Taste test

[Klamer1]

When would be a good time during my home brewing process to sample a little bit of the beer, just to make sure its in the right direction in taste I want.

 

[Rotor_Head]

When would be a good time during my home brewing process to sample a little bit of the beer, just to make sure its in the right direction in taste I want.

You can taste it when ever you want so long as you're careful. Remember that whenever you taste the beer, you risk infection. Any contact with the beer post boil poses a risk. If you're careful you'll PROBABLY be fine but no guarantees there.

 

[Kent88]

What are your goals? To see if fermentation has finished? Just to get a 'before' you can associate with a positive or negative 'after'?

I've heard advice that brewers should taste their grains (if they use grain rather than extract) before mashing, and their wort just prior to pitching yeast (wort that might have been used to take a hydrometer reading). I suppose the former helps one develop a sense for if the grain is good quality.

The easiest time to try some after fermenting has started is at bottling or racking into a secondary, some refer to it as a "short-pour". If you want to see if it has finished fermenting then you would probably want to wait 10-14 days.

If you brew small batches like me (frequently 1-gallon) then I'd say stick to short-pours. If you are brewing larger batches and want to get samples with a theif just make sure everything is sanitary and be careful not to mix in a lot of oxygen and try it whenever you like. In the Joy of Homebrewing book, the author says you should taste the samples you take when you get a hydrometer reading.

If it is just for fun and you brew all-grain, you can always sample before the boil (certainly before hops are added) and mix in some whiskey.

 

[RM-MN]

I'd say the best time to sample to see if the taste is what you want is 4 to 6 weeks.

When I take a hydrometer sample I drink that as it gives me a clue about how the beer will taste when done but carbonation, maturation, and chilling change the flavor considerably which is why I first suggested the 4 to 6 weeks after being bottled.

 

[mrgrimm101]

I taste it when I pull gravity samples, since that's when I open it to pull a sample anyway. Once on brew day before I pitch the yeast, again at about 2-3 weeks when I'm taking another gravity sample, then again about 2 days later when I'm taking my final sample. Usually, I line up my final sample to be taken on bottling day.

I make a point to never open my vessel unless I am pulling a gravity sample or bottling. I've seen so many posts where people say that everything was going fine, but all the sudden they get an infection after they open the lid to take a peek.

 

[mrgrimm101]

I'd say the best time to sample to see if the taste is what you want is 4 to 6 weeks.

When I take a hydrometer sample I drink that as it gives me a clue about how the beer will taste when done but carbonation, maturation, and chilling change the flavor considerably which is why I first suggested the 4 to 6 weeks after being bottled.

Agreed. The flavor will change considerably after it conditions for several weeks. I taste my gravity samples, just to get a hint as to what it might taste like..but it will change so much with conditioning and carbonating,.

 

[Ski12568]

I taste the grains, after mash, after the boil, and every gravity reading after that. It's interesting to taste how it progresses.