First of all, I have to do the obligatory "this is my first post, but I've been reading this forum for a while and it's awesome." And that's true, of course.
A buddy and I brewed a couple kits together, as we'd each bought our own equipment starter kits. We had brewed one beer successfully with the help and equipment of another friend, but these two beers (Irish Red and Irish Stout from Midwest Brewing) were the first we did completely on our own. As far as I know, we did an excellent job with everything from steeping the grains to bottling. Sanitation was obsessive, gravities were right on, etc. The brews spent 10 days in primary, 17 days in secondary (somewhat random times, seemingly, but it's what our schedules allowed), and now 14 days in the bottle. They were stored at 70 degrees.
Now the issue: we opened a bottle of each today, and to say the least I was disappointed. Both were carbonated beautifully, with a good head when poured. Both had what I thought was good aroma (obviously different for the two). They did not taste good; I'm not a beer reviewer so I apologize for the lack of fancy beer-tasting parlance. Both actually tasted remarkably similar for how different they should be; they were essentially flavorless with a little bit of hoppy bitterness. They almost tasted like carbonated water (you know how carbonated water has that distinct, almost sour taste), with a bitter aftertaste.
Where is the malt flavor in these beers? There is virtually none and they had a distinct maltiness when I tasted them at bottling; the stout was pretty impressive at bottling. Do I need to just wait longer for the beer to mature? Are they over-carbonated, giving them that soda water-like flavor? If I need to just wait, is there anything I need to do to make sure they don't get over-carbonated (like put them in the fridge), or is it a self-limiting process? What else am I not thinking of?
I worry especially because the brew I did with the supervision of my friend was great, and it was great the first time I tasted it 14 days after bottling. Are these two beers hopeless?
Sorry for the long-windedness, and thanks in advance for the replies.
A buddy and I brewed a couple kits together, as we'd each bought our own equipment starter kits. We had brewed one beer successfully with the help and equipment of another friend, but these two beers (Irish Red and Irish Stout from Midwest Brewing) were the first we did completely on our own. As far as I know, we did an excellent job with everything from steeping the grains to bottling. Sanitation was obsessive, gravities were right on, etc. The brews spent 10 days in primary, 17 days in secondary (somewhat random times, seemingly, but it's what our schedules allowed), and now 14 days in the bottle. They were stored at 70 degrees.
Now the issue: we opened a bottle of each today, and to say the least I was disappointed. Both were carbonated beautifully, with a good head when poured. Both had what I thought was good aroma (obviously different for the two). They did not taste good; I'm not a beer reviewer so I apologize for the lack of fancy beer-tasting parlance. Both actually tasted remarkably similar for how different they should be; they were essentially flavorless with a little bit of hoppy bitterness. They almost tasted like carbonated water (you know how carbonated water has that distinct, almost sour taste), with a bitter aftertaste.
Where is the malt flavor in these beers? There is virtually none and they had a distinct maltiness when I tasted them at bottling; the stout was pretty impressive at bottling. Do I need to just wait longer for the beer to mature? Are they over-carbonated, giving them that soda water-like flavor? If I need to just wait, is there anything I need to do to make sure they don't get over-carbonated (like put them in the fridge), or is it a self-limiting process? What else am I not thinking of?
I worry especially because the brew I did with the supervision of my friend was great, and it was great the first time I tasted it 14 days after bottling. Are these two beers hopeless?
Sorry for the long-windedness, and thanks in advance for the replies.