Green Beer.

If you have nothing else do you drink green beer?
How green?

Nothing else? Not even BMC or the ability to make a trip to the nearest store?

I guess it would depend on how green. Two weeks bottle conditioned, I say yes. One week.. I dunno.

If it tastes green and the head is nil then I wait. But green taste and nice head well I will drink it.

I'll drink it after it's spent it's time in the primary, 2 weeks in the secondary and 4-5 days in the keg. So, not too green

Only one drop'll do ya.

I was thinking this would be a thread about St. Patty's day Green Beer since it's around the corner!

Don't mean to jack the thread; but has anyone done this with some HB before?

ill.literate said:

I guess it would depend on how green. Two weeks bottle conditioned, I say yes. One week.. I dunno.

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I like to have a couple around the week/10 day period... I like to mix them with a little BMC after the first few sips (well, usually Rainier or Lucky Lager - Bud and Coors can go F!ck themselves) to get an idea of what they will be like a couple weeks later. Sometimes the taste is less than ideal, but I really enjoy seeing how the flavors evolve and change into something nice.

And the St. P's thing... Don't they just add food coloring or something? Can't be too complex, esp. with really pale american lagers.

I'd just wait for it. I don't drink every day and going a couple weeks without is no burden. Not saying I don't do QA.

I do like to taste a beer evolving.

I've figured my Boddington's is good to go at around 5 weeks from birth.
My Hob goblin is probably not green at 6 weeks but is constantly evolving from then. I'm 8 weeks into it now and it is still mellowing.

I've never tasted a HB beer less than 4 weeks old.

I think the crap they serve from taps in pubs can be as little as 2-3 weeks old. The wine they serve in pubs from boxes and taps are also only a matter of weeks old.

When I first started brewing, I would drink from the secondaries. Thankfully, I have enough backup now that I don't have to go through the nightmare of the next day.

Guess that depends on your definition of green. When I first got started and I didn't have a reserve I usaully started drinking at about 2 weeks in the bottle (after 1 week ferment and ~1 week second). The last bottle usually tasted the best! I finally got the hint and am being more patient. But I always gotta crack one at the 1 week mark just to check. I also drink whatever I pull for the hydormeter. There's no way I'm pouring it out!!

I guess there's tasting for quality and drinking for pleasure. I'd have to be pretty broke and desperate to drink green beer for pleasure. I've learned patience in my old age. *s*

If the beer's too green, I turn to something else. I don't want to waste potentially good beer by drinking it before it's done.

I have only done a few batches. I brewed an IPA this weekend and that was batch #5. I have tasted all three drinkable ones way too early. My reserve is not large enough yet to offset my impatients. It is fun to taste how the beer matures.

I'll sample it, but never drink it.

FWIW, as much as I brew I ALWAYS have some HB available. Now that I'm kegging I should have even more...BBBBWWWWWWAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! BURP!!

I drank a bottle of my 2nd batch at 1 week in the bottle, it was good enough to finish the whole thing...

I paid for it later that night though... I don't think i'll be drinking much beer thats only 1 week old in the bottle.

It was better at 2 weeks too. I can't wait until this weekend for week #3.

I think I'm going to find out soon. I'm out of home brew so when I brew again I will be ready to consume ASAP!

RichBrewer said:

I think I'm going to find out soon. I'm out of home brew so when I brew again I will be ready to consume ASAP!

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I can recommend the Boddington's Cask recipe, it's ready soon after carbing.

orfy said:

I can recommend the Boddington's Cask recipe, it's ready soon after carbing.

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That sounds like a great idea. I might just have to try it.

I did drink a couple early on in my endeavours. Not anymore though. I even hesitate drinking it until I feel it has reached perfection.

I might do a tester of a new batch from time to time and then gauge that against tomorrow's plans. If tomorrow is a Saturday and I've nothing to do, then I'll drink a few. If I have a presentation or a meeting tomorrow, then I steer clear.

I've only made 7 beers so far, started in mid January. I have already killed my first 2 batches, but I have enough now in reserve, that I'm starting a steady flow.

I always have a bottle after 5days to a week, I just can't help it... not to mention, all of my beers have had a nice head at this time range. I usually don't have another til the 10 or 11 day mark, then I drink the majority after 2 weeks in the bottles.

I'm saving 1 bottle of every batch I make though, and putting in a secret hidden spot. Then, when I get ready to move back to the states in August, I will drink them all... that's gonna be a hell of a variety pack. Right now I have a (all pints) Chocolate Oatmeal Stout, IPA, Barley Wine, Hefeweizen, and Caramel Cream Ale all stashed away and I'll be bottling my porter in a couple days and putting one of those away as well.

orfy said:

If you have nothing else do you drink green beer?
How green?

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I drink a bottle at around 5 days in bottle, without fail, to test the carbonation and determine whether it's okay to move from the warm bottle carb room back to the cool basement. And giggity-goo, are they green. This past weekend I tried my Hop Beatdown and Dark Horse 2.0, both of which had been in bottle for all of 5 days. The Dark Horse was acceptable---it was carbonated, and the coffee always staves off the green monster to some extent---but the IIPA was superduper green, and not yet carbonated to boot. Whew. Not bad, per se, but definitely as green as it gets.

As for "having nothing else", well...that's never really an issue for me anymore.

Trying my first AG Hefeweizen right now.. pretty tasty, defenitely green though. SHould be good for St. Patty's day. Its carbonated up pretty nice though for only 4.5 days.

seefresh said:

I'm saving 1 bottle of every batch I make though, and putting in a secret hidden spot. Then, when I get ready to move back to the states in August, I will drink them all... that's gonna be a hell of a variety pack.

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That's too cool! I like it. Where are you?:rockin:

I have my first batch in the primary now and i've taken two hydrometer tests. I drank what I pulled for the hydrometer and it wasn't too good... very bitter. I guess green beer is not for me. I'll wait and hopefully the bitterness pans out.