licorice flavor/aroma... Will this fade? also just kind of smells bad in general...

Any one have any ideas as to why I would have this awful flavor/aroma? will it fade with age?

My guess is the flavor you're getting is due to the heavy spices. 3 tbsp of spices for a 5 gallon batch is a ton. I've seen many pumpkin recipes that only call for anywhere from 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp, but I suppose that varies by preference.

On a side note, you may not want to make a starter from dry yeasts, as they are intended to be pitched directly into the wort, either dry or rehydrated. I've heard that it's actually bad to make a starter with them, but can't recall exactly why.

Who knows though, maybe the funkiness will fade once it's carbed up and aged a bit. Good luck!