Drink or Dump infected beer?

[ThatGuyRyan]

I had my first infection on a batch of Hobgoblin Clone. After fermenting and kegging it developed a plastic band-aid bitter taste. I could not believe that I had an infection at first since I clean my equipment like a mad man with oxyclean directly after using. Then I soak and rinse with idophoer before storing my equipment. Then before I use or brew again everything gets soaked in Starsan.

So I was going over my recipe and notes again and again thinking that I just missed something but could not find anything. Forward to my last brewday. I had my fermenting bucket that I was going to use for that batch filled with Starsan waiting to go when I reached into the bucket to get my measuring cup that was soaking I brushed against the side and what would you know it was all scratched to hell!

I transferred the Starsan to another bucket and felt all around the inside and it was just destroyed! Then I looked at the label on the side and what did it say. Hobgoblin! Dammit that’s how my beer got infected. I realized that I used a metal wisk to aerate that batch and obviously I went at it a little too hard killing my bucked. At least I noticed it now and got the new brew into a good bucket.

I only used a wisk two or three times and no longer use it and checked all my buckets so that’s not an issue anymore but now I have 5 gallons of beer that is not so horrible that you cant drink it. To be honest after about 1 1/2 pints you get use to it. But do I really want to be slowly drinking this for the next month or two! I really want to toss it but I have never tossed a beer yet and find it hard to make myself. Will it be Bad Juju to toss this or will just taking out of the fridge and storing it for a while help or make it worse?

Please someone convince me to man up and drink it or sacrifice it to the sewer gods.

 

[Tonedef131]

If you aren't that sensitive to those flavors and actually think it tastes good then drink it...I guess. I cannot stand band aid phenolics and would dump it immediately. There is no shame in dumping the occasional batch, why drink bad beer when you could just brew another one that is good...it's just another reason to brew again.

 

[Revvy]

I agree with tonedef, if you can tolerate the taste then drink them as second or thrid string beers, like when you are running low of the good stuff.

Or pitch them.

It sounds like you know where the problem lay and you are not just some impatient noob drinking green beer and thinking that there is something wrong with it.

I did a split batch of a Swartzbier at my buddie's house awhile back, he did the 10 gallon brew on his rig and just split the batch into both our fermenters. Something in his setup caused both his an my bathes to have sort of an acetone taste to it.

At first I thought it was just something I did wrong in my fermenter (like not sanitizing, I was also brewing a vienna lager while he was brewing the swartz- the VL came out fine) but then I found out his half had the same issue.

I did my usual give it a few weeks/months and the acetone taste did back off a bit. It was still there (at least to me) but I found that it was tolerable. I only shared it with the owner of my LHBS-to see if he could identify the issue and one friend who actually liked the taste. I wouldn't enter it into contests or share it with a lot of people, but I actually ended up getting used to, if not enjoying, that beer.

So it's really up to you. If it is something tolerable, count it as a "third string after a few beers when you are buzzed and taste won't matter so wtf might as well keep the buzz going and choke back a few of these instead of the goodstuff beers."

 

[Irrenarzt]

I'd pitch it but that's just me...

 

[uglygoat]

i mixed some infected beer this summer with lemon aide. that was good.

 

[velotech]

I've got one last summer pale ale that got oxegenated. I'm slowly drinking it by blending it with a fruit beer. If you can tolerate or blend it, drink it! I personally don't like the phenolics at all either. Depends on how bad it is, but you know you will always taste it.

 

[Joos]

I agree with tonedef, if you can tolerate the taste then drink them as second or thrid string beers, like when you are running low of the good stuff.

Or pitch them.

Hell has frozen over!!!

Just kidding Revvy

 

[niquejim]

I brew to have good beer. If it's not good you can save some for cooking and pitch the rest. YMMV

 

[Revvy]

Hell has frozen over!!!

Just kidding Revvy

No, if you read the comments in my thread by me, you will see that again, I am talking about the predominance of new brewers to THINK their beer is infected, when in reality it is just green, AND to give their beer a reasonable amount of time before dumping to give the beer a chance to possibly improve...but as I said in my

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

Alright guys. I have a beer that is just not... good. It is not a horrible beer, not infected... It is a year old now (been in a keg in the fridge). Oatmeal stout 5% ABV or so. What should I do with it? I don't have any parties where people drink a lot (hardly any at all) and I only have one drink a day (3 on weekend days) and I always want those to be something tasty.

Well brother Con....You've done exactly WHAT this thread is about. You've given it time, you've waited it out...If you are still not happy with it, then dump it...Unless you can think of a place you can get rid of it at...like to another brewer who might like it, and will return the keg when he kicks it...or a communty event.. If there's no way to unload it, and you're not going to enjoy drining it...then there's really no course of action other than committing beer-icide.

Gang, Con exemplifies the spirit of this thread....trying....not jumping the gun and dumping right away....but giving some time to your beer...it doesn't mean it's always gonna turn out OK....that EVERY BEER is going to magically heal in time....BUT I and many of the other posters believe, that if you dump a beer too soon...the beer is a 100% failure....but if you decide to wait...I think the odds rise to 80-20 that your beer will turn out OK...

There's nothing inherently wrong with Con's beer, I betcha I or many of you would actually LOVE it. But he's given it it's chance, given it some time...so there's nothing wrong with after a year, realizing that it is just not going to be something you are going to enjoy...and dumping it...

Because you tried!



Go in peace, Oatmeal Stout!!!!

 

[ThatGuyRyan]

Thanks for all the replies guys! I have been trying to cut back on my beer drinking this past week so yesterday I had my 1st pint all week and I started off trying the Hobgoblin. And Blah! Man I guess it is better off starting off with something else then switching to this are a little buzz in going. Anyway it was so bad that I pulled the keg out of the fridge and just stuck it in the corner. I am just going to let it sit and rest until I desperately need the keg and if it still taste off I will then just let it go. It is only a 2 month old brew with 1 month in the keg so lets hope another month helps if not no biggie. I have drank many green beers and this one is definitely something other than just being a little green. But hey its a lesson learned about paying closer attention to your buckets. I also picked up 2 more glass carboys trying to limit my use of the plastic buckets.

And also the cooking tip is a great idea. I smoke ribs, pork should, and briskets just about every weekend that I brew and I always you a beer mop. So now I have plenty of beer for the smoker!