OK so I have brewed a few batches... a pale ale... brown ale... I have my first Belgian white in the fermentation stage. I always sniff the air coming out of the airlock. It always smells kinda like fresh bread. I am now making a belgian with no exoctic ingredients... wheat extract, DME, coriander, orange peel, beglian candy sugar, and Wyeast's Belgian White yeast. Anyways I just sniffed my airlock and got a pungent sour smell. I know belgian yeasts can be funky but I have not smelled this in my other 2 batches. This is my first time using "real" yeast. The other 2 times I used the dry yeast that came with the kits. How do you know if your batch is contaminated? Is this normal for a belgian? Please god I hope its not gone bad... I was sooo excited for this one.
Sour smell- Contamination?
- Thread starter Shiest
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El Pistolero
Well-Known Member
Chill man...have a brew. Liquid yeasts are different than dry, and the first time you get a whiff it can be kind of surprising. And like you said, belgians are kind of funky. Everything will be fine. 
El Pistolero
Well-Known Member
Feet is fine, as long as it doesn't smell like a$$...and even if it does smell like a$$, just turn it over and drink from the other side.Shiest said:
Beer is female, right? 
DeRoux's Broux
Well-Known Member
Shiest said:
it could be hydrogen sulfide? some sulfury odors come from the fermenting yeast, but some can come from bacteria. does it smell like rotten eggs or rubber? just make sure you move it through each stage of fementation at the right times and make sure you clean/sanitize everything well. i'd beat it's that yeast strain. some of those belgian's can be a doozy!
Shiest said:
I'm willing to bet the smell will go a way. It's just the yeast producing some funky smells.
Also, what temp is your ferment at?
well It is winter and the heat comes on and off. I dont have any equiptment to keep it perfect but it has been between 68-72. probably closer to 70 most of the time. I thought I was careful with the sanitation but I dont have a wort chiller so it sits there for a while as it cools.
Hey, my brew smells like dirty feet/rotten eggs/fruit!?/wort and its really disturbing. I have mine frementing beside a heat grate to keep its temps up, as that was the impression I was supposed to do. Its around 80-81 at all times. Would it be better to put it somewhere where it will cool down to the 70s like shiets because we are both running at differ temps and have dirty smells.
Both of you are probably ok. Give it a week and those smells will stop. It's produced by the yeast and is leaving your beer. These are quite common occurances, very dependent on yeast strains and temp.
DeRoux's Broux
Well-Known Member
Shiest said:
it is for my tastes, and most ale yeast strains. i'd shoot for 70 for ales. 68 is prime for me.
Way to high Shouldn't be over 75 for sure. Unless you are using some particular starin that can handle that temp. Higher end of the temp range will also produce more esters than normal. And too high a temp can stress the yeast.Shiest said:
Check the temp range for the yeast you are using and try to stay within that range.
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