Stinkyweizen

Do Hefeweizens nomally have a somewhat unpleasent aroma during fementation? I have sniffed the airlock and it is not like my IPA right next to it. I know they are different beers but that Heff just isn't very nice.

 

Mine typically smell like bananas... depends on the yeast and temp.

 

Well for lack of better term, my beer stinks like "ass". My fermentation temps are a little high but it is the best I can do with almost no money right now.

 

I've had a lot of wheat beers smell like sulfur for a couple of days during the high point of fermentation.

 

Yeah, it is similar in unpleasentness to Apfelwein. If the results are as rewarding, I can hardly wait.

 

I have had Wits that have had that "ass"-like aroma, with fairly stable temperature control. It will more than likely be great when it is finished!

Wheat beer yeasts can be funky, what yeast did you use?

BTW according to my signature, there must be ass in there! Kiddin

 

I am using Wyeast 3068 Weihenstephan Weizen yeast.

 

I use WLP300....i swear i smell hot dog smell in the blowoff when i make weizens...

 

mmm.... hot dog beer

 

I just opened up my first Belgian Wit tonight to do some measurements, and I smelled it. It smelled fine, except for a slight banana-like smell. I attribute that to the fact that it is fermenting at 73*F instead of the recommended 68ish. I'm hoping some of those flavors will be reduced during the conditioning phase. I tasted the hydrometer sample, however, and it tasted delicious. I'm very excited to get it carbed up, conditioned and chilled! I've still got another 2 weeks or so before it's ready for the bottle though, time goes so slow when you're sober.

 

While I have not done a true hefe-style beer, I have done a simple wheat and for most of the fermentation period I had mostly banana aromas with some hints of sulfur. Cool that puppy down to about 68 and it should mellow out. When you bottle, be sure to keep the bottles in a cool, dark place to keep things mellow.

 

Your comparing the smell of an IPA fermenting (mine almost smells like orange blossoms) to a hefe ( mine smells like a gym sock used to wipe the sweat from Danny DeVito's ass crack). Beer is what we pour out of the bottle. There are a lot of things that go on before then and some aren't pretty. As mentioned above, be patient and control your fermentation temperatures and you will be rewarded.

Search 'Swamp Cooler' on this forum for a great, cheap way to control fermentation temps.