Taste at FG check vs Final Product

[Tippsy-Turvy]

Usually how different does the beer taste at FG checking compared to after a few weeks' bottle conditioning?

I just checked my beer for the FG reading (1.004 actually) and decided to taste the sample (for the first time) and.....yuk!

This sample tasted of all the classic unpleasantries you read about ("wet cardboard-ish" taste and solvent-like bitterness). Perhaps it's just because the sample was warm and young?? I'll still bottle it I guess but if the taste at FG time SHOULD be pretty similar to the final product then perhaps I should just dump it and brew another batch.

Thanks in advance.

 

[masskrug]

It will get better, but I have never had a "yuk" taste. You may have fermented too high and oxidized the beer? http://www.howtobrew.com/section4/chapter21-2.html


That said, I wouldn't dump it. Bottle it and try a sample in 2-3 weeks. If it is still bad then dump it.

 

[dynamic]

That happened on my very 1st ever batch about 10 years ago, turns out it was infected

 

[tnlandsailor]

Every homebrewer should develop the ability to identify spoiled beer. It's pretty obvious once you set aside the "ownership" aspect of the beer itself. When a beer is bad, it's bad. However, some styles lend themselves to extended aging and the difference can be startling. I don't have much experience with those (mostly the Belgian styles). But even the high gravity styles will taste like "beer" before bottling.

Carbonation will mask a little of the sweetness by acting as an acidic component on your tongue. It will also change the body of the beer so you perceive some of the flavor components differently. But, all in all, the beer will have the same flavor foundation at FG as is will later on, just "matured" a bit and refined. Usually, if it's bad going into the bottle, aging isn't going to help much.

 

[duboman]

Yes there is a difference between conditioned and carbonated beer versus flat, warm un-carbonated beer but the sample should still taste and smell like good beer.

If you are getting those off flavors then something is amiss Like mentioned, bottle it up and see what happens but IMO it's going to get worse, not better.

Also, not sure what this beer was or yeast used but 1.004 is pretty low for an average gravity beer, especially if extract which could mean that something might be going on infection wise.

 

[phuff7129]

When I first started brewing the vast majority of my fg samples did not taste good but once carbed and aged a little they were just fine. As my fermentation process has improved by pitching the proper amount of yeast, oxygenating with pure O2, and controlling my fermentation temperatures, my fg samples taste great and my beer has improved dramatically.
I would not dump it. Go ahead and bottle it and give it 3-6 weeks and I think you'll find a big improvement. If not then it might be time to move on.

 

[JonM]

Whoah, whoah, whoah!!!!

Slow down there! Beer almost always tastes like crap right out of the fermenter. Bottle it. It will change dramatically over the next month.

But don't stop there! It will change even more dramatically over the NEXT month after that. Really, my beers come into their own after about 8 weeks in the bottle. Don't make any decisions until then and, whatever you do, don't dump it if it's not perfect in three weeks.

 

[ballsy]

Whoah, whoah, whoah!!!!

Slow down there! Beer almost always tastes like crap right out of the fermenter. Bottle it. It will change dramatically over the next month.

But don't stop there! It will change even more dramatically over the NEXT month after that. Really, my beers come into their own after about 8 weeks in the bottle. Don't make any decisions until then and, whatever you do, don't dump it if it's not perfect in three weeks.

+1....and even if finished product is not "good" tasting to you, others may like it and you can at least hook them up! This happened to me on a botched batch (first brew).

 

[Tippsy-Turvy]

Great advice. I'll go ahead and just bottle it as I'll be in a better position to decide after a few weeks.

Thanks everyone!

 

[kh54s10]

How yuk is yuk? Is it heaving yuk? I have had some that I didn't care for at bottling but they did not taste BAD. I even had one that I was very disappointed in after 2 weeks bottled. It was still a little off at 3 weeks then became very good after 4 weeks.

So as you have already concluded, bottle it and hope for the best.

 

[Yooper]

Whoah, whoah, whoah!!!!

Slow down there! Beer almost always tastes like crap right out of the fermenter. Bottle it. It will change dramatically over the next month.

But don't stop there! It will change even more dramatically over the NEXT month after that. Really, my beers come into their own after about 8 weeks in the bottle. Don't make any decisions until then and, whatever you do, don't dump it if it's not perfect in three weeks.

No, beer should never taste like crap right out of the fermenter! It might not be "excellent" or great, but if it tastes like crap out of the fementer, it will NOT taste great 3 months later. Time does good things for bad beer sometimes, but it's not magic.

 

[RobInOre]

I'm only about 60 batches into this hobby so I'm not an expert. All of my brews taste horrible when I sample them at bottling. All of my brews also taste fine after a few weeks in the bottle.

 

[glick]

Mine don't taste like crap right out of the fermenter, but it is not something that I would go back for seconds of! Carbonation makes a huge difference in the perceived taste of my beers.

 

[Tippsy-Turvy]

Just a quick update for anyone interested.

I opened a bottle from this "yukky" batch and it was.... actually rather nice! After the ~4 weeks' conditioning the strong bitterness I tasted on bottling day has virtually disappeared and instead of the wet cardboard taste there's a robust citrusy flavor now (itself an "off-flavor"?).

Anyway, I guess the moral is to at least give conditioning a chance before dumping a batch that tastes strange at bottling time.

 

[kaconga]

Many times I think people are just confused by their expectations when tasting beer currently in process. The final product is what most people want and rarely do they get the chance to taste it at any other point. As you brew and taste more then you will learn what is normal and not worry about it. I always taste every hydrometer sample and often will taste grains before using them, it gives perspective on the process. Sample some wort sometime and you will gain new appreciation for what yeast do to make beer delicious.

 

[ThatOneGuy]

Many times I think people are just confused by their expectations when tasting beer currently in process. The final product is what most people want and rarely do they get the chance to taste it at any other point. As you brew and taste more then you will learn what is normal and not worry about it. I always taste every hydrometer sample and often will taste grains before using them, it gives perspective on the process. Sample some wort sometime and you will gain new appreciation for what yeast do to make beer delicious.

I have tried the post sparge runnings in a coffee mug. It was quite pleasant. A sort of barley tea. I think it was around 1.10 gravity

 

[kaconga]

I have tried the post sparge runnings in a coffee mug. It was quite pleasant. A sort of barley tea. I think it was around 1.10 gravity

I think it tastes a lot like tea as well. The fact that it tastes so different when fermented is a testament to yeast and what they can do.