It probably is a waste of beer, but part of the fun of homebrewing for me has been learning the intricacies and processes behind the brew. Since I did my first batch a couple of weeks ago and now have it bottled, I would like to attempt to learn, by tasting, how the beer progresses. Sure, as I get more experienced down the line I probably won't open them early but, since I'm just starting out, I figure it can't hurt to learn and get an idea of the stages and processes for future reference.
We all have different approaches and opinions on the matter. To me "Understanding how carbonation develops" is really un important, it's gonna be flat, it's gonna be slightly carbed, or it's going to be carbed. There's nothing to learn about. Who really cares about the other stages, it's only when it's finished does it matter.
It's sort of the same with green beer. What's the point of wanting to know how it develops or changes. How's it going to help us make better beer? It's AFTER the beer has passed the window of greeness where we find out if our recipe/brewing/fermentation process is sound or not. Green beer is an evolution, in the process to maturation. It doesn't tell us anything. Only after a beer is drinkable do we find out if we did a good job. And THOSE off flavors are what we learn from. Not what the beer taste like on the journey.
I just never had gleaned anything substantive from that. Despite the rationalization that many new brewer say is for 'educational purposes' I find there's very little to be gleaned tasting a beer at 1 week, and again at 2....that to me just means there 2 less beers that are actually tasting good and are ready at the end. I don't buy budweiser because I don't like to taste "bad" beer. So why would I drink my own beer when it was "bad" especially since I know it's going to be delicious a few weeks later.
It's a great rationalization, and I hear it every time I make my assertion. But the thing to remember is that since every beer is different that 5 day old Ipa you may have decided to crack open is not going to taste anything like that 5 day old brown ale you opened early in your next batch. They're two different animals. There are so many tiny variations in things like ambient temp at fermentation and carbonation, pitch count phases of the moon, that even if you brewed your same batch again and cracked a bottle at the exact same early time on the previous batch, the beer, if you could remember how it tasted, more than likely wouldn't taste the same at that phase....Heck even in the same batch if you had grabbed a different bottle it may seem carbed or tasting differently at that point.
A tiny difference in temps between bottles in storage can affect the yeasties, speed them up or slow them down. Like if you store them in a closet against a warm wall, the beers closest to the heat source may be a tad warmer than those further way, so thy may carb/condition at slightly different rates. I usually store a batch in 2 seperate locations in my loft 1 case in my bedroom which is a little warmer, and the other in the closet in the lving room, which being in a larger space is a tad cooler, at least according to the thermostat next to that closet. It can be 5-10 degrees warmer in my bedroom. So I usually start with that case at three weeks. Giving the other half a little more time. Each one is it's own little microcosm, and although generally the should come up at the same time, it's not an automatic switch, and they all pop on. They are all going to come to tempo when their time is right...not a minute before, and then at some point they all will be done.
So you're not, to me learning anything special from it. But It's your beer, but there's not gonna be anything right or wrong at that point, except that you're out a beer that 2-3 weeks later you're gonna post something like"Sigh, they always say that last beer of the batch is the best, now if only I hadn't "sampled for educational purposes" all those weeks back I could be having another on of these delicious beers."
But it's your beer.
