Tastes nasty after one week - is it infected?

I took a sample from my hydrometer last night to check if primary fermentation had concluded. It has, so I decided to take a sip of the sample to check on it. And it's nasty.

The krauzen has gone away, but there's some stuff floating at the top. I'm not sure if that's the remains of the krauzen or something else? It probably finished fermenting Saturday, although I don't know for sure.

Now, it's my intention to leave it in the fermenter for another 6-7 days, following the advice in other threads on the forum. Then I'll bottle it for two weeks. So I know to be patient.

But...it tastes nasty, astringent, with a bitter alcohol after taste. Is that normal at this point?

Can we see the recipe? It is hard to comment without knowing the ingredients and methods... thx.

In most cases, time will heal your beer...

Patience, Grasshopper..............

6.6 lbs Plain Light Malt Extract
12 oz. crushed crystal malt, 60L
1.5 oz cascade hops (bittering)
1.5 oz williamette hops (finishing)
11g nottingham yeast

It's currently fermenting in a plastic "Ale Pail" at 64 degrees next to my bookcase.

Original Gravity is 1.050



...so all is well? Is it normal for it to taste like this at this point? I know I have several weeks of waiting.

Without knowing your process or your recipe, my money is on green beer. One week after pitching is still very young.

Patience, patience.

Some hydro samples taste good some taste like ass.I'm sure your beer will be fine.

Never ever judge, or freak out about a beer until it has been carbed and conditioned At least three weeks in the bottle...sometimes 6-8. It sounds like you are tasting it in the fermenter, your beer is still fermenting, it is going to go through a huge amount of changes or the next few weeks....or months depending on the beer...

Many people think their hydro samples taste like crap, others like it, but it bears very little resemblance to how your beer will taste once it has been carbed and conditioned....there is a lot of processes still going on, and will be till it's time to crack open your first one, and beyond.


Read these and relax.

Of patience and Bottle Conditioning

This will give some some extreme examples of how a beer will change in the bottle over time.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/ne...virtue-time-heals-all-things-even-beer-73254/

Whew - thanks!

One day I'll look back on all of these neurotic questions and laugh.

I'm at the FG I want, so how much longer should I leave it in the primary? A week?

kyleobie said:

Whew - thanks!

One day I'll look back on all of these neurotic questions and laugh.

I'm at the FG I want, so how much longer should I leave it in the primary? A week?

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You will find that many of us leave our beers in primary for 3-4 weeks, skip secondary and bottle. Just search for the 10,000 threads under "long Primary" or "no secondary" and you will see all the resaons why we do it, and the explanations behind...There's at least one thread a day on the topic, so it's really not hard to find the discussion pretty much hashed to death.

but if you choose to secondary you should wait til your Hydrometer tells you fermentation is complete.

Usually on the 7th day you take a hydro reading, and again on the 10th day, if the reading is the same, then you can rack it...

If I do secondary (which is only when I am adding fruit or oak) I wait 14 days then rack for another 2 weeks...then I bottle.

But that's only if I am dry hopping or adding oak or fruit, whicnh I rarely do, so for me it's a month than bottle,

Honestly you will find your beer will be the best if you ignore the kit instructions, and don't rush it.

But Even Palmer says you should wait with kits...

How To Brew said:

Leaving an ale beer in the primary fermentor for a total of 2-3 weeks (instead of just the one week most canned kits recommend), will provide time for the conditioning reactions and improve the beer. This extra time will also let more sediment settle out before bottling, resulting in a clearer beer and easier pouring. And, three weeks in the primary fermentor is usually not enough time for off-flavors to occur.

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Your beer will thank you for waiting....

You may be at the FG you want but the yeast might not be done.

Leave it for another week and check SG. It should be finished up with primary fermentation and have cleaned up any byproducts of fermentation. Then 3 weeks in the bottle.

The longer you can wait in primary, the clearer your beer should be.

You guys are awesome, thanks.

I with Revvy and all the people here...just wait..
once you bottle... you can do a sampling test if you want to.
You'll find your beer changes over its lifetime... it is amazing...

I agree with everyone else. Your beer is green. Taste again in a week. Should have less essence of ass.

I've only got about 10 brews under my belt and none of them tasted good after a week. They usually taste like watery yeast and grains mixed with vodka. Another point is that carbonation makes a HUGE difference in taste as well. So when you've waited a few weeks and it's not exactly what you expected, wait until it's carbed.

Pangea