Cooked brew (fermenation temp too high) how to save?

[Waffty]

Hi,

Kicked off my Coopers brewmaster IPA (with 500g DME & 300g Detroxtros) as per the instructions. Connected up my ATC800 (connected to my FV 'base' heater)& left it to ferment, after a few days, removed the FV lagging and gave it the once over & noticed the temp felt high. So removed the bubble lock bung & checked out the temp, it was 28 degree c, which whilst high, is still within the tolerance of the yeast i.e 18 to 32 degrees C.

Checked the gravity today & it's a healthy 1008 & still dropping but on tasting, it's a little none descript i.e no real hop bitterness or flavour, it does however taste 'full' & kind of fruity.

1) So is it worthwhile contiuning with this brew, assuming I have 'cooked' the yeast ?
2) Are the fruit flavours normal i.e temp was still within range & this is an IPA ?
3) Will these flavours mellow overtime ?
4) Can I dry hop the brew, to restore some of the aroma/bitterness ? If so, how + what quantities of hops do I need (got a bag of Saaz I can use)

Many thanks in advance.
Darren.

[Chris The Fish]

not being very experienced at this sort of thing, however...

i was chatting to the LHBS owner the other day about lagering etc. and he was saying that if you lager somthing for a couple of weeks, then bring it inside for a few days it gets a 'rest' and the bananary flavours associated with high temp fermentation fall out. not sure if this would work in your case, but if all else fails then whack it into a secondary for 2 weeks outside in the cold (garage/shed) then bring it in for few days, then bottle. Like i say, im no expert on this and im sure someone will put me right but if all other avenues draw a blank it could be an option.

chris

[Bryggmester]

Cooper's yeast is supposed to stand high temperatures well, perhaps something to do with the Aussie climate. As far as mellowing goes it certainly should improve with maturing, a few weeks can make all the difference. I can't really comment on the "fruit flavours" without tasting them. As far as extra hops go, why not steep 1/2 oz of your Saaz in water which has just been boiled, leave about 30 mins or until relatively cool,and strain into the brew. Don't forget sanitation of course.
Must dash, I've got some sparging to do.

[Waffty]

Thanks for the help/tips.

Looks like the fermentation has stopped, as the reading hasn't changed over the last couple of days, so I've just dropped the temp & will drop it into the keg tonight.

I did have another taste this morning & it's deffo 'changing' or be it, I'm still not certain, what it's turning into

I've measured out my hops, so I'll steep some of those in my priming DME (for secondary fermentation) & we'll see what happens

Thanks again.
Darren

[NWC]

I cooked some admirals revenge when the sun (what little there was) shon on the keg during secondary fermentation.
I was advised to put it somewhere cool and dark for a week, each day praying to the Great Beer God in that big Pub in the sky for salvation of my brew.
Luckily I'm pretty good at praying, and it all turned out good - 'twas a close shave though!