Dumping out Homebrew .......... Can this ever be justified? Under any circumstance?

[TexasSpartan]

I've dumped one batch. I think it fermented too hot, I did it right as it was getting hot here in Texas, and it just tasted horrible. I tried it warm, cold, from the bottle, from the glass; and it never tasted good.

Finally, it got to the point where I needed the bottles so I just dumped it.

 

[AnOldUR]

I brew inside and I heard a loud thunk but saw nothing strange. Half an hour latter I added in some hops and on stirring I realized a box of batteries had fallen into the wort.

Look at the bright side. Could have been the cat.

 

[skadalajara]

Of course, I don't have many batches under my belt yet.
But I like to think I could find a use for any undrinkable batch.
If it's not infected and just doesn't taste good, I can always blend it with something else to make it taste better. Or make brats. Or a marinade. Or add it to a vinegar culture. Something.

 

[flyangler18]

I'm not of the belief that time heals all beers. If you don't like it, get rid of it. Life is too short to drink bad beer.

Totally with you on this one, Yoop. You can't polish a turd.

Some off-flavors will indeed subside given enough time, but it's often an example of diminishing returns vs. ROI.

 

[drez77]

I will let a beer that I do not like age for a couple of months. If after that time I still do not care for it, out it goes. I have no problem dumping a batch. I brought it into this world, I can take it out!

 

[isleofman]

Totally with you on this one, Yoop. You can't polish a turd.

sure you can.

 

[thedigitale]

But you know you want more kegs...you should just buy another keg...

True... but then I'd still end up brewing more, filling the keg and wanting more... it's a pretty nasty cycle.

 

[boredatwork]

So far I've dumped 100% of my batches. That's right, I'm 2 for 2. The first one I got half way through (although half of that was probably poured down the drain) and the second one I wasn't as stupid to keep drinking it when I didn't like it.

I just consider those first two batch practice batches. Hopefully at some point I will graduate from practice batches to real batches. We will see how much third one turns out next week.

 

[WenValley]

So, if you have a keg of beer that's drinkable, but not prime, do you take it to a party? If you do, what do you tell the guests? "This isn't really great beer, but I need to get rid of it and I don't want to dump it out".

I'm pretty sure that I can pick up off flavors that most folks don't notice (they drink Keystone and like that stuff). So what I think is second rate beer, they think is pretty good stuff. But I know I'm not serving up my best, but I don't want to drink it, and I don't want to dump it out.

Life's too short to drink bad beer.

 

[ohiobrewtus]

Totally with you on this one, Yoop. You can't polish a turd.

Some off-flavors will indeed subside given enough time, but it's often an example of diminishing returns vs. ROI.

Indeed. Homebrewing is not a hobby for turd polishers.

If I make a batch that's dumper I don't consider it money 'down the drain' (see what I did there? ). I go back and look at my notes for the batch and try to figure out what I did wrong so that I can fix it the next time.

 

[Scut_Monkey]

My first batch got an infection, I let it sit in bottles for a year, I still couldn't drink it without almost throwing up... so I dumped it.

An infection on your first batch would be horrid! Glad you stuck with it.

 

[Scut_Monkey]

I got an infection in a version of apfelwine that tastes like gross apple cider vinegar. It's still aging down in the cellar to see how it will be in a long time. I'm guessing it will mellow slightly but who knows. I can say that a wheat beer I made has matured nicely from being a crappy beer that I could not drink drink too a not so perfect beer that is really not bad. This has aged over 5 months.

 

[Kauai_Kahuna]

I was expecting you to say salt shaker... not batteries... WOW.
You should have NEVER dumped that out... have you not seen the appropriate threads that I am not bothering to link here?!!? NEVER EVER DUMP YOUR BEER!

I was not going to take any chances with chemicals leeching out of the batteries, also the box was plastic wrapped and it had burnt the bottom of the pot and I could smell the burnt rubber.
When it comes to brewing something that may cause heavy metal poisoning I was not going to even think about it.
I still can't see how it tipped out and into the wort though, maybe the steam.

 

[xiang]

I'm with Bobby. If I can make better - it's done. I don't care about waiting to see if it's going to get any better. It should be good to begin with, not after a wait. I trust my palate enough to know what is flavors mellowing/meddling and what is 'off.'

+1

I don't brew to save money. Its just a hobby. I strive to create great beer. Not beer that I have to choke down. If it didn't satisfy my palate, I wouldn't hesitate to dump it. Just like a few others have all ready said, I would chalk it up as a learning experience, take note of what I didn't like about it and try again.

I'm sorry, I just don't subscribe to the whole mantra of hanging on to a sub par or flawed beer with a fleeting hope that it "might" be better a year from now.