Ever brew a beer - and hate it?

[Hannable1975]

I just had the pleasure ( short lived ) of opening up the first bottle for true tasting on my second batch. It was a kit in the box part DME part LME w/ steeping grains to make an English Style Brown Ale. I followed the directions precisely except for the addition of some leaf hops at 10 mins to go over the schedule.

It did not taste bad. It did not have any off flavors.

I do not have a cold, nor have I been eating any spicy or sweet foods.

I did not like it.

Kinda saddens me as I really like brown ale - have never had one i did not like - until now.


Maybe the moon is out of sync or something. Will try another one tomorrow.


Anyone ever have this happen - make beer, good beer - but wait weeks and weeks to find out it is not something you care to have 48 bottles of on hand?

 

[NorCalAngler]

That's how I feel about Graff, which is a slightly hopped and malted cider somebody here came up with. I've tried to get into it about a dozen times since I bottled it and it's just not enjoyable. I've been choking one down every now and then to get through it. I also have a coffee porter that failed and just last night I popped one in the fridge to see how it's coming along. Now I've accepted I don't like these two brews and they will just sit in the bottle. I'll pop one open every month or so to see how they're aging I guess.

 

[Hannable1975]

That's how I feel about Graff, which is a slightly hopped and malted cider somebody here came up with. I've tried to get into it about a dozen times since I bottled it and it's just not enjoyable. I've been choking one down every now and then to get through it. I also have a coffee porter that failed and just last night I popped one in the fridge to see how it's coming along. Now I've accepted I don't like these two brews and they will just sit in the bottle. I'll pop one open every month or so to see how they're aging I guess.

See, that's the funny thing - I set 6 back from my first batch - to try at 6 monts and a year - keeping the supply list - figuring if I like it, I got it.

This was so unappealing, I could not offer it to a friend, because I would not want to drink one with them! LOL

Maybe age will help it - maybe. Could be a case of "flavour needs to improve" - but hey - 2 weeks, primary, 2 weeks secondary, 3 weeks carbing, and a week in the fridge - I would think it would be tasty , even if green. Dos not taste green - if anything, it tastes BORING.

Oh well, gonna let it ride a while I guess - if nothing else I can keep it for "moochers"

 

[sean6247]

Every time I brew a Hefeweisen. Which I am forced to do every year at Oktoberfest. A lot of people seem to really enjoy that beer, but I just can't stand it.

 

[devilishprune]

I felt like an outcast here, since I also don't really like hefeweizens.

The first batch of beer I ever made I thought was pretty crappy. People coddled my feelings and told me it was good though. Now I KNOW I can't trust their opinions.

EDIT: I just opened up the first one of another batch that I made that I really don't care for. Half of the batch is good, but the other half (that I'm drinking right now) is not as pleasant. You can read about the issues that caused it here, if you want. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/bottling-issues-188748/

However, the problem here is that I do NOT like the taste of rainier hops I guess. Tastes like straight licorice.

 

[Hannable1975]

I felt like an outcast here, since I also don't really like hefeweizens.

The first batch of beer I ever made I thought was pretty crappy. People coddled my feelings and told me it was good though. Now I KNOW I can't trust their opinions.

Every time I brew a Hefeweisen. Which I am forced to do every year at Oktoberfest. A lot of people seem to really enjoy that beer, but I just can't stand it.

I don't like Hefe's period - so I know I can dodge that bullet

 

[cenla]

first beer I brewed was an amber kit that I thought I would enjoy.

I didn't make any beer-killing mistakes during the brew. it came out tasting okay. I just didn't like it that much. It wasn't bad enough to not drink but I won't be buying that kit again.

I still have a bottle on hand that I intend to try at a much later date to see if it was an aging issue, but I don't think it was.

 

[phrogpilot73]

I was looking forward to trying my smoked chipotle IPA... Not enough smoke, WAAAYY too much chipotle. I don't really like it, but I WON'T dump it...

 

[knotquiteawake]

Its too early to really tell but my current batch that was supposed to be a Strong Ale just tastes plain and uninteresting. I had an OG of 1.051 instead of 1.060 so its only only plain but weak as well. I am hoping a few weeks in the keg will fix it, if not then I'll bottle it outta the keg and keep it as a marinade in the closet.

 

[motobrewer]

i'm not really liking any of my 3 taps right now.

they're ok, not what i was shooting for on any of them tho.

 

[slowbie]

Same thing happened my first brew. The one encouraging thing was that everyone else that tried it really liked it, so I knew it was just my personal preference.

What brown ales do you like? I would say it's likely that this English Brown ale kit is modeled after Newcastle, which is not a brown ale that I would choose to buy.

 

[NorCalAngler]

What brown ales do you like?

I just bottled Northern Brewer's Caribou Slobber last night, which is a clone of Moose Drool brown ale. It's hoppier than a typical brown and gets really great character out of the recommended Northwest Ale yeast. This is the first beer I've bottled where I would gladly drink it cask style room temp and flat. It is very good.

I'm going to brew Northern Brewer's Nukey Brown tonight, which is based on Newcastle, but is supposed to have more character and better mouthfeel.

 

[david_42]

My first batch of Old Bog Water had way too much peat smoked malt. After a year, it was fine. I did dump a batch of porter many years ago just because I didn't like it. Thin and flavorless. My brewing buddy didn't like porters, period.

 

[PirateBrewer]

Yeah, this happened with my first brew (which wasn't too long ago). It was a Brewer's Best Imperial Pale Ale kit and it's definitely drinkable and have had several people tell me that. The problem is there isn't much flavor. At first I loved it, most likely because I was proud my first homebrew was drinkable and actually has the bitterness and ABV of an IIPA but now I just kind of find it uninteresting. I'm hoping it gets better with age!

 

[Fishin-Jay]

I normally like hefe's but I've got one right now that might get dumped to make room for the Belgian Strong I have fermenting right now. That hefe I brewed just has no character. It doesn't taste bad, but I have no desire to drink it.

 

[BeerWars]

Both of my first brews (all grain) tasted great except for the fact that they had this aftertaste that will make you shake your head. I suffered through the first batch, and I am about 1/2 through the second batch (has less of the aftertaste than the first batch) and they do not seem to get any better with age. I would take a little solace if I could figure out what made the aftertaste; so that I could eliminate it in the future.

Still waiting for a brew that I like - let alone thoroughly enjoy.

 

[throwbookatface]

My very first brew was a version of a Belgian trippel. Came out and frothed all over the place. Way too strong. Then I go and try Saison du Pont - my brew tasted very very close to it (though it's not a Saison), just stronger. Didn't like either of them, even though duPont is highly regarded. Oh well, I need to get better at appreciating lighter-colored Belgian beers.

 

[TheBroonery]

I made a copper ale back in June and it was awful for the first 3 weeks after bottling. I just gave it some time now and it's pretty good. The summer temperatures have been playing havoc with my fermentations...

 

[bullinachinashop]

I've found that putting part of a batch away and coming back to it is really the best way to appreciate what you've made.
We all tend to be to critical of our own beers at least at the start.

I find that my tastes and preferences will change over time. Tasting and understanding different styles helps in your own evaluation.
That is where the tasting delay comes into play.

For example;
I made a holiday spice ale last year at this time and had it ready for the season. It was quite good and I had many compliments on it, but I was just luke warm on it. I put a 12 pack away and just recently put one in the fridge and tried it. All I can say is that it is incredible! Time has mellowed the spice blend, blended the hop notes and given it a rock solid, creamy head!

So, put some of your beers away, continue to taste and try other styles, and come back to your beers after awhile. You may then truly appreciate them!

Or dump the lot!

Bull

 

[superjunior]

the can of extract that came with a coopers kit, an australian lager. beer was fine, nice carbonation, clarity ect.. just not my style of beer at all. I won't drink it but its great for partys and moochers

 

[throwbookatface]

I've found that putting part of a batch away and coming back to it is really the best way to appreciate what you've made.
We all tend to be to critical of our own beers at least at the start...

--

... I put a 12 pack away and just recently put one in the fridge and tried it. All I can say is that it is incredible! Time has mellowed the spice blend, blended the hop notes and given it a rock solid, creamy head!

So, put some of your beers away, continue to taste and try other styles, and come back to your beers after awhile. You may then truly appreciate them!

Or dump the lot!

Bull

People (including me) need to remember this. Many "in-your-face" qualities of beer will mellow over time once bottled, including any added spices, dry hopping, "brightness/fizziness" (what my roommates call my beer when it's still too young), etc. Learned this the hard way after putting away only a few beets for a while, instead of giving the rest of the batch time to heal.

 

[Daybis]

My saison didn't turn out as expected. It was "ok", and my friends loved it, but it was ok. It was my first kegged beer, so it didn't last long.

 

[jschweiss]

I messed up a nut brown recipe (not sure exactly what happened) and followed it up with a kit beer that I thought would be safe. Now I have two beers that I won't throw out but hate to drink. I'm fortunate that every recipe since those two have aged into positive drinking experiences.

 

[HalfPint]

I have an IPA on tap right now that's to say the least, overhopped. I had a boil over, and was afraid that a lot of my hops spilled onto the back patio, so I threw an extra 2.5 oz (handfull of pellets lol) into it at 65 minutes. Seems to be that not much hops spilled onto the patio, and I'm left with a brew that tastes like grass. It's not really a problem once you get to about 3 pints, but the first 2 are hard to drink.

 

[DocBrown]

Some beers you'll really enjoy, some will be dumpers (mostly just the infected ones), and some will just be "meh." I've had a few in the later category. I recently brewed a Northern English Brown Mild. I knew when I brewed it that it wasn't going to have a bold and exciting flavor, but I really don't like light lagers, and this was to be my version of a "lawnmower beer." (Hey, when you really prefer stouts and hoppy IPAs, a brown mild pretty much is lawnmower beer!)

From what you wrote, it sounds to me like it's a decent beer, just not something to get excited about. I definitely wouldn't dump it, but you could do any of the following:
1) Just drink it as is, especially as a session beer in the afternoon (or after you're well into your other beers and are far less attentive to the taste!).
2) Set some in the back of the closet to try in a few months.
3) Cook with some of it (my wife found a fantastic recipe for pizza crust that made use of one of my browns, and I plan to give her my last pepper stout for a nice chili once the weather cools off a bit).
4) Blend it with another beer. You could brew a stout or a porter and try mixing the two together.

 

[BogusOwnz]

I brewed a raspberry wheat with 5lbs of raspberries and just thought it was god awful but everyone else that came in contact with it including my hb club thinks it's amazing and want me to rebrew...I still hate it but go figure.

 

[Hannable1975]

Gonna wlk down to my shop and get one and try again. See if any improvement.

I'd like to think in my OP I was just a little off that day - but brewed a different brown today just in case.

Had a neighbor try one - he said it as good stuff - I don't think he was kissing up as we are pretty honest to each other.

* Enter time lapse to walk to shop and get a brew *

Hmm.. nope - still "ok" but not anything I want to repeat. I have a weekend trip next week going fishing at the river with a bunch of guys - may take the whole stockpile and and just get it gone - seems any beer is better when your fishing and hungry..