Tasting bottled beer after one week: Legit practice or lame excuse to try it?

Sbarnard80 · Feb 28, 2014

Wynne-R said:
The advantage of sampling young beer is to gain experience of how long it really takes.

I roll my eyes when someone says anything with the phrase x weeks minimum. Thats what I call calendar brewing.

Our goal is to produce beer without flaws, nothing to age out

Dont guess. Taste it and find out.

I agree. I always try one around a week. Sure, it hasn't reached its full potential yet, kind of like dating a virgin, it's still good even without the experience-I mean extra conditioning.

Beernik · Feb 28, 2014

I normally wait 4 weeks before opening a bottle. But I was excited to try my two new lagers (pumpkin Dort & a Vienna) so I opened a pumpkin Dort after 6 days in th bottle.

Fully carbonated, just a little bready. It even laced down the side of the glass.

I'm trying the Vienna tonight.

BWE · Feb 28, 2014

I usually keg, but when I do bottle I usually bottle in 16oz bottles. I always make sure to bottle a few 12oz bottles also for that exact reason. Little testers.

Petekiteworld · Mar 2, 2014

I do this all the time. I usually start drinking after about five days off conditioning

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Beernik · Mar 3, 2014

Ok, drinking my two lagers after a week in the bottle was a bad idea. Not from young beer flavors. But the yeast farts. I was deadly all weekend.

aiptasia · Mar 3, 2014

Legit, just to see how the beer is progressing. I usually will test sample at one week and then at two weeks, but I don't freak out if it isn't completely carbonated until week three.

klinus · Mar 3, 2014

i tried my first brew ever after 8 days. I might have been over excited, but it was really good, and i really didnt think it could be better than what it was. Left it a couple of days more before i put the bottles to cool on the balcony. Tried the last one of them now, a month later and didnt taste much different (better or worse).