A faultering newbie

[CervezaMan]

Hello Citizens of the Beer World!

Just something I thought might be interesting to some...

I am currently conditioning 2 batches of beer and I have another batch cooling in the fridge. I am not fermenting anything right now because I am dealing with enough beer right now and I am a newbie... and I don't want to mess up anything. In time, I'm sure, I will drink some and then brew some. I am trying out everything for 2 weeks as I have read in some places (2 weeks fermenting - 2 weeks conditioning - 2 weeks refrigeration). As I learn, I know I may or may not modify these time frames, but I wanted to go with something standard and easy to remember (since...again, I am a newbie).

The day after I bottled my first batch, I decided I could no longer wait. I had already waited a whole month. I started looking into a bottle. Never in my life had I felt so curious about a single bottle of beer and what it's contents might be like. The beer looked so beautiful inside that amber bottle. The colors and the hues in it looked so appealing when seen with light shinning through it. The beer's viscosity seemed to tantalizing and I felt I could not resist any longer. I just had to try it. It's only one 12 oz. bottle...it's just the two of us...the folks at Beerborg don't have to know. They can't stop me! No one else is around. But then...it might not be ready. I started to wonder about taste and color (since I cannot see the beer's true color in an amber bottle). The temptation was now just way too much to handle.

I opened it.

The beer was bubbling like a glass of champagne. So beautiful!

I tried it.

Nope: not ready.

LOL

Although not bad for being the first beer I tried from my first batch ever, the bubbliness did not feel filling enough. It's hard to describe but even though the beer was bubbly, it did not feel foamy when drinking. It did not taste flat either, but my best guess (after reading some of the wise posts at Beerborg) is that the beer needs more time for gas to reenter it even though it's been cooling for 24 hours. It's not enough.
Fellow newbie: the waiting is probably worth it...listen to the Borg. The information here is wise and experienced.

Sincerely,
A faultering newbie.

[BlackDuck]

It's a good thing that you've tried the beer when you did. Now you know what a "green" beer tastes like. And you know that it does need more time. I would suggest adjusting your times a little on future batches. I would suggest 2 to 3 weeks fermenting, then AT LEAST 3 weeks conditioning/carbing at room/basement/cellar temps. It may take longer than 3 weeks. It really doesn't need 2 full weeks of refrigeration before you drink it. 3 days will really work fine. However, the longer it's in the fridge, usually the clearer it will get. But that's not a necessity.

Congrats on making beer, and learning too!!

[Inkleg]

LMAO!!! We all cheat in the beginning, you are one of us for sure! BlackDuck has the correct answers that you seek.

Brew. Wait. Enjoy!

[Kealia]

Great post! We were all there with you at some point.
Yeah, you can hear "wait" all day long but until you try one for yourself you will never really know why. And like you said, its only 12oz. There are plenty more to be had when the time is right.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

[The_Professor]

Tasting early is not cheating or faltering. It is QC testing. It is perfectly fine to do any time you want to taste what is going on with your beer. From your description the carb wasn't there but the beer wasn't bad. No off flavors? I actually found that my extract beers did better with 3 weeks carbing at room temp.

Now the down side. You will have less beer when it is really ready. But you will know that it is ready and how it changed, and if or when you want to QC test the next batch.

[CervezaMan]

Thanks to all your comments.

I feel much better!
I tried my first batch again several days later and...VOILA...the beer magically has more carbonation in it (as you all could guess I'm sure). And now I have some awesome beer to go around. I am so happy! Wife tried it too and just gave me a big hug. She saw me stress over it when making it (I had a minor spill once) and at times she didn't really believe making good beer could be done in such a relatively easy manner. I guess we all think that at some point or another when introduced to the concept of making our own beer, wine, mead, etc. I know I did when someone told me about it.
The taste of the beer this time seems the same but with more bubbles in it. I guess the beer feels more full now, if I had to express it in some way. Much better now that it's carbonated. And no, absolutely no off flavors. I'm only leaving the last few drops in the bottle to avoid those little bits of trub/yeast.
Now today I am very excited because we are having friends over and I am going to see what happens when they try it. It will be hard to part with some bottles but I'll get over it (LOL). Honestly, I feel beer is better with friends. So bottoms up I guess!
And I will thank the little bit of yeast I see at the bottom of each bottle for the wonderful job and the delightful fruit of their labor (and my own as well, of course).

Thanks to you all for your comments and insight. It has helped more than you think.This has been a great experience so far, made only better by your input and wisdom.

CHEERS.
(and happy Memorial day)

[Whamolagan]

Are you drinking it out of the bottle or pouring it into a glass? If your beer glass is not totally clean and chilled (not frozen), it can take carbonation away immediately. So you are on your way to making great beer. It only gets better as you get your techniques down and your confidence up. what are you doing for temperature control? If you are wanting more carbonation, just add a little more sugar to your bottles. Also, the longer you let it carb, the better it will get. I always let the bottles sit for 2 weeks to get all of the yeast you can out of suspension. Patience is the virtue that you are looking for in the brewing process. Keep us posted, and lets see a pic or two of a pour.

[FedoraDave]

You definitely did what the vast majority of first-time homebrewers always do. It's natural to have these misgivings any time you venture into a Great Unknown. And now you've learned, through experience, that it all works out. And it will, most of the time. We've all had bad batches, too, so don't get discouraged when it happens to you. It's part of the learning process, and with homebrewing, there's always more to learn.

If I can leave you with two very important things, I hope you remember:

1) Since time is a big factor in this endeavor, you need to plan ahead to keep your pipeline full. Based on how frequently you drink beer (and how much), and whether there are upcoming events appropriate for beer, you'll get into scheduling your brew days accordingly.

2) It's okay to check on your beer now and then, just to stay in touch, but worrying and fretting do absolutely nothing, for you or your beer. Relax, don't worry, have a homebrew. This is a hobby, and it's supposed to be fun. Tying yourself up in knots over aspects of it that are beyond your control is not healthy.

[RickBeer]

Patience is key. For better results, 3 weeks fermenting and keep the Temps down to the mid 60s. 4 weeks bottle conditioning, or longer, at 70 or above. Then at least 3 days in the fridge.

[Jon]

Ha, we've all been there! Seriously, don't worry about it. I still try my beers early--especially when my pipeline is low!

Congrats, you made beer!