What to do with "Bad Beer"

One of my last batches didn't turn out so well. Not infected, not an issue with process or cleanliness, just a couple of bad choices when putting together the recipe. Not spit-take bad, but just not tasty or enjoyable to drink.



So what do I do with it? Let it age? Will it get any better, or just less yucky? Dump it?

What do you do when you have a batch turn out bad? I assume I'm not the first person to come up with a bad batch.

 

1. Bottle
2. Drink
3. Weep silently for what could have been
4. Vow to do better
5. Rebrew

 

What style of beer is it? Different styles age better than others. What are the issues, would somebody else(friends?) enjoy it?

 

A lot of times letting it age works wonders. What did you brew, and which ingredients were the "bad choices"?

I have yet to dump a beer batch, though I've had 2 that probably could have been.

 

Time heals many mistakes.


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You assume correct.

As others have said it would help to know what style/ what yeast and how long in bottles?

Time heals some mistakes but accentuates others.

I have only dumped one batch so far- another one is going to get partially dumped today. Mostly because I need the real estate bottles/ fermenter but also because I don't need to drink a $#!T beer to remind myself what not to do next time. PS Don't make an all rye beer unless you want some funky syrup for your waffles.

 

Some bad beers get better with time.
Some bad beers just stay bad.

I would set it aside and let it age a few months, try again, and see if it has improved at all, unless you have some reason to think that age won't help (a style that does not lend itself to aging, etc).

 

Or cook with it if you don't think it'll improve with aging.

 

Honestly, if it tastes bad and you know it's bad then dump it. Make another batch and avoid those mistakes. There's no point in drinking bad beer if you know it's bad.

 

There are a few things id try first. id age it if it still tastes bad id put it in a fermenter and put the sour bugs to it and let it rip for a long time i do this for every beer that doesn't turn out right.

 

I have yet, nock on wood, had a bad batch. did have a couple that when green were questionable. If I do, I will save it and feed it to people that I really don't want to come back to my house and drink my beer. Or the person that always wants another free beer, I'll cure them. It's the same reason I keep some Old Swill - Miller light in the fridge.

 

I give it too my fat BIL.

 

Have a party. After a few drinks people will drink it!

 

Dump it. Try again.

 

This. I cook with beer a lot anyway, but when I end up with a batch that I don't think is up to par it immediately gets re-purposed to cooking.

 

I think it depends a lot on style/gravity/recipe of beer (and - how old is it now).

Big beers, spice beers, beers with special ingredients may often mellow and get better with time.... even up to a year or two.

But, if it is just a normal beer that turned out bad - I would dump it in a heartbeat. I dump 2-4 batches a year. Sure, they might be "drinkable" - but that is not why I brew. No point in drinking bad/tolerable beer if you can drink good beer instead.

 

truth to that

 

Freeze it and collect the 'good part'.

 

Wait.... what?

 

basic brewing did this with a stout. maybe the next bad batch i have ill try this.

 

Guess it depends on how bad "bad" is. Like most have said depending on the style it may just need time to mature and allow some of the "bad" to settle out.

Keeping it as your "pounding" beer isn't a bad idea either, as long as it's still drinkable. Just have a couple good ones early until the buzz is going and your taste buds are dead, then switch to this.

I have a Witbier that isn't bad, perse, but is bland. I tried using a non Witbier yeast, the attenuation was far too much for the wort, dropped it to 0.96. So, the typical sweetness that comes from having an FG around 1.010 for the style is non existent due to how low the yeast dropped it. The beer is about as clear as can be, even though half the grain bill was flaked wheat. It's not great beer, not what i wanted it to be,, still tastes better than "BMC" and doesn't have the ****ty after taste that they "provide." At this point this will serve as a lawnmower beer, or one i give to "BMC" drinkers since it's very neutral in taste.

Brew, learn, brew better beer the next time. In this case don't use WY3522, Belgian Ardennes, in a Wit. It performed as it's supposed to even though I kept the temps lower than it's ideal range.

 

How is that even possible?

 

Because alcohol is less dense then water, the reading is skewed from purely measuring sugars in solution. There is never a negative sugar quantity, but the liquid becomes less dense then water despite residual sugars. It's pretty rare brewing beer, but you see it all the time with cider and wine

 

Serve it to your in-laws, tell them you are so excited that you brewed such a great batch and that you'll have it for them every time they come over. keep a case of it in the back of the garage just in case they show up again. after 2 visits they will either never come back or give up beer for good.

 

Put me in the 'dump it' camp, I'll dump beers that are just 'meh' when I make them. Life is too short.

 

I've saved beer with an oxidized, cardboardy taste and used it to boil my brats in.

 

^My thoughts as well. Or make a mop sauce for the bbq with it. Use it with stock & seasonings to cook beef in or the like. Or in bread making.

 

If you bottled the beer, save it and use it for cooking. I had a Saison that pooped out at 1.02. I added some belle saison dry yeast and it fermented it out but with some fusel alcohol. It tasted ok but would give me headaches. I bottle so I have just saved it to use for cooking and yes, making soap. I have a case left and have half in my cellar just to see if they get better. The other half I use in cooking. Here is what I have done with it so far.

1. Beer Can Chicken, I actually have a cooker that you pour the beer in.
2. Brats, Boil the brats in beer for 15-20 minutes and finish them on the grill
3. Onion Rings, use the beer in the batter
4. Bread, use beer as part of your liquid, not to mention some spent grains.
5. Soap, yes soap, saw a recipe in a back issue of zymurgy. Even used some spent grains in the soap as an exfoliant.

Beer is also good to use in recipes to steam crabs, mussels, clams.

 

If your beer tastes bad, Why would you ruin your food by cooking with it?

 

In my original case it doesn't taste BAD so much as not GOOD

 

I'm my case. Only the soap has tasted bad. Everything else has tasted great.


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My first try at brewing was Mr Beer and the first batch was drinkable, but not good. The second batch was barely drinkable. I went away for a week and told my neighbor that he could have as many as he wanted since I was going to dump it if he didn't want it. He drank all of it while I was gone and cleaned the empties.


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Cook with it. All kinds of great uses for beer in recipes out there.

Edit: oops post 30 already says that. LOL

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Cb


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Give it to your frienemies.

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Q


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Dont dump it, Cook with it, use it in your meals, fried chicken in beer and butter is great put beer and butter in skillet with chicken pieces, cook down till beer evaporates, fry chicken until done in whats left, beer and butter on a steak your BBQing is great, cook with it.

Enjoy your beer !

edit: didn't read thread, just your OP lol

Cheers