should I be worried

[Cashscraft]

so I opened up 1 of my bottles 1 week after bottling it had a sour taste and smell to it so I opened up another 1 they had the same thing going on. should I be worried

 

[robh]

I can't help myself. I always open a bottle before it's ready (usually 3 weeks after bottling). At that point I realize it always needs about another week. I wouldn't worry about it yet - just give it some time to finish.

 

[unionrdr]

I'd wait till the 3 week mark & try another one. I've had beers clean up more in the bottles & tasted fine at 3-4 weeks. And give it at least a couple days in the fridge to get co2 into solution.

 

[Yooper]

"Sour" is never a good thing, well unless you're making a sour, on purpose, of course!

If it's "tart", like green apples, that could mean just a young beer (it's called acetaldehyde) because it's an intermediate compound in the formation of alcohol. Some yeast strains produce more than others, so sometimes it's worse than other times or even absent. But generally its presence indicates that the beer is too young and needs more time to condition. It's definitely a green apple smell and flavor, though- not really what I would call "sour". Sour taste tends to mean infection, but hopefully it's not the case here.

 

[unionrdr]

Yeah,that's the reason for my comment. Many refer to sour apple taste as mearly sour. Two different things. I was hoping dfor his sake that it was the sour apple thing. I've aged that one out. The other,well...

 

[Cashscraft]

Ok so I only had it in primery for a week and 4 days and the SG was the same for 3 days and the batch tasted fine before I bottled it

 

[Cashscraft]

Im thinking this is for the yeast doing its work.and it will fade in a week or so

 

[Cashscraft]

so I opened a bottle today and the smell was still there right when I was opened it but it faded fast it did not have the sour taste all things are looking up

 

[Cashscraft]

Everything turned out just fine

 

[grimzella]

i think now.. after i have done this a few times just like you. One week def is not long enough to try and test a beer. it just aint long enough. this time, i am going to keep my greedy little hands off the oktoberfest i just bottled. it been a week now at 72-76 deg. i think 4 more weeks and i will crack one to test. add another week in the fridge. so really 5 more weeks. mmm.. i bet its great. i found a few nice posts here and im pretty sure i got everything right. wont really know for 5 more weeks tho

 

[unionrdr]

Should be quite good at 4-5 weeks. That time frame works for me for average gravity ales. They clean up as well as carbonate,condition,& settle out during that time. At least a week in the fridge will be of great benifit also. 2 weeks even moreso. Patience is a brewer's greatest asset.