How bad will my house smell?

So I'm soon to embark on my first brew day. My wife is "sensitive" to smells. Should I find a way to brew outside (I do have a propane burner that would work), or or does a stove with a somewhat inadequate exhaust fan provide proper ventilation? I'd prefer to stay inside, but keeping wifey happy usually trumps.

I personally like the smell. The only real way to tell is to give it a try. It doesn't linger too long anyway.

When you're brewing it will smell but not like beer. It will smell like grains which, IMO, is a fantastic smell. Every time I brew, someone will walk in and mention how great it smells in the house. The smell will probably linger in the house for the day but it will be gone by the next day if it even takes that long. But trust me, it's a great smell. No one has ever complained. It's not a beer smell like you'd probably expect.

The smells that occur on brew day are nothing short of orgasmic! The smells that occur during fermentation can be objectionable to some, but to me the whole process smells like Heaven on Earth!

I like the smell, especially after adding hops. But I live in a small condo and my wife hates the smell. It made her sick when she was pregnant and now it just makes her nauseated. And it sticks around for a while unless you aerate well - the hood will do very little to prevent the aroma. She has to leave the condo when I brew and still isn't a huge fan of the aroma when she gets back.

My wife hates the smell...I try to brew when she is not around but it will seriously cover most of my first floor with it. As the other posters suggest, I think its heaven and love the smell. My wife is prego and sensitive to smells, she even said it gave her a headache. Try indoors and see if she is bothered and you will know your answer, or ask her to come outside as you brew to get a reaction from her

My wife Loves the smell on brew day!:rockin:

Umm, whatever you do, don't fire up a 5G batch and get everything set up only to find that your wife decides that she doesn't like the smell and tells you that you are no longer allowed to brew.

I started with a 2G partial boil, and my girlfriend said she felt nauseated all night while I was boiling it. She is also somewhat sensitive to smells. I personally like the smell of the grain mashing or the wort boiling, but honestly I think it is a slightly acquired thing.

After the 2nd partial boil inside, I upgraded to a propane burner and never brewed inside again. Brewing outside has many advantages: you can be louder, you can make a mess and clean it up later if needed, you wont cause any smoke detectors to go off if you have a boilover, you wont damage your stove if something goes wrong, you wont cause any offense with the smells, and you will be able to do full boils with ease.

I've had excellent brewing experiences working outside since then. Even on hellishly cold nights during blizzards, we've made amazing beers. My girlfriend is very understanding, but I am fairly certain that her patience would have been pushed to the limit if I brewed inside as often as I brew outside.

Happy wife = Happy Life

Remember That

I would brew outside

If you have a boil over and get sticky wort all over the stove wife will not be happy...

I mash and sparge inside, but move to the garage for the boil because SWMBO doesn't like the smell of hops, and I can't use the propane burner inside.

-a.

I'm lucky, my wife likes the smell. Probably because we have had many visits to the Rogue brewery and she associates the smell with liquid goodness!

Your problems with smell issues are gonna happen when you do your hop additions. I would do the first brew outside if it is convenient and have her tell you what she thinks of any smells then before getting a start inside and told to leave.

Also, make sure you dispose of any used hops or grains outside in your garbage. Them things can get stinky after they cool off inside....so my wife tells me.

I have only done it once and I too was worried about the smell cause my family is not so tolerant of smells. My partner felt the smell was "ok" and "not too strong". I was so worried about it i was thinking about doing my first boil while they were out of the house. The smell went away quickly. You really won't know until you try it how your family will react... I was pleasantly surprised.

Well, I am definately glad to see that I am not the only one to defer to the wishes of SWMBO. I started to brew inside and figured since I was going to build a brew tower and do AG I might as well start building my equipment now and start perfecting my process ASAP. There is a big difference when the breeze is blowing through on exactly how a kettle reaches required temps and how long the temps are maintained. So since I was headed outside I just went out early and avoided any possible friction or comments about the rhino farts and "whats that horrible smell". The secret to a long marriage is stealth and cunning. If you possess those two qualities you will never get into theeveryday arguments that doom so many marriages to failure. Oh, did I mention my wife welds and runs a CNC plasma table in her spare time? Oh yeah, she's a keeper.
Bob

I agree with most of everything in this thread. It took a few boils for me to adjust to the smell, but I really like it. And the smell during fermentation is gone after about 2-3 days.

I love the smell of brewing, but my wife says it makes the house smell like ferret. I brew when she is not home.

My SWMBO likes brewing and the smell, so I am extremely lucky. After my first couple AG batches I have decided to move outside to speed things up. Also there is no exhaust fan on my stove so I was worried about carbon monoxide.
The smell to me is wonderful, I honestly don't see how someone would not like it. She will probably be fine.... Does she drink beer?

I brew inside, once I start adding the hops the kids say it stinks. My wife doesn't really appreciate unusual or foul odors and she's never really complained, so that's the true test. My kids run around for 2 hours plugging their nose, but otherwise they help me clean bottles, check the beer as it's fermenting, etc.

I do all my brewing and fermenting well and away from swmbo... It's just not worth the 'possible' fight... Just like with many of my hobbies or purchases I find what she doesn't know won't hurt me!

I did my first brew in the kitchen while my wife & kids were out for the day. Wife came home, hated the stink. I bought a Bayoux burner & every other brew has been outside, either up front or on the back porch, depending on the wind/weather.

I kinda like the whole outside brew, attending the pot etc. And doing it outside makes life a little easier with my wife, so it's win-win.

I brew outside because my wife hates the smell after I put in the hops. She will let me brew in side but I live in Northern California so it is never to cold so why make her un happy.

My wife loves the smell. I was brewing the other day, as she was walking up the house she smelled the brew. Walks in and says. "mmmmm, smells good in here"

To give you an idea, I did a double header a week ago, and after being out of the house for a day you can still slightly smell it when you walk in. Granted I live in a small apartment, but it was REALLY potent for two or three days afterwards. I love the smell. My wife hates it. But she deals with it and instead takes her revenge in other ways . If I could brew outside, I would, and unless you have to go inside, you'd be better suited doing a full boil outside with propane than a partial boil on the stove.

Make sure you put your vent on high if you have one above the stove...the difference can be up to a day of latent odor...whether you like it or not

My wife doesn't like the smell, and doesn't drink beer, but she makes wine so she understands it is what it is. I found if you can get them involved, it goes long way. ( plus she needs someone to carry the wine pails around)

If you have a outdoor burner just brew outside.

Ive always thought brew day smells similar to a barnyard (sans animal by-products). If you've ever done a brewery tour of a local brewpub, your house will have a similar smell but it goes away rather quickly.

My fiance doesnt particularly like it, but not so much that she cant stand it or demands I not brew in the house. We have had friends over while brewing, and it seems pretty close to 50-50, some people think it smells great, and some not so much. So far no one hasnt been able to tollerate it though.

Brewed outside with success (the wort and the wife). No problems, other than having to open some doors with a pot in hand.

Bad! I have to boil in the garage and then chill, ranger, and pitch in the basement. Its worth it...good music...sports illustrated swimsuit edition and boiling wort. Good times.

Plus the wife won't TRY to tell to no.

My wife does not care for the smell at all. However, that encouraged her to buy me a Turkey Fryer for Christmas a couple years ago

I say go for it, if she doesn't like it you can change on your next batch. You'll only know if you try!

Just did a imperial nut brown ale on stovetop and swmbo informed me when it gets warmer out, I will be doing my brewing there! Guess I am getting a propane burner soon. Lol, she is tolerant of the odor but not her favorite.