[amanosz]

A F.G. of 1.007 should be a dry beer.  The beer could lack bitterness.  However, the flavor of pilsner malt definitely leaves a graham cracker sweetness on the tongue.

Less like a cracker/bread and more like tart and maybe a bit citrus.  Now that I think about it, seems more like acetaldehyde than ester (no banana).  Maybe in retrospect I should have d-rested for longer.  Well I suppose the good news is I think there's still plenty of yeast in my secondary to perhaps clean it up during lagering...   Thinking about bringing it back to D-rest temperatures again for a few more days clean out some acetaldehyde if indeed that's the issue

If not, then hopefully the cold/carbonation will help mellow it out.

[pete b]

I have had many beers taste off in different ways when I have sampled them short of being completely finished, meaning bottle conditioned or fully carbonated in a keg. I feel like when I taste them at this early stage there are likely to be flavors that will transform or go away. I also think that when I am tasting at this stage I am actively seeking flaws and may find ones that are not necessarily really there. A sort of confirmation bias. Maybe I was worried about fermentation temp and sure enough some fruity esters or what not. I often end up loving beers when I am simply drinking them that I had been concerned about during the process.

[tommymorris]

I have had many beers taste off in different ways when I have sampled them short of being completely finished, meaning bottle conditioned or fully carbonated in a keg. I feel like when I taste them at this early stage there are likely to be flavors that will transform or go away. I also think that when I am tasting at this stage I am actively seeking flaws and may find ones that are not necessarily really there. A sort of confirmation bias. Maybe I was worried about fermentation temp and sure enough some fruity esters or what not. I often end up loving beers when I am simply drinking them that I had been concerned about during the process.

+1

[amanosz]

I have had many beers taste off in different ways when I have sampled them short of being completely finished, meaning bottle conditioned or fully carbonated in a keg. I feel like when I taste them at this early stage there are likely to be flavors that will transform or go away. I also think that when I am tasting at this stage I am actively seeking flaws and may find ones that are not necessarily really there. A sort of confirmation bias. Maybe I was worried about fermentation temp and sure enough some fruity esters or what not. I often end up loving beers when I am simply drinking them that I had been concerned about during the process.

+1

So basically RDWHAHB! Roger that! 

[BrewBama]

Curious what does the gypsum do?  Just change the water profile to emphasize the hops over malt/sweetness?  Here's the profile I was aiming for:

50ppm CA, 4ppm Mg, 16ppm Na, 55pm CL, 58ppm SO4

First, I am no expert on water chemistry. Far more brewers have far more knowledge than I do.

Having said that, yes, the sulfate will give a ‘sharper’ hoppiness. You can add gypsum after the fact to dose your beer to test this.

Likewise, you can add Calcium Chloride to accentuate a malty perception.

The profile you targeted was a neutral or balanced profile because the chloride (Cl) and sulfate (SO4) are about the same (underlined above). You can tilt it towards one or the other to create a more malty or more bitter profile.

To make fine tune adjustments to taste, the SO4/Cl ratio can be tweaked.  I use John Palmer’s range as a guide:

    * 0.6-0.8: Malty
    * 0.8-1.5: Balanced (you’re at 1.05)
    * 1.5-2.0: Slightly Bitter

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