Tell me about "green" beer

[BigTerp]

What does it taste like? I'm trying to figure out what I'm tasting in my first batch. A little background first I guess. Fat Tire extract clone from AHB. Brewed July 11th (ish). Followed directions during the boil to a T and was able to get wort temp down to 65 in 12 minutes with my shiny new copper IC. Sanitation was a priority using Star San. Pitched a 1.5 liter starter of Wyeast american ale II. Fermented at a rock solid 64-66 degrees for 2 weeks using a igloo cooler and ice water bath. Removed fermenter at 2 weeks to allow for conditioning at room temp (70) for 1-1/2 weeks. Right on with my OG and FG. I've been trying a beer or two each week just to see/learn how things progress. I've been getting a somewhat harsh burnt/toasted flavor (the best I can describe it). Tonight after 3 weeks in the bottle this flavor had subsided a good bit but is still there in the back end and aftertaste. Carbonation has improved over the weeks and was excellent tonight. Is this green beer I'm tasting or something else? Educate me please!!!!

 

[themashedone]

at what temp did you steep ur grains if any. and i have gotten that taste from boiling my wort at to high of a temp, did you have a bunch of stuff burnt on the bottom of your kettle.

 

[johnnyspade]

Yeah, burnt may actually mean burnt. Did you scorch your grains?

 

[Hang Glider]

Or scorch any extract?


Besides the questions above - it sounds like you did everything right. Exemplary, in fact. Give it another week or two.


To answer your question, green isn't a burnt or toasty flavor. It's more of a "not ready" like maybe alcohol hot (not necessarily fuselly, but not "blended" yet) or maybe a hint of the sensation of green apple - a bit "puckery"

 

[brick]

"Green" beer flavor is unique tough to describe. It doesn't resemble burned toast, though. To me it's almost an earthy/musty flavor that I usually associate with too much yeast hanging around. The other thing about "green" beer is that I can always taste a great beer behind it, and the off flavor goes away quickly. I don't think I have ever tasted it past the 4 week mark.

 

[BigTerp]

I steeped my grains at 160 for, IIRC, 20 minutes. I did have a very vigorous full boil on my propane burner. Nothing burnt in the kettle though. Burnt or toasty may have been a bad description, but the taste is do damn hard to describe!!!! A slightly bitey, alcohol taste may have been a better description. Definitely not green apple. Just trying to get a feel for how this batch is coming along. Thanks for the help!!!!

 

[johnnyspade]

Ok, it sounds like you didn't burn it, which is good because I've always found that burnt is still going to taste burnt, regardless of how much time you give it. Just no coming back from that in my opinion.

So, three weeks in the bottle and you don't feel your beer is all it can be ... definitely wait on it. Write down some descriptors of what you're tasting now, then pop one in another week, and write down those flavours, and so on. You'll probably reach a point where the descriptors start to be the same, if you have any left by then

 

[Revvy]

Green beer is really any flavor experience that you have that you are not happy with that may be present in the first few weeks of the beer's life that is gone when the beer is fully matured, a few weeks later.

The chili/spaghetti analogy is a good one.

It really can be any number of flavors, many of them are the same ones that are on those "off flavor charts." The only real difference is that they will go away with time.

Often like other's have said it manifests as a green apple taste, which is Acetaldehyde, but generally when we referr to a beer as being green it means it's young and hasn't come into it's full flavor profile yet.

That's why I say don't sweat any flavor or aroma that you experience from yeast pitch day til its been about 8 weeks in the bottle. Then if the beer still has that, you can look at the causes of it from those charts. But still radically sometimes walking away from a beer for 6 months to a year before deciding to dump it, the beer can end up being OK....


Describe Green Beer.

 

[Grumpybumpy]

I just reached the 4 week mark on bottle conditioning my first pale batch and tasted it last night. Turned out great!

Prior to that, I wasn't sure what "green" flavors should taste like. But now I think I have an idea. At week 1 and 2 especially, the malt and bitterness flavors seemed to hit your palate separately. The tastes were not blended together and was a bit harsh.

Like others have said, just taste one a week to see what those little yeasties are up to.

 

[BigTerp]

Thanks!!! I think "not blended" is a good way to describe what I'm tasting. The flavors are almost impossible to describe though. They have faded over the last 3 weeks, so I guess thats a good sign.

 

[jonmohno]

I think sometimes @ 3 wks when i bottle the sample has a green taste which i commonly always taste a winey apple like taste to them,but that taste is not there especilally after 3-4 to 24 wks.

 

[rvklein]

I've always thought Fat Tire tasted like burnt toast so it sounds to me like you're doing everything right

 

[BigTerp]

Forgot I started this thread. After another 1-2 weeks in the bottle this beer turned out great. The flavors really came together and tasted like I was hoping it would, and had that slight biscuity flavor I was shooting for. So it took about 5-6 weeks for this one to be ready. I gave some to a homebrewing buddy and he and his wife did a side-by-side with some Fat Tire and thought it was spot on. Needless to say, once it got good it didn't last very long!! Which is OK, since I have 2 cases of Caribou Slobber in the closet, and IPA ready to be dry hoped and 2 more batches on deck for this weekend.