[knews_hound]

Here is the link I mentioned. Please, feel free to ask questions.

http://www.knewshound.blogspot.com/2007/11/homebrewing-1a.html

One of the things that may be giving you that “bite” as you call it may be temps. Although beer CAN be fermented at 75 degrees, if it is instead fermented at 65 degrees it will have a much different flavor. Cooler temps tend to give a crisper flavor rather than the sometimes fruity flavor you would get at the higher temp. Keep in mind, if the air temp is 70 for instance, the heat produced by fermentation will make the beer have a temp of 72-74.

If I may, I would suggest a Blond Ale or Pale Ale as your first kit. They are easy to brew and to drink and will inspire you to brew more.

Welcome to the hobby. I will be happy to answer any questions you might have as you move forward.

Cheers,

knewshound

[WXRGina]

Thank you, Knews Hound. We’ll study your tutorial. [Logitech, see his link in the above comment].

We have been using Mr. Beer kits for a few years now, and we just assumed that the “proprietary” blend of the yeast or the “booster” was what gave all the different recipes we tried the same “bite.” We like the dark beers, but whether we did dark or pale, the same undertone was there. But, what you said about fermenting temperature could be a factor here.