So... I've heard you talk about tasting...

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burton178

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I'm still only 90 some hours into my first fermentation and this is my 3rd new thread... haha!

So, I've read a lot about taking readings with a hydrometer and that people taste test their beer to see how things are going?

Am I too early in the process to do this? What kind of tastes am I looking for? I know it won't taste like the final product yet... What odd things are okay? What odd taste would be a bad sign? Should I try to avoid some of the hops and other stuff still floatin' around?

I'm SUCH a NOOB!!:D
 
No reason to take samples yet, unless you wanna waste what could be great beer. I take my first sample (not counting the original pre-fermentation OG sample) when I'm curious as to whether it's finished or not. If you're still seeing airlock activity and the krausen has not fully dropped, then leave it be. Wait till you're kinda sure it's done, take a sample and measure it...then dump that sample into a goblet beer glass or a nice big bordeaux wine glass, and smell/taste it.
 
Leave it alone for at least a week and let the yeast do their thing! I ALWAYS taste my hydrometer samples, yes it's to get a feel for how the beer is doing, but also because by the time I start taking samples - it IS beer! I'm not about to pour it out! :D

Basically the tastes you are looking for is whatever is actually there and comparing to what you were expecting from the recipe. Check the wiki or the homebrewing book of your choice for off-flavours you want to watch out for.
 
Try to approach your hydrometer samples with an open mind. If you expect to find off flavors, then you probably will.

Don't rush to judgement based on one tasting. It takes a lot of samples to learn what tastes right and what doesn't. Every taste is a learning experience.

Beer is very forgiving and the flavors and aromas change dramatically over time. Green beer tastes very different from finished beer.
 
burton178 said:
I'm still only 90 some hours into my first fermentation and this is my 3rd new thread... haha!

So, I've read a lot about taking readings with a hydrometer and that people taste test their beer to see how things are going?

Am I too early in the process to do this? What kind of tastes am I looking for? I know it won't taste like the final product yet... What odd things are okay? What odd taste would be a bad sign? Should I try to avoid some of the hops and other stuff still floatin' around?

I'm SUCH a NOOB!!:D
Click to expand...

My very first batch of beer I was taking readings like every 3-4 hours. Did a fair amount of tasting.

I chalk it up to over exuberance but it was a good learning process.

It also taught me to increase my final volume a bit to account for tasting.

It’s your beer. Do what you want. If that means giving in to temptation, then just be sanitary. You can only learn from the process at this point. By the time you’re on your third or fourth batch…you’ll back off the micro-manage approach.
 

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