Smell after fermentation

So when fermenation is done, I open up the bucket to get a sample for FG. Is it normal to have a odd smell? Is it the krausen on the side of the bucket. What smell is normal?

What were you brewing, and what do you mean by "odd"?

Thunder_Chicken said:

What were you brewing, and what do you mean by "odd"?

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Jalapeno Pepper Ale, Cream ale base. I used us-05. I guess its a strong sour smell. It's hard to describe. All my buckets end up with this smell after fermentation is complete. I am starting to wonder if I should either replace all my buckets or move to glass carboys.

hawkeyes said:

Jalapeno Pepper Ale, Cream ale base. I used us-05. I guess its a strong sour smell. It's hard to describe. All my buckets end up with this smell after fermentation is complete. I am starting to wonder if I should either replace all my buckets or move to glass carboys.

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My buckets smell like yeast after I've fermented a batch. I give them an immediate rinse, an overnight soak with homemade PBW (2 parts Oxy, 1 part TSP), another really good rinse and then store them inside to dry. The smell is almost completely done after a few days.

Most ferments do have some sort of odor, depends on the yeast and hop combination. Some odors linger after washing the buckets. I have no idea what jalepenos do to the smell either.

I fill my primary buckets with PBW after every batch to clear out whatever odors and residues might linger, odor hasn't been a problem. Putting the dry buckets in the sun for a while will help dispel odors too. As long as the buckets are clean and sanitized a little residual odor shouldn't be a problem.

I guess I am more concern of what it smells like after fermentation with the beer inside. Should it be a sourish smell? It doesn't smell good.

hawkeyes said:

I guess I am more concern of what it smells like after fermentation with the beer inside. Should it be a sourish smell? It doesn't smell good.

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It shouldn't be sour, but I think a lot of people have different terms for how something smells too.

Does it smell sulfur-ish? A lot of beers can have a bit of that smell - in my opinion, especially when there's not a large hop aroma.

How does it taste?

TungstenBeer said:

It shouldn't be sour, but I think a lot of people have different terms for how something smells too.

Does it smell sulfur-ish? A lot of beers can have a bit of that smell - in my opinion, especially when there's not a large hop aroma.

How does it taste?

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No Sulfur-ish smell, it's hard to describe. Right now I can't really smell it because I added jalapenos. Now it just smells like jalapenos. The taste is fine.

The taste is fine? You're good as gold. I have drank some clean, tasty beers that smelled dubiously rank on bottling day but they tasted right. A variety of odors from chemical/ alcohol; sourish (usually big stouts) to a horrible rancid squash smell in a butternut beer I once made that had cleaned up by the time the beer had carb'd. That one I was particularly worried about- turned out to be one of the better brews I have made. RDWHAHB.

I have also experienced some lingering fermenter stink that has no detectable affect on future beers- to my finely tuned (mild sarcasm) palate.

May be inappropriate to respond since I use glass carboys but my carboys always smell very much like what the beer smells and tastes like when finished.