Ok, so I could only wait one week after bottling my first home brew(American Wheat) before sampling. It was delicious with no off tastes that I could detect; however, the carbonation was a little weak. I kind of expected that. Here we are 12 days post bottling and what can I say, I am a weak, weak man. I sampled another bottle and it was even better. Smooth flavor with a slight hoppy flavor at the end. Crisp carbonation through and through. My question is: has anyone else sampled their brew early and been surprised that it was tasty? I thought for sure I would taste all sorts of off flavors but like I said, it was good. Admittedly it was better the second time and I expect it to get better as time goes on but I am still surprised, based on what I have read, that it was as drinkable as it was.
American Wheat Extract
OG 1.051
FG 1.011
2 weeks Primary (it was only bubbling for 3 day and the krausen fell in after the forth day)
65 degrees throughout process
Wheat beers generally are best when they’re fresh, so yeah, as soon as they’re conditioned start licking on them. Really most lower gravity ales are pretty good when they’re young although a few weeks of aging certainly doesn’t hurt.
I’d advise you to get another batch rolling because those first batches tend to disappear quickly.
[quote=“rut6er”]
65 degrees throughout process[/quote]
This.
IMO The most common off flavors come from bad temperature control.
Poor recipie ingredient choices is 2, and contamination is distant third.
Once I got temperature under control my beers went from pretty good, to awesome.
So congratulations on getting it right from the start.
P.S. The Amer wheat kit didn’t appeal to me at first, but I got it at the wife’s insistence. I actually really enjoyed it, so excellent choice there too.
When I first started I had a need to try it at every stage of development. I tasted the water after steeping grains. I tasted the wort after adding extract but before hops. Then after hops. Then after the boil. Then (and I only did this once) after adding and mixing in the yeast. Then I tasted at bottling and then every 2 days. I just wanted to get an idea of what was happening and how it changed through time.
Thanks for all the great replies. Glad to know that I am not the only one that has no will power. Keeping it at 65 degrees was really dumb luck. The shower in the basement bathroom stays at that temp naturally I didn’t realize how important that was until I really started reading posts here. Thanks again.
Don’t Consider it lack of willpower. It’s not that. It’s that you have a drive to test the brewing process as it progresses. If you did not test at the early stage you would have a lack of knowledge regarding the state of beer early in the carbonation process.
:cheers: I can never wait. I brewed an Ipa once that took ten weeks. It wasn’t that much better than the “Ferocious” that took three weeks, so now I don’t wait. I’ve conditioned bottles for as little as three days and had them be wonderful.
Temp control - #1
Not enough yeast - #2
Contamination - #3
poor ingredient choices (maybe your meaning was to include yeast management in this) - distant #4.
Congrats OP! And yes I had tried one of my first batch before a week was up!
I think if anything, that is my number one weakness with my beer. I start drinking all my beer too soon. I pretty much tap a keg after a week in the keg and start drinking. By the end of the keg (3-6) weeks, the beer is just starting to reach it’s full maturity. If I bottled, I’d be forced to wait for that time. I have been thinking about bottling more of my dark beers for that very reason.
I didn’t realize how important that was until I really started reading posts here. Thanks again.