I'm a 1st time brewer and I followed every step to a tee. After letting my beer ferment for 3 weeks, I transferred to the secondary container, adding the corn sugar before bottling. I did a little taste sample prior to adding the corn sugar and the beer tasted terrible , almost like medicine. I'm wondering , after the carbonation process will the beer taste any different or better hopefully?
Does carbonation change the flavor of beer?
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It will most likely taste better after around 3 weeks in the bottle.Depending on what the beer is,it may be done sooner or may take a little longer.
Brulosopher
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smartey1 said:
Medicinal (or band-aid) flavors can be a sign of chloramine in your tap water. Unfortunately, these don't dissipate, but the good thing is you can fix that problem! Use either campden tabs or just buy RO water from the store.
kombat
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What temperature did you ferment at?
JoppaFarms
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Short answer: yes. Not only will the CO2 help the flavor, it will bring some aromas out too as it dissipates from solution. Take my first batch for example, an Irish Stout. 1 week after bottling, it tasted absolutely horrible with very very little carbonation (I got impatient). 2 weeks after bottling it was still horrible and still had very little carbonation (still impatient...). I put it aside ane brewed another batch while I was waiting for this one to mature. Now it's been 8 weeks and the carbonation is finally there and the flavor is much improved. It's not "great" by any means, it still has a LONG way to go, and I'm sure the novice mistakes I made along the way have attributed to the flavor and length of time to carbonate mature, but the flavor and aroma is much much improved with time and carbonation.
Generally speaking, your beer should taste good prior to bottling with the exception of it being warm and flat. That doesn't mean that off flavors present won't mellow with time, but if your beer tastes awful going into the bottle, it will likely be awhile before it turns into something drinkable. If that's the case, I'd look for what I did wrong, and attempt to fix it rather than saying that it just needs to age for a few months. Very few beers need that long to be good.
Not trying to bring bad news, but I've been in your shoes. I'd have saved myself a little heartache if I just admitted I was doing something wrong, rather than thinking it was just green.
Not trying to bring bad news, but I've been in your shoes. I'd have saved myself a little heartache if I just admitted I was doing something wrong, rather than thinking it was just green.
ScottG58
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I may have missed it but what type of beer is it? Was it a kit or your own recipe?
DanH
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You're getting good advice here, but I've had it both ways so you won't know for three more weeks. I've done the bandaid thing and it doesn't get better. I've also had beers taste horrible when I kegged them and still bad after three weeks. One particular one was very bad at three weeks and I was going to dump it but I flew out or town for two weeks. When I got back it was delicious. I was very surprised and couldn't believe it.
Don't give up. Wait and see what happens. Good luck!
Don't give up. Wait and see what happens. Good luck!
ScottG58 said:
It's a winter lager, having orange peel, cinnamon and honey. It came from a kit, but I had 4 lbs of grains for 5 gallons of beer. Seemed excessive to me, but I'm new at this. Also after bottling, each bottle has a lot of sediment in the bottom. Will this go away over time.?
ScottG58
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I would be curious to know what yeast you used. If it was a true lager yeast, you may have fermented warm. Most lagers you want in the fifties. If it was a true lager, it will show all of its flavors--even the flavors you do not want. Spices can be tricky to deal with too.
I hold with those who say wait and see what you get. Don't get discouraged if this one does not end up as you want it.
Ale yeasts are less of a pita than lager yeasts. With your next one, you might pick a Chino strain. US05 is a dry Chino yeast and likes the temperatures you described. It has a clean flavor profile. It works well with a Dead Guy Clone recipe.
Also I have terrible water. It tastes bad out of the tap. I figure if I don't like drinking it, I don't want to brew with it. I have bought cheap grocery store bottled drinking water since the beginning.
I hold with those who say wait and see what you get. Don't get discouraged if this one does not end up as you want it.
Ale yeasts are less of a pita than lager yeasts. With your next one, you might pick a Chino strain. US05 is a dry Chino yeast and likes the temperatures you described. It has a clean flavor profile. It works well with a Dead Guy Clone recipe.
Also I have terrible water. It tastes bad out of the tap. I figure if I don't like drinking it, I don't want to brew with it. I have bought cheap grocery store bottled drinking water since the beginning.
Thanks for the help/ encouragement. I don't really think the H20 is the issue, I used filtered water. Any knowledge on the sediment I have in every bottle? When I open a bottle do I want to mix it like Shocktop Top or just pour without mixing? Thanks
ScottG58
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When you bottle condition, the yeast will eventually settle to the bottom of the bottle. That is likely the sediment you see. It will not hurt you. It has high levels of vitamin B12 which I believe is good for hangovers. That said, I think it looks nasty and carefully poor my beers so 1/4 to 1/2 inch is left in the bottom of the bottle along with the yeast.
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