sweet... should it be??

My brewing buddy convinced me that we should rack our first batch tonite so we did. It had been fermenting for 7 days when we opened the lid afew bubbles floating around and the airlock would bubble like 3 times a minute. and of course we had to taste tested and I was very happy great aroma clean flavor not much bite to it (brewing IPA) pretty sweet for how I thought that it would taste. the question is.
Is that sweet taste normal early on? Will the bitter just come with time?

7 days is way too early to rack. If you don't have a hydrometer, get one and learn how to use it. Fermentation cannot be considered done until you get the same specific gravity readings 3 days in a row. Then, it's ready to rack to secondary if you use one.

Your beer tastes sweet because it's most likely not done yet, and you are tasting the unfermented sugars. The general rule is 2 weeks in primary if you use a secondary, or 3 weeks in primary if you don't.

Learn to be patient, your beer will be much better after time.

oh no so what do you suggest I can do now?

digg said:

oh no so what do you suggest I can do now?

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Leave it in the secondary for a couple more weeks....Let it finish out...and don't let you buddy "convince" you to do otherwise....

hey guys thanks

Sounds like your buddy lacks the main attribute for successful brewing: patience. Please have him join the board & do a search on "green beer".

david_42 said:

Sounds like your buddy lacks the main attribute for successful brewing: patience. Please have him join the board & do a search on "green beer".

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...Agree with all the above comments...

Keep your buddy out of YOUR brewery......show him who's the BREW MASTER!!!

7 days may or may not be too early to rack. GET A HYDROMETER. without one, you have no clue what the beer is up to.

in this situation, it sounds like you did rack too soon. give it a LONG secondary, 3 weeks at least.

then test it with your hydrometer...see how it compares to the recipe's Final Gravity estimate/range.