Bad Beer What did I do wrong?

I have hombrewed about a dozen 5 gallon batches over the past few years. Started with a basic "Brewers Best" Kit from Maryland Homebrew and had ok results, then tried using fresh ingrediants from Maryland Homebrew and starting running into carbination problems and questionable taste. I decided to go back to the basics and try Brewer's Best simple kit. Followed the instructions, cleaned everything real well including the iodine stuff, cooked the wort with a good rolling boil without over flowing, added hops and stuff as instructed, cooled the wort in an ice water bath, transfered to a bucket, added the hydrated yeast, mixed it real well, let ferment in a dark closet with an air lock for one week, trasfered to a glass carboy for one more week, trasnfered to a bottling bucket with the sugar water mixture, mixed well, bottled and stored in a dark place. I am using the nice looking bottle tops with the rubber/ceramic stopper attached to a metal clasp. Let sit for several weeks. the problem I am having is the beer has a very "tangy" taste to it. Some of the bottles seem to have too little carbination while others give a nice load pop when I open it however I get a smokey cloud floating out of the bottle top. The bottles with too little carbination do not hold any kind of head when poured into a glass. The kit is Brewers Best American Light and the second batch is Red Ale. Do you think I just don't like the natural taste of this beer and should switch to a different recipe? Did I screw up and just made a bad batch? do I need to let the beer sit for several months and hope it gets better? My favorite store bought beer is Samual Smiths.

I'm still a Noob myself, but just so you know, the cloud floating out of the bottle top is normal. I always sniff that right up.

How long did you bottle condition? I've had the same results after 2 weeks of bottle conditioning. But after letting the bottles sit another 2 weeks, everything mellowed out and the carbonation was great.

Welcome to the Funderful world of Fermentation!!!

Your process sounds OK. I couldn't pick up any out and out mistakes since our process are all different anyway.

I'm betting the "tangy" flavor is "LME twang". I recommend switching to DME to eliminate that.

I'm thinking maybe your carbing sugars were not all mixed that well; e.g., some bottles carbed and some not. I always give a slight/slow stir, let sit for a minute or so then repeat the stir and sit once more. I think this time allows the sugar and beer to mix better since as they are (most likely) different temps.

We all "sample" a bottle in a week or so to determine if it's time to place them in the fridge. I know a beer really changes flavors after being in the fridge 1 day and it changes again if left in for 1 week.

Also, how long are you allowing your brews to age? I've had mine aging up to 3-4 months before they are ready.

Just remember "fermentation" and "carbonation" are natural processes and cannot be altered. When you try (drink) your brew before it is ready it will taste subpar. When you wait the reward is greater, Grasshopper...

Now, go forth and brew...:rockin:

Thanks for the replies. I will let the two current batches site for a few months in a nice dark place and then see if they mature into a decent tasting beer.

Try to meet up and watch someone else. I would suggest this thread to you

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f20/maryland-fall-brew-day-2008-10-11-2008-a-73109/

When was the last time you changed the rubber gasket on the bottles. They do get old and leak. Its harder to bottle carb in those caps with an old gasket. They leak.