How soon can I drink my beer??

PedroPete

I've only just kegged my first ever home brew on Wednesday and I was wondering if it is okay to drink after a week? I know that I should leave it for 2-4 weeks but I'm off to Glastonbury on Wednesday and am wondering is it ok to take some as I don't want to make any of us ill !!!

HBO_Staff

It varies from brew to brew on how long it takes to condition in the bottles and for the secondary fermentation. Ideally keep the barrel or bottles in a warm place for a few days as this helps the priming sugar to dissolve and pressurise the bottles as it ferments. If you drink the brew before it is ready, the biggest problem is it will be flat as it has not had time to carbonate, and the flavour in the early stages can be lacking or not properly developed. Some brews are ready to be drank after a week, but the full flavours are unlikely to have developed and be at their best. Give it a try first, see how the flavours are and if it has carbonated, once it tastes good it is ready for drinking. 

Just one other thing, if transporting the brew it may turn a little cloudy of there is any sediment in there as it will get mixed up again, it will settle again if given time, and whilst it may make the brew appear cloudy, small amounts of sediment wont affect the taste