Smelling your airlock air

sayteller · 06-19-2009, 03:33 PM

This may be a really dumb question but does anyone ever smell the C02 that bubbles up out of the air lock? Should this smell a certain kind of way.... should it smell like beer or is it too soon to get a real idea of how the end product will smell?

LakeErieBrew · 06-19-2009, 03:39 PM

I sniff airlocks all the time. Fermentation almost never smells like your beer will once it's finished. Sometimes it smell good, sometimes it smells like "rhino farts."

sayteller · 06-19-2009, 04:15 PM

Ok good to know... cause its a bit on the rhino farts side of things as of now lol. Not unbearable, just not what I was expecting.

beerkrump · 06-19-2009, 04:18 PM

I aerate my beer with rhino farts. LGI collects and ships them to me. I know I should get my own rhino, but I don't have space in the garage.

**IrregularPulse** · 06-19-2009, 04:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beerkrump

I aerate my beer with rhino farts. LGI collects and ships them to me. I know I should get my own rhino, but I don't have space in the garage.

I see you're somewhat new here (Mar09) Rhino's go in sheds not garages. Kegerators go in garages and there's been a lot of problems around here with fellow members rhinos drinking there beer while they're at work. I think there's a Build thread for a pretty common Rhino shed in the DIY. I'll try and find a link.

To the OP, yes fermentation will smell great, decent, bad, and horrible. Beer will taste good.

sayteller · 06-19-2009, 04:32 PM

Crap! I think i mistook a rhino for a hippo and have been using its farts instead. I knew that damn pet shop owner seemed sneaky when selling it to me. I guess the missing front horns should have been an indicator to me. Will this ruin my brew?

**IrregularPulse** · 06-19-2009, 04:35 PM

Here we go, Couldn't find the build thread, but here is a picture of the finished rhino shed

beerkrump · 06-19-2009, 04:41 PM

Sorry, noob mistake.

ODaniel · 06-19-2009, 04:46 PM

Yea, smells like whiskey

chode720 · 06-19-2009, 05:10 PM

I smell it once and awhile during fermentation, but generally it doesn't smell very good. I know my batch of Apfelwein stunk for the first few days, but now it is starting to smell like apples and I sniff everytime I am in the utility room.

I also sniff a lot when I am dry hopping. Nothing like hop aroma to wake ya up in the morning....