Anyone else dealing with smell/taste loss from COVID?

[Ridenour64]

How is everyone doing with taste and smell now? I just got Covid (I think I’m on day 10). When I first got it, I completely lost my taste and smell. Now I’m starting to get it back, but beer is not tasting very good. When I first got it, my 9% stout tasted like an unflavored seltzer, I couldn’t believe it…

 

[Brew_Dude41]

I am on day 5, and my smell left completely totally 2 days ago. My taste has not left, but it is muddled and I am missing out on a lot subtlety and depth of everything.
Literally, the worst thing for me is that I can't smell smell if one of the three boys diapers are dirty (and of course they aren't telling me either) and I have got more than I bargained for when I checked.
Also clearing out all of the odd beers left over the summer, and about taste some scotch to see if I can now appreciate (not taste) those finer point of some johnny walker I was gifted.

 

[bracconiere]

Have any other homebrewers found ways to deal with this?

thanks for reminding my memory about this thread...recently, i'm thinking about dribking my beer at like 55f, or english style...my problem isn't covid though, it's talking smack about inbev for too long. their psychic warriors attacked me....lol

 

[Brew_Dude41]

I am now tasting Johnny Walker black label, neat in a Glencarin glass:

Nose: as noted above i have Covid and can't smell a damn thing. I have my nose as far down into the glass as it can go and I am only getting only the slightest tingle of the alcohol burning my sinuses (accidentally tilted it too far and inhaled a few drops).

Taste: this is where I might say muddled sense of taste might be a bit a generous. I am still getting the heat and bite of the alcohol, but not too much more. I have alot of sweet like maybe like a wheated bourbon but none of the smoke that I am expecting from a scotch. To be honest, with everything muddled and becoming sweet to me, it is almost like having some barrel proof bourbons such as Makers.

Once my senses return I will repeat this process and will post those notes for all as well. (I never expect to return to my senses)

 

[Jag75]

I got it on Christmas day. What a gift . Luckily I haven't lost taste or smell. I haven't tried a beer yet .

Hope you all are well . Stay safe

 

[Bobby_M]

I lost taste and smell for 4 days, no other symptoms other than a little congestion, negative PCR test. Not sure what to think about that.

 

[deuc224]

I lost taste and smell for 4 days, no other symptoms other than a little congestion, negative PCR test. Not sure what to think about that.

Dude we are just figuring out that maybe you cant get it twice but you can get a "flare up". Sounds dumb but I tested negative the other day but it was the same symptoms i had when i first got covid.

 

[day_trippr]

Pretty sure there is precious little data to back up any claim of "you can't get covid twice"...

 

[Northern_Brewer]

I've had almost no smell for nearly 18 months now - it sometimes comes back a bit when I get a cold, and I can smell some of the "earthier"/sewage smells, but all the nice estery smells like wine and flowers etc - no chance. I can still appreciate the mouthfeel of beer and wine, but very little on the nose - I barely get any fruit even from beers made with big hops like Nectaron, although Mosaic is one of the better ones for me. And sniffing hops I just get a hint of tea - even things like Citra and Nectaron.

I'm also kinda dangerous in the kitchen, because I can't smell gas or burning. I have had a bit of parosmia, where things smell "wrong", but not too much, and I guess I'm lucky that I haven't had the thing where good food smells actively terrible. But it still sucks for someone who loves beer, wine and food in general. Still, it could be worse :

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-59347737

 

[dtashmore547]

welcome to the world of anosmia, have suffered for 13 years, only had any sense of smell when I had a a cortisone injection for a few weeks, I could have burnt in a house fire and never known, no ability to enjoy hops or esters in ale but always found a good craft ale far more enjoyable than a bad one or even a good mass produced beer, unable to explained why but I can always tell the difference.

 

[Jag75]

My partner from work tested + the other day. He had covid last year as well.

 

[monkeymath]

I feel truly sorry for anyone dealing with covid and/or the prolonged symptoms, losing my sense of smell would be devastating to me, but to be honest I've found some of the reports of "I got covid yesterday, and bourbon doesn't taste like anything. I'll finish the bottle, then try some Tequila tomorrow" quite amusing.

Like, you caught a serious disease, why are you drinking booze? ^^

Anyway, not to make fun of your disease or anything. Hope you all get better soon!

 

[tripelthelightfantastic]

I lost most of my taste and smell 3 weeks ago thanks to Covid, beer, wine and coffee can’t taste at all but can taste Parmesan and all citrus to an extent.
still drinking as much beer as normal but with less appreciation

 

[franknbeans]

I got it mid January last year and was down for a couple months.. I've never felt that horrible before. Lost my taste and smell up until maybe July, then it slowly started coming back. The real rotten smells were what took the longest to come back. I'd say I'm back to 100% now being able to detect a fart

 

[rmchair]

I appreciate this discussion because its hard to get any real world feedback out there. I have kind of the opposite issue right now. I have a super heightened sensitivity to sugar and salt flavors. It sounds crazy but it's like being a little kid again where everything tastes super strong. Plus food texture is just more whatever it already was. I had a small piece of chocolate that took me 3 times as long to chew through as normal. Not making this up.

 

[franknbeans]

The sweet/salty flavors were what came back first for me. I had that same crazy sensitivity to it too.. very trippy!

 

[Jayjay1976]

I have resigned myself to the fact that it's inevitable I will get it sooner or later. If my sense of taste and smell go away, hopefully that also means a reduced appetite so I'll make the most of it and go on a diet for however long it lasts. Good time to brew up a bunch of styles that benefit from aging I guess. Without the benefit of those senses however, I'll stick to tried-and-true recipes

Side note, neither my employer nor my wife's are still taking precautions seriously which is why I feel like it's just a matter of time.

 

[Jag75]

I have resigned myself to the fact that it's inevitable I will get it sooner or later. If my sense of taste and smell go away, hopefully that also means a reduced appetite so I'll make the most of it and go on a diet for however long it lasts. Good time to brew up a bunch of styles that benefit from aging I guess. Without the benefit of those senses however, I'll stick to tried-and-true recipes

Side note, neither my employer nor my wife's are still taking precautions seriously which is why I feel like it's just a matter of time.

I went over a year at work without getting the vaccine . My partners , medical staff and others got it left and right all around me . They forced us to get the vaccine then 3 months later I contract it . My partner now say I'm human after all lol.

 

[JSetzer]

I had COVID last week. I lost all taste/smell starting day 2 but it only lasted about 4 days. Not a big deal.

 

[Brew_Dude41]

Most of my smell has returned now after losing completely for about 3 days.
Not sure if I am up for that JW tasting tonight. The Buckeyes made it way too interesting Saturday and I will probably need another day or three to continue my recovery.

 

[Staticsouls]

Yes, but it gave my pale ale time to condition and now it tastes awesome!

 

[LuckyBeagleBrewing]

Interesting reads here. Had the og strain back in Dec 2020 and had a fever for a day but everyone around me was sick as can be. The only effect on me was anosmia. It was very strong too. Could not smell a thing. Milk is bad? Could not tell. Something rotted? Never knew.

Smell started returning 11 months later but then at the beginning of this year, something else in the olfactory bulb came back on and is distort. All food and grain have a very strong chemical insecticide odor.

Started on zinc, alpha lipoic acid, and benfotiamine to help try and rebuild those nerves correctly and pray that one day the Lord sees it in His will to rewire them for me.

I used to take that sense for granted but when it gets distorted, things certainly change.

 

[hopjuice_71]

Double vaxxed and boosted but still got Omicron from my high schoolers. My sense of smell and taste were gone for a few days, which was disturbing, but they are coming back now. I can taste and smell my IPAs again

 

[Rob2010SS]

Interesting reads here. Had the og strain back in Dec 2020 and had a fever for a day but everyone around me was sick as can be. The only effect on me was anosmia. It was very strong too. Could not smell a thing. Milk is bad? Could not tell. Something rotted? Never knew.

Smell started returning 11 months later but then at the beginning of this year, something else in the olfactory bulb came back on and is distort. All food and grain have a very strong chemical insecticide odor.

Started on zinc, alpha lipoic acid, and benfotiamine to help try and rebuild those nerves correctly and pray that one day the Lord sees it in His will to rewire them for me.

I used to take that sense for granted but when it gets distorted, things certainly change.

Yeah, I had the original strain at the beginning of '21 and it screwed up my smell long term. Dark beers have a dirty/mildew smell to them to this day, and Reese's used to be my favorite candy and now I find them slightly gross tasting. They taste like they've spoiled to me.

 

[Teufelhunde]

I had it last year (no vax) and didn't really loose sense of smell or taste, although my coffee did smell weird.....the worst part was the fatigue...never been so tired in my life, basically slept for two weeks. Wife kept waking me with food and water, she got me to drink but not eat, lost 10 pounds(don't worry, I have since found them.....)

 

[mashpaddled]

I got covid in November with twelve other people in the office. After about five days I lost complete smell and taste. I chomped into a raw clove of garlic with no smell or taste. By the end of the first day I could smell and taste most things but oddly herbs had no taste. That lasted for about four days. Fortunately it went away before Thanksgiving which I cook for our friendsgiving and uses a lot of herb. Some of my coworkers are still battling long term symptoms of minimal smell/taste and brain fog.

 

[camonick]

I had Covid in October 2021. I had all the common symptoms including total loss of smell/ taste for 5 days. Have had a few lingering side effects off and on since, but the thing I’ve noticed recently is that cola (Coke & Pepsi) taste terrible. I prefer Pepsi (used to) when I have a choice, but now they’re awful. I haven’t noticed any other off flavors besides that.

 

[Ridenour64]

I had Covid in Dec 2021 and one side effect I’m still dealing with is ear congestion. My ears are popping and it’s very annoying. Tried Zyrtec and pseudoephedrine and neither worked. Anyone else dealing with that? There’s no pain. It’s not a sinus infection.