Changed taste at the end of fermentation

[Harto]

I did a brew last Saturday and on Wednesday I took a sample, mainly because I wanted to check the wort temperature was the same as my beer fridge was reading. I use a turkey baster I only use for taking samples and it was clean and sanitised with starsan. The wort temperature was where I was aiming (18oC) and the beer tasted great (initial sweetness was gone leaving plenty of hoppiness). I took a sample last night to see what the gravity reading was (1.010) and the flavour has really changed. Can't taste the hoppiness, doesn't taste particularly off (still drinkable) but there's a definite taste I can't quite put my finger on overpowering the hops. I know you aren't supposed to hold too much sway in early samples but previous batches have ended up with a very similar taste at the end such that my beers all taste samey.
My question is, is it likely something I did in the sample introduced the problem or does something happen naturally to the flavours when yeast slows down/ stops that I can look at fixing?

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[terrym]

Fermenting beer changes in the first few days as you are finding out. It's not what it tastes like in the FV that matters, it's what it tastes like later.
My suggestion is to forget all about it, let it finish, bottle or PB it, let it carb and condition for a few weeks and then taste it.
In the extremely unlikely event that you have introduced an alien you will then get to know. Chances are its fine.
If you are missing the fresh hop hit in the finished product you could consider dry hopping or a hop tea if you don't do this already.

 

[MyQul]

What yeast are you using? A yeast with a particular flavour can make different beers 'all taste the same' if you use the same yeast in everything

 

[Pope]

I've never found that the taste of the beer before carbonation/drinking is anywhere near the taste of the final product. I only taste it to see if there are any off flavours.

 

[Harto]

MyQul I've previously used Gervais GV12 this time I'm using Mangrove Jacks West Coast.

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[Harto]

Gervin obviously. Spell check.

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[Harto]

Hi. Still getting this off taste but I have a bit more info so thought I would resurrect this post. I think the off taste may be yeasty. It seems to have that tangy, sour taste and in the primary fv the taste gets stronger as I get nearer the trub. All told it's normally in primary for around 4 weeks. Got a brew fermenting (kit I was given) so I plan to rack to secondary as soon as the krausen falls to see what difference it makes. Would adding finings help? How would this affect shelf life and dry hopping? TIA.


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[serum]

Sour suggests an infection but it'll get really quite sour if that's the case.

If you have FVs with taps, make sure you clean them very well as they can have all kinds of gunk in them.

4 weeks is a long time in primary, I bottle or keg after 2 weeks usually but 3 if I can't for any reason. If I'm using secondary I tend to use glass demijohns with as little headspace as possible. A carboy would be ideal but I don't have one.

 

[terrym]

@Harto
The important thing is not what your beer tastes like one, two three or four weeks in the FV. Thats in some ways irrelevant. The important thing is what it tastes like after its been packaged, carbonated and conditioned. So what does it taste like then?

 

[Harto]

Probably should have noted the taste I was describing above is carbed in the bottled. Taste didn't really seem to change between bottling and carb/ conditioning 1-2 months later.


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[Clint]

My John bull ipa spent around 5 weeks in the fv due to getting stuck at around 2 weeks. A vicious thrashing with a broken mop stale perked it up and it finally got going. It tasted a bit sweet as expected at the stuck stage and malty, the final taste was quite different. ..very balanced,and quite boozy..in fact I could have had a pint or three then..it's been kegged and is carbing up now and will soon be banished to a dark corner of the shed until the end of May....

 

[JapanBrew]

Try secondary. Maybe a week after. Your taste buds might be sensitive to the off flavors that dead yeast can give because some of the live ones get kind of nuts and munch on the dead cells.
Also be sure to cold crash for a week before kegging. That'll really drop out the bad stuff.
If it was infected it would get worse and worse to the point of undrinkability. Those nasties continue working even in high pressure settings where the good yeast stop.