Infected Pale Ale?

[christ]

Hey guys, Im very new to brewing and im on my second batch.

I decided to use a pale ale tin from coopers along with brew enhancer 2not sure what was in it though, I think 500g malt, 500g dextrose or something? I pitched the yeast on the 20th and it bubbled for about 48 hoursafter this it slowed to a stop. The temp was at 23-25 the whole time. the gravity is at 10 but im not sure what it started on.

The thing im worried about is that its developed a kind of farty smell to itI opened up the top of the fermenter and it smelt really strongly of beery farty alcoholic smellit wasnt too bad but it still smells a bit off and Im worried it is infected.
I cleaned all the scum from the last batch off by soaking the fermenter in warm water then scrubbing off the remaining soft bits with a sponge and then I put half a cup of bleach in and let that sit for an hour with all the tools in it. I then rinsed it out really well and cant really see where ive gone wrong..i thought I was very thorough with the cleaning.
Maybe im just paranoid but I have to go away tomorrow for a few days and im worried about leaving the beerI want it to be a good batch.

Cheers

JC

edit: the yeast i used was under the cap coopers yeat . i plan on using another type next time after reading the forums for a few hours.

 

[pint of lager]

23-25 deeg C is a bit high, go for a lower temperature next time.

Read the thread called Infection?
this has some good info.

Leave it for another week, check the sg with a hydrometer, and when ready bottle it.

Often the smell in primary does not reflect the true beer,

Bleach is a very good cleaner, but must be really well rinsed, otherwise it affects the finished beer.

 

[Tallgum]

Hey Christ, I will talk to you about your problem at church tomorrow morning.
:lol:

 

[christ]

about to leave on my 4 day holiday so lets hope it doesn't smell like a sewer when i get back. read the infection thread and it answered alot of questions, thankyou.


peace
christ

tallgum - seeyou there buddy

 

[christ]

ok guys im kinda worried now. i measured it at one point and it was 10 then i measured it again today and its at 20...i think the bubbles might have been holding up the hydrometer and that was causing an incorrect reading?
so that means it hasnt dont any fermenting in quite a few days i think. could the yeast be dead? i only put the one packet of coopers yeast in so maybe i need some more??

i dont think its infected anymore because i think it smells quite nice now. i had a look on the top of the fermenter and there were little islands of white foamy bubbles floating around...not as big and thick as when i first started...im pretty sure this white foam stuff kind of gets smaller though?
also there is no scum ring! i find this strange because on my last batch the scum ring was pretty formed after a few days

thankyou

 

[NRB]

Don't bubbles on a hydrometer cause a higher reading?

 

[christ]

hrmm yes i think you're right.
i measured it again and it's on 12. what's with these crazy readings? could i have picked up some sediment when filling the testing tube?

 

[pint of lager]

A bit of sediment will not affect the reading at all, the hydrometer measures the density of the fluid.

Bubbles will definitely affect the reading by making it higher. During fermentation, carbon dioxide is given off, and some of this dissolves into solution of your beer. When you float the hydrometer in this sample, some of this CO2 comes out of solution and forms bubbles on the surface of the hydrometer and it floats higher.

Pour a sample of wort into your test jar, float the hydrometer, and take a reading straight away. Do not wait a minute or two, as the reading will change. Then taste the beer sample, do not pour it back into the beer.

 

[christ]

ok i tested it and it was 09! tasted it and it still tastes a little off (is this right for this stage of fermentation?). should i bottle yet or wait a few days for the readings to be the same?

also tasted my lager that has been in bottles for 6 days and it's still a bit gross...a bit cidery and acidic. will this get better with aging for a few weeks to a month? it has a really nice head when i pour it into a glass. i'm pretty sure the little bit of stuff at the bottom of the bottles is yeast? im a tiny bit worried it might be undisolved coopers sugar tablet things...although i did see how small they had gotten in a few hours and i inverted the bottles quite a few times when i put the sugar tablets in.


cheers

 

[christ]

and does anyone know why i dont have a scum ring on my fermenter with the pale ale? does the malt take longer to break down than sugar?