Can I try a bottled beer after four days?

[Sadu]

Your first batch you are always going to want to dig in early, before its properly ready. This is why its important to get batch 2 going asap so you have a bit of a pipeline going.

 

[RM-MN]

I just tried my first bottle from my first batch this weekend. They've been bottled 3 weeks and counting. It was good and very drinkable with good carbonation - that was all I was looking for from this first bottle: did I make poison or beer.

What I find strange and unidentifiable is that I can somehow tell they'll be better in a few more weeks. Yes, I've read that plenty here. No, I haven't made this recipe before. But somehow it just "feels" and tastes like - "yep, needs more time and it'll get much better". Why I say this is strange is that this is my first batch EVER, so I have nothing to compare against. Maybe I've read that enough that the power of suggestion came into play, but it was the very first thought in my mind as I sampled that first bottle.

Patience is going to be my hardest lesson in learning to home brew.

Patience is easy once you have 25 dozen bottles ready to drink. There just isn't the rush to try the new beer too soon when you have so many that are all ready to drink.

 

[Brewmetheus]

Depends on the beer. I've cracked IPAs at 3 days and loved them, and I've cracked my 11% stout at 2 weeks and hated it. The IPA never got better (rather it stayed rather good for a long time), but the stout sure as hell improved. I suspect it will improve for years.

Big beers are not to be rushed.

also why bleach for removing labels? Bleach is not something I'd reach for to deal with adhesives. Submerge the bottles in warm water with oxyclean free or PBW and let them sit overnight. Then rinse well and sterilize.

I figured I'd clean and remove labels from some old beer bottles I collected at the same time. I had bleach on hand, so I used it and rinsed thoroughly but a residue must have remained. Most others can't notice the of flavour, I am being a perfectionist. Could also be because I rinsed with tap water before baking the bottles.

 

[Nubiwan]

You can try it right after capping if you want...

Reaching new heights of redundancy - I love it. Conditioned for 5 seconds.

 

[grampamark]

Even though it was a big beer I’ll bet it's gone, now, after 2 1/2 years.

 

[Nubiwan]

Even though it was a big beer I’ll bet it's gone, now, after 2 1/2 years.

Gone in 5 seconds.....

 

[m1k3]

You can try it right after capping if you want...

I was going to say you can drink from the fermenter. (but be sanitary)

 

[Brew_Dude41]

And this is why I rarely bottle any more, is just dont have the patience to wait weeks to let it carb up.

 

[Nubiwan]

That's it then. I have an IPA that is already 5 days in the bottle.

Its a vertibable Gandalf of an IPA based on this read.

 

[RPh_Guy]

And this is why I rarely bottle any more, is just dont have the patience to wait weeks to let it carb up.

My bottles carbonate in a few days. I rouse the yeast.

Its a vertibable Gandalf

Feeling the effects of the craft, eh?

 

[Saunassa]

What I did on one batch was put one in the fridge each week for 3 weeks. Put a piece of tape on each. Then a week later opened all three and compared head and flavor. I could actually see and taste what carbonation time did.