First kit: Ready to drink?

[StuAlban]

Hello all,
I made my first kit a few weeks ago, details in this thread:http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=23726&start=0
It was bottled on 1st April (14 days ago) and was kept in a warm dark place for 2 days and then transferred to a cool dark place. Therefore it has been conditioning in a cool place for 12 days.
There is a little bit of sediment in the bottles (which built up in the first couple of days) and it seemed to clear quite quickly over the first week and looks very clear, not at all cloudy. It is quite easy to see this because I used clear PET bottles - not sure I'll do this again though as it doesn't feel 'right'.
Do you think now is a good time to give it a go? The kit instructions say 14 days in a cool place or until the beer is clear.

 

[alanywiseman.]

Nothing wrong with a taste test, for research purposes. The general rule of thumb is a week for every 0.010 drop in the gravity but the longer you can leave it the better.

If you give it a taste and it is sweet you will need to bring the bottles back into the warm to carbonate more, I usually have them in the warm for 2 weeks.

 

[abeyptfc]

are the bottles firm? does it feel like it has carbonated? i usually leave mine in the warm for 2 weeks then out to the shed to condition

 

[RobWalker]

Theres no reason you cant really try at this point - patience will make it better though!

 

[StuAlban]

The bottles are firm so I guess it has carbonated. I suppose that although I've moved it to a cooler place in the house it probably isn't much cooler than where it was when fermenting. On that basis you could say it's been in a warm place for two weeks and now needs to go somewhere cooler. As it has drop in gravity was 0.034 I will need 3 and a half weeks.
What sort of temperature might it experience in the shed and is there any danger of it being too cold?

 

[StuAlban]

I tasted my first homebrew today and was very pleased with the results. I'm sure it will improve with age as suggested.
Thanks for all the advice received from forum members.
Cheers,
Stu.