Homemade root beer tastes like medicine

[Eldelay]

Hello everyone. First post here. I have tried to make root beer on 3 occasions using real ingredients. I have tried several recipes. First one tasted like honey soda. Second was incredibly bitter. For the 3rd I used Crazy8s recipe I found on here. It seemed pretty reputable and it still tastes like medicine and sort of weak. I didn't expect this to be so difficult as I am very handy in the kitchen. What is interesting is that the uncarbonated 'root beer tea' right before I bottle it tastes decent. Flat but decent. However after carbing up for 2 days it is fizzy now but tastes awful. Not even close. It tastes like medicine or industrial cleaner or something.

All my bottles are sanitized using the no-rinse iodine type sanitizer. However I have also used the dishwasher to sanitize and still get this flavor.

Please help me. I don't know what I am missing, and I want to make incredible root beer from scratch but this ain't it. I did not refrigerate for 3 days after carbing. Could. That lend to my problem?

Thanks again.

 

[Longshot_34]

I’m no professional but you made need to let it set longer to allow flavors to develop. I had the same thing happen using a commercially sold extract. It tasted terrible until it had been in the bottle for two weeks.