7th Day Gravity Check, Have ?'s

[bthorn9435]

Hey guys I have the newb syndrome and couldn't resist checking the
beer for the first time. I know all the pitfalls and took sanitary precautions.
I had a O.G. of 1.042 and currently am getting 1.014. Is this on target? The
beer I am brewing is the Midwest Autumn Amber Ale (Extract Kit).

After opening I was blown away by the smell of beer. Wow, it smelled great. It's hard to believe that what I put in less than seven days ago smell like beer know. I tasted the sample and it tasted good, I am a newb but I could taste some carbination, or at least I thought so. I mean yes, it was flat but it tasted good. It tasted really smooth with no off flavors, as a matter of fact I couldn't point out any flavors at this point. Will it continue to develop
a flavor profile over the next week or so before bottling? It tasted good don't get me wrong but I didn't get the taste of the bittering hops. Will this come through with age and carbonation?

Maybe Im expecting to much at this point. I was hoping this thing would end up somewhere close to a Sam Adams Boston Lager as far as hops are concerned. Like I said Im a newbie beer drinker and beer maker. Who would have thought 32 years old and just know discovering the wonders of beer. Thanks for the help and patience guys!

 

[bthorn9435]

Also the beer of course is cloudy at this point, but not to bad. How much will it clear up. Am I foolish for thinking I could have good clarity brewing at home.

 

[Yooper]

Also the beer of course is cloudy at this point, but not to bad. How much will it clear up. Am I foolish for thinking I could have good clarity brewing at home.

It'll clear up a ton between now and 5 weeks from now- don't worry!

I'm having a beer right now- here are two pictures (not great quality, but you get the idea):
This one is with a card behind it- you can read the text.


This one is just what I'm looking at now:

 

[bthorn9435]

Wow...If my Amber Ale turns out like this I would be stoked!!!

 

[bthorn9435]

Anyone?

 

[frazier]

Anyone what?

Sounds like you're doing great. Give it at least another week before you check again. Slower is better, longer is better - at least, that's what my wife keeps telling me.

Anyhoo, Don't try to anticipate too much about the final flavor. "Good" at this point means no off flavors, so that's great. The carbonation process will develop the final flavors. The "carbonation" you taste now is just dissolved CO2 from the fermentation.

As for clarity, expect some but not a lot. In my view, that's just one of those features of a beer that I'm not going to worry about until I get into kegging.

No worries!

 

[OverUnder]

I currently have my second batch fermenting. Been drink the success of my first batch now and am very please. Sounds like you are on course. My OG was 1.046 and it was bottled at 1.013. I had a lot of hops that I didn't completely filter out while adding to the fermentor but the final clarity is great imo. I am impatient also but I think brewing will help mellow me out.
And don't fret if you can't wait more than 7 days of bottle time before trying one to see how the carbonation is going