Tastes bad

Hi all
Just took a sample to measure FG after 10 days in primary at 65/68 degrees. FG as per Midwest instructions is 1.010/1.012, my reading is 1.014.
It's a honey wizen, didn't smell great tasted like rocket fuel. Drank the small sample now have a splitting headache, what's with that.
Pitched at 78 which was a little hot and had a hard time getting the wort temp down after putting in primary and swamp cooler.
Wyeast 3068
Slainte

With what you have for info if you pitched at almost 80 that would most def cause off flavors.

What was the OG?

An FG within a couple points is fine. For any recipe, it's an estimate and is dependent on the amount of fermentables and yeast health and many other factors, but you'll usually come very close.

That it tastes like rocket fuel is probably a bad sign. You mean it's got a pronounced alcohol flavor?

Headaches from homebrew come from drinking too much ( ) and fusel alcohols, which are more prominent in high temp fermentations. If you had a bunch of fusel alcohol in there, that could be the source.

For pitching, you can always wait until it cools before doing so. The important thing is to quickly cool after boiling to 80ish deg or lower. There's nothing wrong with putting it in your swamp cooler or basement or fermentation chamber and waiting until the next day to pitch. Better to let it get down than pitch too high, especially if you use a starter where fermentation will start quicker than tossing in dry yeast or smack packs.

SG was 1.054. Didn't use a starter, just pitched the smack pack. Seemed like it didn't start fermentation till the next day.
Slainte

First, its still kinda raw and that often tastes nasty no matter what. Let it finish, bottle it, age it, then try it. It WILL BE better.

Second, high temps = fusel alcohol and that does have a bit of a rocket fuel twang to it. My experience is that age does help, but others disagree. YMMV.

Solution: When setting up your next batch, don't give up on getting the temp of your wort down. Buy more ice. Change the water bath again. Do whatever you gotta do to get that temp down for the start, and then monitor your swamp cooler to keep it in check.

Yeah, I meant to say that too, YeastHerder.

Definitely let it go to bottling/kegging and at least one month past that. Yes, age (to a point, style dependent) will help. You're only 10 days in.

Leave it in the primary for at least 10 more days, maybe the yeast will take care of the rocket fuel flavor. Then bottle or keg.

Yea had planned on three weeks in primary then bottle and condition for 4 weeks.
Apart from first day (half day) after brewing and pitching at 78 the temp of my swamp cooler was a steady 60. So internal fermenter temp around 65/68.
Didn't expect rocket fuel, although the wife said it smelled good. Maybe it's just me
Slainte

Just for future reference, you don't need to pitch your yeast immediately. You are much better off just taking some extra time to get the temp down (as long as everything is sanitized properly.) The risk of infection from letting it sit a couple hours is much, much less than than the risks of pitching too hot.

If you got the temps down quickly, I'd say you've got a very good chance that this will just mellow on its own after a couple weeks.

When pitching warm like that would it help to just leave it in primary for say 6 weeks versus 4 in hopes the yeasties could repair those off flavors?