Trying the First Bottle of the first Batch

So I popped open my first bottle from the very first batch I've ever done. I started brewing it on January 16th. It spent four weeks in the primary (2 normal, 2 dry hopped) and has been in the bottles for 1.5 weeks.

I got that nice pop and fizz when I cracked it, and the haze rose from the bottle opening. I poured it gently into the glass and a .5 inch of thick white head sat nicely on top. Held up to the light, you could see bubbles vigorously detaching themselves from the bottom of the glass and shooting to the surface.

The smell was great in the bottle, but once I poured it and released all the aromas, I could tell it was a bit off. The first sip hit my tongue very nicely, but I tasted what I smelled; a bit of an off flavor (my roommate said it tasted like yeast). The carbonation was very nice, but sort of dissipated in your mouth so that when you swallowed it felt a bit flat.

My question is, is this normal for a beer after only 1.5 weeks in the bottle. My plan is to wait until the 3 week mark to crack another. Will this get rid of that off taste and smell and help the carbonation to mature? I figured at this point that it would be weakly carbonated but that the flavors would be right on. Is it bad that my beer still tastes green?

Thanks guys!

I would say give it more time, it may actually get a little more carbonated depending on the yeast and priming sugar amount. As for the flavor, it kind of depends what off flavor you are getting. If it is a "yeasty taste" it could be that your beer got Yeast bite from just having been on the yeast to long. Just for good practice after fermentation is complete, you should rack the beer off the yeast then age/dry-hop. Doing this will also reduce sediment in your bottled beer. Will aging the beer get rid of the off flavors? Probably not but it will mellow them out quite a bit. I usually age my beer in the bottle for at least 3 weeks, usually but not always they are ripe for drinking.

Hmm, yeast bite sounds like a real possibility. That's too bad, hopefully a bit more time in the bottles will mellow that out. I mean, the beer was drinkable but not necessarily entirely enjoyable. Now I'm a little worried that me beer might overcarbonate.

What your probably tasting is "green" beer. 1.5 weeks in the bottle is still a little young. If you let it sit in the bottle for a few more weeks, I think you will be surprised how improved the flavor gets!

xxMaynardxx said:

What your probably tasting is "green" beer. 1.5 weeks in the bottle is still a little young. If you let it sit in the bottle for a few more weeks, I think you will be surprised how improved the flavor gets!

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Awesome, I'm definitely excited. My worry now is about the carbonation level. When I cracked it last night it had the perfect carb. except it didn't last quite long enough in the mouth. I don't really want it to carb. too much more. I realize now that, even though I used the right amount of priming sugar from my kit, it was probably a bit too much as 1) I've heard from a few people that the kits usually provide too much and 2) my total volume of liquid was a bit under 5 gallons. Oh well, we'll see.

i wouldn't worry about it much it should be about done fermenting. if anything it will improve your mouth-feel carbonation, buy allowing more time for the carbon dioxide to absorb into the beer.

Wait three weeks, minimum, then try again.

Also, how did you pour the bottle into the glass? Were you careful to pour slowly, watching the shoulder, and leaving the last 1/5th or so in the bottle? If you just poured the whole thing into the glass, you're going to have some yeast in there. If you beer isn't a Hefe or similar style, that's going to cause off flavors.

llazy_llama said:

Wait three weeks, minimum, then try again.

Also, how did you pour the bottle into the glass? Were you careful to pour slowly, watching the shoulder, and leaving the last 1/5th or so in the bottle? If you just poured the whole thing into the glass, you're going to have some yeast in there. If you beer isn't a Hefe or similar style, that's going to cause off flavors.

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Hmm, I poured slowly but I did pour the whole thing. I didn't think it was a problem because I didn't see anything that looked like sediment but you are probably absolutely right, I poured the yeast into the glass. I'll be more careful next time I pour it (in 2 weeks )

Basically you have under carbed green beer....just read this, and leave them alone for a couple more weeks.

And read this while you wait.
http://blogs.homebrewtalk.com/Revvy/Of_Patience_and_Bottle_Conditioning/

Well then, I hope your patience and attention to detail are rewarded with great beer! Offering up a short prayer to Ninkasi, the Summerian Goddess of beer and brewing couldn't hurt... I'm just sayin.

Even better - come back and compare these notes when you crack open the very last one of your batch.

You will be beyond amazed.
-Me

Yeah, I'm thinking about starting a little blog, just to keep track of my brew notes and my tasting notes. Thanks so much guys, you have been beyond helpful yet again.

A blog works. A small composition notebook is even easier. Use it like a lab notebook. Keep all your brew information in there and also make tasting notes on some pages.

I'm a lab scientist so keeping a lab notebook is second nature to me. It isn't that hard to get in the habit even if you've never kept one before. Just get a notebook and write down what you do as you do it. It's a lot easier than trying to remember when you bottled that batch you made a while back. You know the one...

I'm glad you read Revvy's blog, it's right on. I think we're all a little impatient at first.

I just brewed a pale ale with Centennials and Cascades. I brought a bottle at five days old to my friend when he was bartending at a local music club. I told him to put it somewhere warm and open it in two weeks. Of course he got wasted by the end of the night and opened it. It tasted EXACTLY as you described, yeasty and off. Big foamy head that dissipated almost immediately, leaving flat beer in the glass. CO2 didn't have time to dissolve into the beer yet. I was pissed at him, cause he was passing it around for people to taste and it was nowhere near being ready to judge.

Flash forward three weeks later. It is damn near perfect. Amazing grapefruit/orange citrus aroma. Perfectly bitter. I can't find a flaw in it. I sent two bottles to competition. Three weeks earlier it tasted like raw dough and smelled faintly of sweaty socks, now I'm confident enough to turn it over to BJCP certified judges.

Revvy said:

Basically you have under carbed green beer....just read this, and leave them alone for a couple more weeks.

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That's such easy advice to give... yet so difficult to follow. Thank goodness my pipeline is coming along nicely. The urge to rush to pop open a bottle is finally wearing off.

AbbeyDubbel said:

Yeah, I'm thinking about starting a little blog, just to keep track of my brew notes and my tasting notes. Thanks so much guys, you have been beyond helpful yet again.

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You know there's a blog function here at HBT, right? Look in the upper left area where it says view my...

I agree with the others: let it condition/carb, then pour leaving the yeast behind. Also, might want to keep your beers at room temp them move a couple into the fridge a day or so before you are ready to drink them.

smizak said:

I just brewed a pale ale with Centennials and Cascades. I brought a bottle at five days old to my friend when he was bartending at a local music club. I told him to put it somewhere warm and open it in two weeks. Of course he got wasted by the end of the night and opened it. It tasted EXACTLY as you described, yeasty and off. Big foamy head that dissipated almost immediately, leaving flat beer in the glass. CO2 didn't have time to dissolve into the beer yet. I was pissed at him, cause he was passing it around for people to taste and it was nowhere near being ready to judge.

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I have a buddy who has been dying to try my Irish Red since it went in the fermenter. I was gonna bring him a bottle tonight (just bottled it yesterday), but decided against it for this same reason. Never trust an unfinished beer in the hands of a home brew noob!

xxMaynardxx said:

I have a buddy who has been dying to try my Irish Red since it went in the fermenter. I was gonna bring him a bottle tonight (just bottled it yesterday), but decided against it for this same reason. Never trust an unfinished beer in the hands of a home brew noob!

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Cheers to that!

Being that today is the start of lent, I decided to give up beer for 40 days in order to not think about my double ipa in the fermenter... ill be nice and rewarded on Easter. Thank you jesus for delicious beer.

Beau815 said:

Being that today is the start of lent, I decided to give up beer for 40 days in order to not think about my double ipa in the fermenter... ill be nice and rewarded on Easter. Thank you jesus for delicious beer.

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Definitely taking one for the team...

Beau815 said:

Being that today is the start of lent, I decided to give up beer for 40 days in order to not think about my double ipa in the fermenter... ill be nice and rewarded on Easter. Thank you jesus for delicious beer.

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Excellent idea, work the lent into the brew schedule!

I like the name of your brewery. Do you have any beardies?