The Undrinkables

[user 23136]

On the whole, I’m not displeased with my efforts at home winemaking so far, but there have been one or two exceptions.

I made some Daisy wine which was far too strong a flavour, and even mixed with a tea wine is only good for cooking. Hopefully this year‘s effort will be better. Similarly my Meadowsweet is not palatable after a year. I recently read in an old book that the writer had put a poor wine away and rediscovered years later when it was fine, so have created a Naughty Corner for the Undrinkables. Except the Prune, yeuch, that went straight down the drain!

Anyone benefitted from doing this?

 

[Chippy_Tea]

so have created a Naughty Corner for the Undrinkables.

Not undrinkable but very close.
8 years ago we made our first (and last) Wurzuls Orange Wine (the original orange version) it turned out dry as a bone and we weren't keen on the taste but being our first we managed to force it down, we switched ingredients for the next one which was a great success and we made many many gallons more.

 

[An Ankoù]

This is the thread I've been thinking of opening myself, but now I don't need to. Over the years, I've done some pretty interesting beer experiments, which results in a lot of small batches of 10-12 litres. A few are quite awful, but some of those improve with age. Inevitably, the good stuff gets drunk while the bad pile gets worryingly bigger. I'm not talking so much about beer which is off, but beer I don't like. I think I made a cracking job of Greg Hughes' oaked Brown ale, but I don't like it. The horrors, though include an interpretation of Lagunitas Sumpin Ale, which is so dank and orrible that I'm just going to chuck it. My Vienna lager may go the same way if it doesn't liven up a bit. I made a couple from the Durden Park booklet based on Amber and brown malts and mashed with amyloglucosidase, which are so alien to the modern palate that they're going to hang around for years and become collector's items. On the other hand I did some SMaSH test batches with Lotus and Solero hops. The Lotus was horrible, but it's mellowing down to something worth drinking.
The moral of the story is, unless a beer's obviously infected or light struck or yeast struck, give it a year before chucking it away

 

[Chippy_Tea]

I have posted a heads up in the beer forum with a link to this thread as i am sure there will be many beer brewers who have made stuff they struggled to drink or didnt.

 

[Clint]

I had a Cali common in the naughty box for a couple of years...gushers every one..and a background whiff of nail polish and cabbage.
Obviously infected but I did drink some well most before it got too hideous.
T'was vile!

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Its amazing what we will drink rather than throw.

 

[hop-a-long]

The moral of the story is, unless a beer's obviously infected or light struck or yeast struck, give it a year before chucking it away

I quite agree with this part of your statement!

A few years ago I had a infected brew that was syrupy/ropey as mouthfeel, though not bad in taste.
Back then I'd thought I'd dumped it all.
About two years later I found a few bottles I'd apperantly missed.
Imagine my surprise to find the effects of the infection gone.

In the end is was quite a tasty brew, shame I poured most of it down the drain....

 

[Norfolk79]

I did the mangrove jacks pink grapefruit ipa once, used a “stainless steel” tea strainer type container for the dry hops.

Needless to say the beer certainly tasted very iron like, don’t think the container was all that stainless. Still drank it though, usually with a bit of lemonade to take the edge off it

 

[AdeDunn]

The time I tried my hand at brewing a Grisette using Jester hops. It came out tasting of copper pennies and onions, and went straight down the toilet in the end after been given about 6 months to improve.

As to wine, I tried making actual wine, using pressed grapes from my parent's garden once. It was beyond dry, literally sucking lemons was more pleasant.

 

[Brewnaldo]

I did GH Amarillo Single Hop and it found its way down the drain. Unsure if I made an arse of the brewing itself, or in calculating the IBUs (failing to adjust to match the recipe as AA% were much higher on what I got delivered)

Either way, It was bog rotten

 

[crowcrow]

I made a Barclays Perkins 1926 black lager - tasted OK but had a strong nose of pear drops. After a pint it was really quite unpleasant. I wasn't drinking a lot at the time and it got left, under pressure and at 3c in a keg for a year or more. A year later I was about to pour it away to make room for a new brew and while the first draw wasnt great and next glass was perfect and I finished the rest of the keg with friends and no one complained of any of the odd flavours we could all taste the year before.

 

[RHancox]

On the whole, I’m not displeased with my efforts at home winemaking so far, but there have been one or two exceptions.

I made some Daisy wine which was far too strong a flavour, and even mixed with a tea wine is only good for cooking. Hopefully this year‘s effort will be better. Similarly my Meadowsweet is not palatable after a year. I recently read in an old book that the writer had put a poor wine away and rediscovered years later when it was fine, so have created a Naughty Corner for the Undrinkables. Except the Prune, yeuch, that went straight down the drain!

Anyone benefitted from doing this?

My biggest disaster (famous within my family) was lavender wine. It fermented nicely, had a lovely lavender fragrance (think toilet cleaner), was beautifully coloured and clear - but far too astringent on the pallet! I held onto it for a few years but it eventually just went down the sink.

 

[aamcle]

I often brew beers I've never tasted or had the chance to taste so there have been a few that I just didn't like.

 

[An Ankoù]

I often brew beers I've never tasted or had the chance to taste so there have been a few that I just didn't like.

Quite so. I've brewed a few styles that I had never tasted before and while recognising that they were brewed well, I just didn't like the style. I've had several attempts at Vienna Lager- just don't like it. Greg Hughes' strong oaked beer has taken ages to get rid of. Nothing wrong with it apart from the strength, but not my cup of tea. I made an experimental with 20% each of rice and maize flakes in the grist and hopped with Lemon Drop; horrendous stuff, but my son loves it.
There have been beers that were brewed not so well, but that's my fault.

 

[Rodcx500z]

I have chucked one beer away, one of my first ag bitters it smelt like a sewage treatment plant although it taste ok but the smell was awful, wish i had kept now as it would probaly have turned out ok

 

[An Ankoù]

I have chucked one beer away, one of my first ag bitters it smelt like a sewage treatment plant although it taste ok but the smell was awful, wish i had kept now as it would probaly have turned out ok

I had a spate of that. It was horrendous. Usually the yeast cleaned it up in the bottle, but it could take many months before the pong went. I thought I'd has an infection, but I started adding a bit of yeast nutrient to all my brews and I've never had it since.

 

[Rodcx500z]

I had a spate of that. It was horrendous. Usually the yeast cleaned it up in the bottle, but it could take many months before the pong went. I thought I'd has an infection, but I started adding a bit of yeast nutrient to all my brews and I've never had it since.

Hi An i use yeast nutrient now but i never thought of like you have every day is a school day

 

[Druncan]

ESB - Over sparged and over filled the kettle and still not wanting to waste a drop, I stupidly decided just gentle boil it for 60 mins brim full.
It smells gorgeous, but has never cleared and is 3.5% ABV. It is still in the chiller after 1 year and I still hope it will improve,,,,, Too tight to hoy anything out and admit defeat!

 

[An Ankoù]

ESB - Over sparged and over filled the kettle and still not wanting to waste a drop, I stupidly decided just gentle boil it for 60 mins brim full.
It smells gorgeous, but has never cleared and is 3.5% ABV. It is still in the chiller after 1 year and I still hope it will improve,,,,, Too tight to hoy anything out and admit defeat!

That's what the German pot mugs are for. Or a pewter tankard. If it's got a twang, stick some Vimto in it- lovely,

 

[Druncan]

@An Ankoù Enfant terrible! But why not Irn Bru? or Grenadine or even crème de cassis?