Two of last four beers that I have made have turned out awful and I have had to dump them. The first was a Festbier that ended up as a diacetyl bomb. The second was an IPA that I believe got oxidized during dry hopping. After 15 years of home brewing I still make some undrinkable beers, but usually a little more few and far between. At least I still have a nice American Brown Ale on tap and some Belgian Dark Strong and Mead in bottles. Anyway, one thing that I have learned over last 15 years is that it’s okay to make mistakes and not force yourself to drink 5 gallons of off-flavor. In my early years of home brewing I think I felt obligated to push through and drink/suffer my mistakes.
I got some really good advice over the last couple weeks concerning a terrible brew day.
Keep on trucking!!!
I dumped a northern brown ale and a chocolate stout a few months ago back to back, tasted either sour or like burnt butter scotch, oh it was undrinkable!
I hear you. I have been brewing for 21+ years and still have the occasional disappointing beer. I started to look closer at some things and started doing some additional cleaning and sanitizing. I made a list of things I called the Paranoid Brewer’s Handbook. Some of this seems normal but I know Denny mentioned that if he had to do all of those things, he might stop brewing. 
Here’s a partial list…
I’ve had to dump beer. I hate it not only for the sunk financial cost but more importantly the hole in my pipeline it leaves as well as the disappointment after the long awaited anticipation for the beer I had imagined.
…but I can’t hold on to a mistake simply because it took me a long time to make it.
…and I won’t pay a pentance for my mistake by choking down a bad batch of beer.
I do try to give some time and even try to fix it but I haven’t had a lot of success. Sometimes just giving it time works. Sometimes it doesn’t. Sometimes a fix works. Sometimes it doesn’t.
I usually try to follow up a bad batch with a tried and true recipe that I can turn grain to glass fast. A quick success to fill the hole and get back in the saddle.
Having said that, both conditions, diacetyl and oxidation, are supposed to be corrected by yeast. I wonder if a sugar/yeast solution could have been added to solve one or both of the problems.
I think we all have had to dump our efforts down the drain. It’s sad and it really sucks. For me, it was complacency that had a hold of me.
In the beginning, after a few all grain batches under my belt, I started brewing horrible beers. After a while, I came to the conclusion that good beer does not come by accident. Since than, I make sure I’m on my game with every batch and while every batch is not “award winning”, I have not had to dump, or try to enjoy, a bad batch in about 7 years — knock on wood.
Sanitation and attention to detail was the key for me.
I suggest you jump back on that horse and take a ride.
I appreciate the comments. I really don’t think it was a sanitation problem for either beer. The first was 1.060 Festbier that I used 1 packet of Diamond Lager dry yeast. I noticed that my fermentation chamber was around 44 degrees (I was shooting for 50) after 3 days and it was slow to start. I tried warming the beer up, but the diacetyl remained. The second beer tasted great right after kegging, but then after a week it lost hop flavor and seemed to change completely. I not going to stop brewing because of a few bad beers. Just more like Bama said, I more bummed because I missed out on my Festbier that would have been ready at the perfect time and last year’s was very good. I only have one beer on tap and I like variety. I have a Porter and Cider in the fermenters, so in another week I’ll be back on track.
Hell yea dude, mind sharing your porter recipe?
Been brewing about 12 years and occasionally make a beer I not only don’t love but have a hard time enjoying at all. Recent example was an IPA that I was not meticulous with and it oxidized badly - ruined all the nice hops flavors I’d striven for. When the occasional “not great” batch happens it’s generally more recipe related where I’ve put together something that I anticipate in my mind to be tasty but falls short and needs tweaking to get to the place I want it. I’m always ambivalent about tossing beer but have been known to do so. Fortunately for me my son is not nearly as discriminating as me, doesn’t have a great palate I’d say, and loves drinking beer so I can bottle up and pass the not so good stuff to him.
Sure.
5 gallons OG 1.062
10 lbs Two Row
1 lb Brown Malt
1 lb Chocolate Malt
.75 lb Crystal 60
35 IBU @60 (whatever bittering hop that you have)
WY 1450
Sometimes I add 2 vanilla beans that have soaked in bourbon to the keg
Get back into the groove by brewing a recipe you know well and have made a lot. I’ve started doing that more this year where I’m kind of focusing on 5 or 6 recipes that I really enjoy and know will come out well. Limits disappointment and only occasionally do I add something new. I did all my experimenting years ago with different recipes. Not interested in that so much anymore. I just like to brew and I like knowing how it’s going to turn out. Of course, the random disappointment does happen you’re doing something different. Such is life…
I brewed a couple of beers a month or two ago that had a similar off flavour. I can’t figure it out. I did notice my brew area was kind of dirty, fermentation chamber had some spilt beer which looked like mold. I cleaned the floor, all fridges with a strong bleach solution. I should of done this in the summer as the temperature is warmer than it is now. Seemed to work since my last 2 brews seem okay. Being lazy bit me in the ass for sure.
I do a forced diacetyl rest in my sous vide for most lagers (you can also do it in a microwave but I think it’s easier and more consistent in sous vide). If diacetyl shows up usually I just let the beer sit a few more days and test again and usually the problem is gone. You can also krausen or add some fresh fermenting beer if the problem persists. Usually it can be dealt with unless it is a contamination issue. That said I have never used the yeast in question.
Loss of hop aroma definitely sounds like a oxidation issue - in fact, diacetyl and loss of hop aroma are both potential oxidation issues since oxidation can cause diacetyl to reform.
When I have bad batches, like you, they usually come in a string of occurrences and they are very often related. Track down where you might be picking up some oxidation and try to eliminate that problem on your next batch.