Never dump your beer!!! Patience IS a virtue!!! Time heals all things, even beer!

[Spoon]

I brewed and kegged 5 gals of an "experimental" ale that I roughly based on Denny Conn's RyePA. Well, I hopped it up pretty heavy and really didn't take good notes on it. It had a handfull of this and that tossed in then I decided to up the gravity, so I bumped up the grain bill. After fermentation, I racked it over to the keg and chilled it. One day i decided to pull a pint and see how it was. It was terrible. My BIL tried to drink it and commented on it was so astringent he couldn't take it.

It was clearly my worst brew I have ever had made and I really tried to dump it a few times. My like got busy and I shoved it into the corner of my storage shed. Then I moved and it sat for months in a storage unit until it made the long ride to the new house.

I gave a tug to the relief valve and got a nice nose of malty hoppy goodness. So I unpacked it and once I got my cooler I chilled it up and placed in rotation. I pulled the first pint off and was surprised by the nice color, full head, and wonderful hop laden nose. The first pull was the biggest surprise it had to have been the best tasting brew I had ever made. My wife who normally shys away from the hop monsters I make enjoyed it so much she told me to make it again. I was so sad when the keg finally blew, as I had no notes to repeat this wonderful creation.

But again to state Time will heal most brews so DONT DUMP!!

 

[Revvy]

I brewed and kegged 5 gals of an "experimental" ale that I roughly based on Denny Conn's RyePA. Well, I hopped it up pretty heavy and really didn't take good notes on it. It had a handfull of this and that tossed in then I decided to up the gravity, so I bumped up the grain bill. After fermentation, I racked it over to the keg and chilled it. One day i decided to pull a pint and see how it was. It was terrible. My BIL tried to drink it and commented on it was so astringent he couldn't take it.

It was clearly my worst brew I have ever had made and I really tried to dump it a few times. My like got busy and I shoved it into the corner of my storage shed. Then I moved and it sat for months in a storage unit until it made the long ride to the new house.

I gave a tug to the relief valve and got a nice nose of malty hoppy goodness. So I unpacked it and once I got my cooler I chilled it up and placed in rotation. I pulled the first pint off and was surprised by the nice color, full head, and wonderful hop laden nose. The first pull was the biggest surprise it had to have been the best tasting brew I had ever made. My wife who normally shys away from the hop monsters I make enjoyed it so much she told me to make it again. I was so sad when the keg finally blew, as I had no notes to repeat this wonderful creation.

But again to state Time will heal most brews so DONT DUMP!!

WOW...great story...


AND it's good to know that the same principle applys to kegging as well as bottling.

 

[Ernie3]

Great story.....thanks for all your great tips that you are happy to always share with everyone.

 

[Nierika]

I made a coffee stout a while ago that was absolutely terrible (My mistake was putting the ground coffee in the primary and probably way too much of it) To this day, the beer is still awful, I can't make it through a quarter of a glass without getting nauseous. I did however manager to use the beer in a batch of chili I made for a cookoff (along with some malt and hops) and even won a prize. Moral of the story: Even if you can't drink it, there is something you can do with it (cooking, giving it to people you don't like, etc...)

 

[JoeMama]

Very nice post Rev!

This gives folk like me who are ADHD and just plain lazy at times. (I can 'Ronco' my beer - set it and forget it) Fortunately for me, I am more about the taste of a beer and I have no problem waiting cause I dont drink a whole lot anyway. Im excited about my first brew!
-Me

 

[ChuckMoney]

I just found a batch of beer that I cooked up some time around July 15th, has been in primary since then, can't believe I left it this long, all the vodka has evaporated from around the airlock, but the airlock was covered with cheesecloth. Haven't opened the bucket yet to check for mold whatnot. Any chance that this beer will still be ok? Gonna rack it off and bottle it anyways sometime this week. I'll keep you guys posted.

 

[Revvy]

I just found a batch of beer that I cooked up some time around July 15th, has been in primary since then, can't believe I left it this long, all the vodka has evaporated from around the airlock, but the airlock was covered with cheesecloth. Haven't opened the bucket yet to check for mold whatnot. Any chance that this beer will still be ok? Gonna rack it off and bottle it anyways sometime this week. I'll keep you guys posted.

That's a long time in primary on the yeast, I would be surprised if it didn't smell like dirty diapers when you open the bucket. By now the yeast probably autolysized. Be prepared for the most disgusting thing your ever smelled.

If it doesn't then you may be ok...

Good Luck.

 

[BigKahuna]

Revvys right!
JERK

So I made Austin Home Brew kit for German Weiss Bier. I got the great idea to add a watermelon to the secondary! Good Idea right? Right!
Problem is....it was hot during the ferment and the beer tasted NASTY! Like Really nasty! So bad in fact that I decided that there must have been a chemical infection; didn't get all the oxyclean out of the bottles or something. I waited and waited...the beer never got much better. It was bottled on June 25th, and in October...I decided to dump it.
Thankfully....I never got around to that! Tonight....6 months later I chilled one, and dang...it's good!
What do you know!

Not like I'm a noob at this, but I really thought this batch was trash, but Revvys theory was right!

I wish I'd have chilled 2!

 

[Gonefishing]

I think I've told this story before, but, I made a batch of raspberry/blueberry wheat that just plain sucked! It was awful beyond words. It ended up in the back of the beer fridge with 2 or three other batches (they were very small batches, I think like a gallon apiece) in front. Well, eventually the better beers went away and one night, probably 2 or three months later I decided I'd try another rb/wheat. Like you Revvy, I had to recheck to make sure it was the "bad" batch! We are talking heavenly here! I rather excitedly shared my discovery with my wife and kids (the older ones) and almost immediately regretted opening my mouth cause the beer disappeared! I don't think I got more than 2 of them. Can't even tell you how I made it because when I stopped brewing for that couple of years all my old notes and recipes either got tossed or misplaced.
We need a DDTB "logo"

 

[joety]

I have a bottle in the fridge from when I started brewing in 1989. I discovered it about a year ago while going through some boxes in the basement.

Equipment and ingredients weren't that great back then and I believe this batch was right before I went to all malt and steeping specialty grains when the quality of my beers really picked up.

What are the chances it's even drinkable?

 

[Revvy]

I have a bottle in the fridge from when I started brewing in 1989. I discovered it about a year ago while going through some boxes in the basement.

Equipment and ingredients weren't that great back then and I believe this batch was right before I went to all malt and steeping specialty grains when the quality of my beers really picked up.

What are the chances it's even drinkable?

You'll be the one to know in a few hours won't you?

In the Dec of LAST YEAR's issue of Zymurgy Charlie Papazian reviewed a bunch of contest winning beers going back to the first NHC 25+ years ago and they all held up to one degree or another. It really all depends on how it's been stored more than anything.

 

[Gonefishing]

You're a few hours in the fridge and a bottle opener away from being able to answer that question.... because I'll bet not many people on here have ever had a 9 year old bottle of homebrew tucked away and no one knows.

 

[Gonefishing]

Opps...beat to it by Revvy!

 

[artyusmc]

revvy

you say wait and i wait, and I've learned that airlock bubbles doesn't mean fermentation but what does.
Ale ambient temp 58-60 degrees, US-5 with ten days in the bucket and all i see a thin foam line in the bucket and some foam on the lid, is this a slow fermentation or what
I know RDWHAHB but i need answers?
thanxs

 

[JoeMama]

revvy

you say wait and i wait, and I've learned that airlock bubbles doesn't mean fermentation but what does.
Ale ambient temp 58-60 degrees, US-5 with ten days in the bucket and all i see a thin foam line in the bucket and some foam on the lid, is this a slow fermentation or what
I know RDWHAHB but i need answers?
thanxs

Have you checked the gravity of it?
That would provide you some rather quick answers I would think...
-Me

 

[artyusmc]

Have you checked the gravity of it?
That would provide you some rather quick answers I would think...
-Me

not yet. trying not to mess with it till the third week. I do have spitgot soooo I could but i'm just look at it everyday wondering whats going on. On friday seond week i'll take a reading for sure.

 

[artyusmc]

yes jomama a reading would be quick but maybe not painless. maybe use spellcheck too.

 

[joety]

You're a few hours in the fridge and a bottle opener away from being able to answer that question.... because I'll bet not many people on here have ever had a 9 year old bottle of homebrew tucked away and no one knows.

Cracked it tonight and shared it with my F-I-L over Christmas dinner. Carbonation was gone as was any hop bitterness or flavor. It was not as cidery as I remember those first batches being but then again, it didn't taste like much of anything. If I would have recarbonated it under pressure, I imagine it would have passed for BMC.

 

[MikeG]

Just to add my experience. I brewed a 5 gal Brewers Best British Pale Ale and eventually bottled a tad over 4 months ago. When it was done I was unimpressed so choose just to let it sit (wasn't going to drink it). Now that it has aged I'm amazed at its clarity and while it a bit sweeter beer than I care for I am now drinking and enjoying it. I agree, let it age!

 

[artyusmc]

Have you checked the gravity of it?
That would provide you some rather quick answers I would think...
-Me

JoMaMa
gravity 1.011, bottling today. hope in three weeks drinkable beer. next Extra bitter brew thanks jomama

 

[Jared311]

This give me great hope...

I brewed a Bell's Two Hearted Ale clone recently and everything seemed spot on, or so I thought. I started off by adding a little hot water to my MLT to increase the temperature before adding the grains since it was really cold out, snowing in fact. Then I added in all my grains and poured in my hot water. I mixed for awhile and measured the temperature in several spots to get a good reading. Once I was satisifed I closed the lid and brought the MLT into my house. After maybe a half an hour I opened it up only to find that the temperature had dropped by over 5deg! I stirred the grains for a minute and took several more readings only to find the temperature was still falling. So I panicked and added in several large glasses of hot water. Yet the temperature continued to drop. Frustrated I flicked the thermometer only to find the needle jumped to a higher temperature and continued to do so with each flick.

Long story short, I have no idea what temperature I truly mashed at. I seemed to hit my OG of 1050 right on the dot. I let it ferment for almost two weeks, crashcooled in the primary, and then racked to the secondary and dry hopped for another two weeks. After racking over into the keg, the beer tasted delicious. I decided to take a sample 3 days into carbing to see how things were coming along. Which is when I noticed a huge off flavor that came right after the initial tease of the centennial hops dominating my taste buds. I am going to take your advice Revvy and just hide the keg in the back of my fridge for atleast another month.

 

[JacobInIndy]

At the request of Revvy, this is reposted foir the worriers out there...

"My first batch...lot's of things went right, lot's of things went wrong. For one, I racked to secondary only three days into primary. Three days! The beer wasn't too great. It was drinkable, but not great. I left it alone for about two months. Then, I took some to the lake and left it in my trunk for three months. The summers here don't get really hot(about 85 or so most days), but still...it was in my trunk where the temp probably gets to about 110 or so daily. It had a long hard journey in there, that's for sure(I drive like a nut!).

I cracked one yesterday and it was awesome. Has nice flavor, easy to drink, great carbonation and head retention, and best of all...it picked up some sort of light fruit flavor...sort of grape-ish, but better.

Do not dump...unless it tastes like battery acid with a cat pee twist."
__________________

 

[emr454]

+1 on this thread.

Last may I brewed my first batch of beer. It was a Muntons IPA kit and I fermented 14 days in primary and bottled it. Waited 2 weeks after bottling and chilled some bottles. Didnt taste good at all, definitely not an IPA.

So, it is now January and I decide I would dump it so I could re-use the bottles for something else. They have been in the cellar around 50-60 degrees for the last almost 7 months. I thought I would chill some for a few days and see if they were any better. What a difference! Still isnt hoppy like an IPA, but it is beer and doesnt taste too bad. Not perfect, but drinkable! Glad I didnt dump it now.

I am still somewhat of a noob, but I can offer this advice. If you followed the directions and it doesnt taste right, put it in the cellar and forget about it! Buy some beer from the store to keep you busy while your homebrew matures.

Eric

 

[Saccharomyces]

Don't dump it. If it's awful even after waiting, give it to your neighbor. Mine loved my diacetyl lager.

 

[BubbaK]

I hate to admit it, but I dumped my first batch. I do think it was some extenuating circumstance though..

I just got done cooking and got it all into my carboy. I didn't know about a thief at the time, so I was trying to figure out how to take a hydro reading. So I dropped the hydrometer into the carboy, and was going to just leave it in during the fermenting.Once in fell in, I realized I couldn't read the scale with the foam in the jar. So I grabbed a piece of 3/8 hose and was able to fish it onto the end of the hydro and get it out. Being the creative person I am, I decided to try to jam the hose onto the top of the hydro just a bit further so I could retrieve it after getting a reading. I didn't realize how delicate the glass was, and I shattered the hydro into the carboy. It took a lot of self control to keep myself from putting a fist through the wall. I dumped the 5 gal down the drain and walked outside to cool off. My garbage can was sitting empty in the driveway, so I gave it a good kick across the lawn. A couple of buddies on another site have since dubbed my brew as Kick the Can Ale.

With my replacement ingredients, I ordered a new hydro and beer thief. I also used a bucket this time for primary...

 

[yeasty]

I hate to admit it, but I dumped my first batch. I do think it was some extenuating circumstance though..

I just got done cooking and got it all into my carboy. I didn't know about a thief at the time, so I was trying to figure out how to take a hydro reading. So I dropped the hydrometer into the carboy, and was going to just leave it in during the fermenting.Once in fell in, I realized I couldn't read the scale with the foam in the jar. So I grabbed a piece of 3/8 hose and was able to fish it onto the end of the hydro and get it out. Being the creative person I am, I decided to try to jam the hose onto the top of the hydro just a bit further so I could retrieve it after getting a reading. I didn't realize how delicate the glass was, and I shattered the hydro into the carboy. It took a lot of self control to keep myself from putting a fist through the wall. I dumped the 5 gal down the drain and walked outside to cool off. My garbage can was sitting empty in the driveway, so I gave it a good kick across the lawn. A couple of buddies on another site have since dubbed my brew as Kick the Can Ale.

With my replacement ingredients, I ordered a new hydro and beer thief. I also used a bucket this time for primary...

you remind me of me

 

[BubbaK]

so I'm not the only one to break a hydrometer? That makes me feel a bit better...

 

[ne_plus_ultra_1]

I once attempted to invent my own recipe and make a really dry high alcohol beer. So I used what hops and ingredients I was familiar with and YUCK. I don't even think anything went wrong, it was just a horrible creation. I didn't check specific gravity.

And just like most of you, I let it sit for 9 months or so in a cool basement and tried it again. I wasn't really sure if it was my perception and lack of anything else to drink or if it was such an astonishing alteration in the beer. By the time I was done with the pile of cases (not the same day) I was pretty sure that my perceptions were accurate and the beer did actually transform into an extremely drinkable concoction. Not my best ever but very good IMHO.

As far as other things aging for extremely long times, from personal experience I can tell you that champagne does not age well. I saw one opened at some relatives' 30th reunion (that they had been given at their wedding) and some funky stuff had happened to the cork and it was mostly flat. We still drank it though, at least a taste.

 

[punk_rockin2001]

I dumped a batch the other day when I was getting ready to bottle. I told myself to just bottle it anyway, but the smell was wine like and all sorts of strange and the taste was nothing I would enjoy. I wish I would have read this before then! I probably would have bottled it and left it til summer. Oh well. Great post!!

 

[Jolly McStanson]

Iv been brewing for 20 years or something. Most of my beers taste terrible at first. Especially since iv gone all grain. They taste like green apples or grain husks and crazy after tastes. I have exceptions ones in a wile where they taste great in 6 weeks.

I have to drink my buddy's home brew. Its always very tasty in 6 weeks.

A wile back I had two kegs that I drank half the beer out of before I couldn't take it. Six months later I remembered the kegs of half full beer down cellar. I tastes them and all the crazy after tastes were gone and the beer was drinkable, and even tasty kind of.

The only problem is I dont have enough kegs. I like to brew every other week. My goal is to drinking nothing but home brew. If it takes four months for my beer to become tasty that's a lot of kegs.