Don't like my latest batch, now what?

[lmacmil]

Brewed the Austin Homebrew Bell's Oberon clone. Neither I nor my son thinks it tastes like Oberon. I really don't care for it and now I've got 40+ bottles. I can probably give away a 6 pack or two but I'm still going to be stuck with a lot of beer. I've had several people taste it and most like it so it's me, not the beer.

For anyone that has brewed a batch of beer they didn't care for, what did you do? Give it away, pour it down the drain, grin and beer it???

 

[Freddy57]

I've had a few batches that I really didn't care for the taste. I mixed it with other beers with stronger flavors and it went down pretty well.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Brew something else and try the first after some time or blend it with another beer.

 

[cruckin78]

I say brew something else you will like and keep giving the others away.

 

[hotbrew]

Throw a big party at your place to have everyone drink it up. Don't let anyone else bring any other kind of beer or liquor to the party and everyone will be forced to drink it for you.

 

[rjwhite41]

Grin and bear it here. I also have a rule in my house for cooking: "if you burn it, you eat it."

 

[two_hearted]

I usually drink a few, dump a couple, then get mad at myself for wasting beer and I let it sit for another few weeks and repeat. I've got to try some blending.

 

[zuesy]

The batches I don't like (which are admittedly few) are the ones I hand out when someone asks "Can I have a beer?".

 

[batty]

give it more time! you never know how it might get better after some time in the bottle. I've had many a brew turn from mediocre-bad to great within a few months time.

or, just suck it up and drink it.


Most importantly, figure out what you don't like about it, do your research, and make it better next time!

 

[edie]

it's the holidays, invite some people over and let them drink and you can move on to something else. we had the opposite problem, had 3 on tap that we really liked had a party and kicked all 3 kegs except for about a gallon.

 

[japhroaig]

yeah, inflict it on your friends and family. different people have different tastes, maybe they'll like it more.

on the other hand, if it really is a stinker, maybe they won't bug you for homebrew after they try it (I kid, i kid)

 

[Hannable1975]

OK, I had a very similar experience.

Brewed a Brewer's Best English Brown Ale. First Impression - blah. Not "bad" - just boring.

Now, I got three kids and a wife, and am the sole income - if I go dumping pout beer this little Hobby would get SWMBO on the Thou Shalt Not Waste Money warpath - so I put them back, and eventually put some in the fridge for visitors.

Fast forward - had a little get together, and folks were enjoying brew and bar be que. Folks RAVED about the beer - the one I did not like. SO I tried another one. TOTAL turnaround - somehow, by age, magic, or the aide of the beer gods, it became great.

I drank the last one about a month ago. I have contemplated re-ordering the kit now, especially now that I have a super full pipeline, because I know if I brew it and age it long enough, it is super good.

Moral - don't toss it out - yet. Don't give it ALL away - yet. Hold on to at least a few - you may get one heck of a surprise... It may not be the clone you were shooting for - but it might just turn out to be a whole another great beer...

 

[Daybis]

With batches I don't like. I either suck it up and drink them anyways, or I'll let them age a bit. I had a saison earlier this year I really didn't care much for. I drink it anyways because it was my first kegged batch. Eventually the flavors got better with time and I eventually ended up liking the batch by the end. I'll never dump beer and I usually won't give it away either.

 

[lmacmil]

With batches I don't like. I either suck it up and drink them anyways, or I'll let them age a bit... I'll never dump beer and I usually won't give it away either.

This is probably what I will end up doing. It's been in the bottle for almost 8 weeks now so I'm not optimistic that the basic flavor will change much. I'll just suck it up, who knows, maybe I'll develop a taste. This was my 6th home brew batch and the first one I didn't like so I guess I'm not doing too badly.

 

[vicratlhead51]

give it more time! you never know how it might get better after some time in the bottle. I've had many a brew turn from mediocre-bad to great within a few months time.

or, just suck it up and drink it.


Most importantly, figure out what you don't like about it, do your research, and make it better next time!

Big +1 on that. A lot of times a little aging can really change the flavor. Just drink one every other week or so and if you still don't like it you can still keep giving it away a little at a time anyway.

 

[Homercidal]

Hold off on it a bit. The beer will more than likely get better. But giving it away to someone who likes it is MUCH better than tossing it IMO. I am usually the least picky of people I know, so I ended up drinking most of my beer myself and giving away the best of it most often.

 

[EricT]

Give it away. Thats what I did with an IPA I didnt care for.

 

[Revvy]

Put your beer in a closet for a few weeks, or months. Get brewing other beers and forget about this one for awhile.

Then come back to it and add your story to the success stories in this thread of folks who were just like you.....And didn't give up on a batch.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/ne...virtue-time-heals-all-things-even-beer-73254/

*hint hint* read the stories....

 

[bierhaus15]

I'd give it time, but there is no use drinking something you really don't like. Or if it's infected - I dump it and start over. Probably not what most people do though!

 

[Slowfro]

If it's simply the taste that you don't like (nothing wrong with the beer), keep it on hand. Drink other stuff you do like, then when you're bamboozled make the switch...you either won't notice or you'll be too sauced to care!

 

[HoppyGus]

SWMBO

Shot with my balls out?

 

[jkreuze]

She Who Must Be Obeyed.

Also, if it's a strong beer it probably just needs to age. Most of my stronger beers eventually start tasting great from the keg




just before they go FFFFSSSH and run outta beer.

 

[IffyG]

Then come back to it and add your story to the success stories in this thread of folks who were just like you.....And didn't give up on a batch.

Would you keep a batch that tasted like burnt wet dog? My second batch was an oatmeal stout and I neglected to take the pot off hot burner (damn electric range) and burned the grain bag on the bottom of the pot. Tasted like burnt wood when I sampled the wort. After fermentation I was using my new refractometer and didn't apply the correction factor... so my dumb ass re-aerated the beer and pitched fresh yeast.

Left it in the keg for 6 weeks before it went down the drain as it tasted more and more like wet dog over time.

 

[dvdanny]

Would you keep a batch that tasted like burnt wet dog? My second batch was an oatmeal stout and I neglected to take the pot off hot burner (damn electric range) and burned the grain bag on the bottom of the pot. Tasted like burnt wood when I sampled the wort. After fermentation I was using my new refractometer and didn't apply the correction factor... so my dumb ass re-aerated the beer and pitched fresh yeast.

Left it in the keg for 6 weeks before it went down the drain as it tasted more and more like wet dog over time.

I think revvy was talking about people who didn't do anything wrong with a batch but it just ended up sucking.

My first 5gal batch almost made me quit brewing. Didn't believe in hydrometers (hey, never needed them for Mr. Beer right?) and i got 2% alcohol soda sweet brown ale, somehow I didn't care that the FG reading was 1.030 and bottled. I got mad, then i just placed them in the closet, a few months later i started brewing again and needed bottles, so i figured i could just dump out the bad brown ale and use those bottles. Thank god I tasted it first, slightly over carbed but taste wise, it was excellent.