Sulphur smell and low ph

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scoundrel

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Ok, so I've brewed many batches but I feel like a noob on this one so I figured I'd ask the pros. My buddy and I have had a few batches, all light colored, that have a distinctive rotten egg smell. Now I've seen several posts related to this but they always talk about the smell during fermentation. I notice this after pouring a glass. The beer tastes fine and it does dissipate for the most part but it's driving me crazy. I'm missing something. The one thing I noticed is that the ph is low (sub 4.6 or right at 4.6). We've seen this with all-grain batches and extract when using specific brands of bottled water. Can low ph cause this? Now that we're brewing primarily all-grain, would adjusting the water fix this? If so what should I add? I've got to figure this out!
 
4.6 isn't low. <4.5 is normal. I've seen ranges given as low as 3.7-4.1.

The sulfur smell is almost certainly a yeast byproduct. Sulfur generally dissipates with age and cold conditioning.

I would first look at your fermentation temps. Then look at your yeast selection. Then I'd look at your mash pH to make sure your high pH isn't a result of some other problem.
 
As Nate mentions, 4.6 in a finished beer is fine and the sulfur smell is a byproduct of some yeast strains. It usually dissipates with aging.

The finished beer pH does not suggest that a mashing pH change is required, but you should be aware of what your mash pH is and how to adjust it as needed.
 

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