have you ever made a beer where the first taste was sort of weird...

[Alembic]

I brewed a German Ale from a kit. It was an all extract. I'm drinking it now and granted I'm rushing the aging time a little bit. It is about a week ahead of the suggested finish time. The thing is it has this for lack of the best word - a weird background taste. It is not there in the finish; it is only the first 1 or 2 sips that it is truly noticable. I'm wondering is it a defect in my brewing process or is that just how a homebrew German Ale extract kit tastes? None of the other beers that I have brewed have this taste. Has this happened to anyone else? - That is - has enyone ever brewed a beer that seemed to not taste that great after the first couple ounces but then okay? I know I should wait for the aging process to finish but I just can't believe the taste is going to change that much.

I don't know!

 

[Dude]

What is the off-taste you are getting? Bitter, metallic, band-aids? Cooked corn? Green apple? Butterscotch?

 

[Alembic]

that's the thing...

I can't identify it. Nothing like the usual suspects that would indicate contaminants, too high ferm temp, rusty brew pot etc. It makes me wonder - is this what a German Ale homebrew tastes like and I'm just not used to it. The best analogy I can come up with is - If you are used to eating canned corn and then all of a sudden tried frozen corn you have two totally different tastes going on but it is still corn. Maybe I'm just not used to a "real" German Ale? Not that I'm saying I'm brewing real German Ale, more like using German style malts, noble hops etc. I might get the kit again and brew it again and see if it tastes the same.

I'll have some homebrew friends try it and get their input.

Until I do I know it is going to keep knawing at me.