What should this beer taste like???

Ok.. so I got the kit because the Title and description made me think I would like it. Ok so it's not bad, fact is it's good.. but not what I was expecting. So before I tell you what it tastes like here is the recipe and how I brewed/fermented it.
6.5LB Lite LME
0.75 LB DME (Wheat)
1.0 LB Crystal Malt (Grain) 40L

2oz Willamette (6HBU (Boil)
1 oz Hallertauere (Finnsh)
1pkg Irish Moss 1/4 TBS.
S-04 Yeast

30 min 155-160 steep CM40L Grain. in 2.5 gal. Moved to 7.5 gal Boil pot where the rest of the water was (total 6.5 gal boil). Boil 1 hr, chilled to 70 dg in 28 min in snow banks and stirring. OG 1.050
Pitched yeast and maintained Ferment temp at 62-64 for the first 4 days then bumped up to 70 for 3 more day's. Moved to 2ndary for 17 days.
Racked to Keg FG 1.014

Great color, finally figured out the carbonation so there is nice head on the pour.

What should this have tasted like?




So what does it taste like... well after the boil it was sweet but curled my tung. After the ferment it was Flat, no off tastes, but kinda dull. Now on keg, carbed and a nice head... it's like colored water.... What the hey??? Ok there is a little beer taste.. but primarily like colored water with fizz.

I would guess that its a rather light colored beer with a nice hop bite, maybe a little like an amber ale with a nice malt/hop balance with a very mild hop punch. Either this or an under-hopped IPA...

How cold do you have it? If its super cold, it could be numbing your tongue.

It's at 40 deg.

Alas I just moved my heff to the keg.... and it's clearer and lighter in color than the Alt Bier which according to the recipe was supposed to be an (Alaskan Amber).

It appears I can't make the style beer I try to save my .....

So should I raise the temp for better flavor?

40 sounds a bit cool... I tend to prefer about 55 degrees myself...

I'm not sure what else to tell you. I don't know why it would taste bland. It is a pretty light colored and bodied beer. You should be getting some "beer" taste as well as a decent hop bitterness.

Do you have a cold?

Nope.. no cold... thing is I've got great tast buds and can normaly pick out lots of flavors.... but this one just tasts like water with coloring... maybe just a hint of hops.. other than that it's just alcohoic water with fizz.
No mouth feel, it doesn't even have a "Smell" to speak of. The foam is tastless.

What it resembles to me is a 3.2 Coors from Colorado.... but I believe that's a Lager not an Ale.... so how on earth did I manage that???

There were no flavoring hops added, so that would attribute to some of the "flavorlessness", should have some hop aroma though. Were the hops old? I would have thought the steeping of the grain at a higher temp would have given the beer some mouthfeel also, the FG indicates it should have a little body. Replacing some of the light LME with some amber may have helped also, steeping grains just doesn't seem to do that much.

So,how to make the best of it? should I warm it up? I have a Heff now in the Kegerator too, so I don't want to go warmer than 44 deg or so..

As for the next time I brew this should I change out the 6.5LB Light Liquid Malt Extract for Medium or dark or something like 1/2 and 1/2 Light and dark? Or should I split the hops with 1pz Cascade and 1 oz Willamette for the boil.

Suggestions?

CHeers

Well, it is said than dry hopping with two ounces of Cascades can fix anything. What you have is a Bitter and it should served around 55F.

The basic problem is no flavor hops and a mild finish hop. I'd boil a 1/2 ounce of Willamette in a quart of water for 15 minutes, cool & strain into the keg.