green beer taste

should my pumkin spice still taste not so great after two weeks fermenting and is this pretty much whats its going to taste like when its finished

What do you mean by "not so great?" Are you getting off flavors?

Two weeks fermenting is BARELY finished primary fermentation. For a beer with complex flavors like a "pumpkin spice" you really need to let the beer condition. Consider using a secondary for two weeks prior to bottling. If you opt not to secondary - not everyone does - leave it in the bottle for a month before touching it. There will be a HUGE difference in taste.

1) yes
2) no

beer tastes radically different at different stages - fermenting, bottling or kegging, after being carbed and conditioned. If your beer isn't done fermenting, or if it's just finished fermenting, it probably won't taste too good. It probably won't taste too good when you bottle it, either. But 4 weeks after that it'll probably taste pretty great.

It's good to sample at all those time to get a sense of what beer tastes like at those different stages, but in general, a decent rule to follow is: if it doesn't taste so good, wait a while.

I switched to secondary after 1 week but gravity had leveled off.was that a bad idea?

JONNYROTTEN said:

I switched to secondary after 1 week but gravity had leveled off.was that a bad idea?

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Yes, 3 weeks in primary, secondary not strictly needed. You'll be happy!

Totally depends on what type of yeast you use. Something like Safale -04 finishes it's primary fermentation in 3-5 days. Others may take longer. I personally think that using a secondary is a pain in the ass that adds possibility for infection. There are many, many, pro breweries that do not use a secondary. Your beer will be fine, just let it set in the secondary (since it's already there) for another couple of weeks and then bottle. The most important thing is for you to note how much your beer changes over time. If you are impatient, like me, your last beer will probably be your best

COLObrewer said:

Yes, 3 weeks in primary, secondary not strictly needed. You'll be happy!

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Hardly a 'bad idea' to rack to secondary if fermentation is truly over

Sure, 3 weeks in primary and skipping a secondary is usually fine for most styles.
But there's nothing wrong with doing a secondary if primary is over.

2 weeks after pitching the yeast is hardly time to pass judgement though.

The benefit of leaving a beer in the primary for longer is that the yeast - although finished active fermentation - will consume some of the junk that was created during the primary fermentation period. That's why I like to leave mine in the primary for three weeks, and then move to the secondary for another two or three.

If you racked to secondary after just one week, give it another three weeks in the secondary, though, and you'll get what's largely the same effect. A lot of the yeast traveled from the primary to the secondary with the wort - that's the same yeast that will cause the beer to carb up in the bottles - so it will do the job, just take longer. Then let the bottles condition for longer than usual; maybe 4-6 weeks instead of 2-4.

malkore said:

Hardly a 'bad idea' to rack to secondary if fermentation is truly over

Sure, 3 weeks in primary and skipping a secondary is usually fine for most styles.
But there's nothing wrong with doing a secondary if primary is over.

2 weeks after pitching the yeast is hardly time to pass judgement though.

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I do agree with this, one can actually get away with 1 week fermentation if it is planned for with the right ale and very high flocculating yeast at higher temp's and maybe crash cooling, etc, etc etc.