Dumped my first batch today :(

A couple months ago I attempted a Maple wheat brewed with a pretty standard american wheat base with half a pound of maple syrup at flame out and then another half at kegging. Well no matter how much I tried to convince my self other wise this stuff was just terrible. So i bottled a couple bombers and poured the remaining probably 4 gallons down the drain. Only thing that makes this so what bearable is the 5 gallons of fresh ESB that will take it's place in the keg today.

p.s. I couldnt help but hum the Darth Vader tune from Star Wars while I was pouring it out.

Sorry to hear that. How long did you let it condition? Maybe next time boil the syrup for 10 minutes and just put it all in at that point. I know thats what I do with my honey ales.

RIP Maple Wheat Beer.

Why did it suck so bad?

I have a bad batch that I'm considering dumping to free up space and bottles.

I'm also curious what was so bad about it. I'd like to use some Maple Syrup in a Belgian here soon.

Maple syrup is expensive.

Seriously, dumping 5g of beer down the drain doesn't bother y'all?

It's not ideal, but if it's not getting any better over the course of months and it's taking up keg space I would say that it's more justified than dumping it right out of the fermenter.

had to dump a batch of doppelbock because of a really off, sour/metallic taste.... no clue how it got there but opening 48 bottles and dumping them sucked big time.

WrongCoastBrewery said:

Sorry to hear that. How long did you let it condition? Maybe next time boil the syrup for 10 minutes and just put it all in at that point. I know thats what I do with my honey ales.

RIP Maple Wheat Beer.

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I let it condition for 3 months and just kept trying it.

devilishprune said:

Why did it suck so bad?

I have a bad batch that I'm considering dumping to free up space and bottles.

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Instead of it tasting like maple it just came out as residual sweetness. So it tasted like a wheat beer with a very sweet finish just not pleasant to drink. I even took a growler to a homebrew club meeting though maybe it was just me because I’ve had beers that people loved and I hated. To my expectations not a single person liked it.

bknifefight said:

I'm also curious what was so bad about it. I'd like to use some Maple Syrup in a Belgian here soon.

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I think a lot had to do wit me not priming the beer with maple syrup by just adding some in the boil it got fermented and then by just adding some at kegging it jus sat there.

passedpawn said:

Maple syrup is expensive.

Seriously, dumping 5g of beer down the drain doesn't bother y'all?

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It was very expensive syrup but it’s my own damn fault I should have made a wheat base and kegged 4 gallons or so of it and siphoned a gallon in a 1-gallon fomenter to make into maple.

passedpawn said:

Maple syrup is expensive.

Seriously, dumping 5g of beer down the drain doesn't bother y'all?

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Life's too short to drink bad beer- if my beer isn't great within 6 months or so it's going bye bye. "drinkable" is just another word for terrible.

KeithMoonsLiver said:

Life's too short to drink bad beer- if my beer isn't great within 6 months or so it's going bye bye. "drinkable" is just another word for terrible.

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I agree. I'd be disappointed, though. That's what I'm saying. And I'm sure you would be too.

passedpawn said:

I agree. I'd be disappointed, though. That's what I'm saying. And I'm sure you would be too.

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I wasn't dissapointed when I dumped 40 bottles of diacytel laden brown ale a few months ago. It was so bad I could barely stand to smell them as I dumped them out.

Hey, I got label free bottles for my next batch and I learned how to keep diacytel out of my beer. Win-win.

If you think making bad beer is a win, there are some easy ways to ensure it turns out that way

passedpawn said:

If you think making bad beer is a win, there are some easy ways to ensure it turns out that way

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That's not what I meant. I meant that learning how NOT to make bad beer is a win.

I'm with you man, I've got a case of an octoberfest ale that's been in bottles for about a year and has tasted like ass the entire time. I'll probably keep a 6er laying around for a few years to give Revvy a chance to be right about never ever ever dumping beer.

Hey guys. I'm new to homebrewing and on my second batch I found a recipe for a Tommy knocker maple nut brown ale. It smelled really good when I put it in the primary fermented. However, after a couple days the smell almost made me throw up. I just transferred it into the secondary about an hour ago and when I smelled it it had the worst smell ever! It was like really gassy/ vinegary. Anybody have problems like this? My first batch, a pale ale never smelled bad. Will this go away? I wasn't sure if i had an infection and should just pour it out.??? I'm new to this website and wasn't sure where to post this. Also i checked the gravity and OG was 1.052 and now its down to 1.006 and still has another week in the secondary. Any suggestions?

I come from Quebec. We bathe in maple syrup but even the thought of adding a pound of it to anything makes me cringe. Sorry to hear about your loss...

I am about to do the same thing with a concoction that I made and let the airlock dry up. There is a layer of mold on the top

TheDom said:

I'm with you man, I've got a case of an octoberfest ale that's been in bottles for about a year and has tasted like ass the entire time. I'll probably keep a 6er laying around for a few years to give Revvy a chance to be right about never ever ever dumping beer.

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LMFAO.. Cool wrap-up.

nugsfan said:

Hey guys. I'm new to homebrewing and on my second batch I found a recipe for a Tommy knocker maple nut brown ale. It smelled really good when I put it in the primary fermented. However, after a couple days the smell almost made me throw up. I just transferred it into the secondary about an hour ago and when I smelled it it had the worst smell ever! It was like really gassy/ vinegary. Anybody have problems like this? My first batch, a pale ale never smelled bad. Will this go away? I wasn't sure if i had an infection and should just pour it out.??? I'm new to this website and wasn't sure where to post this. Also i checked the gravity and OG was 1.052 and now its down to 1.006 and still has another week in the secondary. Any suggestions?

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Even in the midst of this thread, I would still say bottle it up and let it sit and condition for three weeks at least before you make any rash decisions. Although people here have been saying that they've dumped batches, it seems like the minimum time was 3 months before doing so.

USUALLY, beer gets better with time and I would suggest that before passing judgment on your newborn brew, let it grow up in bottles a bit before you kick it out of the house.

Well you were right with not dumping it. It actually has turned in to one of the best beers yet! It was a Tommy Knocker Maple Nut Brown Ale. I guess you should never dump anything. Always give it a chance!

i've only ever dumped two batches, but almost dumped three. glad i didn't dump the third, cause it's one of the best i ever brewed, just took a couple years to age. the other two? well, one was so oxidized that i couldn't stand to smell it. the second was a smoked beer that i just really, really, really didn't like.

sorry for you loss, now get brewin' again!