how much does brewing smell?

[davidb]

I got a beer brewing kit for Christmas, want to get started, and have a question I haven't seen discussed in any topics or FAQs.

I think it's too cold to brew it outside or in my garage, so I'm eyeing a corner of a spare room in the house.

If I brew in my house, how much will it smell? My wife and daughter are somewhat tolerant, but could the house wind up smelling like a brewery?

 

[Nocturnus]

I didn't notice any nasty smells when I did my first brew. Though the smell of hops is really was really nice and def smelled that when I was putting those in.

 

[Mista_Sparkle]

it doesnt smell much, when your cooking, it smells pretty good actually!

if you do something like apfelwein, it can stink a bit, but beer generally isnt bad

 

[jezter6]

Sounds like you're talking about fermentation - not the "brewing" part (boiling wort + hop additions, etc).

Fermentation sometimes smells a bit of sulfur, but shouldn't stink up the whole house of it.


The boil tends to stink up the house like a brewery for a few hours, which I happen to like. Most women don't seem to like that part of it.

 

[McKBrew]

You will smell stuff when boiling. Your wife and daughter may be sensitive to the smells, esp the hops.

Certain yeasts give off strong sulfur smells, but most of the time fermentation doesn't smell too much.

 

[waldoar15]

I don't notice much smell, but I brew in a large garage. <shrug>

 

[ForRealBeer]

There are some odors, especially from the boil. It gives a rich malty smell and of course the addition of hops adds a green smell to the proceedings.

I think it pleasant, as does SWMBO, fortunately.

 

[HiGravShawn]

Boil - smells like stable / bakery with hints of whatever hops you use (usually earthy and floral). Smells good and isn't over powering, but tends to cover whole house and last a few days.

Fermentation - Like cherries or bananas or rising bread, very mild and usually confined to a few feet from fermenters and doesn't linger long after it's done.

 

[UnaBonger]

To me, smells like roses...To SWMBO, smells like "a$$"...To each, their own. I say bask in the smells that are brewing. They're as unique and wonderful as the beers are.

 

[IrregularPulse]

It is currently 52 degrees in walnut creek CA. How is that too cold!! I brewed in low 30's a couple weekends ago wasn't bad. Lots here from below 20's. Get outside!!!

 

[TipsyDragon]

there will probably be an occasional whiff of eggs but thats about it. keep it in a spare closet or bathroom if you have one. you will want to keep your brew out of the light anyway to keep it from skunking. so getting in the habit of putting it in a dark place now is a good idea.

 

[TipsyDragon]

It is currently 52 degrees in walnut creek CA. How is that too cold!! I brewed in low 30's a couple weekends ago wasn't bad. Lots here from below 20's. Get outside!!!

thats fine if your brewing a lager. way to cold for an ale. it would take forever to finish if it finished at all.

 

[novafire]

I never really understood why people think that "smelling like a brewery" is a bad thing. Aside from day-old spent grain, every part of the brewing process smells great to me.

 

[Yooper]

thats fine if your brewing a lager. way to cold for an ale. it would take forever to finish if it finished at all.

Um, he's talking about brewing outside. Not fermenting.

 

[ForRealBeer]

To me, smells like roses...To SWMBO, smells like "a$$"...To each, their own. I say bask in the smells that are brewing. They're as unique and wonderful as the beers are.

Either you drink too much homebrew or you sit on malt all the time!

(I kid, I kid.)

 

[Neurot]

I brewed outside when it was ~20F and the regulator on my turkey fryer kept freezing up causing uncontrollable flames! My wife would never let me brew inside.

 

[AubreyR6]

Mmm... I love the way the house smells during/after brewing!

 

[Hemsworth]

My wife happens to love the smell of brewing!

 

[Fishin-Jay]

I'm just down the road from you in Vallejo. I brewed last weekend in my garage and it was quite comfortable. I cracked the garage door about a foot to make sure the carbon monoxide from my burner could escape and had a lovely brew day.

 

[davidb]

Thanks for all the replies.

Yes, I meant fermenting. A day's smells from the brewing wouldn't a problem, but several weeks of smells from the fermentation could be another story.

Fishin-Jay, Vallejo probably has pretty much the same climate as Walnut Creek - do you do your fermenting outside, too? Our outside temperature can go from around 30 or 40 to 60 or even 80 degrees in the winter, which from what I've read isn't too good for fermenting ale.

One of the "similar threads" had a suggestion about feeding a tube from the airlock outside, which could work.

 

[jgln]

If you are worried about long term your house smelling like a brewery I wouldn't worry about it much. There are enough other odors that you house is exposed to for it to just smell like that. In fact before the beer is fully fermented out the smell is gone except if you are close to the fermenter or you disturb it much. I wouldn't be brewing if I were showing my house for sale though.

 

[Fishin-Jay]

I ferment inside in the corner of our spare bedroom. Except for the Apfelwein (caught hell for that one), there are no harsh smells. And believe me, my wife is looking for a reason to kick my brewing equipment out of the house! We keep our house heat set at 65 this time of year and I wrap a blanket around the fermenter. While the ferment is going hot and heavy the fermometer shows 68-70. After the first week or so it drops to 65 steadily.

I'm only on my 3rd brew, but it's coming along well.

 

[JoeBlow]

I got rid of my wife, I can do what ever I like. Smells great...

 

[LKHA]

ca to cold looking at brewing here this week end they just said 0-7 f sat here LOL

 

[pkfrerich]

when I brewed yesterday, the smell spread quickly throughout the house. At one point, my daughter said it smelled like corn flakes. I cracked a couple windows about 30mins into the boil. Within an hour after I cleaned up the smell was gone. My wife made a couple jokes about "Phil's Brewery is clearly open for business" so I thinnk she kind of liked it. It definitely smells (great, imo), but it's no big deal at all.

It's been 24 hours in the fermenter in a closet in the hallway. It's just wrapping up the heavy foaming stage (get a blow-off tube! Airlock was overwhelmed with my IPA) and when I open the door I can definitely smell it, but it's nowhere near as strong as during the boil. As it gets past the foaming stage, I'm guessing it'll smell even less.

 

[fartingdog]

Thanks for all the replies.

Yes, I meant fermenting. A day's smells from the brewing wouldn't a problem, but several weeks of smells from the fermentation could be another story.

Fishin-Jay, Vallejo probably has pretty much the same climate as Walnut Creek - do you do your fermenting outside, too? Our outside temperature can go from around 30 or 40 to 60 or even 80 degrees in the winter, which from what I've read isn't too good for fermenting ale.

One of the "similar threads" had a suggestion about feeding a tube from the airlock outside, which could work.

Temperature control is one of the key points to making good beer, so definitely ferment inside in an are w/ only light swings in temp -like a closet (although I am tempted to do a lager and ferment it in the shed over here in Oakland, but that has some light insulating capabilities).

i wouldn't worry about fermentation smells in the house- it's hardly noticable. I have 5 gallons inside in the office, and never even got a whiff of it even during high krausen. The basement on the other hand, can get some nice aromas during the initial days of heavy fermentation- but that's a minimum of 12 gallon batches, and usually a couple going at the same time.

 

[gerbache]

I've only had one batch that I could really smell during fermentation; it was a pretty big Belgian Tripel style that left my tiny little Oakland apartment smelling like bananas and cloves for a few days. We actually rather liked the smell. The worst part was knowing it would be a while before I got to taste it.

 

[Locorcr]

I have first batch in primary for almost two weeks now in bedroom closet I can not detect any smells and swmbo does not complain of any.

 

[Dalarast]

It smells like Christmas morning! Perhaps if a person is psychotic or deranged they might think the smell is bad and try to kick you out of the kitchen for brewing... just wow them with some great tasting brew (recommend the Ed Worts Apfelwein) and convince them the error of their ways....

 

[IceFisherChris]

I love the smell of boiling wort/hops... roommates say it is a nasty smell. It doesn't permanently stink up the house. Just turn on the hood vent for your stove.

 

[Brewin06111]

It is currently 52 degrees in walnut creek CA. How is that too cold!! I brewed in low 30's a couple weekends ago wasn't bad. Lots here from below 20's. Get outside!!!

^^^^

It's 12 degrees in CT right now.... If my kits arrived earlier than they did today I'd be out with my propane tank right now! Suck it up

 

[BigB]

^^^^

It's 12 degrees in CT right now.... If my kits arrived earlier than they did today I'd be out with my propane tank right now! Suck it up

Now thats hardcore!

 

[TheFlyingSparge]

My wife doesn't even drink beer but loves the smell of the boil. Smells bread-like.

 

[Chudz]

If I brew in my house, how much will it smell?

Well, there was that one time I skipped taking a shower so I could get right to brewing, and it smelled kinda bad. Well, I did at least. Anyway, . . . oh! . . . you meant the brewing/fermenting smelling bad. Oops! :cross:

 

[HorribleCatfish]

I'm still waiting for one of these in "brew day" aroma...

 

[MurderMittenBrewing]

I have first batch in primary for almost two weeks now in bedroom closet I can not detect any smells and swmbo does not complain of any.

I think this largely depends on the yeast you're using. I've used Safale US-05/California Ale yeast with no harsh odors, but I just brewed an American Wheat with Wyeast 1010 and the smell stunk up the whole room with a very strong sulphur aroma. I've heard that lager yeasts also emit a sulfur aroma.

But the smells eventually fade, and then it's just a small price to pay for great homebrew.