Oh no! Has it gone t--s up already?

[Jaoqua]

At the weekend I made up a Coopers IPA. I added a hop tea (as per Steve's instructions, more-or-less) as well.

But last night I sneaked a look under the FV lid because the head had reached the FV lid and then gone down again, and the smell was very odd. Very yeasty, of course, but also a bit sour. I can't quite put my finger on it. So I ran a bit off into a glass and tasted it. Very much the same. Incredibly yeasty, but also a little sour.

Could this be the hops? Or could it be off already? It was the first time I opened the lid, and I was very careful about sanitization (with VWP).

[Damfoose]

The sour notes will very possabilly be the added hop tea you put in this will change when you condition it. As for the yeasty flavour this is because their is now alot of yeast in suspension in your brew this will go as well.

[Jaoqua]

OK. Thanks. I won't panic just yet.

Obviously I expected yeast, but this surprised me. It looked like yeast soup in the glass. A vigorous fermentation, I presume.

[stevezx7r]

Yup, just yeast and hops. Now the hard bit, leaving it.

[Jaoqua]

Well, sg has hit 1004 after 5 days! On Jim's advice I have checked my hydrometer with tap water and it does seem to be reading a little low. Water out of the tap is giving 998. I haven't adjusted for temp because in a way the actual sg is not as vital as how much it changes. So according to my hydrometer it's dropped from 1031 to 1004.

My main concern is that the beer smells and tastes unpleasant. Not vinegary, but not at all appetizing. Has anyone else had genuinely unpleasant beer at this point? I don't mean yeasty. Of course it's yeasty. But more -penicilliney?

[Jaoqua]

I've just done an experiment. I brewed another hop tea (steeped for 1 hr) but this time I tasted it.

If you've ever overbrewed green tea, think of that taste multiplied by ten. I can still taste it!

I am now prepared to believe that my beer may be uninfected. I just hope that hop taste mellows.

[Aes9471]

I have had some well dodgy wiffs, sniffs and snifters from a fermenting beer, as most seem to advise on here, give it time, to mature with secondary fermentation. Each time I have been worried my fears have been unfounded - although whenever I have finished bottling and leave the brews to mature I always keep a bottle to open after a week a) to make sure it's carbonating b) to make sure I'm not maturing screen wash!!

[mysterio]

I've made hop tea and it was pretty nasty like you describe, overbrewed green tea. Never again.

[maxashton]

The hop flavour will mellow in a month or two. If it's still really a problem and you're kegging, just use a sparkler adapter for the tap.

[stevezx7r]

My current beer (a bitter) is overly bitter due to the amount of hops I used in the boil and also because I dry hopped the keg.

The day after I kegged it was almost undrinkable and I thought I'd buggered it up by over hopping, a day after that I noticed it was slightly less bitter and a few days after that (today) it's getting noticably better although it is still a green beer. Given time the potency of the hops used gets weaker so in another week it will be fine, it's just a time thing.

[Jaoqua]

Well, several weeks later, the vile Coopers IPA has dropped bright. And it's not bad! OK, it needs another two or three weeks, but if I had to compare it to anything I'd say Shephard Neame's Spitfire would be quite close.

Points to note from all of this are...
* Coopers IPA with a strong hop tea tastes and smells vile while fermenting.
* Its yeast still tastes unpleasant, so pour with care.
* Coopers yeast likes it warm but is very good. It brewed down to FG in four days at about 21C, no sticking, then when the temperature dropped below 18C it sank like a stone. It was bright within a week of bottling. It has virtually solidified at the bottom of the bottle, with only a little (but that's enough! - See above) coming up into the beer on pouring.

[sparky Paul]

I've just done an experiment. I brewed another hop tea (steeped for 1 hr) but this time I tasted it.

If you've ever overbrewed green tea, think of that taste multiplied by ten. I can still taste it!

I am now prepared to believe that my beer may be uninfected. I just hope that hop taste mellows.

It will mellow out, but it will take several weeks, or longer.

I tried the hop tea method, but it just doesn't do it for me. I prefer boiling and/or steeping in worty liquor, i.e.with a some spraymalt or rinsings from the can. I can remember reading some reasoning behind it once, but something happens when the hops are boiled with wort... there's some sort of reaction goes on between the malt and the hops, and the results taste different.