opened first bottle yesterday

I just tried a bottle of my first batch yesterday. It only conditioned for 16 days but I couldn't wait any longer. I was brewing up another batch yesterday and figure it was a good time to open one up. It was even carbonated and tasted pretty good, I can't believe all this work(and patience) actually paid off.

Congrats on your first brew, that's awsome!

Don't keep drinking that batch though or it will be gone quick. It will continue to evolve over the next few weeks. Maybe buy some sixers of craft brew and limit yourself to 1home brew/week so you can see how it changes as it continues to condition.
Cheers!

Or drink the hell out of it! Its your beer now, you made it.

Yeah, pretty amazing once you figure out you can actually make it happen, That is make drinkable beer. If it's OK at 2 weeks, it will probably be a bit better at 4 weeks.

Cheers !

I have been sampling some of my first batch the last 2 weeks also and have noticed a difference from one week to the next ( its been conditioning 2 weeks now ). I had about 4 last night during the game and I am with you, its awesome when the work and patience pay off. I agree though dont down them all right away, save some to try at weekely intervals until its where you want it taste profile and carbonation wise. Congrats, now brew something else!

I probably won't have another for 2 weeks, I am going to be quite busy. So at least I have that going for me.

I only have 12 bottles left out of my first batch I made back in Dec. One of the guys liked it to much last night watching the super bowl and drank the last 5 I had in the refrigerator. Now I have to wait for the others to age more so I can see how they will taste then.

I have some that were bottled two weks ago....

I am forcing myself to wait until three weeks for a taste......

Can't wait.

I already have brewed three more batches without even tasting my first.

Its your beer! You don't have to wait, or do what anyone here tells you to do with it. Learn on your own. Drink em early and find out WHY these people are telling you to wait. Don't be a beer sheep. Experiment, learn... don't follow.

I have said it before...I would bet $$$ on the fact that every...and I mean EVERY person who has ever brewed beer clearly remembers the FIRST ONE! I bottled mine, and that "whoosh" when you pop the cap is awesome! And then there is the taste, and the joy of knowing YOU made it! Cool! Enjoy it!

glenn514

Congrats. I've got a long way before any of mine are ready. I have 2 batches going right now and hopefully a 3rd this weekend.

beergolf said:

I have some that were bottled two weks ago....

I am forcing myself to wait until three weeks for a taste......

Can't wait.

I already have brewed three more batches without even tasting my first.

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Don't wait any longer. If you left the beer in the fermenter less than 2 weeks, you need to sample one now to see what truly green beer tastes like so you will understand the need to wait. If you left it for more than 3 weeks in the fermenter, it's likely to be very good by now and you are just torturing yourself by waiting.

I just finished one that was fermenting for 3 weeks and 2 weeks in the bottle and I'm really wishing I had put 2 in to chill instead of just the one. It was sooo good!:rockin:

for some reason it tastes so much better when you know it is yours

I wish I had the same experience as everyone else. I opened my first bottle over the weekend and it was undrinkable. I poured pretty much the whole thing down the drain. It has only been in bottles for a week but it was completely carbonated. In fact, it almost seemed over-carbonated.
It was in the primary for three weeks but since it's only been in the bottles for a week I still have hope.

ThereThere said:

I wish I had the same experience as everyone else. I opened my first bottle over the weekend and it was undrinkable. I poured pretty much the whole thing down the drain. It has only been in bottles for a week but it was completely carbonated. In fact, it almost seemed over-carbonated.
It was in the primary for three weeks but since it's only been in the bottles for a week I still have hope.

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How much priming sugar did you use?

Congrats. What did you brew?

Rarely if ever, will the carbonation actually go down... Too much priming solution, infection, or unfermented wort can be culprits.

It was Northern Brewer's American Amber Ale. I left it in the primary for 4 weeks and cold crashed for 36 hours, then bottled.

Mongrel said:

How much priming sugar did you use?

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The 5 ounces that came with my kit.

Five ounces almost always is too much carbonation or a five gallon brew; Using a carbonation calculator helps you to get the right amount which is usually around four oz or less based upon style... i have a friend that just throughs in the five OZ and his beer is always a fizz bomb

bschoenb said:

Five ounces almost always is too much carbonation or a five gallon brew; Using a carbonation calculator helps you to get the right amount which is usually around four oz or less based upon style... i have a friend that just throughs in the five OZ and his beer is always a fizz bomb

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Yeah, that's what I've heard, but I can live with overcarbed beer and it doesn't explain why it tastes terrible.

The Bible does say when bottling beer " after one week try one if you like it drink them if not wait longer."

I bottled my first batch on the 29th of January, this Saturday will be 2 weeks. I did pretty good waiting just over 3 weeks in primary before bottling it and waiting up until now. However, I'm starting to get a little antsy..........I think I'm gonna have to try one this Saturday at two weeks. For educational purposes ya know? lol