Smell a good taste indicator?

[ChiN8]

So can someone just humor a very anal first time brewer.

I have my first batch chilling (literally) in my secondary about to bottle this weekend, and I'm set on not trying my first brew until completion.

I have my bottles, my labels, and my glasses already eteched ready for a professional pour and I am NOT about to break my goal just yet.

So while racking into the secondary I didn't taste anything but I did basically stuck as much nose as I could into my ale pail to sniff the world's most heavenly aroma.

So is smell a good indicator of a good brew? Cause it smells AMAZING!

 

[PintOfBitter]

can't hurt! There are a few off-flavors that don't show up in the aromas, so there could always be issues. Take heart, good sir, the first batch is always the best

start another batch NOW.

 

[ChiN8]

can't hurt! There are a few off-flavors that don't show up in the aromas, so there could always be issues. Take heart, good sir, the first batch is always the best

start another batch NOW.

I actually just purchased a house on a 1/2+ acre lot, and moving right now. so I didn't want to let my beer ingredients sit during the move or I would be brewing another batch currently.

BUT because of my lot addition I am actually making plans for a nanobrewery when I start getting things right.

 

[KevinW]

+1 on "off" flavors not always present in the aroma!

I always tell myself to wait until finished(fermented and carbed) but I usually cannot. I will "cheat" though, when I am taking a gravity reading I don't dump the sample back into the wort/beer, I taste it and if it is good I'll drink all 2oz or so.

I think it is OK to sample as you go. I think it is a good way to learn about the progression from grain to glass! Try tasting your raw ingredients too, like the barley and especially the hops!

Keep on brewing and good luck

 

[bafroom]

i sample as i go. i drink every hydro reading and i drink a bottle every week after i bottle it just to see how it's doing. while it may not actually effect the final outcome, i can tell now how my beer is coming along.

if nothing else it helped my narrow down a problem i was having with carbing (the temp the bottles were sitting at was too high). it also helped me figure out what "green" beer tastes like, as well as helping me figure out what level of carbonation i like.

 

[david_42]

Freshly brewed wort smells extremely good, it can also taste overly bitter and too sweet. Wort that doesn't smell good means something very bad has happened.

 

[LyonsViper27]

that smell just makes me soooo thirsty! my mouth was watering when i transfered my brown ale into its secondary a hour ago...

 

[ksbrain]

I like to think that if it smells good then it will taste good and if it smells bad then don't worry it will be fine.

 

[ChshreCat]

See, ya did it wrong. If you want a good sniff you need to do it in primary with a pail fermenter. Take the lid off gently so as not to disturb the blanket of CO2, stick your nose in there and take a big deep sniff.

 

[thataintchicken]

I just pour a little of the wort onto the floor before pitching yeast. If the doberman licks it up... it'll be a good brew.
If the cat runs over to lick it...

 

[ChiN8]

Well maybe from here on out, I will sample as I go. Just with this first brew I wanted to wait until my finished product.

Question, off Thread...
If I wanted to save a bottle for display of my first brew; should I leave enough beer in the secondary to bottle a beer without carbing. Seeing as the bottle will sit inside or my garage I don't want it to get too hot and then start blowing up/popping/ or over carbing and bubbling the top.

 

[LyonsViper27]

im keeping a sixer. you never know in 10 years you might look at that beer and wonder what dose it taste like now? i am gonna keep these in the back of my cabinet and forget about them. save them for a special occasion maybe my first all grain taste test???