What's the worst homebrewing SMELL?!!!

[Jayhem]

Let me tell you.

It is the smell created when you leave a carboy full of dry hop remains and trub soaking in old oxiclean water for 2 weeks in your guest bathtub!

The smell created by the yeast mixing with bacteria nastiness smells exactly like a toilet after a case of irritable bowel syndrome purging following a huge spicy Mexican food lunch!

This smell was so bad that a Mash Tun full of spent grains that has been in the sun for a week smells quite nice in comparison!

I had to wear a mask while cleaning the tub because I was so close to vomiting from the horrific smell!

 

[klaggy]

Let me tell you that I've been in some pretty smelly situations ..... However not brew related. Those have sweet smell of malty hoppy goodness.
Try the smell of dead body for a week in a 90+ degree apartment...... Talk about knock you down smell..... Commence vomiting


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[Jayhem]

Let me tell you that I've been in some pretty smelly situations ..... However not brew related. Those have sweet smell of malty hoppy goodness.
Try the smell of dead body for a week in a 90+ degree apartment...... Talk about knock you down smell..... Commence vomiting


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I'm not saying there are not worse smells out there but this was strictly homebrew related smells. It all smells great during brewing but I have found the main reason to clean all your equipment up the same day you brew!

 

[beersnblues]

I agree with Klaggy...the smell makes one puke in his mounth.

The two smells of brewing that make me gag...

1) Opening a spent keg after a month or so. That yeast slurry at the bottem. I can't take it. Doesn't bother my wife so she cleans them for me. I'd rather smell the aged dead body.

2) Homebrew farts. An inevitability if you have buddies brew with you. Drives my wife crazy.

 

[knyland]

The sulfur smell when lagers are fermenting. I have a 7cu freezer I use for temp control. When you open that thing up you gotta watch out.

Now worst ever smelling body we found floating been missing two weeks in 86 degree water. Had to put blankets down in the litter to keep most of him from sluffing off into the water when we put him on the boat.

 

[Jayhem]

The sulfur smell when lagers are fermenting. I have a 7cu freezer I use for temp control. When you open that thing up you gotta watch out.

Now worst ever smelling body we found floating been missing two weeks in 86 degree water. Had to put blankets down in the litter to keep most of him from sluffing off into the water when we put him on the boat.

Fortunately I've never personally got hit with the pungent stench of a rotting human body but I have been exposed to a bunch of rotting frogs in the Louisiana sun and it was so horrific I actually did vomit the first time I got hit in the face with it. That was in about 1992 and I can still remember that smell!

 

[knyland]

Stinky frogs that's probably reel close. The smell doesn't go away just sticks to you.

 

[Beernik]

Cider fermentation, and even that isn't too offensive to my nostrils.

But my work involves visiting a lot of sewer treatment plants.

 

[b-boy]

I agree with the cider. That can be pretty rank.

My wife would probably say its me the mourning after a brew session with friends.

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[klaggy]

I'm not saying there are not worse smells out there but this was strictly homebrew related smells. It all smells great during brewing but I have found the main reason to clean all your equipment up the same day you brew!

Oh so sorry........ For not strictly being home brew related but once you get that smell nothing else compares so the sulfur smell or spoiled spent grains ain't that bad........


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[Spookgolds]

Although I thoroughly enjoy the smell, my boiling wort must be offensive to my neighbor because she comes out on brew days pissing and moaning about how I have made her house smell bad...

 

[klaggy]

Although I thoroughly enjoy the smell, my boiling wort must be offensive to my neighbor because she comes out on brew days pissing and moaning about how I have made her house smell bad...

Haha my wife and son have banned me from brewing inside the house brewing..... They obviously don't share my obsession..... I'll give them more time to get on board.......


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[klaggy]

Sport jayhem didn't mean to start the nasty other smells..... But is something to behold


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[klaggy]

Oops damn auto correct. Wanted to say sorry*


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[Spookgolds]

Haha my wife and son have banned me from brewing inside the house brewing..... They obviously don't share my obsession..... I'll give them more time to get on board....

Yeah I used to do extract in the kitchen and I was ran out of there real quick. "You're making the whole house smell..."

 

[myelo]

The smell of an empty fermenter.

 

[freisste]

The smell of an empty fermenter.

*tear*

It's like a guys version of watching "The Notebook"

 

[Dopeybrew]

The bathroom after a night of "tasting" my new beer. Beeriods suck

 

[dryboroughbrewing]

Half of the guys in my homebrew club

 

[Clonefan94]

The smell of an empty fermenter.

This is pretty bad, but empty keg is worse for me.

 

[Jayhem]

How anyone can think that the mashing or boiling wort can smell bad makes no sense to me. These smells are like roses on a spring day to the brewer!

 

[Clonefan94]

How anyone can think that the mashing or boiling wort can smell bad makes no sense to me. These smells are like roses on a spring day to the brewer!

Kind of funny you say this. My wife, who really doesn't like beer all that much always comments on how much she likes the smell when I brew. Especially when the hops are added to the boil. She usually asks me to let her know when I add them, so she can be sure to catch a wiff.

 

[sappnasty]

Let me tell you that I've been in some pretty smelly situations ..... However not brew related. Those have sweet smell of malty hoppy goodness.
Try the smell of dead body for a week in a 90+ degree apartment...... Talk about knock you down smell..... Commence vomiting


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A week!? Ha! I had a stinker in July of 2005 that had been there three months with no ac...and he was a chihuahua breeder and all the dogs ate his soft tissues off then died of starvation after canniblizing each other :0 88888. Now that was a nasty smell.

As far as home brewing goes? I'd have the say the hops I tried putting down my garbage disposal that burned out the motor and clogged the sink for a few days..that was freakin nasty!

-Sapp

 

[sappnasty]

I personally think that the hops smell like raw marijuana when you out them in the boil.

-Sapp

 

[JonM]

Week-old spent grain in the garbage can in August is pretty friggin' nasty.

 

[akillys]

A week!? Ha! I had a stinker in July of 2005 that had been there three months with no ac...and he was a chihuahua breeder and all the dogs ate his soft tissues off then died of starvation after canniblizing each other :0 88888. Now that was a nasty smell.

As far as home brewing goes? I'd have the say the hops I tried putting down my garbage disposal that burned out the motor and clogged the sink for a few days..that was freakin nasty!

-Sapp

Holy $*!t what do you fellas do for a living? If I had to deal with that crap I wouldn't even bottle my finished homebrew. I'd pop off the bung, stick in the siphon, and drink till the carboy was gone.

 

[akillys]

I personally think that the hops smell like raw marijuana when you out them in the boil.

-Sapp

That would make sense, since they are close relatives. I for one think cannabis, if legal, would make an excellent bittering hop.

 

[freisste]

Holy $*!t what do you fellas do for a living? If I had to deal with that crap I wouldn't even bottle my finished homebrew. I'd pop off the bung, stick in the siphon, and drink till the carboy was gone.

I feel the same way!

Lol, after reading this thread I figure half of homebrewers are cops and the other half are serial killers!

Why so much death? Can't we all just get along?

Side note: I've never trusted chihuahuas...I swear those little bug-eyed rats are half cat and pure evil. I don't trust dogs I can throw.

 

[BrewerinBR]

The sulfur smell when lagers are fermenting. I have a 7cu freezer I use for temp control. When you open that thing up you gotta watch out.

Now worst ever smelling body we found floating been missing two weeks in 86 degree water. Had to put blankets down in the litter to keep most of him from sluffing off into the water when we put him on the boat.

OMG your a Coastie!!!!

 

[knyland]

Holy $*!t what do you fellas do for a living? If I had to deal with that crap I wouldn't even bottle my finished homebrew. I'd pop off the bung, stick in the siphon, and drink till the carboy was gone.

I work for the Coast Guard. I am betting these guys are Paramedics or EMT's, Police, or Fire Fighters.

The crap you run across will gross you out pretty regularly.

 

[Zepth]

I neglected my spent grain for about 3 days in a bucket. Apartment living means I'm all indoor all the time. That was not the most pleasant cleanup ever, but could have been much worse.

My first wort boil was a nice, sweet malty goodness filling my home. Got a bit of a surprise with exactly how fragrant some hop varieties can be. Almost couldn't take it that first day. Now I don't mind it and hops are quickly gaining love.

Worst smell ever: coworker Troy. Too damn fat and lazy to leave his truck for any reason, has a 1 gal milk jug and a 5 gal bucket to make up a makeshift mens room. Then drives this damn thing with it still full. Also physically incapable of bending the required ways for proper hygiene. Some professional cleaners did 2 passes on the truck, a whole bottle of febreeze and 3 trees still didn't kill the smell. I suggest flamethrower cleaning next time. I'll take the dead body next time please. Side note: the cleaners told the boss to never bring that truck to them again.

 

[akillys]

I feel the same way!

Lol, after reading this thread I figure half of homebrewers are cops and the other half are serial killers!

Why so much death? Can't we all just get along?

Side note: I've never trusted chihuahuas...I swear those little bug-eyed rats are half cat and pure evil. I don't trust dogs I can throw.

Agreed! I wonder where I fall. I'm not a cop so......

I work for the Coast Guard. I am betting these guys are Paramedics or EMT's, Police, or Fire Fighters.

The crap you run across will gross you out pretty regularly.

I can respect that, I couldn't do it that's for sure. I understand you have to joke about that stuff sometimes though to keep you sane.

 

[BrewerinBR]

I was a Coastie .... 1976 to 1983 small boat coxwain great lakes

nothing smells as bad as a 14 day old floater ... hit one (by accident) with a 30 footer.... took us weeks to get the smell and pieces and parts off that boat.

 

[freisste]

Akillys, you somehow made it look like I said what knyland said. Namely that I am in the coast guard. Which I'm not. Just don't want to give anyone the wrong idea.

 

[jrgtr42]

Worst smells in homebrewing that I;ve run across are cider fermenting, and homebrew farts. Oddly they aren't that far off in aroma...
My spent grain gets tossed as soon as it's cool enough to handle either into the composter or frozen to use in bread dough.
I'm pretty careful about sanitization and cleanliness in brewing (though not so much in other parts of life...)
Worst smell outside of homebrew was probably cleaning that outhouse in the dead of summer... not as much the outhouse as the pile of.... stuff that the contents (of a similar nature) went onto... almost makes me retch thinking about it.

 

[akillys]

Akillys, you somehow made it look like I said what knyland said. Namely that I am in the coast guard. Which I'm not. Just don't want to give anyone the wrong idea.

It's all good my bad. If you look at the top of the quote you can see that it was Originally Posted by knyland. I wouldn't expect someone from Ann Arbor to be able to notice that I understand you guys have some problems reading up there in Ann Arbor.

Sorry, I was just kidding I'm sure you are very intelligent. I just had to have some fun I'm an OSU grad lol. All jokes aside I have a lot of respect for that team up north. I just don't like to see them win when they play us.

 

[JonM]

I just had to have some fun I'm an OSU grad lol. All jokes aside I have a lot of respect for that team up north. I just don't like to see them win when they play us.

As a Wisconsin alum (check the avatar) I hate those guys too.

 

[schoch79]

I love this thread. I haven't had the pleasure of bad smells from brewing yet. I am a prison guard however and sometimes an inmate will smear feces/urine on his cell walls or himself in preparation for a forced cell removal. That's always a pleasant smell. And to the comment of sometimes having to joke/laugh at this stuff....you are right...there are things that people outside of "the business" just wouldn't understand the inside "jokes" sometimes.

 

[Zepth]

I love this thread. I haven't had the pleasure of bad smells from brewing yet. I am a prison guard however and sometimes an inmate will smear feces/urine on his cell walls or himself in preparation for a forced cell removal. That's always a pleasant smell. And to the comment of sometimes having to joke/laugh at this stuff....you are right...there are things that people outside of "the business" just wouldn't understand the inside "jokes" sometimes.

Postpone the "forced cell removal" for a few days.

 

[sappnasty]

Holy $*!t what do you fellas do for a living? If I had to deal with that crap I wouldn't even bottle my finished homebrew. I'd pop off the bung, stick in the siphon, and drink till the carboy was gone.

akillys - LMFAO

Everyone else thats wondering, I am a patrol deputy.

-Sapp