Smelling your airlock air

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?

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."

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.

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.

beerkrump said:

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.

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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.

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?

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

Sorry, noob mistake.

Yea, smells like whiskey

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....

Banana Nut Bread....mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

sayteller said:

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?

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ROFLMAO - Note to self: Do not read threads while drinking anything. Now where's the damn handy wipes.

Well I'm glad to hear someone else's smells like apples cause mine reminds me of exactly like an apple hard cider smell. Good to know that should clear up.

Our cat takes a sniff whenever she gets the chance. So far she hasn't fallen over or done a back flip. I see that as a good indicator of the beer to come...

Well I was a bit worried because my ale is fermenting at around 72*-74*F and I know that warmer temps can produce some fruity notes in the brew, so after smelling that apple scent I was worried about having a fruit cocktail in a glass instead of good real beer. Its only been 3 days since fermentation began so I may still place it in a cool water bath to drop temps.

chode720 said:

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....

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+1 on the Apfelwien, I now know exactly what "Rhino Farts" are, as for the fermenting beer, I have my swamp cooler in a bathroom in the tub , and we keep the door closed most of the time. I don't need to sniff the airlock, when I open the door that beatiful yeastie aroma slaps me in the face and makes me remember that I will be drinking something delicious soon!

And in the mornings it is better than "wakin up to folger's in the cup", if you're pickin up what I'm puttin down!

sayteller said:

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?

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Hippo's for Belgian beers. Will work for ales. Don't use it for lagers.

Philsc said:

Hippo's for Belgian beers. Will work for ales. Don't use it for lagers.

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LOLOLOLOL

I've got a Saison bubbling right now that smells devine out of the airlock.

Oh man I love sniffin' the airlock. Not, like chode720 pointed out, during the early Apfelwein fermentation, but beers? Hell yes.

I have Arkador's Dunkelweizen on day 3 of fermentation and it smells soooo good coming out of the lock.