Newbie Homebrew

Crilly4069

I've tried brewing my own beer a few time, with little success, so this time I decided to try and do it right,and follow recommendations on here and by watching the YouTube videos.

First batch fermented for 7 days, bottled and kept at room temperature for 7-10 days, and now been in the garage for just under two months, perfect I thought, however on opening my first bottle I hit with the homebrew smell which I've always got when brewing, I can put my finger on what it smells like but, my girlfriend seems to think it's a fruity smell, but it seems present in every batch i've brewed.

My brew was from a Woodforde kit, no additions, just the two cans, water and yeast, any ideas what I could be doing wrong as its becoming a bit disheartened. The beer is drinkable but not something I would offer to anyone else.

Any advise would be really appreciated

HBO_Staff

Hi Crilly4069, we're sorry to hear your brew has this unusual smell to it, the good news is that there are a couple of things you can try which may to stop it. Unusual flavours can develop due to a number of factors, if you haven't already tried these suggestions then give them a go:

Firstly choose the best quality beer kit you can - generally the better ingredients cost more but give better results - kits such as Festival or the Youngs American range etc.

Yeast can be a major factor - some cheaper beer kits include a basic yeast - try upgrading your yeast to a Danstar Nottingham or another type that is ideal for the style of brew being made - Safale have some good yeasts.

Water - most brewers use tap water but in some areas this can impart a flavour - try allowing your brewing water to stand for 24 hours in a vessel to allow chemicals to evaporate.

Temperature - the brewing temperature can impart flavours into a brew - try to keep the temperature as consistent as possible rather than having it fluctuating. a High temperature can cause off flavours such as fruity or solvent, try to brew around 18 to 20 degrees C for most brews unless it says otherwise.

Light can cause off flavours too - try to brew away from UV light or cover the vessel over, then once it is bottled keep it in the dark or covered up to keep UV light out - using brown bottles rather than clear also helps with this.

When your brew has finished the fermentation in the vessel try to avoid leaving it sitting on the dead yeast for too long - bottle or barrel it once finished , this will help to stop any flavour imparting.

Also try to leave as much yeast behind in your fermenter after brewing as you can - if you stir it up or get quite a bit in your bottles then when you pour the beer from the bottles you will get quite a bit of yeast in there, leaving it behind when bottling can help to reduce this - although your brew will usually still be cloudy at this stage this is OK as you do need some yeast suspended in there to carbonate the brew in the bottles.

Hopefully some of this helps, let us know how you get on