Do all high gravity ales smell this way out of primary

Oh sweet Jebus! I got more drunk off smelling it when racking to secondary than you ever could by drinking it. I got an oil based paint like headache and everything. It was a spiced winter ale by Jamil he called Ol' Yule Loggy and had an OG of about 1.090 (I lost my notes on this one) and was based on an English Old Ale with Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg, and Allspice. It smelled like someone took large vats of beer, whiskey, and rubbing alcohol and mixed them all together. As it started to air out the spices started coming through and then the smell of bananas, which is odd because I kept fermentation temps down. I haven't been that high since an indecent with a green leafy substance in Jr. High. WOW!!

Many thanks to Revvy though. I brewed this in October thinking I would have it for Christmas 2009, as Jamil said nothing about having to age it. Revvy said it would be ready by Christmas 2010. Smelling it when I racked it made plain he was right. It sure wasn't palatable last December.

Bill......sometimes we all brew a batch that we just don't care for. LOL! I doubt you have any kind of infection. You may very well have brewed a recipe/style that doesn't agree with your taste and olfactory senses.

Well it is possible I won't like it, and I know it wasn't infected, but I was wondering will all this mellow with a year of aging. Part of the issue may have been I did it in a bucket. That was my first time with a bucket and that's a whole lot of area to breath through while siphoning as opposed to those little necks in a carboy or better bottle. I just pray this mellows. I've done promised it to Mom for a Christmas party.

well, for one, remember that is was at fermentation temperature when you racked it (i think), so that will bring out the aroma of the alcohols more. and the hotness will definitely age out, not 100%, but if you're waiting 10 more months, you should be good. i'd try one at 3, 6, 9, 10 months just to see how it's doing.

A lot of it might be simply the high concentration of CO2 you were taking in. I know once when I cracked the top off of a primary bucket on one of my first brews I put my nose down in it and took a big whiff. It hit me like a ton of bricks. Burned my nose and about made me pass out.

The beer was fine, but the pure CO2 infused with all sorts of smells was nearly a knock-out blow.

BillTheSlink said:

Well it is possible I won't like it, and I know it wasn't infected, but I was wondering will all this mellow with a year of aging. Part of the issue may have been I did it in a bucket. That was my first time with a bucket and that's a whole lot of area to breath through while siphoning as opposed to those little necks in a carboy or better bottle. I just pray this mellows. I've done promised it to Mom for a Christmas party.

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How was it?? I got the ingredients today for brewing it tomorrow for next year christmas.

Jimilu said:

How was it?? I got the ingredients today for brewing it tomorrow for next year christmas.

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I honestly don't know yet. I but it in a class 5 gallon carboy this summer and haven't bottled it yet. At the time of transfer it was still knoick your socks off strong, but not as bad. To be honest I think I over spiced it and that was a large part of the problem. I plan to serve it next year.

It is a good thing I don't mind aging my beers. I am getting ready to do an insanely high gravity brew with bret (with a limited edition yeast) that has a like 1.170 OG that will need to be aged for several years. It is the Northern #1 from Northern Brewer.

1.170, wow, i imagine its a all grain mash, you use what... 30 punds of grains?? This one was the highest gravity beer i ever made, its now fermenting. The only problem i had was that the drill i use on my manual mill burned! I ond make another high gravity beer until i get a new and improved drill.

marubozo said:

A lot of it might be simply the high concentration of CO2 you were taking in. I know once when I cracked the top off of a primary bucket on one of my first brews I put my nose down in it and took a big whiff. It hit me like a ton of bricks. Burned my nose and about made me pass out.

The beer was fine, but the pure CO2 infused with all sorts of smells was nearly a knock-out blow.

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This is what I was thinking when the OP said he got a headache like from oil based paint. The big whiff of CO2 can cause that.