The two pounds of vienna however give the beer a huge bread/biscuit/weird aftertaste that I initially did not like, but am getting used to. Is this what vienna brings to the table?
Whilst looking for a Special B sub, I came across Melanoidin Malt, and Vienna supposedly has a higher-than-normal melanoidin concentration:
http://www.picobrewery.com/askarchive/melanoidin.htmMoreover, your pale ale (assuming I'm correct in thinking it's what I tried at the last meeting) exhibited the "mystery flavour" that I had previously ascribed to generalised fail in my own beer (because it was different, not because it was necessarily bad).
One of two things comes to mind:
1. That we've both fallen victim to hot-side aeration, which supposedly involves the oxidation of melanoidins.
2. That this is just the flavour profile of a higher-than-normal concentration of melanoidins.
At this point I draw a blank, as without some kind of reference it's just speculation. We'd have to do an experiment to figure out which if either of these is the case (neutral control, same recipe with melanoidin malt, same recipe with deliberate HSA).