Oh noes! (maybe)

[cfry]

So, Im on my first batch of beer. Its a Coopers kit. Anyway, I have moved on from the fermenter and have bottled the beer. I realize the beer isnt done yet, but I sampled some, and it doesnt taste anything like beer! Should it at that point?

 

[bruin_ale]

maybe, maybe not.. so many questions.. here are a few:
What was the recipe?
did you take starting and final gravity measurements?
how long was it fermenting? total time from brewday to bottling?
how long has it been in the bottle?

 

[bruin_ale]

oh darn.. forgot the most obvious question. If it doesn't taste like beer, what DOES it taste like?

 

[NyPDFustercluck]

you'll be amazed at how much the flavor of beer is improved with carbonation and chilling. I'm assuming that your "sample" was taken at bottling time right out of the fermenter. Without knowing any more than what you've told us, I'd advise letting the beer age at LEAST three weeks in the bottle and chill in the fridge for ~72 hours before you pass judgement on your finished product

 

[ThickHead]

I realize the beer isnt done yet...

How did you come to this realization?

 

[maffewl]

Going through your posts it seems your 1 week mark was three days ago, so that would translate to you bottling on day 10. That's quite young, but can be enough time for the fermentation to be complete. If you took your hydrometer readings, that would be the determining factor. As far as how it tastes... at 10 days, it's still a baby in it's development. To give you an idea... the min. amount of time this forum suggests for a average beer would be 3 weeks in the primary, and 3 weeks in the bottle. That's a total of 42 days. So, you aren't even a quarter of the way to your finished beer. Give it time

 

[rancidcrabtree]

maffewl, how is that Emma's Ale, I've been thinking about ordering it since it's a good cause and all...

cfry, if you hit your FG before bottling than it should start to taste better the longer you leave it in the bottle. If you didn't hit FG before bottling you might want to put them in a cooler or some sort of tub to contain the mess you'll have on your hands if any of them turn into bombs!

 

[maffewl]

maffewl, how is that Emma's Ale, I've been thinking about ordering it since it's a good cause and all...

I haven't had a chance to (officially) try mine yet... still in the wait period. But at bottling it had the makings of a solid brown ale. I definitely think it's worth buying if you like the style even a little bit.

And... +1 on the bombs if you didn't hit FG.

 

[cfry]

Thanks to everyone getting back to me. Here are answers to questions:

It is Coopers Cerveza. At first I was following the directions that came with it, then at bottling time I realized there are better directions here at this forum. The Coopers directions didnt say anything about gravity readings, so I didnt do any (total newbie here). Then I figured why bother with anymore gravity checks if I dont have the SG. The Coopers directions said to let it in the fermenter for 6 days. I left it there for over a week. I sampled it straight out of the fermenter. It tastes kinda like beer, but its very very light. It kinda has a tea taste to it.

 

[bruin_ale]

yeah, a week in the fermenter - flat and warm it doesn't taste much like beer. With experience you can judge a beer based on the way it tastes from the primary, but it changes alot with both time and carbonation.

Also, with an extract recipe the first gravity (before primary), isn't all that important because you know exactly how much fermentables went into the wort. You can take the recipe and predict the gravity easily and be correct. The gravity readings later are more to tell you if it's done, and/or so that you can gauge what's going on with your ferment.

 

[onipar]

For the future, even if you forget to take a gravity reading when you start, it still helps to take two or three consecutive readings before bottling to make sure it's done fermenting. If the reading doesn't change two or three days in a row, it's done fermenting. I think some people skip this step when they leave it in the primary for three or four weeks, but since your new (like me) we should probably do it.

I tasted my beer at about 7 days, and like you, I thought it tasted "light," and sort of dry. After some reading here, I determined it probably needed a bit more fermenting, plus extra time to "clean up" and clear. Today is actually our 13th day in primary, and we plan to hydro and taste test again today and tomorrow.

Maybe bottle conditioning will help with the flavor too.