Funky over ripe smell/taste

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garf6819

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I just opened my first bottle of Belgian Wheat and it smells and tastes nasty. I had almost asked my son to throw out his gym socks that were laying on the floor until I realized it wasn't his socks that smelled but instead my beer. When I racked it from the primary last week the bucket had a hint of this funky almost a bad fruit smell. I have poked around and have seen some people speak of fermentation temps being to high. I had it in the primary for 2 weeks and racked it to (6)bottles and a keg. The corny I am using as a secondary but the bottles have been carbed for about a week. Should I hold a wake or leave it on life support?:drunk:
 
I love you guys. I knew there was still hope in those little yeasties. My fermentation temp was not higher than 74f but never got below 68f.
 
Even if the bottles never taste right, the keg will likely taste different since you're bulk aging in there.
 
IF you used the White Labs Belgian Wit strain (or equivalent Wyeast strain), that funky ripe smell is normal. I had the same experience; I thought that my beer had turned to baby poop (ie. half digested fruit puree smell) and was horrified, then later in the week I was at a brew pub and had their belgian wit and noticed the exact same note in their beer, only it was actually at a pleasant level that worked to the beer's advantage......so hold out and let is rest a bit, it should get better.
 
IF you used the White Labs Belgian Wit strain (or equivalent Wyeast strain), that funky ripe smell is normal. I had the same experience; I thought that my beer had turned to baby poop (ie. half digested fruit puree smell) and was horrified, then later in the week I was at a brew pub and had their belgian wit and noticed the exact same note in their beer, only it was actually at a pleasant level that worked to the beer's advantage......so hold out and let is rest a bit, it should get better.

I used a dry yeast packet (I don't have a clue the brand) but you pretty much dead nailed the smell. I will hold on a while and pray to the beer gods. Thanks everyone :rockin:
 
Update... I now have 3 batches that all have this odor/flavor. HMMM... OXYCLEAN ! I am not rinsing enough. I have used OXYCLEAN to clean the bottles and buckets. I know the bottles are well rinsed but the buckets have been neglected.

I'm not 100% sure but I was able to deduce this because I bought a brand new bucket and I made extra sure that everything was well cleaned and sanitized but as I look back I didn't rinse the bucket well.
 
It has been 3 months and the beer that I decided to keep has turned out nicely. I kept a few in the fridge and a few on the shelf and both taste as expected.
 
I'm having this same issue, every beer I brew has that funky ripe fruity taste and aroma. Up to now, I've been brewing exclusively in a plastic bucket and plastic carboy, but I brewed a batch last night and threw it in my new glass carboy, hopefully that will make a difference. I've been using plain old notty's for yeast. My fermentation temps are definitely not too high. (A little low, if anything; basement + canada = chilly).
 
I had the same fruity-ripe-funk smell on some of my stouts. Most of them mellowed out over time, but a few bottles just were funky. I not thinking yeast, as I used different yeasts, maybe the plastic, maybe the technique?
 
My current thought is that there's something to do with the plastic fermenters contributing that flavour....but time will tell.
 
The Plastic does retain odors. I am wondering if some of the stronger yeast strains like Wyeasts Belgian Ale, which has much the same "puke" odors, is embeded in the plastic brew buckets I'm using???
 
there definitely is a lingering yeast/hop smell to plastic fermenters, but a recent thread on here had a lot of folks chiming in that it will not affect subsequent beers. i know this has been the case with me. also, if you think oxyclean is the culprit, maybe use something else. in fact, i save oxyclean for the really stubborn stuff and glass carboys. if you clean up right away, you shouldn't need it to clean every time.
 
I had a similar problem with a Fraoch (sp?) heather ale.

At that time I had just a basic brew pot with no spigot and in trying to filter out all the heather tips... I had to use my hands and empty the grain bag several times.

I was sweating heavily at that time from working over a hot stove and some of it must have gotten inside the fermenter and gave it the funk.

I let the beer sit in bottles after it was done fermenting and even almost 1 year later it stills smells and tastes like crap..

I purchased a kettle with spigot so I no longer have to dip a pitcher inside to get the first 1/2 of the pots worht of wort out. I just open the valve and never have to touch or filter anything out.
 

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