drinking bottled beer "too young?"

[CyberErik]

I made a vanilla coffee porter, I tasted it out of the bucket, and it was really good, just yeasty. I figured some time in the bottle would take down the yeastiness. I bottled and tasted one week later and it was AWFUL. It was even more yeasty than when I took it right out of the brew bucket.

What gives? Does it need to age more?

 

[beertroll]

One week after bottling is pretty early. Sometimes that isn't even enough time to carbonate. Give it at least another week to condition, and then throw it in the fridge for a few days and the yeast should settle out.

If you have the means to do so, chilling the bucket for a few days before bottling will help settle the yeast. You'll still have more than enough yeast left to carbonate.

 

[CyberErik]

Thanks for the info. It is carbonated, but I only fridged it overnight. I saw some yeast residue on the bottom of the bottle.

What else could it be? Fusyls? As I rolled it over in my mouth I thought I tasted bananas. However it has a harsh overall flavor that is yeasty to me.

I'm really just a noob to troubleshooting these things, but this was terrible.

 

[ABrewingApe]

The yeast has been using that week to eat your priming sugar and reproduce, so more yeastiness isn't a surprise. Give it time to finish up, settle to the bottom of the bottle, and pour carefully into a glass to drink.

Aging a beer is almost never a bad idea--if it's not tainted, what have you got to lose? Give this batch a couple weeks to finish dealing with itself and then if it's still not to your taste you might want to stick it in a closet or the garage or something and forget about it. Wonders have happened that way.

 

[woozy]

Are you serious?

One week in the bottle is "some time" in the same way that dozing off at the wheel during rush hour is "getting a little sleep" or putting a glass in the sink is "doing a little housework".

Give it some time in the bottle. Some *ACTUAL* time in the bottle.

 

[BansheeRider]

How long did you have it in the bucket? About 2-3 weeks should result in clear beer and the allow the yeast to flocculate. Then after 3 weeks in the bottle and 24 hours in the fridge the beer should be delicious and not yeasty (depending on the style). There will always be a layer of yeast at the bottom of the bottle.

 

[CyberErik]

2 weeks in the bucket, 6 days in the bottle, 1 night in the fridge. I conditioned 3 bottles this way. The rest are still aging at room temperature in my apartment.

I brought 3 home to taste at a family BBQ today, and the results were not good.

As I swish around in my mouth I taste a bread-y flavor, but also a hint of ripe bananas. I am worried about off flavors and fusyls. I am a poor diagnostician of beers.

 

[beertroll]

If the off flavor tastes very yeasty, it's probably yeast. The banana flavors are esters, which are probably prominent because the beer is so young. Fusels are far more unpleasant; think rubbing alcohol. That could be the harshness you're describing, but I think it's more likely due to youth or perhaps you steeped your dark grains a little too warm and got some tannin extraction. If it doesn't go away with time, I'd assume the latter.

3 weeks is very fast for a porter. You can get away with that timeline for something like a cream ale or a session pale, but heavier brews need more time to develop.

 

[Shred]

2 weeks in the bucket, 6 days in the bottle, 1 night in the fridge. I conditioned 3 bottles this way. The rest are still aging at room temperature in my apartment.

I brought 3 home to taste at a family BBQ today, and the results were not good.

As I swish around in my mouth I taste a bread-y flavor, but also a hint of ripe bananas. I am worried about off flavors and fusyls. I am a poor diagnostician of beers.

Way too early. Just because there are bubbles doesn't mean it's properly carbed. The rule is 3 weeks for carbonation. The CO2 doesn't have time to get into solution in less time. After the 3 weeks a day or two (or longer, if you want clearer beer) in the fridge and you're good to go.

I generally go at least 4 weeks in my fermenter to allow the yeast time to "clean up" the beer. Then, at very minimum 4 weeks in bottle before tossing it into the fridge.

Some darker beers I go longer.

 

[CyberErik]

That is all great information, again.

Do you mean aging, or do you mean primary fermentation when you say 3 weeks?

I am planning now on leaving it on the shelf for another month or so.

 

[Randy_Bugger]

Wait 2-3 weeks before you bottle it.

Wait 3 weeks to drink it after it's bottled.

 

[unionrdr]

That porter might take longer to condition,which beer does in the bottles besides carbonate. 1 week is still young,green beer. give it 3-4 weeks before a week in the fridge to try another one. It might have to condition longer being a dark beer.

 

[Shred]

Wait 2-3 weeks before you bottle it.

Wait 3 weeks to drink it after it's bottled.

I'd use the 2-3 weeks before bottling as an absolute minimum. You won't hurt the beer leaving it in there longer. In fact, it will likely get better.

 

[Shred]

That porter might take longer to condition,which beer does in the bottles besides carbonate. ! week is still young,green beer. give it 3-4 weeks before a week in the fridge to try another one. It might have to condition longer being a dark beer.

This. I have a porter in bottle that I'm not going to touch until the fall.

 

[homebrewdad]

I'd use the 2-3 weeks before bottling as an absolute minimum. You won't hurt the beer leaving it in there longer. In fact, it will likely get better.

This. 3 weeks @ 70 degrees is the baseline for normal gravity beers. I'm surprised it's carbed in six days... but it needs to some time to mellow for sure.