On Nov 18, 7:43 pm, wrote:
I tried my hand at brewing some compost tea, but I think my pump was
too weak. The tea smells terrible. It's been "brewing" for about two
weeks now. I just added a new pump, but I'm wondering whether I
should just start from scratch or whether there's hope for this
batch? Might the beneficial microbes have already died by now?

What you're smelling is the production of anaerobic organisms. They
create smells similar to vomit, urine, or alcohol. DO NOT USE IT ON
YOUR PLANTS. You could potentially do some major damage to your
plants. Good actively aerated compost tea should smell slightly
earthy or have no smell at all. The same goes for the compost you use
initially.

Here's a good starting place for information:
http://www.soilfoodweb.com/03_about_us/approach.html

Also a great book is for beginners is "Teaming with Microbes" by Jeff
Lowenfels.

What were your inputs into your container? What size pump were you
using? There are many more variables to making good compost tea that
most people realize. Hope we can help!

~Tad