First time brewer / First batch, dump or not

[R8rG8r13]

Hello everyone, hope all is well. New to brewing and about 3 1/2 weeks ago I brewed extract caribou slobber. Set 2 weeks in primary and been a week and a half in the secondary. While transferring to secondary I noticed a very strong alcohol smell and thought it work itself out in the secondary. Today I pulled a sample to see what the gravity was (1.010) took a taste and while the smell was a lot tamer the taste was a bit thin and had a fairly strong alcohol taste. Will the corn sugar I would mix with water to produce carbonation help level that out or is my first batch a waste?? I will say that I followed the instruction sheet pretty much to the letter but it wasn't till after a week or so into fermentation I actually found out how important temp during fermentation. According to the video, just put it in a dark room and leave it, didn't exactly specify temp but as the brewer I should have researched more instead following the directions alone. Room temp was 74. Thoughts?...try not to beat me up to bad. Thank you ~Mike

[voodoo_donut]

Don't dump it. Your experience is pretty common with this kit. While it might not turn out great, it should turn out ok. Maybe better. What you're tasting is likely fusel alcohols from a too warm fermentation.

[jimrmaine]

Don't dump it. Your experience is pretty common with this kit. While it might not turn out great, it should turn out ok. Maybe better. What you're tasting is likely fusel alcohols from a too warm fermentation.

Agreed, don't dump it. The slobber kit is a lot better after 6-8 weeks in the bottle. It mellows out and other interesting secondary flavors come out. I don't have the discipline, but if I did, I'd put the whole batch somewhere and not even touch it for 2 months after bottling.

[sneezles61]

I think Jim from Maine meant to add cool to the storage equation too! Sneezles61

[R8rG8r13]

Thank you for the replies and insight. In the next few days I'll go ahead and bottle and store in a cool temps for awhile and see what happens. Based on your comments sounds like all is not lost on this batch. Cheers!

[sneezles61]

I was thinking the mass storage of your brew.... Bottled, well then to a warmer dark corner to promote the yeast to ferment the corn sugar/dried malt extract so they will get carbonated.... Sneezles61

[brewman]

Like @sneezles61 said after bottling keep them at a warmer temp about 70 or a little higher for two weeks. Then store at cooler temps to age.

[WMNoob]

Don't dump it. Bottle it and let 'er sit. I brewed one that had a nasty smell/flavor and after 3 weeks it turned into beer! Welcome to the hobby and have a blast!

[R8rG8r13]

Thank you all again for the valuable feedback. I'm definitely hooked (and my wife is already tired of hearing about it, ha) and look forward to all grain once I get more familiar with everything.