Smoked APA - Tasting Notes

On July 4, I sampled a bit of the Smoked Pale Ale, or Water Valley APA. If you recall, I used 1 pound of mesquite smoked malt in and APA recipe. It smelled really smoky when we pitched the yeast. When I kegged it, it tasted kind of bacony.

It is a dark yellow color, with good carbonation. It smells like homebrew--kind of yeasty and . . . odd. Maybe fermented too hot? It doesn't taste like bacon anymore. The smoke has faded into the background. It starts off with some malt sweetness, accented by a bit of hops, and leaves a smoke taste in the finish. I thought it tasted good.

But, there is an odd flavor in the finish, probably from the smoke. It tastes kind of like plastic. Not like band-aids, but plastic. It is, and please forgive the descriptors, bright and shiny and clean tasting. It's like the smell of a new ice chest or primary fermenter or tubing.

I think I'm losing my mind.