What is your ratio of keepers vs dumpers?

[the-adjunct-hippie]

When compared to commercial examples - being as good as the pros, what's your ratio of the recipes you keep because they're really good versus the failures i.e. the dumps/meh/won't do that again?

I've brewed about 50 different batches of beer. Out of those 50 I have about 5 recipes I've concocted that I would keep and brew again and do as a flagship line up in a fantasy brewery. I think that's pretty poor averages, but maybe it's normal compared to everyone.

I brewed what I thought was going to be an absolutely amazing NE IPA (based on an IA Wrench clone), and had one bottle that was decent but a little soapy, and another bottle that was pure sulfur. Not sure what to think about it. Sometimes I can't get anything right, and I get sick of wasting ingredients because my IPAs taste either soapy or astringent, and aren't smooth, soft, or sweet. Just wondering if my batting average is...well, average, or if it's piss poor.

Cheers

 

[RPh_Guy]

100% of my recipes are good.

Your experience is not normal.

Across 65 batches, the only thing I ever dumped was a 1 gal cider that I pitched on the cake from a previous batch. It tasted like hard boiled eggs (not sulfide).

 

[BBQB]

The last neipa I brewed was soapy as well. Did you use centennial hops at all?

 

[bracconiere]

100% of my recipes are good.

+1 (like a proud papa, can't be disappointed in any of my 'kids')

edit: even if some of them grow up saying "you loved your other batch better!"

 

[McKnuckle]

Nearly all of my beers are technically well-made, and some are really excellent, but I discard plenty as well. They don't have to be gross to get dumped. Sometimes I just exercise my right to impose natural selection on the product line.

I have six taps and if something is sitting because it's just "OK" or I'm tired of it, then I may pour it out to make room for something more exciting. I don't say "Oh man, it's BEER so I gotta drink it <burrrpp>."

I prefer to make the most of my limited daily alcohol allowance, and that means only drinking stuff that I really like. Hence on occasion something must go.

I have about 105 batches under my belt, and between 20-25% are destined for repeat brews or as inspiration for something similar.

 

[JB_Brewing2]

I'm in the "never dumped" crowd. Have some I like a little more than others but never had one that had to be dumped and that's with ale and lager recipes dating back to 1997.

 

[brewcat]

Is it the recipe or your brewing? I'd look at your process first. How is your cleaning & sanitation? Is your fermentation controlled? Does your water need tweaked? If you want to do ipas, maybe think about kegging.

I keep all my recipes. Sometimes they are just one-offs. Some get tweaked across multiple brews. They've all been good enough to drink. Some only don't get rebrewed because of limited brew days.

 

[Jayjay1976]

Only been brewing for a little more than a year but I'm 33-0.
I will admit though that I've drank a batch or two that most would consider dumpers.

 

[Sailingeric]

I have been brewing about 5 years, I have dumped 2 and I have a stout on tap that some days I like it slight sweetness and others I think I should dump it.

 

[deadwolfbones]

Ditched two IPAs (one too sweet, one too bitter) and one patersbier (strange infection/chemical issue). Otherwise 100% success rate over 25+ batches. Not all world-beaters but very drinkable at the very least. I've only ever done one kit.

 

[mwilcox]

I dump a ton, mostly because I'm tired of drinking it. Almost certainly more than I personally drink. It doesn't stay great forever.
But, since I'm sure we're talking about stuff that was bad from the beginning...Eh, that was sometimes a thing in the first 100 batches or while making several variations of a style new to me. I'm way over 200 now and don't remember it in many years.

 

[balrog]

I've made 129 batches over the last 5-1/2 yrs
I have never "dumped" any.

I have surreptitiously made clandestine blends on occasion and foisted them off on the neanderthals with whom I play tennis and have lesser developed taste buds than I do.

I tried not to use the words "foist" or "surreptitiously" when I'm around them, either.

 

[catdaddy66]

I have only dumped 2 batches over ~150+ batches (50 extract/100 AG) due to flavor profile. I had a run of 3 consecutive batches that got infected, so I retired my buckets and took advantage of a 4/$100 deal at Northern Brewer on Big Mouth Bubblers 4 years ago. Problem solved...

If I brew it, I drink it.

 

[lump42]

55 batches in and never had one that needed to be dumped. Several I've thought were 'meh' to me, others thought they were good. Those recipes were rebrewed with a few tweaks to get where I'm happy with them. That's just recipe development

 

[the-adjunct-hippie]

Wow. Either I'm entirely too hard on myself or I just suck.

Damn.

 

[RPh_Guy]

Wow. Either I'm entirely too hard on myself or I just suck.

Damn.

Brew some SMaSH beer and get a good handle on the basics. Take a break from the complicated recipes and difficult styles.

 

[the-adjunct-hippie]

If it doesn't match up to something I'd drink on a regular basis (I've developed my palate to pretty much only anything above a 4 overall on beeradvocate or I dump it) it goes down the drain or to other friends that honestly don't know why I thought it sucked. Regardless I gotta be proud of what I brew so i either gotta lower my standards or boost my ability.

 

[the-adjunct-hippie]

Brew some SMaSH beer and get a good handle on the basics. Take a break from the complicated recipes and difficult styles.

All my SMaSH IPAs taste like lemon and grapefruit. It doesn't matter what hops I use, that's always the result...oh and with a touch of yellow 'Joy' dish soap. grr.

 

[verboten]

I typically only "dump" things into my neighbors cups, or growlers for the guys at the office, we went through 5 growlers of my "Brut" that I didn't dry hop enough and I didn't really like, but they loved it!

 

[bracconiere]

oh and with a touch of yellow 'Joy' dish soap. grr.

lol, funny you said that...i was going to add, with the right equipment...nothing is a dumper, it could be window cleaner!

 

[balrog]

Oh I've had MANY brews that did not meet researched recipe expectations. And while I've tweaked some, it's like cooking in that some recipes are destined to never be made again but others are worth further work.

 

[RPh_Guy]

If it doesn't match up to something I'd drink on a regular basis (I've developed my palate to pretty much only anything above a 4 overall on beeradvocate or I dump it) it goes down the drain or to other friends that honestly don't know why I thought it sucked. Regardless I gotta be proud of what I brew so i either gotta lower my standards or boost my ability.

If you're implying we don't dump batches because we don't mind mediocre swill, that's not the case.

All my SMaSH IPAs taste like lemon and grapefruit. It doesn't matter what hops I use, that's always the result...oh and with a touch of yellow 'Joy' dish soap. grr.

That's my point. Your basic practices need work. Complicating the recipe makes things harder.

 

[McKnuckle]

Not to troubleshoot too much, but when you mention soapy and astringent flavors with (presumably) pale ales, it raises a flag that you may have high alkalinity in your brewing water and your resulting mash pH is too high.

 

[eric19312]

When compared to commercial examples - being as good as the pros, what's your ratio of the recipes you keep because they're really good versus the failures i.e. the dumps/meh/won't do that again?

I've brewed about 50 different batches of beer. Out of those 50 I have about 5 recipes I've concocted that I would keep and brew again and do as a flagship line up in a fantasy brewery. I think that's pretty poor averages, but maybe it's normal compared to everyone.

I've made 171 batches over last five years and probably dumped two batches. One sour saison that went too sour, tried keeping it as a blending beer for a while but in the end it just made everything you added it to worse. I also had a barley wine that I tried to age out in a keg and then bottle and do a long aging on but think it picked up a contaminant and didn't age well. I'm sure more of my 171 batches picked up contaminants or oxidation or some other flaw that would have significantly reduced their shelf lives as compared to commercial beer, but when packaged promptly, stored cold and consumed within a month or six weeks from kegging those flaws just don't reach point of dumping.

How many "go-to" recipes do I have out of these 171 batches? Really hard to say. I don't believe I've repeated ingredient for ingredient, process for process any of these recipes ever. There are just too many variables and I'm always adding new equipment or trying out some new procedure. But by about batch 50 I came to the realization that my homebrew was generally more enjoyable to me than the commercial beers you would typically find on a bar or restaurant list.

 

[the-adjunct-hippie]

Welp. Time to give up. It's just too bad I have a bunch of hops and grains. I'll try to find a Homebrew club that will take them.

Thanks for your input.

 

[Jayjay1976]

Wow. Either I'm entirely too hard on myself or I just suck.

Damn.

Could be a little bit of both ;P
I would describe myself similarly, though I'm more willing to drink my dumpers than you are
You have all the time in the world to improve, just keep brewing and remember RDWHAHB!

 

[Jayjay1976]

Welp. Time to give up.

Thanks for your input.

Hey hey buddy, come on now don't give up! Jump back in there and figure this out!

Edit: Just want to add, I got in a rut for a time when I had a string of over-attenuated gushers and thought about quitting; I started up again with my first stout and it turned out great. I'm not even a big dark beer drinker but that first awesome stout re-lit my burners in a big way. Now I've brewed a bunch of stouts and I'll throw in a hefe or a blonde in every now and then for variety. IME, dark beers are much easier to get right than lighter ones and are more forgiving of off-flavors thanks to the masking powers of roast malts. IPAs are something I've really struggled with as you have, especially when it comes to bottle conditioning like you do. Oxidized taste, fading aroma, lackluster flavor, there are so many ways an IPA can go wrong especially if you bottle. So if you haven't already, try brewing a few dark beers.

 

[tellyho]

Never dumped myself, but I did have a Berliner Weisse that got a little too tart for my taste by the time I drank the last one. Diluted with cranberry juice and choked it down. Otherwise, 13 years of brewing and no dumps.

 

[bleme]

Not to troubleshoot too much, but when you mention soapy and astringent flavors with (presumably) pale ales, it raises a flag that you may have high alkalinity in your brewing water and your resulting mash pH is too high.

I'll second this. If you get dish soap from a SMaSH, something is wrong with either your water or your cleaning. Are you brewing with untreated tap water?

 

[Qhrumphf]

I've probably brewed 500 something batches at this point. I think I've dumped 4 that I can recall.

-Second beer I ever did, Belgian fermented too hot, fusel bomb that didn't age out.
-A Roggenbier that scorched on the element of the electric kettle I was using at the time, burned hair character was so strong that it couldn't be salvaged.
-a Barleywine that surpassed my house yeast's ABV tolerance, tried to finish the job with that Super High Gravity, to learn after the fact it's an STA1 yeast and behaved as such. Thin, boozy, disgusting, didn't get better with age. F*** WLP099, never using it again.
-Pale ale with some old, poorly stored hops. They didn't smell great from the start. Beer showed the same. Knew it was a risk, result was not unexpected.

Had plenty that weren't up to snuff but weren't dumpers. Anyone who says everything they brew is perfect is lying.

 

[Staylow]

In just over 6 years and 175ish brews, I've had a few dumpers. I was probably 30 brews in before I had one that had some off flavors I couldn't stomach. Dumped one due to horrible recipe design, and a pilsner about a year ago that also had a bad off flavor. But, I know exactly where I went wrong and it won't be repeated. Other than that, I've dumped a couple partial kegs of IPA that lost their aroma and flavor due to age, and a couple other 'meh' beers that just sat around too long and needed the tap for something new.

Early on, I was typically only happy with about 25% of what I was brewing, but most were still plenty drinkable. These days, it's kinda rare that I'm unhappy with something, especially since 50-60% of what I brew is a re-brew.

 

[cochised]

Brewed on and off since 2012, recently coming back after house moves etc.

Never had a dumper before my return, some bad beers but all drinkable. Some of the kits mind, borderline

But both my BIABs attempts so far have been dumped so an issue in there somewhere
Saying that any partial or extracts I've done have been solid enough so will get to bottom of issue and do a BIAB again soon

 

[catdaddy66]

Welp. Time to give up. It's just too bad I have a bunch of hops and grains. I'll try to find a Homebrew club that will take them.

Thanks for your input.

Come on now, setbacks are learning experiences as are successes. Use that noggin to delve into your process. Soak up all the information you can, either here or in books/podcasts. Remember, you can't possibly make EVERY mistake yourself... You must learn from others'.

I liken it golf. I sucked at the game! But I beat my head against that wall for 5 years before frustration made me quit for 10 months. Starting back, I made a promise to myself to actually (gasp!) practice. My game got better once I focused on my short game.

You sink one clutch putt and you're on your way!

 

[odie]

Never dumped. Well one nasty batch of mead...

 

[madscientist451]

I'm a cheapskate and hardly dump anything. I can usually blend beer/cider/wine I don't care for with something else and usually end up drinking it all.
I recently had a lime mead that was way too strong in the lime flavor, and I ended up brewing a ginger flavored beer and then blended the lime mead in with it. It came out pretty good, and better than my trial runs of adding straight lime to the beer.
Don't get me wrong, I've dumped batches over the years, I'd say less than 5%, usually because I got busy and let something sit in a carboy too long and it started getting funky.
I've dumped some batches of cider that were just too acidic or wild yeast funky.
I've got a wild sour brown ale experiment right now that I need to either bottle or dump, getting tired of it taking up space.
Edit: I have noticed that things I originally wanted to dump got way better by just letting them sit.

 

[ong]

I’ve recently decided that I don’t need to drink anything I don’t actively enjoy, and freed myself to dump even perfectly fine beers I’m just not loving. It’s liberating, and it lets me brew more often. My average price per batch is well under $20, so it shouldn’t be a big deal to water the tomatoes with some perfectly drinkable beer sometimes.

 

[mongoose33]

Just did batch #73 on Saturday. The first three or four batches were not great, I don't consider them fair game. After my 6th batch I started to hit on recipes and the resulting process.

Of all the beers since then--probably 68 or so--I've only ever dumped one batch due to it being not that good. It was a failed recipe and that was that. I tried, it didn't work out, it was dumped.

But ever since the first 5, other than the recipe that didn't work out, I haven't had a dumper.

To OP: sounds like there's a process error someplace. Soapy sounds like perhaps the bottles aren't fully rinsed, other things might be going on. More info about your process might help.

 

[RPh_Guy]

Welp. Time to give up. It's just too bad I have a bunch of hops and grains. I'll try to find a Homebrew club that will take them.

Thanks for your input.

That's definitely your choice, but once you get the brewing basics in order it'll be smooth sailing.

We can definitely help you get there, but imperial pumpkin stouts, high gravity tripels, NEIPAs, and bananas foster strawberry milkshake whatever aren't helping work out the bugs with your process.

Focus on:
- Simple recipes
- Proper yeast handling and fermentation temperature control.
- Appropriate water adjustments. It doesn't need to be complicated.
- Cleaning & sanitation.
- Avoiding oxidation after pitching.
- Reasonable mash temperature control and grain crush.

It should only take a few basic brews to troubleshoot and get things in order. I hope you stick with it and can realize success.

 

[applescrap]

Part of recipe creation is not always making something great. If you are making your own recipes it's not abnormal to have some that don't turn out. The great Michael tonsemeyer said if you haven't dumped any batches, you're not growing. I believe this is true for people who make their own recipes. Sometimes a lot of hops in beer especially if they get in the beer and you are drinking them can create all kinds of unpleasant flavors especially astringency. Give it a little time for the hop particles to settle and it should get better. Cilantro apparently does have a soapy taste to some people. Perhaps one of the hops you are using is doing the same. Do you taste soap in any commercial examples? Regardless I can assure you that Drinking hop particulate will come off as astringent at first.

 

[Hammy71]

11 Years in and I've dumped 3 five gallon kegs because they were "undrinkable". Now I've thrown away a lot of beer, but only because I make so much and want to have something new.