Is my beer going to turn out the same?

This is my third batch. The first two I brewed were a Kolsch and a Golden Ale. The first two tasted, looked, and smelled pretty identical. I made some adjustments for my third batch which is a Porter. I got my ingredients from a different homebrew store and instead of LME I got DME. I got spring water instead of using my water and I made a yeast starter. Also I got a temperature contoller and i'm controlling my fermentation at 64-66. Now i'm on day three in fermentation and i've got to be honest it smells exactly the same as the other two batches during fermentation. Is this a sign that it is going to taste the same again! Surely not but I guess i'm asking is it normal for different batches to smell the same during fermentation even though they are totally different styles using different yeast?

Ryan11 said:

This is my third batch. The first two I brewed were a Kolsch and a Golden Ale. The first two tasted, looked, and smelled pretty identical. I made some adjustments for my third batch which is a Porter. I got my ingredients from a different homebrew store and instead of LME I got DME. I got spring water instead of using my water and I made a yeast starter. Also I got a temperature contoller and i'm controlling my fermentation at 64-66. Now i'm on day three in fermentation and i've got to be honest it smells exactly the same as the other two batches during fermentation. Is this a sign that it is going to taste the same again! Surely not but I guess i'm asking is it normal for different batches to smell the same during fermentation even though they are totally different styles using different yeast?

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So my experience is that unless its something where the yeast adds a lot of character (belgians, etc) or a strain that puts off sulfur, the fermentations don't smell much different from one batch to the next for me.

I wouldn't worry too much. No, way your porter is going to taste like your kolsch.

What yeasts were used for the first two brews? If the fermentation temp wasn't under control you could have gotten slight off flavor due to temps. in those first two beers that lent to the two different grain bills having a similar taste. Sounds like your on the right track now, as a matter of fact your far ahead of where I was by batch 3, i.e. ferm. temp. control, yeast starter etc. As your brew procedure becomes more familiar, after repetition, you tend to produce more consistent results both in terms of quality and stylization. I have had fermentations that have smelled similar, especially after only 3 days, only to have the final product be absolutely great and consistent to the style I was aiming for. The variations on this of course is a double IPA versus a far less hoppy stout due to the smell of hops. Good luck.