Poured 29 bottles down the sink today.

[moto748]

I thought long and hard, but remember when the FilmFour TV channel first came out? They had a slogan: life's too short to watch bad films! Well, I think life's too short to drink bad beer!

Beer is pretty cheap, I'm not so skint that I can't buy a few bottles from the corner shop. Because beer is 'free' or 'home-brew', is no reason to drink it if it doesn't please me. And this batch didn't. I am satisfied that it will not improve with more time. It was way over-hopped and too bitter. I have, I believe, learnt from my mistakes since I brewed that batch back in February.

Anyway, I spent the afternoon re-cleaning and sterilising those bottles, and have put them to better use, I believe, by bottling another batch of parsnip stout, which am very optimistic about.

Onward and upward!

 

[Alan_Reginato]

Sorry to read that... happen sometimes. My first batch that I partially thrown out, I did because an infection of acetobacter. Vinegar beer isn't a very tasteful thing.
Anyway... If something like that occurs again, not cursing you, wait few months. The beer taste change with time. Usually became less bitter. Maybe in two, three months you could have another perspective on it.

 

[matt76]

I thought long and hard, but remember when the FilmFour TV channel first came out? They had a slogan: life's too short to watch bad films! Well, I think life's too short to drink bad beer!

Beer is pretty cheap, I'm not so skint that I can't buy a few bottles from the corner shop. Because beer is 'free' or 'home-brew', is no reason to drink it if it doesn't please me. And this batch didn't. I am satisfied that it will not improve with more time. It was way over-hopped and too bitter. I have, I believe, learnt from my mistakes since I brewed that batch back in February.

Anyway, I spent the afternoon re-cleaning and sterilising those bottles, and have put them to better use, I believe, by bottling another batch of parsnip stout, which am very optimistic about.

Onward and upward!

Good on ya! I'm very much on the same page, I'm not doing this to save money.

If a beer you've made just isn't up to scratch then there's no point trying to kid yourself or let pride get in the way - better to start again, have another go and fill those bottles with something else.

I think the trick is to figure out what you don't like, what you could improve or what you would change so you can hopefully do a better job next time

 

[phettebs]

Sorry to read that... happen sometimes. My first batch that I partially thrown out, I did because an infection of acetobacter. Vinegar beer isn't a very tasteful thing.

I thought you lot put that on your fish and chips? :hat:

 

[Didge]

I would agree with Alan, I once threw away an undrinkable batch only to discover 1 remaining bottle 18 months later that by then tasted beautiful.

I have also thrown a batch away quite recently because it tasted so awful, through experience I should've known that it might come right one day, but like yourself, I felt life is too short to wait that long. A decent beer in the hand is better than a potentially good beer in a years time.

Losing a brew comes close to losing a favourite pet, so lets just hope your parsnip stout brings sun to an otherwise gloomy day.

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

I thought long and hard, but remember when the FilmFour TV channel first came out? They had a slogan: life's too short to watch bad films! Well, I think life's too short to drink bad beer!

Beer is pretty cheap, I'm not so skint that I can't buy a few bottles from the corner shop. Because beer is 'free' or 'home-brew', is no reason to drink it if it doesn't please me. And this batch didn't. I am satisfied that it will not improve with more time. It was way over-hopped and too bitter. I have, I believe, learnt from my mistakes since I brewed that batch back in February.

Anyway, I spent the afternoon re-cleaning and sterilising those bottles, and have put them to better use, I believe, by bottling another batch of parsnip stout, which am very optimistic about.

Onward and upward!

I do the same. If I don’t like it I pour it. Doesn’t happen very often but why would I choose to drink something I don’t enjoy? Wholly support your decision.

 

[obscure]

The first time chucking a batch is always the hardest I hate to do it, but at the end of the day drinking beer is supposed to be a pleasure not a chore, and their is something strangely satisfying about seeing a mediocre beer going down the drain and knowing you can use the bottles or keg for something actually worth drinking.

 

[chillipickle]

If you dont like the taste of some thing why drink or eat it.

Over hopped is that even possible

 

[trummy]

made some wine years ago that was like vinegar - pickled some beetroot in it!

 

[samale]

I have mates in work that I use to empty bottles. The last batch was a coconut porter. Apparently they loved it once you got past the twang
I am well passed the stage of drinking beer that's not to my taste or liking.

 

[An Ankoù]

I thought long and hard, but remember when the FilmFour TV channel first came out? They had a slogan: life's too short to watch bad films! Well, I think life's too short to drink bad beer!

Beer is pretty cheap, I'm not so skint that I can't buy a few bottles from the corner shop. Because beer is 'free' or 'home-brew', is no reason to drink it if it doesn't please me. And this batch didn't. I am satisfied that it will not improve with more time. It was way over-hopped and too bitter. I have, I believe, learnt from my mistakes since I brewed that batch back in February.

Anyway, I spent the afternoon re-cleaning and sterilising those bottles, and have put them to better use, I believe, by bottling another batch of parsnip stout, which am very optimistic about.

Onward and upward!

I've made beer like that and, as I like to experiment, I continue to get the odd bummer. On the other hand, I've just had a litre bottle of mild (3.5% abv) that I bottled a year ago. It was disgusting when I made it, the fermentation smelled like drains and this carried over to the beer. I tried it every month or so since then and the taint was still there. Today, almost a year to the day, the beer was perfectly clean and gorgeous- not least for having been kept a year. The moral of the story is don't be too keen to chuck beer down the sink. A February brew wouldn't be ready to drink in my book, but I agree, if it's over-hopped and mouth-puckeringly bitter, it's not likely to improve.

 

[moto748]

Exactly, that's just it. if it was just a bit cloudy, or not fully conditioned... But I'm certain there's no getting past being seriously over-hopped.

And yes, I agree with obscure upthread,the task was actually quite satisfying, and the stack of bottles in a corner of my kitchen floor (no, I really don't have anywhere else to put them!) is not only of a more manageable size, but also only contains beer that will be worth drinking!

 

[moto748]

Also, I did actually keep back two bottles!


I thought they might do as flavouring in a stew or something...

 

[Nicks90]

If a brew is disgusting, unless you are running our of bottles, stash it somewhere for 6 months.
The beer gods might be kind and give you back some perfect neck-oil for your patience.

Or if its still minging, give it to the scrounging buggers at a summer bbq

 

[phillc]

You should start kegging your brews. Kegs are much easier to tip out than individual bottles.

 

[valdid_shaw]

I take a slightly different view here. I always think that, provided your process is clean and avoids any infection, there’s no such thing as a bad beer, just a different beer.

 

[An Ankoù]

I take a slightly different view here. I always think that, provided your process is clean and avoids any infection, there’s no such thing as a bad beer, just a different beer.

As I might have mentioned before, I like to experiment and, after 50 years, I think I know pretty much what I'm doing. Sometimes the experiment was ill-conceived and the beer turns out pretty horrible by any standards, but more frequently I make a beer, which I can say is good beer and well-made, but I just don't like it. I don't really like the American IPAs, I don't like Greg Hughes' Oaked Brown Ale, I think I made a cracking job of the Chocolate Christmas Porter, but now I'm even more convinced I don't like chocolate beers.
I think there are bad beers: they are unbalanced and the "badness" comes from poor recipe formulation or from it not being brewed, and conditioned properly, but there are also "different" beers, which are those that most will enjoy but are not to your taste.
There. Lesson for the day over.

 

[Sadfield]

I take a slightly different view here. I always think that, provided your process is clean and avoids any infection, there’s no such thing as a bad beer, just a different beer.

I don't know, I've drain poured beers I've paid good money for, that were either one dimensional and dull as dishwater, or a confused mess of clashing flavours. Sometimes things sound good on paper, yet either don't work or are poorly executed without being faulty.

 

[Degville]

I had a brown ale that was a bit of a gusher and tbh I really wasn’t enjoying, I use it for beer pizza dough the extra gas helps the rise no end!

 

[chthon]

If it is just bitterness, never throw it away. Hop bitterness and tannin bitterness (e.g. from sparging) fade away. 6 months is a good time to test such things.