Ok, I cheated!

I bottled my first batch last weekend and I'm anything but patient. So, got up this AM and put two in the fridge for sampling this afternoon. They were pretty good! Can't wait till they reach peak. I did a Summer Ale.

Don't listen to the people who say not to taste until it's ready. I treat it like cooking: Taste throughout. Taste it after the boil (or even during), taste it when/if you rack to secondary, taste it when you bottle, and taste it 7 days after.

If it tastes bad or isn't ready, wait another week and taste again. If it's still not ready, wait another week and taste again. Repeat until it tastes great or the beer is gone.

You wont feel bad till you drink the last bottle and its the best in the batch. "Wish I would have waited longer to open the first one"

A summer ale will be ready pretty quickly. I'd start in on those things after 2 weeks in the bottle.

And I'm with monkeybox: it's my beer, I'll taste it when I damn well please!

I agree with monkeybox, I taste my beer after the boil, when i bottle, and weekly after bottling. It is a good learning experience because most of the time when I taste after boiling I think I ruined the beer but after I bottle it it's fine.

It is your beer, do what you want with it.

I usually try one after a week during the summer, but in winter I generally wait a month; too cold to get any carbonation quickly.