Wild brews supposed to smell a bit funky?

moger777 · 04-30-2009, 11:55 PM

So I'm brewing a sour brown using Roselare yeast. Generally I enjoy the smell of fermenting beer but right now my room smells a tad funky. Is this normal? I've never done a lambic or sour brown before.

Orangevango · 05-01-2009, 01:26 AM

Depends on what you mean by funky.

If the smell is similar to what you would call "brett funk" in a beer, then i would say you are in the clear. What you dont want is nasty, stank, armpit, horse ass smell. From the accounts Ive heard though, lambic fermentation cellars smell alot like freshly baked sourdough bread. I wouldn't worry about it, because worrying is not going to change it. Let it do its thing, and in the future, you will know if that smell is normal or if it will mess up your beer.

moger777 · 05-01-2009, 01:34 AM

What exactly is "brett funk"? I was under the impression that brett caused a horse like smell. I don't know how horses smell like

.

Orangevango · 05-01-2009, 05:11 PM

My only advice is drink some wild beers, cantillon, boon, and some flemish browns and see what they smell like, if the smell is similar to them, you are probabaly fine, but there isnt anthing you can do about it now either way.

Brett can be "horsey" its a kind of earthy, wet wood type of smell. Some people find it objectionable.

**eddie** · 05-02-2009, 12:31 AM

How does it look and at what temps and conditions are you fermenting? What was your recipe?

moger777 · 05-02-2009, 01:40 AM

When it first started the bubbles where a bit bigger than I've seen (but to be honest I don't open the primary buckets often) and had a green color to them (I assume this is hop pellet residue). The best way to describe it would be the same fruit smell from an ale but much much stronger (and more like rotten fruit than regular fruit, kinda like garbage). I think what threw me off is generally when I ferment I don't smell anything till after I open the bucket while this time my whole room smelled like really green beer does when taking a wiff straight from the bucket. I used Roselare yeast but the packet did not inflate after being smacked (I only waited 5 hours though). I decided to pitch it anyways and just oxygen the hell out of it. 2 days later it finally started bubbling but had a really strong smell to it. Now my room smells fine. I probably won't know till the beer is properly aged (I think all green beer tastes funky).

flyangler18 · 05-02-2009, 01:43 AM

Sounds about right for a Roeselare fermentation - you're getting some character from the sherry yeast and some of the microfauna is probably just beginning to assert itself. Hope you're not in a hurry....the Flanders sours take well over a year.

I just brewed a Flanders Red a few weeks ago - took almost 3 days before a fluffy krausen formed. The krausen fell the other day, so it's time to rack to secondary with the oak peg and forget about it for a year.

staffVAJoe · 05-02-2009, 01:52 AM

I have a friend who brews AG Lambics and I think that it smells as bad as appfelwafen.

dam I like stinky Gir Um I mean fermentation.