Wort tasting?

2 main questions:

1. Has anybody ever tried tasting thier wort at different stages of the brewing process? Before the boil? After hop additions? After coolign the wort? (of course in a sanitary manner).

Im new to all grain BTW. I have a wierd situation... I tasted the wort before hop additions and it was sweet and promising. Then, after boiling the hops and cooling the wort down using a counterflow chiller, I noticed a harsh taste in the wort. 2. Can anyone think why this happened? If you dont have any idea about my problem, you can still discuss the usefulness of tasteing the wort before fermenting as an indication fo how the beer will turn out. Thanks a lot! :cross:

I guess that's the bitterness from the hops.

I taste my beer at every opportunity.

You were tasting the difference between unhopped wort and hopped wort. How much hops did you use and what was the original gravity?

Wort is sweet stuff. I usually drink the sample in my hydrometer jar. If I check the gravity before the boil,which I don't often do, I'll taste it. Then I have a taste when I pull a sample right at the end of the boil.

i taste it throughout... whilst sparging (i even taste the grain bed after sparging to see if i left any sugars in there... ), boiling (my brothers always yelling at, get yer hand outta there!!!), during hop additions, during racking/sampling for hydro readings...

like cooking a stew, it benefits you to taste it often...

Brewsmith said:

You were tasting the difference between unhopped wort and hopped wort. How much hops did you use and what was the original gravity?

Wort is sweet stuff. I usually drink the sample in my hydrometer jar. If I check the gravity before the boil,which I don't often do, I'll taste it. Then I have a taste when I pull a sample right at the end of the boil.

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I hope so but the taste was really harsh, seems like it was astringent. It didnt seem normal at all. My beer was a 1.06 SG. I added 3 oz of hops (1 oz at beginning, 1 at 45 mins and 1 at 55 mins)

Just to clarify, the wort was sweet before the boil but harsh after hop additions.

I definately aggree that tasteing is important to do at each stage but this taste seems a bit unusual. Any other ideas other than that it could be from the hops? Thanks!

I always taste the wort throughout the boil. Its sooo good. I've even thought that some DME would go great sprinkled on some french toast but haven't tried it yet.

As far as the strange flavors your talking about, try to be more descriptive and we might get some more ideas.

What kind of hops?

jcarson83 said:

I always taste the wort throughout the boil. Its sooo good. I've even thought that some DME would go great sprinkled on some french toast but haven't tried it yet.

As far as the strange flavors your talking about, try to be more descriptive and we might get some more ideas.

What kind of hops?

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I am at a loss about describing flavors... its like trying to put words to describe colors... all you can do is say that it "looks like..." and thats it. If you concentrate hard enough and relax I can precieve them but descriptive words like earthy, spicy, clovey, citrisy, mean nothing to me... haha. Maybe Im not a very adept to percieving tastes as sharply as others but I think I just need to take a class in order to pair words with certain tastes so I can have a taste vocabulary because its hard to see the connection now...

ANYWAYS... Ill answer your question. Columbus then cascade cascade were the hops used (1st is bittering, 2nd flavoring and 3rd aroma).

The taste was very harsh and seemed to very closely be like what people refer to as atringent. Im sorry I cant be more descriptive (see above haha).

Maybe you guys can describe what fresh wort (hopped) taste like. Is it harsh at all? If not then I may have to look more closely at my paticular process. Thanks for the feedback everyone.

I usually only taste the wort after chilling it. So I guess I can't speak on the flavor before hops additions. Maybe you only noticed the harshness because it was such a huge change from your previous sampling.

? are you using a stainless steel pot. Only asked because Aluminium will react to the Luplin acids of the hops.

1. I would think you'd be hard pressed to find anybody on this forum who didn't taste as they were brewing.

2. Just after boiling with the hops, the wort is very bitter. The bitterness mellows out over the next few weeks. I would only worry if it didn't tase very bitter after the boil.

-a.

I'm a habitual taster...almost obsessive.

...before conversion...during the sparge...during the boil...after cooling...EVERY hydrometer sample...at bottling/kegging time...and every day thereafter!

You guys are &^$$ hillarious. I think you are probably all right. I dont think I had ever tasted at that stage ever. I usually taste after the sparge to see if I extracted tannins. I think I need to get comfortable tasteing it all the time rather then when Im looking for a specific effect. Wouldnt it be a nice if we could all have fermenters with valves and discuss the flavors as they evolve during fermentation?

Big A, I use stainless steel. Didnt know that about Aluminum though.

I think the flavor will mellow out like ajk said. Just surprised me a bit I guess. Ill just have to go with that for now. Thanks for the advice and Ill let you guys know if this isnt a hop flavor that needs to be mellowed.

At work just now and there is a six pack of Crown Lagers in the fridge. These are not going to be lasting the week.

Tasting is good. This is the main reason for making / drinking beer so it makes sense to take EVERY opportunity to do so.

Damm this forum makes me thirsty and it is only lunch time here!!!

I'm with Yuri on this one. I taste it at all stages. This way I know what it's supposed to taste like and can nip any problems in the bud.

I also taste the wort all through the process. It definitely doesn't taste like beer and can be a bit unrefined and harsh until the finished beer is carbonated and finished.

homebrewer_99 said:

I'm with Yuri on this one. I taste it at all stages. This way I know what it's supposed to taste like and can nip any problems in the bud.

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Other than astringency, what might you look for in your wort?

What do you do to fix the problems that you taste?

Thanks.

If there is not enough bitterness, you can boil some hops in water and add the liquid into the fermenter to bring it up. If you are using spices, it's a good way to judge how much you should use in the secondary. It will also you an idea of how much how aroma you get with or without dry hopping.

Big "A" said:

? are you using a stainless steel pot. Only asked because Aluminium will react to the Luplin acids of the hops.

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I use aluminum along with a lot of other people and have had no problem at all. There is even an argument that its helpful.

I taste, too, all along. In the wort, it's going to be sweet, but underneath you'll still have the same hop flavor that you'll have in the finished beer. It won't taste like beer, but it should be pleasant (but again, way too sweet). I just take the o.g., then drink what was in the tube. I take the s.g. again when I rack, so I taste then. Then before bottling, another s.g., another taste.

I haven't had any problems yet, except I had an unfinished fermentation because it tasted too sweet when it was supposed to be finished. I rechecked my f.g. ( I must have read it wrong the first time) and recapped the carboy and airlocked it. Then swirled it around to get the yeast back into suspension. When it finally finished, I checked the f.g., and tasted it again.

Lorena

Columbus then cascade cascade

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I also routinely sample my wort and beer through out the process. Columbus is one of my favorite bittering hops (the only hops I purchase by the pound), but it can be harsh and astringent until it has had time to mellow. I like a little bite in an IPA. My 3CPA is Columbus, Chinook, Cascades.

Hopped wort just tastes bad in my opinion, and I like IPAs so it's not a hops issue. It's too bitter and too sweet at the same time. Now, the OP might just not like hops flavor at all but I'm thinking it's just an expectation that it should taste more pleasant than it ever would.

Usually take just a taste pre-hopped. Hops float. Last time I took a taste at the end, my taste bud were off for a few hours.

Big "A" said:

? are you using a stainless steel pot. Only asked because Aluminium will react to the Luplin acids of the hops.

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Anything to back up that with?

This may help

http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/do...3054.2004.00373.x?cookieSet=1&journalCode=ppl
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thewakersci said:

Other than astringency, what might you look for in your wort? What do you do to fix the problems that you taste? Thanks.

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What Brewsmith said and several others after your question...