Pre-bottling taste?

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Andromedus

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Brewed an all-grain hefeweizen (first ever brew) about ten days ago. The specific gravity is reading 1.010 (off a 1.044 initial) and I'm confident it's basically done fermenting.

While testing the specific gravity, I got curious and tasted the batch (actually two 5 gallon batches, identical except one is WYeast 3068 the other is WLP300).

My question is: how similar is this taste to the final beer after aging? Right now I'm disappointed in the way both taste. Clearly they lack carbonation, but beyond that they taste something like bud lite - not much in the way of cloves and banana esters, which I was going for. They seem very bland, albeit drinkable. Should I expect a similar taste in 2-3 weeks?

Thank you!
 
The first time I brewed I tasted it before bottling and was very disappointed. After conditioning in the bottle and a few weeks of aging I loved it! So to answer it should be fine and taste a lot better.
 
Ahhh, thank you for the assurance. I will bide my time and hope that the conditioning improves the flavor/complexity. Thank you!
 
A taste at that point will tell you if there are any real problems, but coditioning and carbination make a huge difference.
 
mlyday said:
A taste at that point will tell you if there are any real problems, but coditioning and carbination make a huge difference.
Click to expand...

This. As your first brew, you'll be blown away at how much different /better it will taste when finished conditioning. My hefeweizen was actually pretty carbed after 1 week.
 
To add to that:

The first bottle, that we all know you're goign to open after 5 days? It won't be very good. Nor will that second one you open at 10 days. In about 3-4 weeks, though, then you'll be proud of it.

Brewing requires a lot of patience.
 
Haha I remember doing this also. Really sad after tasting it in the bucket the first time but now I know what a difference time and carb makes.
 
Same here, I used to taste everything at all stages. Here is what I learned:

post-boil and cooled wort: sweet and kinda hoppy
post-fermentation but before adding bottling sugar: not sweet anymore
2-3 weeks after bottle conditioning: beer!
 
I use to read posts on here of how people said there beer was so good they would drink it before bottling and I was always nervous when I went to try my sample after bottling because it was lack luster. After producing several amazing batches I have learned not to pay attention to the taste at bottling.
 
I guess I'm an outlier then. I don't package anything that doesn't taste like flat beer. Some of the flavors will be muted without carbonation and chilling, but it should be the same basic profile. If you were going for a strong banana flavor, you should expect to taste and smell some of that pre-carb.

Ester production in a hefe is quite temperature sensitive. What temp was this fermented at?
 
billl said:
I guess I'm an outlier then. I don't package anything that doesn't taste like flat beer. Some of the flavors will be muted without carbonation and chilling, but it should be the same basic profile. If you were going for a strong banana flavor, you should expect to taste and smell some of that pre-carb.

Ester production in a hefe is quite temperature sensitive. What temp was this fermented at?
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First four hours it was about 70 ambient, then it was 62 degrees ambient for the next eight, probably warmer in the wort since it was VERY active. I then submerged both carboys in ice baths for about four days, and monitored the ice bath temp at anywhere from 60-65, aiming for 62. After that I set at 65 in a chest fridge for the remainder (up to day 10), after which it has set at 72 ambient. I plan to bottle on Friday (day 13).

I kept the temps low to mute the banana and tend more towards a balance of banana/clove, and went both WLP300 in one batch and WYeast3068 in the other. It could be that the esters are there but I'm not honed enough to taste them on a flat, warm batch. One thing I noted was that it was VERY drinkable, so although I didn't detect much great flavor, there was no off flavor either. Not sure exactly what that means.

In any case, I didn't detect clove, banana, or off flavors, so....mystery?

Edit: It's worth noting that for the first four days, my entire house REEKED of banana. It was very intense, and I could smell the banana in the bubbles if I put my nose to the carboy at gas release.
 
Andromedus said:
First four hours it was about 70 ambient, then it was 62 degrees ambient for the next eight, probably warmer in the wort since it was VERY active. I then submerged both carboys in ice baths for about four days, and monitored the ice bath temp at anywhere from 60-65, aiming for 62. After that I set at 65 in a chest fridge for the remainder (up to day 10), after which it has set at 72 ambient. I plan to bottle on Friday (day 13).

I kept the temps low to mute the banana and tend more towards a balance of banana/clove, and went both WLP300 in one batch and WYeast3068 in the other. It could be that the esters are there but I'm not honed enough to taste them on a flat, warm batch. One thing I noted was that it was VERY drinkable, so although I didn't detect much great flavor, there was no off flavor either. Not sure exactly what that means.

In any case, I didn't detect clove, banana, or off flavors, so....mystery?

Edit: It's worth noting that for the first four days, my entire house REEKED of banana. It was very intense, and I could smell the banana in the bubbles if I put my nose to the carboy at gas release.
Click to expand...

Mmm hmmm...it's difficult (and perhaps foolish) to try to judge whether or not you'll be happy with the final outcome by sniffing the airlock. For instance, my first Saison smelled awful for the first two days. I was convinced it had a nasty infection. That smell gradually subsided, but was still detectable a week after bottling. Three weeks after bottling, totally different beer...and a great beer.
I've got another saison going now, and it smelled really good for the first couple days. By day ten, it had a strong burning rubber smell to it.

Unless it's gone moldy or something, I will never dump a batch early. It's always worth seeing what time will do.
 
You could pour a sample into a glass with ice cubes to taste it cold. Might also help to have a bud lite on hand to cleanse your palate with/help you identify any subtle flavors in your hefe.
 
I have found that as you become a more experienced brewer and develop a better beer palette you will be able to pick more characteristics from your warm,flat,unconditioned beer and begin to get a feel for what the final product will be. Especially if you take taste notes, you will then be able to track how the beer came together.

Definitely you will be able to notice a problem prior to investing in the time packaging and then determine what needs to be done,if anything.
 

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