12 brew - 1st AG Wheat - My whole house stinks!!!

Hey all,

This AG was my 8th AG (4th AG in 4 days ), but things have gone bad!

First, I batch sparge, and did the same for the wheat. However, I didn't do a protein rest (stupid move), so there was ALOT of protein gunk in the primary.

But, I decided to pitch anyways, and learn from my mistakes. I pitched a smack pack of Wyeast 1010 American Wheat, which started fermenting this morning.

I have now come home from work, and the entire house smells like rotten eggs.
I have read that this is common for wheat yeasts, but do you think the extra protein in the wort is causing some ill effects?? The entire carboy looks like it's filled with pond scum.

It's so bad, the wife is requesting I get rid of the batch (we have guest arriving tomorrrow), but I would hate to throw out a salvagable brew.

Any ideas???

Rhino

Maybe run the blow-off tube out a window or tape a garbage bag around the neck to contain the fumes.

Do you think that all that protein from the missed protein rest are going to cause problems with it?

Rhino

Rhino17 said:

Do you think that all that protein from the missed protein rest are going to cause problems with it?

Rhino

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Nope. I wouldn't have bothered with a protein rest for an American wheat anyways.

Sounds like you did everything just right to me! SWMBO didn't like the one time I used a German Ale yeast because of the sulfur compounds. I couldn't smell anything, but apparently her nose is uber-sensitive.

The smell will subside after a few days when fermentation slows. RDWHAHB!

Women. If they're not squeamish or sensitive to changes in odors, temperature, humidity, volume level, distortion, light/dark, or any other number of sensations; they conclude that they're not feminine.

That being said, let the ale-wives attack!

I imagine it is simply the yeast you are smelling and so take note and don't use that yeast again.

Have you tried tasting a sample.

Always taste your samples (well not your sample, the beer sample) at every opportunity!

Don't listen to pastor---he's an anti-hefe zealot who would probably put us all in the beer gulags just for making wheat beer, if he could.

I recently brewed a bavarian hefe. I didn't have the same problems during fermentation as you did, but when I tried a sample 6 days post-pitch, it had a serious sulfur aroma. The palate was clean, though...it was just the nose. Folks here have told me that this is normal with bavarian wheat strains, and that it will dissipate. In the meantime, be cool w/ swmbo---female senses of smell & taste are much more sensitive (on average) than that of males. Do as other suggest and run a blowoff tube somewhere else.

JAB said:

Women. If they're not squeamish or sensitive to changes in odors, temperature, humidity, volume level, distortion, light/dark, or any other number of sensations; they conclude that they're not feminine.

That being said, let the ale-wives attack!

Click to expand...

Oh, you hurt my feelings. Sob! Runs crying out of the room........

Lorena

Ok, I'm back. Some fermentations do stink more than others, but wheat beers and the yeasts for them are notoriously smelly. I think it'll be much better in a couple of days. Can you stick it somewhere else just while your company is here? A basement or a closet where it can smell and not be too detectable to your guests? (I personally don't care for wheat beers, but alot of people really love them.)

I've made two Hefe's using the same Weihenstephan 3068 and both times I did NOT experience any bad aromas in the house. SWMBO would have let me know, cause she bitches about my Apfelwein smelling for a day or two during the 4 week fermentation.

What's the temperature you fermenting it at?

My basement brew room is about 66-69 degrees. I had left the door to the brew room open, so that let the odour fill the entire house. Once you good people confirmed that I should not pitch it, I wrapped a Bounce dryer sheet around the air lock, and closed the door. This solved the problem quite nicely.

Fermentation was quite fast, so it wasn't a problem by the time our guest arrived.
I haven't sampled the brew yet (just finished my styrofoam lager cooler), but I'll post the results when I finally get brave enough to try it.

Cheers,

Rhino

PS, on a side note, my Barley Crusher arrived today. Damn, it is one fine looking machine! I hope it mills as good as it looks :cross:

I've recently brewed with that yeast and it wreaked. The beer, however, turned out quite well.