Beginner Brown Ale - Did I ruin it?

[gonitz]

Hey guys, I just brewed my first batch (caribou slobber extract). I just transferred it into the secondary fermentor after 9 days in the primary. I couldn't resist having a taste. It tasted horrible and watery not that I expected much but I was already concerned. I underestimated the difficulty of cooling the wort (my sink was way to small for the kettle) and it took two hours to get the wort under 100. I pitched the yeast at probably 85-90. Only bubbled for two days.
Also my apartment stays at a gross 75 which seems warm for fermentation. Is my beer ruined or is there hope?

 

[Subdivisions]

It's probably got some fusel alcohol going on since you pitched so warm. Look into using a swamp cooler in the future. Just get a large rubbermaid storage container and fill it with water. Put the fermenter in that and toss in a frozen 2-liter bottle of water a couple times a day for the first 3 or 4 days. This will also help get your wort to pitching temperature if you have enough bottles to put in. Next time give it more time to cool if it's taking a while. It's not the end of the world to pitch the next day if you have to. Just make sure it's sealed up in the (sanitized) fermenter.

As far as your beer let it ride another week and decide if you want to bottle it. Some aging and carbonation might help it out a little. At the very worst you'll dump it and have at least gotten some experience bottling.

EDIT: Look into a wort chiller.

EDIT2: Here's an old thread on not dumping your beer. It may ease your mind.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=73254

 

[lowtones84]

The above advice is good. I've been brewing for years and still only use a swamp cooler because of lack of money and space for equipment. I would let your beer ride, I bet it's not ruined. Brown ales are fairly forgiving because of the malt flavor. Give it a week or two in secondary and two weeks or so in bottles. You may not be 100% satisfied, but you may be surprised as well. In either case, you can learn from your mistakes and do better next time!

 

[Subdivisions]

The above advice is good. I've been brewing for years and still only use a swamp cooler because of lack of money and space for equipment. I would let your beer ride, I bet it's not ruined. Brown ales are fairly forgiving because of the malt flavor. Give it a week or two in secondary and two weeks or so in bottles. You may not be 100% satisfied, but you may be surprised as well. In either case, you can learn from your mistakes and do better next time!

Ya, I remembered the old Revvy thread about not dumping your beer and put it up there for him. That should be pinned somewhere.

 

[gonitz]

Forgot to add I just made a wort chiller before I try my first IPA

 

[Subdivisions]

Nice, do the swamp cooler too! You can get the wort chilled down but the fermentation will take the temperature right back up, especially if it's 75 degrees in your place. Another trick with that is to put a shirt over your bucket/carboy and let it soak some water up. Blow a fan over it to evaporate the water and chill it. Definitely freeze some water bottles though. That helps the most. The mass of water around the fermenter will keep the temperature more stable.

 

[BlueHouseBrewhaus]

Also, in the future, avoid pitching the yeast until your temp is under 70F.