There are a few different scenarios where you may need to remove or write-off a batch in Breww, and the right approach depends on how far through the brewing process the batch got. This guide covers the three most common journeys:
- Fully deleting a batch where no ingredients have been used — use this if the batch was created/started in error and you want to remove it entirely so it's as if it never happened.
- Wasting the remaining volume of a batch that is in a vessel — use this if the batch has been brewed and is currently sitting in a fermenter, conditioning tank or other vessel, and you need to dump/waste/destroy the liquid (either the full volume or whatever is left after a racking).
- Closing out a batch where ingredients were used but no beer was produced — use this if the brew failed before any liquid reached a vessel (e.g. stuck mash, boil-over, contamination in the kettle), so you need to write off the ingredients without producing any finished beer.
If you're not sure which applies, pick the section that best matches the current state of your batch and follow the steps from there.
Fully deleting a batch where no ingredients have been used
Whether a batch is completed or in progress, you can delete a batch by undoing the starting of the batch using the undo button in the "Actions" tab, doing so will revert the batch back to a planned batch. We have a dedicated guide on undoing batch actions, which might be useful to read through. If there are multiple actions you must undo them all in reverse chronological order from the last to the first.
Once the batch has been reversed to a planned batch you can now fully delete this in the batch screen using the delete button located at the top right of the page.
Please note that if this batch has had any products entered into your duty return, either through a sale or stock movement to a non-bonded site or location, then this batch cannot be deleted.
Wasting the remaining volume of a batch that is in a vessel
If your batch has already been transferred into a vessel and you need to waste (dump/destroy) the liquid that is currently in that vessel, you can do this directly from the batch without needing to undo any actions. This is the right approach whether you're wasting the entire batch (for example, due to contamination) or just emptying the last remaining volume after a racking.
- Open the batch detail page for the batch you need to waste.
- Go to the Actions menu and choose Empty vessel.
- Choose the vessel that's holding the batch (if the batch is split across multiple vessels, you'll be able to pick which one to empty).
- Enter the volume being wasted (this will default to the full remaining volume in the vessel) and select a wastage reason.
- Confirm to empty the vessel.
Emptying the vessel in full will close out the batch, leaving any ingredients already recorded as used and recording the wasted liquid against your chosen wastage reason. The ingredients stock will remain as "used" rather than being returned to stock.
If you're part way through a racking or transfer and just want to account for the small amount of liquid left in the vessel as wastage, you can do that as part of the racking/transfer itself rather than using Empty vessel. See Adjusting, emptying or wasting the contents of a vessel for more detail.
Closing out a batch where ingredients were used but no beer was produced
Use this approach if ingredients have been recorded against the batch but no liquid ever made it into a vessel (for example, the brew failed in the kettle, or the wort had to be dumped before transfer). The goal here is to keep the ingredient usage on record for accuracy and costing, while closing the batch out without producing any finished beer.
Follow these steps:
- Checking the "Ingredients" tab list of stock items used is correct and adjusting to match what was used if required.
- Transfer the batch to a vessel in Breww (We appreciate this probably didn't happen in the real world, but it's needed for the next step in Breww).
- Go to the "Actions" menu and choose "Empty vessel", and empty the vessel in full. This will close out the batch, keeping the ingredients stock as used but without producing any beer stock.
