What does a "green" beer taste lie?

Ive seen a lot of posts that say the beer was green or young and tasted so...How will I know if mmine tastes "green" or "young"? What exactly does that taste like? Just how will I now when it tastes "right"?

Taste it when it's young. You can tell how a beer ages by tasting it at different ages. Next time you make it, you'll know when it should peak.

To me, it tastes like stale beer. Like a beer opened and you left out overnight and then try the next day and tastes way off.

I taste every hydrometer sample, so I've been tasting green beer for years. So long that I've actually forgotten how to describe it.

I guess you could say it tastes fruity and tart, maybe a little like apple cider or even cider vinegar. Or it often tastes yeasty, like a very clovey/banana hefeweizen.

As for knowing when it tastes "right", trust me, you'll know. Your reaction will go from "This is nasty" to "This is okay" to "Dude, I MADE this!!" and you'll high-five the cat/dog.

To me, it tastes like an apple that is far from being ripe yet - green.

Green beer? It tastes wrong.

Can be watery. Can be bitter. Can be boozy. Can be bland. Can be tart. Can be harsh.

Frequently, you'll pick up on individual elements of the beer, whereas with aged beer, it all blends to something greater than the sum of its parts.

It's strange and can throw you at times. Here a week and a half ago I bottled a lawnmower ale that had been in primary 3+ weeks, toward the end there was a little left so I drank it, it was actually pretty decent, I didn't mind it at all. Now go forward 1.5 weeks and I decide to try one (i know, I know ) it was awful and I poured two thirds of it out. I'm sure in about 2 more weeks it'll be good, just not now.

Rick

I would call it a Twang thru the whole taste. Amos was green. I let it sit till......well you had one. I bottled about 5.5 weeks ago. Mellowed out nicely. I was worried 2 and a half weeks ago. Taste it when you bottle then look for that taste again. When you you find it. I would drink it up.

To me it tastes like cheap champagne or sparkling wine. Very fruity...green apple fruity.

That is what my Mr. Beer tasted like green apples with banana. May try another one later tonight to see if there is any change.

shawnbou said:

I taste every hydrometer sample, so I've been tasting green beer for years. So long that I've actually forgotten how to describe it.

I guess you could say it tastes fruity and tart, maybe a little like apple cider or even cider vinegar. Or it often tastes yeasty, like a very clovey/banana hefeweizen.

As for knowing when it tastes "right", trust me, you'll know. Your reaction will go from "This is nasty" to "This is okay" to "Dude, I MADE this!!" and you'll high-five the cat/dog.

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Yesterday I opened a Dusseldorf Alt after 1 week in the bottle. Tasted a bit sour to me. Guess that could be the "tart" you mention. Yea I knew it wasn't gonna be ready, but it's hard to wait.

C-Rider said:

it's hard to wait.

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My LORD, is it hard. I am trying to learn patience and I think Im doing good with my two that are fermenting right now. Havent really even LOOKED at them that much since I brewed them...but I guarantee you when they hit those bottles, Im gonna wanna crack into them.

Well, I cracked open the 2nd Mr. Beer bottle from my first ever brew. If you remember, the first one wasn't drinkable. Tasted like fruit water with not a lot of carbonation. Tonight I felt the bottle and it was rock hard so I knew there was carbonation in there. I stuck one in the freezer to cool it down fast and cracked it open.

I was LOOKING for that fruity, off taste that we are talking about in this thread. That green, young taste. The last bottle i did last week had a banana flavor along with and overall fruity flavor. Tonight, I had a lot of carbonation, but not a lot of head and what was there went away pretty fast. The one thing that struck me right off was the smell. It wasnt a fruit smell at all and actually smelled like BEER.

So, I tasted it. It tasted a LOT more like beer tonight with a fruity undertone. Green apples was coming through, but carbonation was definitely there. Almost tasted OVER carbonated. So, the fruit was there, but by no means was it as bad as the last bottle. This beer was actually drinkable tonight whereas I had to pour out all but a few swallows from the last bottle because it wasnt drinkable. The last bottle, I would have given a 1 out of 10. THIS one has rocketed up the charts to a 4 with a bullet.

Overall, the Mr. Beer kit brew is shaping up. I will never probably say it is outstanding, but it is drinkable. And I would actually sit and drink a few tonight if I didnt want to let what I have left sit and stew in the closet a few more weeks.

I cant wait to see how this one changes...

C-Rider said:

Yesterday I opened a Dusseldorf Alt after 1 week in the bottle. Tasted a bit sour to me. Guess that could be the "tart" you mention. Yea I knew it wasn't gonna be ready, but it's hard to wait.

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Oh man, yes, it's hard to wait.

GeorgiaTiger - Glad to hear your Mr Beer is getting better. It seems like a lot of the extract kits that use sugar (Mr. Beer, Coopers) keep a little of that green apple taste on account of the high ratio of simple sugar (sucrose/dextrose) in the wort. Some people on the board replace the sugar in the kit with DME. I personally never did - my first 4 batches were Coopers with sugar and they did get better over time.