Whats wrong with my beer?

[Ryan11]

I bottled my porter two weeks ago. I tasted it after the 1st week and it tasted awesome. The head had nice small bubbles and the carbonation was pretty good for only one week. I tasted it today and I noticed after I poured it the head had bigger bubbles and disappeared quickly. It tasted decent but with a burning carbonation feel to it. It wasn't a big burn but it did take away from the flavor. Did I over carbonate or is something else wrong? Also halfway through the beer I would swirl it in my glass and could not get some head to form. Can someone drop some knowledge on me and let me know what they think and what to do.

 

[Brewnoob1]

I believe time is your friend here, especially on darker beers like Porters. I have read that those things can take a LONG time to age and carb properly. 2 weeks is a bit young for proper carbonation. Let them sit for a while longer and try again in a few weeks. You'll be amazed at the changes aging does and letting it carb fully.

 

[JonM]

I usually let porters an stouts sit for three months before drinking. Time is definitely your friend here.

 

[Ryan11]

Ok but is there a reason it tasted really good with good carbonation after week one and then the sudden change after week two?

 

[JonM]

All sorts of crazy stuff happens during conditioning and the changes that happen won't have much bearing on how the final product tastes. After two/three months, I bet your beer will be amazing.

 

[homebrewdad]

You see it posted here many times, but three weeks at 70 degrees is the baseline for a normal gravity beer. Higher gravities and lower temps add to this time.

Relax and give this beer a chance to carb and condition. Otherwise, the bottles will just be getting good as you finish the last few off, and you'll regret not waiting.

 

[Andrew5329]

Ok but is there a reason it tasted really good with good carbonation after week one and then the sudden change after week two?

Did you mix your priming sugar into your beer well before you bottled?

I've heard of cases where some of the bottles effectively didnt get any priming sugar while others got a lot. (like your perfectly carbonated bottle after only a week)

This may not be the case (so don't panic) I'm just offering up a theory.

But yea, as everyone else told you time is your friend, try a bottle in another week.

 

[Ryan11]

Yeah I added the priming sugar to my beer in the bottling bucket. I dissolved it in some water and added it by gently stirring. I was affraid after I bottled that I may have used too much sugar because my batch came up a little short. I used 3/4 a cup and my batch came up to just over 4 1/2 gal.

 

[Revvy]

Your beer's still on a journey. The co2 hasn't fully developed, nor has it finished conditioning. We don't say "three weeks at 70 blah blah blah" to drive the noobs crazy. Your beer has a process it has to go through before it's really done, and really tastes good.

Just give it the time it needs.

 

[KevinW]

If you can weigh the sugar that might be a better option, using a measuring cup can be inconsistent where weight is not! Your beer should not be "overcarbed" with the volumes mentioned, at least not to promote bottle bombs or something like that!

Give them a couple weeks like everyone is saying, one thing I do is to look for sediment in the bottles. Sediment does not mean you have carbonation however, if you have sediment after a couple of weeks where you originally did not could mean the yeast are doing their thing!

Good luck

 

[helen7780]

Your beer's still on a journey. The co2 hasn't fully developed, nor has it finished conditioning. We don't say "three weeks at 70 blah blah blah" to drive the noobs crazy. Your beer has a process it has to go through before it's really done, and really tastes good.

Just give it the time it needs.

Yes, your beer is still on a journey!!