How good/bad does your beer taste after primary?

[morethanworts]

Most of my brews tasted pretty bad straight after the primary fermentation. When I say bad, I mean like there was no hope of them ever tasting genuinely nice. And so that proved to be the case, for many of them, unfortunately. Not vinegary or noticeably infected, but just very homebrewy.

Some improved in the bottles or in secondary, some didn't, but THE best brew I ever did (a bitter from extract, hops and 12oz crystal malt) tasted distinctly better than the rest, even just after the primary stage. It's hard to explain, but even full of yeast and with no condition, it tasted 7/10 as good as it did after 6 days in secondary and a few weeks in the keg.

So I'm pretty pessimistic when a sample after primary tastes poor. However, one lager I made did once improve massively in secondary, even at room temperature, with a bad taste really dropping out. I'd even poured one gallon away, giving up hope

This is not intended to be a thread about 'patience', by the way. Just 'early indication'. Let's assume we're all able to leave it and only really judge after several weeks.

How promising do you expect the taste of your beer to be after primary?

 

[PD]

I never taste it after primary fermentation, It goes straight into a second FV for a couple of weeks to drop the yearst.
It usually gets tasted as its bottled, but then that's just an unscientific way to see if its not gone to vinegar !
You cannot tell how a beer is going to turn out at that stage. Even bad beers can come good in 6 months.

 

[pittsy]

As you say some beers do taste too bitter or rough but on the whole you can get a good idea of how it's gonna come along , i've just tasted a batch i'm bottling today and i'm sure it's a good 1 , just needs around 4 weeks or so and i'll be drinking it (ag wheat beer)

 

[bobsbeer]

Most of mine seem to taste fine after fermenting, but I don't do secondary fermenting and go straight to bottle/keg after about 2 weeks. But some seem to taste better in bottles or vice versa in a keg. Not quite figured out that one yet.

 

[wigwamheed]

Sometimes they can smell a bit rough at this stage but always taste pretty good. Gives an idea of how it will end up

 

[BIGJIM72]

But some seem to taste better in bottles or vice versa in a keg. Not quite figured out that one yet.

I think you lose a little hop flavour when you keg,& some lighter beers seem more flavoursome with the extra fizz from bottling.

 

[Welshman]

I must be good or lucky, the last 3 brews I've made have been very good a couple of days after priming.
Youngs lager, wherry,now my latest Geordie winter warmer. Dont give up because age can improve your brew.

Cheers Welshman :hat:

 

[Ian...]

Taste is subjective. I returned to brewing last September and have done about 20 kits now (saving AG for retirement). I have only done done two can kits apart from a proprietary branded lager which turned out pretty good. I have tasted every one from the primary after fermentation and my reaction is always 'I can tell that is going to be good'. Haven't had an awful tasting one yet. But as I said, taste is subjective.

 

[morethanworts]

Thanks - it's great to hear your stories - keep 'm coming!

To elaborate a little, that 'best one ever' I mentioned was probably around the 15th-20th brew I'd done and, if it wasn't for the fact that the yeast would have made me ill and there was no fizz, I could have quite literally drunk it there and then, after 5 days in primary, at 1.013 down from 1.042. It just didn't have any off tastes whatsoever: my notes record it as a completely professional taste - which I know can be a contentious phrase - but I tend to be very self-critical and it truly was fantastic. This was confirmed by some grateful but candid real-ale drinking friends. I've only ever had one other brew that I probably couldn't pick out from a commercial line-up, though I don't have notes that record the stages of that one.

My failure to be able to recreate this success reliably has probably led to a gap of 8 years brewing until now!

 

[winelight]

Usually mine taste really, really good after primary (that's even without the extra week in the cold to settle). But I tasted a Sundew a day or two ago when I checked the SG before moving to the cold and it was revolting. I think that's to do with US-05, though. I'll try it again when I bottle it in a week, I'm sure it will be better then. I can see it clearing down - there's a distinct clearer layer at the top.

 

[marksa222]

My first and only beer so far to have got out of primary was a coopers real ale. I drank some of the sample I took for the FG, but to give it a decent chance I chilled it for 10 mins first, just to get it down from the 20 degrees it was being kept at. It was quite watery at first but when the taste settled, it gave me hope of a nice beer to come. Only time will tellif i'm right. Will be trying in about 3 weeks after being in the bottles for 4.

 

[morethanworts]

Usually mine taste really, really good after primary (that's even without the extra week in the cold to settle). But I tasted a Sundew a day or two ago when I checked the SG before moving to the cold and it was revolting. I think that's to do with US-05, though. I'll try it again when I bottle it in a week, I'm sure it will be better then. I can see it clearing down - there's a distinct clearer layer at the top.

:clap: Tasting really good by the end of primary is obviously very desirable! No finger-crossing for weeks on end. I've never had a poor taste turn REALLY good - even that lager I mentioned was just OK (drinkable) after many weeks, where before it had been pretty bad.

I don't really want to have to wait weeks on end for a basic, top-fermenting ale, when I've brewed at least one that tasted superb within days.