Fermentation problem

[RBelanger]

I'm just getting into home brewing this year. I've made 4 kits and 5 all grain batches without any problems. I just brewed and English Pale ale 7 days ago and used Danstar Nottingham Dry yeast. It took about 48 hours before I saw any activity in the primary (glass carboy) and then I had lots of air lock activity and krausen. The problem is that it smells horrible, like sufur or "rhino farts" lol, and I just took a gravity reading today and it read almost the same as before I pitched the yeast. What am I missing here? Is the yeast bad or possible infection? Any suggestions?

 

[likwidbliss]

Sulfur smell is a product of the yeast. It varies from batch to batch. I thought I was going to dump a batch once but the smell went away.

 

[RBelanger]

But why hasn't the gravity changed much in eight days? I just realized that the yeast expires in 2 months.

I'm going to let it sit for a while before I check again.

 

[birvine]

I'm not sure, to answer your question, but I would not worry. Sometimes yeast does give off sulphur gas - I even doubted a batch a few months back but it turned out fine. I left it in the primary for almost a month, then bottled and it was great.

B

 

[RBelanger]

Thanks, I know I'd regret giving up on the brew at this point. I've done my share of research and have tried to control the home brewing process with great precision...I just can't get over that putrid smell, lol. I'll let you know I the gravity changes in a couple weeks.

 

[likwidbliss]

Remember to beat the yeast, you must think like a yeast!