Homebrew Happenings: What to do when you can’t save a brew?

Welcome back to Homebrew Happenings!

As every Homebrewer knows sometimes your batch just does not turn out right. Brewing at home can mean less than ideal conditions and equipment, and sometimes just plain bad luck.  So what can you do if you end up with some “different” or “bad” beer…

We are lucky because we only ever brew half batches so there is rarely tons of beer to be potentially lost. Even so we are always reticent to dump it so we’ve got a little creative in the past.

Here are some of our favourite ways to save our homebrew when something goes wrong.

BBQ Sauce 

This particular beer didn’t carb, so now think of it as a bunch of bottles that are full of barbeque sauce base.  This is a good option for most styles, just make sure to adjust your spice profile to match the flavours in the beer.  

This is the recipe I used when my first crack at an imperial stout fell flat.

• 1 650ml bottle of dark stout
• 1 medium onion, minced
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 cup demerara sugar
• 1 tsp cumin seed
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp hot sauce(optional)
• 1 small can tomato paste
• 1 tbsp cooking oil

In your sauce pan, heat the cooking oil on medium high. Add the onion and garlic to the oil, along with the salt.  Let the onions cook until they begin to caramelize.

Meanwhile, in a dry frying pan toast the cumin seeds on high for a few minutes, then grind them in your spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle.

When the onions are ready, add the sugar and cumin.  Let the sugar melt down and stir everything together.  Then add the beer, tomato paste, and hot sauce.

Stir everything together, and turn the heat up to high.  Next is a step we’re all familiar with: Bring it to a boil, and wait. Boil it until it has reduced by half, stirring as needed.  Let it cool and store it in the fridge.  It’s good to give it overnight to let the flavours meld.

This sauce goes great with pork or beef.  As always, feel free to play with the spices, up the heat, etc.

Beer Pickled Jalapenos

This one is simple.  Slice up jalapeno peppers, and put them in a jar.  Add approximately  a tablespoon of sugar, and fill the jar 2/3rds of the way up with a lighter beer, such as a saison or a wheat beer.   Fill the remaining third with vinegar.

I will occasionally add other spices such as coriander to it, and sometimes  mixed with apple cider vinegar.

Most important step is to taste!! Unfortunately some beer is beyond saving no matter what you try to do with it.

Good luck, and happy brewing!

Jesse Witoszkin