2 Bad batches, very frustrating!

I have 2 batches that I just tried for the first time this past week. AHS Holiday ale (brewed early December, bottled Jan 4th) and a Hefeweizen from a local brewstore ( brewed Jan 4th, kegged 2 wks later). The holiday ale came out very spicy and just doesn't taste very good. I am hoping in time the spices settle. The hefe is alright, it just doesn't have much taste. I've been brewing for over a year and have about 10 great batches under my belt, so this was very frustrating. I can't wait to brew a new batch and get past these batches. Until then I have a lot of mediocre beer drinking to attend to! Any other stories of brewing disappointment out there?

Yep thats the only downside to home brewing... you have to drink it

As far as the spices go those will dissipate over time.

For your Hefeweizen; how high did you ferment? Hefeweizens are yeast driven in flavor, if your fermentation temps were too low then you probably didn't get enough ester/phenol flavors.

Room temp, anywhere from 65-75