Rotten Egg/Sulphur smell in Primary

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BeantownD

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Just went to the basement to check my Wit that is fermenting. WLP400, has been steady at 70*F for the last 10 days. Took the cover off to check gravity and was punched in the face with an incredible sulphur/rotten egg smell. Is it normal for that smell to be there w/ this yeast? Will it dissipate? SG was 1.048, only down to 1.018.- is it a slow worker?

Batch was an AG batch, mashed at 154*F.
 
Not sure about that specific strain of yeast, but that is a normal byproduct sometimes with some yeast strains. I would RDWHAHB. Check the gravity again in a few days to see where it is at.
 
I have a batch of Centennial Blonde in primary and just had this smell. I wouldn't worry. It's already subsiding after 2 days of rotten egg smell.

I used Nottingham yeast.
 
it will go away... recently i had a wit do this and it went away and turned into one of my favorite beers. even more recently i have a berliner fermenting that has this - mostly gone now.
 
I just used this yeast too and had similar smells almost until the day I kegged...once it was out of the primary it smelled great.
 
I once made an IPA with wheat and as the second day of full bore fermentation approached I noticed it had an awfully nasty smell to it. I woke up, went into the fermentation room, noticed it stank and thought it was from my own gas expulsion.

I realized it was the bucket and all my clothes had the smell on it. Not only that, but I was nauseated for half the day with the stinky little sh*t.
 
I recently used WLP400 and never detected any strange smells or sulphur - but it was a beer that used smoked malt and apple cider, so the strong smell from those may have just covered it up. I fermented at 68 degrees the whole time. I wouldn't worry too much about it though - I have had strange smells come from fermentations that turned out fine. It almost always gets cleaned up later in fermentation.
 
I don't know much about the strain you speak of, but that smell is pretty normal for me.

Oh wait, you're talking about the fermentation???
 
I use WLP400 frequently. I typically use a starter from stirplate and/or harvest and repitch.

I've brewed 8 batches in the past year with that yeast and never experienced that odor.

However, time typically takes care of off smells. RDWHAHB
 
Nothing to worry about, fermentation is ugly and stinky, even when it's perfectly normal. Sulphur smells are some of the most common. Look up "Rhino Farts" and you'll see what we're talking about.
 
Thanks for the input folks. I've had some interesting smells in the 2 years I've been brewing, but this one is new to me. I'll let it sit a while and see where it goes.
 
If it's a recipe you've never tried, always expect the unexpected. I've had the same yeast that I've cultivated myself give off different smells because of different adjuncts.
 
Just tossing in my $.02 - my witbier using the WLP 410 smells like ass right now, but that's because I'm trying to slowly raise the temps (it's at about 68 now - krausen is in high gear)

Just sayin, it seems to be normal for the witbier strains fermented at lower temps - raise the temps and the funk subsides.

(just in case anyone else stumbles upon this thread). This year's strain of 410 was definitely not slow to start btw... it's having a grand old time in the carboy after 24 hours.
 
As I was kegging my Wit, I smelt the sulfer but kept on going...will the smell settle out eventually? or should have I let it ferment longer?

I used Wyeast' Wit strain
 
Thanks for the input folks. I've had some interesting smells in the 2 years I've been brewing, but this one is new to me. I'll let it sit a while and see where it goes.

We once had a scottish 80/ that smelled exactly like frying venison, it was a great beer.:mug:
 
As I was kegging my Wit, I smelt the sulfer but kept on going...will the smell settle out eventually? or should have I let it ferment longer?

I used Wyeast' Wit strain

Yes it will eventually settle out, but you should've let it sit longer

From Wikipedia:

"Hydrogen sulfide is slightly soluble in water and acts as a weak acid, giving the hydrosulfide ion HS− (pKa = 6.9 in 0.01-0.1 mol/litre solutions at 18 °C) and the sulfide ion S2− (pKa = 11.96). A solution of hydrogen sulfide in water, known as sulfhydric acid or hydrosulfuric acid,[3] is initially clear but over time turns cloudy. This is due to the slow reaction of hydrogen sulfide with the oxygen dissolved in water, yielding elemental sulfur, which precipitates out."
 
Beantownd, delete some of your private messages, your inbox is full. I'd like to check out your electric set-up sometime!
 
I brew with WLP400 a lot and am very familiar with this smell. I fermented one batch at my friends house and he almost threw up when he got home. It was hilarious watching him gag when he opened the closed where the beer was stored.

As an additional note, the beers I've fermented with this that have smelled the worst, have been the best batches of witbier I've made. Maybe a coincident but I like to think its not. I bet you end up with yummy beer and if not I offer my beer disposal services free of charge.
 
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