Did I do something wrong ?

[soldiersbrew]

Hey all.

I just bottled my first batch of Northern Brewers Irish Red today and so far the whole process seemed to be going fine. After the last bottle was filled I got curious and tried a little bit of the beer. It tasted really bad. It was sour and not much beer flavor at all. Could this be because it has not been bottle conditioned yet? Or maybe because it was the last bit in the bottling bucket? Does Bottling help with the flavor at all? Please tell me I'm just crazy and my beer will be fine. Thank you.

 

[neosapien]

Please tell me I'm just crazy and my beer will be fine. Thank you.

You are just crazy, and it will probably be fine.

Bottling and letting it condition makes a world of difference.

 

[soldiersbrew]

Ok good thanks. I had a feeling but needed to hear it from someone more experienced.

 

[Yooper]

It might be just fine, but I'd be concerned. It should taste like flat beer at this point- certainly NOT sour. Sour almost always indicates infection. It's possible that it's not actually "sour" and maybe tart, from a too-high fermentation temperature as an example. So I'd let it sit in the bottle for two weeks and then chill one and sample. But usually, the beer coming out of the fermenter is pretty close to the final beer in a flatter, thinner version as carbonation provides mouthfeel and bubbles.

 

[evo8ur8]

Hey all.

I just bottled my first batch of Northern Brewers Irish Red today and so far the whole process seemed to be going fine. After the last bottle was filled I got curious and tried a little bit of the beer. It tasted really bad. It was sour and not much beer flavor at all. Could this be because it has not been bottle conditioned yet? Or maybe because it was the last bit in the bottling bucket? Does Bottling help with the flavor at all? Please tell me I'm just crazy and my beer will be fine. Thank you.

My first batch got done a few weeks ago and when I tried it, it tasted like a coors light on the front end. I bottled it an let it set like 2 weeks and it change the taste and is really amazing!

 

[signpost]

It could just be the taste of the priming sugar you added for bottling (assuming that is how you went about things).

 

[PapsD]

I wouldn't worry about it. Carbonation can make or break a beer. I've had some beers taste great on bottling day and some were terrible until they were carbonated and chilled.

Beer can also take alot of abuse. I freaked once when some water from my blow off tube got sucked back into the fermenter. Then my wife tells me she once accidently dipped her hair in my beer. Both batches turned out fine.

 

[soldiersbrew]

It could just be the taste of the priming sugar you added for bottling (assuming that is how you went about things).

That is what I did and I think that could be it. It was the last little drops left over that couldnt be bottled so we will see in a couple weeks thank you.

 

[strambo]

The higher concentration of yeast in the bottom of the bucket can taste a little sour also.

 

[zeg]

I wouldn't worry about it, just because what's done is done. It may or may not be ok, but you'll just have to wait to find out.

The only thing I might do differently at this point is refrain from promising beers to friends, just because the odds are a bit higher that it's not going to turn out great.