waste of potentially good beer or good idea?

Hi,
So my first batch ever is carbonating in the bottles. I made it from an extract so most likely there aren't any issues. However with it being my first brew I kinda want to know how it changes day to day. Would I just be wasting potentially good beer if I taste a bottle each day or even every other day? Or would it be a good experiment for a n00b?

Of course this can possibly be linked to me being impatient.

Thanks,
Dave

I usually do one a week to see how they change, anything more often than that might be seen as wasted.

go for one every 5 days.
but save the first for about 12 days after bottling....flat + green is just nasty.
You'll learn a lot from that experiment....I say Do It!

I might taste them every half-week, that way you get an idea for the changes but don't end up drinking all your beer when it's green. It's your first batch - drink most of it at its best!

Thanks guys.

All the advice is good advice. I can recall my first brews, and I can give you this piece of advice.. . the last one you drink will be the best!!

Nothing wrong with trying it, but that seems like a bit much. Try one after a week. Then another week. It would be a shame that when it finally tastes great, you only have a few bottles left. You only get one "first batch" so I suggest you enjoy it.
It's easier to be patient when you have other brews that are ready to drink. And it looks like you're on your way according to your sig.

Thanks again. I'm going to do a week and then another week. Then wait for a bit longer and resume the drinking. It's definitely the calm before the storm while you wait for your first brews to age enough. It seems silly to be buying beer when 10 gallons of beer is waiting in the closets.

First beer ever?
have fun with it. drink it green so you know what green tastes like. drink it in a day, a week, etc. etc. You can always brew more my brother... I drank 1/2 of my 1st batch before it got even close to being mature enough to drink... now i know what green beer is, what bottle conditioning tastes like, etc.

Some guys bottle a couple in screw-top plastic soda bottles. That way you can squeeze one to see how the carbing is coming.

And/or some of the 7oz bottles- perrier maybe? Small samples = less waste.

casebrew said:

Some guys bottle a couple in screw-top plastic soda bottles. That way you can squeeze one to see how the carbing is coming.

And/or some of the 7oz bottles- perrier maybe? Small samples = less waste.

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Damn. That would have been a great thought about 3 days ago. I'll have to remember that for the batch that is fermenting now. Good call! Thanks!

I've drank the first of my all my brews at 4-10 days in the bottle. The ones with a secondary seem to need longer to carbonate. The only flavor problems I have tasted was a buttery honey flavor attributed to diacetyl or pentanedione. A lot of people speak of a green apple taste of acetaldehyde that I have not noticed. On my first Belgian I was saddened by how it lost it's esters over time. At two weeks most of the flavors had melded well together. The three week rule is great as a rule of thumb but that is all it is. Every beer is different.

Way back when.. when I first started brewing. I was impatient.
I tried a bottle every day after I bottled the batch.

to learn?
to understand?
to get a buzz on green beer.

Yep.
and there is nothing wrong with that.

enjoy it while you still can.

Call it what you will; an education, an experiment, whatever, the reality is that it is almost impossible to not sample a few green beers on your first batches.

I would bet that at some point you will get to where you just don't want to waste any of your precious brew and you will wait until it should be mature before sampling.

I drink the first of each new batch at 21 days and then make the decision of how much longer it needs before I put it into "production." But then that's just me. I would rather drink a Hoegarden or Stone or Dogs Head than a green beer even if it is mine.

Thanks guys!

Sometimes my beer is at its best in 7 to 10 days, and more mature stuff is fine, but not as good as the 7-10 day. It is a living thing, the number of variables that affect the taste at each stage are many, or rather many many.

BOBTHEukBREWER said:

Sometimes my beer is at its best in 7 to 10 days, and more mature stuff is fine, but not as good as the 7-10 day. It is a living thing, the number of variables that affect the taste at each stage are many, or rather many many.

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Yea, I've had beers that were better at 7 days than at 14 days. But I can't recall having one that was better at 7 than 28.

Hello from NZ. First post of an aged home brewer - and distiller! its legal here. Put down a wort two days ago and yesterday it was going like a train. Today it is not making a sound. Yesterday the temperature reached 32 degrees Celsius and stayed there all day. SG suggests it has a way to go and I am tempted to drop another spoonful of yeast in? The alternative is to put it through my reflux still, extract the alcohol and make a bottle or two of Bourbon or Rum but i've got a shedful of that already. any assistance would be gratefully received.

Drink your beer as soon as you want or as late as you want. If you want to make it an experiment take notes so you can compare the tastes as it ages. The bottom line is its your beer and you can drink it when you want.

Craic said:

Hello from NZ. First post of an aged home brewer - and distiller! its legal here. Put down a wort two days ago and yesterday it was going like a train. Today it is not making a sound. Yesterday the temperature reached 32 degrees Celsius and stayed there all day. SG suggests it has a way to go and I am tempted to drop another spoonful of yeast in? The alternative is to put it through my reflux still, extract the alcohol and make a bottle or two of Bourbon or Rum but i've got a shedful of that already. any assistance would be gratefully received.

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LEAVE IT!!!
Let the yeasties do their job (or at least give them a chance to) before you make rash decisions with your brew!!!

Rule #1 - Airlock activity (or lack thereof) says NOTHING OF THE FERMENTATION PROGRESS.
Give it some time brotha, and Im sure you will be plesantly surprised.
-Me

Oh and sorry for the thread jack (to answer the original thread jack)

All Right, so my buddy and I tried it today. Just one bottle and 1 week into the bottle process.
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It was SO DELICIOUS! I can't wait to find out what it is like next week. It had carbonation now (not a ton, but it was definitely there) and a lot of flavor (notes of caramel). It was smooth and not bitter. Great color (pictures to follow) but it did still have a cloudy look. Nothing odd and nothing extra in the taste. We didn't even let it cool in the fridge for long (USC game is on and we were too eager) and it was still good. I can't wait until next week! We are absolutely hooked.

Update!
It's been three weeks.
After 24 hours in the fridge the beer has wonderfully cold and tasty. Very smooth. not bitter at all. Wonderful caramel flavoring and a small amount of spice. A lot of carbonation but not too much. It wasn't heavy and didn't have a strong after taste.

Best yet: The wife even liked it and said she would drink more of it! We have a winner!