Never dump your beer!!! Patience IS a virtue!!! Time heals all things, even beer!

[SWhitedog]

I brewed a batch in summer 2011 that fermed too hot, and thus threw off some terrible flavors. Drinkable, but who brews for "drinkable" beer? They have Coors for that.

Well, 2 full years later, it's more than drinkable. It's not great, but I can serve to guests without being embarrassed.

Frankly, I wish I tossed it two years ago, but now I'm stuck waiting to see how much it improves from here.

 

[m3n00b]

I brewed a batch in summer 2011 that fermed too hot, and thus threw off some terrible flavors. Drinkable, but who brews for "drinkable" beer? They have Coors for that.

Well, 2 full years later, it's more than drinkable. It's not great, but I can serve to guests without being embarrassed.

Frankly, I wish I tossed it two years ago, but now I'm stuck waiting to see how much it improves from here.

2 years got rid of the fusels?

 

[socencounter]

Honestly I love the plastic buckets myself. I wouldn't mind using the glass if it weren't for cleaning the krausen all contortionist style after. I have a bad back so homebrewing is one area I do my best to avoid as much lifting as I can too, and plastic makes things so much easier.

You are right about the cleaning the krausen which is a pain. My approach is to add some liquid soap & fill up the carboy with water all the way up to the neck and leave it for a day. Next day just empty the water and the krausen would rub off easily with a spunge! No need to lift the carboy. Just keep it near the sink for a day and drain the water by tilting the carboy!
Or as you said just use a bucket

 

[Cheapo]

You are right about the cleaning the krausen which is a pain. My approach is to add some liquid soap & fill up the carboy with water all the way up to the neck and leave it for a day. Next day just empty the water and the krausen would rub off easily with a spunge! No need to lift the carboy. Just keep it near the sink for a day and drain the water by tilting the carboy!
Or as you said just use a bucket

I love being able to get into a bucket easily and also take big heavy swipes at the leftover krausen, or material in question.

 

[Pelican521]

I'm hoping time will heal my chocolate oatmeal stout, I bottled early May. It was an Oatmeal Stout PM kit I bought from Northern Brewer that I added 4oz of Cacao nibs to the secondary for 2 weeks. I planned on soaking the nibs overnight in vodka but when I went to rack to my secondary that day the fermentation wasn't done (after 2 weeks in primary), so I left it for another week (as well as the nibs in the vodka in the fridge).

After 5 weeks (combined primary and secondary time) I bottled early May. I tried one after 3 weeks and as someone here described his chocolate stout, it had a taste like carbonated soy sauce which to an immediate trip down the drain. It was horrible tasting, I wouldn't even call it beer...

I tried a few more bottles once or twice a month and the taste was still there. I let a month go by and tried another bottle (just this past Friday), and the soy sauce taste seemed to be a little less but was still there and I was able to drink almost half a bottle before it took a trip down the drain.

I'm hoping it will mellow out with more age and I'm going to give it another month before I crack another one open. It will have been bottled for 4 months as of the first week in Sept.

Anyone else with a similar Stout story that has a happy ending?

 

[PricePeeler]

I'm hoping time will heal my chocolate oatmeal stout, I bottled early May. It was an Oatmeal Stout PM kit I bought from Northern Brewer that I added 4oz of Cacao nibs to the secondary for 2 weeks. I planned on soaking the nibs overnight in vodka but when I went to rack to my secondary that day the fermentation wasn't done (after 2 weeks in primary), so I left it for another week (as well as the nibs in the vodka in the fridge).

After 5 weeks (combined primary and secondary time) I bottled early May. I tried one after 3 weeks and as someone here described his chocolate stout, it had a taste like carbonated soy sauce which to an immediate trip down the drain. It was horrible tasting, I wouldn't even call it beer...

I tried a few more bottles once or twice a month and the taste was still there. I let a month go by and tried another bottle (just this past Friday), and the soy sauce taste seemed to be a little less but was still there and I was able to drink almost half a bottle before it took a trip down the drain.

I'm hoping it will mellow out with more age and I'm going to give it another month before I crack another one open. It will have been bottled for 4 months as of the first week in Sept.

Anyone else with a similar Stout story that has a happy ending?

I would skip opening another in a month, and hide it in the back of a closet or fridge for a few more months. Brew something else with a quick turnaround for now.
Take care...

 

[socencounter]

I'm hoping time will heal my chocolate oatmeal stout, I bottled early May. It was an Oatmeal Stout PM kit I bought from Northern Brewer that I added 4oz of Cacao nibs to the secondary for 2 weeks. I planned on soaking the nibs overnight in vodka but when I went to rack to my secondary that day the fermentation wasn't done (after 2 weeks in primary), so I left it for another week (as well as the nibs in the vodka in the fridge).

After 5 weeks (combined primary and secondary time) I bottled early May. I tried one after 3 weeks and as someone here described his chocolate stout, it had a taste like carbonated soy sauce which to an immediate trip down the drain. It was horrible tasting, I wouldn't even call it beer...

I tried a few more bottles once or twice a month and the taste was still there. I let a month go by and tried another bottle (just this past Friday), and the soy sauce taste seemed to be a little less but was still there and I was able to drink almost half a bottle before it took a trip down the drain.

I'm hoping it will mellow out with more age and I'm going to give it another month before I crack another one open. It will have been bottled for 4 months as of the first week in Sept.

Anyone else with a similar Stout story that has a happy ending?

This kinda reminds me of my first brew which was an American ale. It was so bitter even after a month in the bottle that I literally had to wash my mouth with soap I tasted the same after a whopping 9 months and found that the bitterness has mellowed drastically and was drinkable. So I would say just get out of the way and let it stand for a few more months. Good Luck!

 

[TexasBrew88]

I brewed a cream ale with wlp080 that my brew partner kept at his apartment to condition. He lost power during the Texas summer while he was out of town. More banana esters than a hefe. Said screw it, lagered in bottles for 2 months, and whabam, crisp, very little banana left. I think 2 more months should finish it off. Heck, I still have a few Belgian dark strongs that were cloying at 3 months, passable at 6, and decent at 9. Without reading this thread, I would have dumped it long ago. Thanks, Rev!

 

[troy2000]

Honestly I love the plastic buckets myself. I wouldn't mind using the glass if it weren't for cleaning the krausen all contortionist style after. I have a bad back so homebrewing is one area I do my best to avoid as much lifting as I can too, and plastic makes things so much easier.

My cure for dirty carboys... made from a wood dowel, a piece of synthetic chamois, and a couple of small tacks to hold the chamois in the slot. I add a couple of inches of Oxyclean and water to the carboy, roll it around a bit to wet everything, let it set for a few minutes, then stand it up and go to town.





It has the monster drill motor on it because I used a 1/2" dowel. I've since sanded the end down, so it fits into an easier-to-handle 3/8" battery-powered drill.

The chamois is cut to about the inside diameter of the carboy.

 

[satyrbassist]

I'm hoping time will heal my chocolate oatmeal stout, I bottled early May. It was an Oatmeal Stout PM kit I bought from Northern Brewer that I added 4oz of Cacao nibs to the secondary for 2 weeks. I planned on soaking the nibs overnight in vodka but when I went to rack to my secondary that day the fermentation wasn't done (after 2 weeks in primary), so I left it for another week (as well as the nibs in the vodka in the fridge). After 5 weeks (combined primary and secondary time) I bottled early May. I tried one after 3 weeks and as someone here described his chocolate stout, it had a taste like carbonated soy sauce which to an immediate trip down the drain. It was horrible tasting, I wouldn't even call it beer... I tried a few more bottles once or twice a month and the taste was still there. I let a month go by and tried another bottle (just this past Friday), and the soy sauce taste seemed to be a little less but was still there and I was able to drink almost half a bottle before it took a trip down the drain. I'm hoping it will mellow out with more age and I'm going to give it another month before I crack another one open. It will have been bottled for 4 months as of the first week in Sept. Anyone else with a similar Stout story that has a happy ending?

Man am I glad I stumbled onto this thread! I have brewed 6 or 7 stouts and my wife always says she tastes soy sauce. Condition for another month or so...gone! I also want to know if other brewers get the soy sauce taste. Is it something doing in my routine? Is it just a young stout thing? I never get this with any other beer

 

[Zepth]

Allow me to first say that I am guilty of sending a small batch right to the drain. I'm sure it was entirely incapable of being salvaged. Upon reading into things after the fact I discovered a couple problems. What is done is done, mistakes can be learned from.

2)Never dump a batch unless it has mold or other noticeable signs of infection confirmed by a brewer with more experience than you. Or if it tastes, as Evan says, "like Satan's anus."

Yes sir. That sums it up nicely.

5)Never ever believe that you beer is frail, weak or easily "damaged." It really is hard to ruin your beer, no matter what bonehead n00b mistake you may think you made...

Entirely failing the starch to sugar conversion. Result: starchy water with some fermented table sugar. I think I managed to find a way to screw it up beyond repair. Amylase and nutrient were suggested and tried to no avail.

On a happier note I am happy to add onto the "stouts get better with age" topic. Mine (Double Oatmeal) has come quite a way in just a couple extra weeks. I am looking forward to seeing what it would be like in a month, but I fear it won't survive that long - it's the only beer in the place. Current task is building up that important stockpile. I have just bottled a Scottish Heavy, have a generic ale in the secondary and IPA in the primary. This will mean some batches will be ready while others condition alleviating the problem of either drinking it as it conditions or having nothing to drink at all.

 

[troy2000]

Put me down as a believer.

My first batch was two gallons from a Mr. Beer kit I bought for half off at a Kmart. For my second one, I ordered their seasonal Saison kit. While I was waiting for it to arrive, the Mr. Beer little brown jug fermenter blew out of my pickup bed; it's somewhere between Blythe and Indio alongside the I-10 freeway, unless someone found it and took it home.

So I decided to do a four gallon batch, half extract and half grain. But when I asked the owner of my LHBS about hops he apparently didn't understand that the extract was HME (already hopped). So he told me to add 1 1/2 oz of Mt. Hood to the boil at one hour, and another 1 1/2 oz at ten minutes. To top it off, I decided it was a shame to waste the extra half-oz in each packet of hop pellets, so I used two and two instead.

The ale came out almost mouth-puckering bitter when I got around to bottling it; and I had little hope for it. But I had just read this thread. So I decided, "never say die."

That was about three months and three batches ago; I moved on into all grain. But this week I popped some of those bottles, and was amazed. It isn't that the hops have gone away; they just became part of a surprisingly complex, tasty ale. I had one tonight, sandwiched between a couple of Lagunitas IPA's - and enjoyed it more than them.

 

[SamLynchburg]

I stand condemned. My first batch was a full 5 gallons but my second and third were attempts at 2.5gal that ended more around 2.25. I planned to just primary these. A northern english brown and a Sierra Nevada clone. Both normal ABV.

The brown was first. About 2wks out I wanted to take a grav reading. Sanitized up and pulled a sample. Good FG and tasted good. Like a flat brown. I was excited. About a week later I decided to bottle. Opened it up and it smelled different. Not much aroma to speak of. Took a gravity reading and it was the same. I didn't notice any extra activity in the carboy after taking the reading. Just didn't taste like it did. I thought this had to mean something was wrong. I understand unfinished beer is not gonna taste like finished product but in a week it seemed like it went from palatable and flavorful unfinished product to tasteless strange smelling product. I got nervous/upset. . . dumped. I just assumed if it tastes bad going into the bottle there's no way its gonna get better. I guess I know now.

The pale is kind of a funny story. The same day as dumping the brown I got impatient and decided I needed to do something. So since my 3 gal carboy was free I sanitized it and transferred from the primary to the 3gal carboy. I tasted a sample and it was great. Great hop flavor and aroma. I felt good that at least this one was ok. However, that night I got nervous that a 2.25gal batch in a 3 gal carboy would have way to much headspace and it would have oxidation problems. I decided to bottle it in the morning just to get it out of the O2. I got set up the next morning, opened the carboy and instantly smelled a different smell. Very similar to the one with the brown. Tasted some, no hop flavor, no hop aroma. Just kind of a alcohol bite. I don't know enough about off flavors to identify it. I just don't understand how the flavor and aroma could change so much overnight. Needless to say. . . dumped. I assumed I was dealing with an infection or oxidation and was under the impression these are two things you can't return from.

Luckily these were small batches and I do feel like they allowed me to get familiar with the brewing side of things. Brew day for these went pretty smoothly. I started AG on my second batch, the brown. Since they are small I did BIAB on the stove top. No extra equipment.

Anywho, I feel pretty dumb right now. But I know it's all learning experience. Nice to learn it all now. I think this experience will only make me better. Thanks Revvy for the encouragement.

 

[SamLynchburg]

I'll also add that fortunately my first batch actually made it into bottles. After reading some stories I'm glad I have my first ever home brew batch that I can sit on for as long as I need. Its an extract pumpkin spice porter. I am a little worried about it though because I bottled half of it one night then went to bed leaving my primed beer in the bucket with just the lid laying on top. Hopefully the second half of the batch actually carbs. But i'll wait it out as long as I have to.

 

[T29]

my 3rd batch of stout was horrible and dumped it. yuk.

 

[mbobhat]

I made a batch of zombie dust clone, but with pilsner malt and london esb yeast. I later found those two combinations are probably the worst, as the beer becomes way too sweet. Since I kegged it, after about a week of trying to make it good, I made a tea of some brown malt I had handy, and put that in the keg. I am happy to say that drinking it now with a little bit of gypsum added to the glass for increased bitterness, it is not zombie dust, but it is not bad either!!!

 

[richl025]

So glad I found this thread! I just bottled a "Caribou Slobber" from NB yesterday, and it tasted like @$$ - probably from fermenting in a warm 74 degree room.... I had planned to give it 2-3 weeks in the bottle to see if any magic happened, and I will be patient until then, but after reading this thread I will not dump it, but check in again in a few months if it's still funky in 3 weeks....

 

[progmac]

So glad I found this thread! I just bottled a "Caribou Slobber" from NB yesterday, and it tasted like @$$ - probably from fermenting in a warm 74 degree room.... I had planned to give it 2-3 weeks in the bottle to see if any magic happened, and I will be patient until then, but after reading this thread I will not dump it, but check in again in a few months if it's still funky in 3 weeks....

that's a good example of a situation where the beer should be quite a bit better after 2 or 3 months.

 

[ryno1981]

So glad I found this thread! I just bottled a "Caribou Slobber" from NB yesterday, and it tasted like @$$ - probably from fermenting in a warm 74 degree room.... I had planned to give it 2-3 weeks in the bottle to see if any magic happened, and I will be patient until then, but after reading this thread I will not dump it, but check in again in a few months if it's still funky in 3 weeks....

Let it bottle condition for at least 3 months, trust me. I bottled some in October and it wasn't very good after 4 weeks. Left it in the basement till a couple days ago. Absolutely amazing now! I could not be happier with it.

 

[richl025]

Thanks progmac and ryno1981! I'll give it a taste in 2 or 3 weeks just for the experience, but otherwise sock it away for a few months like you suggested!

Rich

 

[narl79]

Im now a believer revvy. I made a Scottish ale 6 months ago you couldnt pay me to drink. Reading this thread when I first started brewing gave me hope and I just tried it yesterday at a party and now my friends are trying to buy it off me ( all mine and my dads im not stingy i am not by any means a patient person but for some reason with beer I can be go figure... anyways thanks again revvy.

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Home Brew mobile app

 

[drainbamage]

So glad I found this thread! I just bottled a "Caribou Slobber" from NB yesterday, and it tasted like @$$ - probably from fermenting in a warm 74 degree room.... I had planned to give it 2-3 weeks in the bottle to see if any magic happened, and I will be patient until then, but after reading this thread I will not dump it, but check in again in a few months if it's still funky in 3 weeks....

Lately, my beer has been tasting best a month or two after when it should be ready. Don't give up on it yet!

 

[PackerfaninSanDiego]

The title of this topic is miss leading.....I have dumped a few batches for various reasons. But one that is not true, is eventually it will carbonate. It's BS. I have a Coconut Porter brewed Oct 2012 and it has yet to carb. The reason it did not carb is because I had my bottled beer in a closet that was too cold and it killed the yeast. Thought the yeast would come to life after keeping it warm, but over a year later it's still flat. Certain yeast does die if it is in a cold environment. I do have two bottles left of my Coconut Porter that have never carbonated.

 

[SamLynchburg]

Packer, I guess the title could be seen as misleading with the use of the word "never", but Revvy made it pretty clear there are a few reasons (after giving it enough time. And then some) to dump a batch. I think he just wants new brewers (like myself) to calm down and not be so quick to dump a batch. I've been wondering though if you could take the uncarbed beer out of the bottles and force carb it. Maybe you wouldn't have to dump a batch after all.

 

[mikerothery]

I nearly dumped my first ever brew a month ago but bottled it with a grimace on my face with my 12 yo step daughter eagerly helping. I'm sat here now drinking it all happy!!

Sent from my HUAWEI G510-0200 using Home Brew mobile app

 

[brandonman]

When you're dumping cash on college like me, brew is brew

Only things I've ever dumped before my new beer escapades were an attempt at kilju that ended up tasting like sugar in water (because it WAS) without any alcoholic flavor (I think I tried too early). It was so sugary I literally felt sick to my stomach. The other was one of my off the wall ideas - I pitched yeast into a half gallon of Dr. Pepper mixed with cane sugar for fermentables. It bubbled and fermented nicely, but ended up smelling like ass and vinegar and had the NASTIEST deposit you will ever see from the bubbling it did

 

[uncleben113]

Thank you for posting this Revvy. I wish I would have seen this prior to dumping a couple of my early batches. I recently fermented a couple of batches hot and was worried about them being ruined but I am going to be patient and give them lots of time.

Thanks again!

 

[GT944]

Hmmm... Bubblegum flavor - has anyone had the "home brew" from 'Bout Time Pub and Grub? (Chain sports bar that has some locations in SLC, UT) theirs tastes bubblegummy - really shoddy. I'm told theirs is brewed by Coors, perhaps? Some national brand that frankly isn't that great.

Good story - I'll keep this in mind.


-GT

Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[drainbamage]

Hmmm... Bubblegum flavor - has anyone had the "home brew" from 'Bout Time Pub and Grub? (Chain sports bar that has some locations in SLC, UT) theirs tastes bubblegummy - really shoddy. I'm told theirs is brewed by Coors, perhaps? Some national brand that frankly isn't that great.

Good story - I'll keep this in mind.


-GT

Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

Haven't had that one, but bubblegum flavors can show up sometimes at warmer fermentation temperatures, especially in styles like hefeweizens. It isn't always considered out of place.

If it is, in fact brewed by Coors, they should better control over those factors.

 

[Mattsbrewername]

I just made my first batch ( bsg saison kit) and I bottled after 6 days, the SG was at intended range ( 1.010, and instructions said 3-7 days).
It's not clear at all, perhaps more time will help. I tasted it and it was good just flat and smells good. But my question is; does longer bottle conditioning improve all beers of just most?

 

[skw]

One of my early AG attempts never came to a full boil, just 60 minutes of simmering. Came out extremely cloudy.

After 5 months in the cold basement, the bottles are crystal clear with a thick sediment at the bottom.

 

[ncbrewer]

I just made my first batch ( bsg saison kit) and I bottled after 6 days, the SG was at intended range ( 1.010, and instructions said 3-7 days).
It's not clear at all, perhaps more time will help. I tasted it and it was good just flat and smells good. But my question is; does longer bottle conditioning improve all beers of just most?

It's recommended to check the gravity 2 - 3 days apart to make sure it's stable. If it's still dropping, wait and check again later. If it keeps fermenting in the bottles, you could get bottle bombs. It's more about safety than beer quality.

 

[MusicalBrewer]

I brewed my first beer one year ago. It was a simple extract recipe but I screwed it up. It was nearly undrinkable for me. I didn't dump it, but I gave almost all of it away to some heavy drinkers I work with. They would drink other beer first and once they were buzzed then the awful taste of my beer didn't matter and they would drink it.

I kept 2 bottles stashed away for the hell of it. I had some friends over a couple weeks back and decided to break out one of these bottles. I wanted to show them how far I had come in my brewing--give them a taste of this awful beer, and then a taste of one of my good beers. Well to my surprise this beer that I couldn't stand almost a year ago was really good. I don't mean just drinkable, but actually good.

I'm amazed that time can do that! I wish I would have taken this thread to heart a year ago--I would have 50 more bottles of beer in my stash now.

 

[Dangeruss]

My brew buddy and I had some problems. We did about 3 or 4 batches and all had this terrible taste. At first he thought we didn't clean the kegs good enough. Then he notice a scratch in a couple of plastic fermenting buckets and thought it was those. He bought a new conical and that beer had the same taste. Turns out one time he was brewing he took a drink out of the newly purchased rv/marine hose we started to use. It tasted the same as the beer profile was giving off. You think time will cure this off flavor?

 

[RPCidery]

I made a SMASH with two year old (sealed) Cooper's lite extract and three ounces of Saaz, just to see what it would turn out to be. Three days in primary, 10 days in glass, then kegged. For the first couple of weeks, it was undrinkable, tasted like Worcestershire. During the third week, the off taste subsided pretty rapidly. Now in the fifth week, I'm thinking about making it again, as it is getting pretty darn tasty. Either time healed it, or I've developed a taste for drinking meat marinade.:cross:

 

[TasunkaWitko]

This is an inspirational story - thanks for sharing, and for the lesson in patience!

 

[Talbotway]

So real quick question. I am new to brewing and have had 2 great IPA's brewed on my first 2 at bat. Then I became sloppy, I was drinking as much of my brew as I was brewing an all day session,(3 5 gal batches) and I got sloppy. On one batch I got all the way to bottling before I relized I had added no priming sugar, so in my dazed state I boiled up a simple solution, opened each cap and added (various) amounts of sugar water then recapped and stored. This was 7 months ago now. I have noticed a little (drying out) less sweetness in some that I have tasted, of course I believe that they are are all different levels of syrup added. I have since had bottle explode mear moments after moving one from the garage to the kitchen counter.

My question is, If I chilled these down,, could I still dry them out without risking more bombs ,, or is opening the caps and resting 30 min and recapping a better idea. Im sure you guys have heard it all before,, and I simply don't have the heart to throw this beer away.

Lesson learned,, don't try and drink as much as you are making and always,, always respect the process!!

Thanks

 

[RPCidery]

It takes a lot of training to be able to brew and drink at the same time.:cross: More practice is probably in order for you. Chilling them will slow the yeast to a crawl, and may stop them completely, depending on which yeast you used. It will also prevent carbonation.
Having the bottles primed in an uneven way just ain't good. Were it me, I would put them in a box somewhere that will be easy to clean in the event of broken bottles (Rubbermaid totes are pretty cheap) and let 'em go. The other alternative would be to open them all and dump them into you bottling bucket, but you are going to get a lot of aeration and likely ruin your beer with that option.

 

[Rotor_Head]

This is great gouge, Revvy. While I'm only on the first batch ever, I think the process of brewing is more fun being able to focus on making the beer and less of being nervous of ballin' it up. And now I'll think twice about dumping a beer.

 

[BadBeagleBrew]

I finally get to join this thread. Made a stout Og 1.063, fermented with Notty for the first time in a while, I completely forgot how active that yeast is, well my ferm temps must have got high. The taste coming out of the fermenter was completely overwhelming of a hot alcohol taste that I could only think of as a cheap whisky. So I kegged it with some priming sugar and a shot of CO2 and have sent it into the depths of my basement to be forgotten about. I also bottled four 500ml bottles and primed with a little maple syrup that I made from our trees. Hopefully in a few months I can report back with a success story, hopefully headache free.