I brewed a Berliner Weisse two and a half weeks ago, and since then I smelled some H2S coming from the airlock. Didn't think it was much of a problem.
I opened the lid for the first time today... and holy hell, it smells like rotten egg soup. The strength of the smell and the fact that it's still around 17 days later has me pretty concerned now. If it has no chance of going away, I don't want to have it using up a fermenter for the 6 months or so I plan to have it sour for. Can anybody tell me if so much H2S at this point is a serious issue, and how I might deal with it? I've never encountered anything even remotely close to this before.
The yeast/lacto used was the White Labs Berliner Weisse Blend - WLP630, pitched a mere 7 days after the production date. I believe it uses German Ale yeast. The grain bill was 4lbs of pale wheat, and 2lbs of Briess Pilsen malt, which is a less modified malt, but I skipped the protein rest. I did a really short decoction, and a 15 minute boil. Even the wort looked like the grossest wort I have ever seen.
I can barely open the lid without gagging, and I'm certainly not going to drink a sample right now. Using copper to deal with it isn't an option, and aerating it or splash-racking is not the greatest idea, especially with a beer so dependent on lacto.
Help me save my beer!
I opened the lid for the first time today... and holy hell, it smells like rotten egg soup. The strength of the smell and the fact that it's still around 17 days later has me pretty concerned now. If it has no chance of going away, I don't want to have it using up a fermenter for the 6 months or so I plan to have it sour for. Can anybody tell me if so much H2S at this point is a serious issue, and how I might deal with it? I've never encountered anything even remotely close to this before.
The yeast/lacto used was the White Labs Berliner Weisse Blend - WLP630, pitched a mere 7 days after the production date. I believe it uses German Ale yeast. The grain bill was 4lbs of pale wheat, and 2lbs of Briess Pilsen malt, which is a less modified malt, but I skipped the protein rest. I did a really short decoction, and a 15 minute boil. Even the wort looked like the grossest wort I have ever seen.
I can barely open the lid without gagging, and I'm certainly not going to drink a sample right now. Using copper to deal with it isn't an option, and aerating it or splash-racking is not the greatest idea, especially with a beer so dependent on lacto.
Help me save my beer!
