Taste

[JasonOi]

Just finished bottling my very first batch of beer. I had a around half of a bottle left over so instead of capping it I decided to taste it and needless to say it wasn't the best beer I've ever tasted. Is this any indication of how the final product will taste?

 

[bmbigda]

when a beer isn't carbonated it's very difficult to judge it's flavor identity. if it was warm and/or young it gets ever harder. I cant tell you how many times ive tasted my beer upon kegging and said "wow i hope that gets better in the keg" and it almost always does.

 

[midlo-brewer]

Its probably still "green" or young, give it a few weeks to carbonate and condition. Depending upon the style and type of beer it may take a little longer to be in prime condition to drink, not that you cant try it sooner!

 

[JasonOi]

Thanks for telling me that I was getting worried. It was an amber ale, it was in the primary for 7 days and the secondary for 14 days. I'm guessing I should let it carbonate for three weeks before drinking one.

 

[phenry]

Thanks for telling me that I was getting worried. It was an amber ale, it was in the primary for 7 days and the secondary for 14 days. I'm guessing I should let it carbonate for three weeks before drinking one.

Definitely. And if it was your last bottle to fill, you likely got a lot of stuff in there that would throw the flavor off (yeast, trub, etc).

I always like to try the last bit of beer that won't fill up a bottle as well, but I usually run it through a coffee filter before drinking it. Some taste great on bottling day, some taste nothing like I would hope for. Giving them adequate time to condition almost always remedies that though.

 

[Jayhem]

4 of the last 5 beers I've bottled had a bitter, bland or weird taste at bottling. Give the beer 5 weeks in the bottles before you make a judgement. All mine have come out great!

 

[Alemann]

Definitely. And if it was your last bottle to fill, you likely got a lot of stuff in there that would throw the flavor off (yeast, trub, etc).

I always like to try the last bit of beer that won't fill up a bottle as well, but I usually run it through a coffee filter before drinking it. Some taste great on bottling day, some taste nothing like I would hope for. Giving them adequate time to condition almost always remedies that though.

Exactly if I'm gonna try my beer pre conditioning I try it before bottling

 

[homebrewdad]

+1 to the above. Flat beer tastes VERY different than carbonated beer. Also, your beer is very young - some maturation time will help.

 

[bmbigda]

Thanks for telling me that I was getting worried. It was an amber ale, it was in the primary for 7 days and the secondary for 14 days. I'm guessing I should let it carbonate for three weeks before drinking one.

carbonation is a vehicle for flavors, and temperature is too. I wouldn't get too caught up in 7 days, 14 days, etc. Patience is a very important aspect of brewing. There are very few beers that get worse with time. I learned to let myself forget a batch of beer even exists haha

 

[Homercidal]

Sometimes I get a taste at that point and get excited. Sometimes I get a taste and get worried. Almost always it's much better in 2-3 weeks, especially after chilling and carbing.