thackers

Recipes 

Hello I'm new to home brewing I really want it to work as I really enjoy the whole process! However I'm having problems with brewing largers/beers I so far have brewed a pilsner and tryed a stout after in a 5gallon fermentation bucket i washed then sanitised the bucket and then followed the instructions on the packet yet both brews have the same smell? The only thing I can think of is that I don't use heating in the brewing process and the temperature changes may have something to do with it? I have ordered a heater now but I am open to suggestions of what I'm doing wrong? I did wash and sterilise the bucket between brews? The smell is kind of sour but not vinegary . I really could do with some help any advice really would be appreciated as this is fast becoming an expensive hobby when I'm making rubbish drinks! Thankyou once again!

passedpawn

Recipes 

What do you sanitize with?

Extract? Are you boiling?

__________________
Now there's some take delight in the carriages a rolling
and others take delight in the hurling and the bowling
but I take delight in the juice of the barley
and courting pretty fair maids in the morning bright and early

thackers

Recipes 

I use the dwp sanitizer make it up to a gallon etc then shake it around making all surfaces are covered and all the equipment is covered, I'm currently making the Hambleton bard Irish stout brew kit but smelling it today it reminded me of the pilsner I made

passedpawn

Recipes 

No idea what dwp is, but I highly suggest you find starsan. It's what everyone uses, for good reason.

You're getting bacterial infections that are making your beer sour. After the boil, EVERYTHING that touches your beer needs to be boiled or sanitized with starsan. Do this and you'll have success.

__________________
Now there's some take delight in the carriages a rolling
and others take delight in the hurling and the bowling
but I take delight in the juice of the barley
and courting pretty fair maids in the morning bright and early

thackers

Recipes 

I use vwp sorry, thanks for the advice il try that next time when the heater arrives and hopefully get better results . Just wondering also if I'm being fussy as I'm only used to commercial drinks?

45_70sharps

Recipes 

Sanstar is the number one thing you are looking for. Like Passedpawn said, it's what everyone uses for a reason.
What's the heater?
Are you talking about keeping the fermentation warm? What's the temp in the place you are keeping the fermenting bucket?
If anything most the time you are trying to keep the temp down when fermenting.
What yeast and what's the temperature?

Is the smell that you are talking about the beer when it's done, or the smell while it's fermenting? Yeast can give off a variety of odors. There are tons of yeasts out there and they behave differently, give different flavors, smells and like different environments.
The smell of the fermentation may not indicate the smell of the beer.

__________________
Let's see if I keep this updated!

On tap
Black Butte clone

In secondary
Pumpkin ale

In primary
Honey wit

Up next.. Firestone Union Jack clone

thackers

Recipes 

I've purchased a heater that submerses in the beer with a temperature control as where I live in the uk is often cold the central heating isn't allways on so to maintain the constant temperature I purchased the heater, I'm unaware of the yeast I used its basically the one that came with the kits I'm just unsure why it would smell the same when the drinks ate different I've not bottled the stout yet but in the pilsner it tainted the beverage , I may just be being novice here I don't want to offend anyone and I'm sorry if it's annoying but I'm really annoyed I just want to make a drink that's actually drinkable! I e spent a fair bit on equipment I just want the rewards of a decent beverage that doesn't cost the earth !

Yooper

Recipes 

I think many of those kits are to blame, not you! Any of those canned kits that you add sugar to and pretty poor quality, and they will all taste/smell pretty much the same.

You probably do NOT want a heater- you should ferment most beers at 16-20C and no higher.

I'd suggest letting us know what you're using as a kit for ingredients (a link would be great, since you don't have the same items in the UK that we have), and we can help you choose a better quality extract kit. You want to stay away from those canned kits, and those prehopped cans especially.

__________________
Broken Leg Brewery
Giving beer a leg to stand on since 2006

thackers

Recipes 

You don't no how good that is to hear! I'm brewing a home made cider and the prohibition vodka separately and they have no where near the same smell they smell ace and I hope they will taste that good too! I have a link to the kit I'm currently using it is : http://www.the-home-brew-shop.co.uk/cgi-bin/sh000001.pl?REFPAGE=http%3a%2f%2fwww%2ethe%2dhome% 2dbrew%2dshop%2eco%2euk%2facatalog%2fVWP_400g%2eht ml&WD=stout%20irish&PN=Stouts_and_Porters%2ehtml%2 3a1_21492191#a1_21492191 I'm currently sat drinking a Guinness the fact I have 40 pints of bad tasting beverage is somewhat devastating! Out of curiosity if the kits are bad what should I consider song instead ? Thanks Again!

thackers

Recipes 

Also I'm not expecting Guinness I just want a decent stout!