i have a stout that has been fermenting for four days and i wanted to see what the gravity was so i checked it and all is good . so i tried it to see how its going and it was really bad . and it smells like crap to. is this norm our what?
What a beer tastes and smells like after 4 days has virtually nothing to do with how the finished product will taste and smell. The yeast is still hard at work, and the flavors are still blending together.
I agree with Ooompa Loompa and the others who responded. I don't even bother taste testing my batches when I pull a sample. I wait until I crack the first bottle to try it, at least 2 months after brewing. By then, it is plenty tasty.