Apfelwine Rhino Fart Smell

[Donasay]

Hey everyone, I am making my second batch of apfelwine, following the the edwort recipe, the first batch came out well, and is now gone, the second batch has been bubbling away for 5 or 6 weeks now and should be almost ready, but the rhino fart smell has not yet disipated from the apfelwine, I take samples regularly to see if the smell has dissipated yet, but no luck. I know from lagering that sometimes you just have to wait this out and the smell drops considerably over time, but with my first batch of apfelwine the smell was gone after the third week.

Fermentation is done FG is siting just below 1.00, and I want to drink this stuff, if I bottle now is there a chance the rhino fart smell will be trapped in the bottle or will it work its self out over time in the bottle the same way it would in the carboy.

I know the key to good apfelwine is to wait, but I need some of this panty dropping liquor ready for valentines day if you catch my meaning.

 

[bigjohnmilford]

you can put roofies in anything can't you?

 

[ohiobrewtus]

It should be fine to bottle it now. I've never left Apfelwein longer than 4 weeks before I either kegged or bottled it.

 

[beala]

I don't have proof of this, but it seems like if you expect the fart smell to go away by aging in a sealed carboy, you should also expect it to go away by aging in a sealed bottle. If you're really in a hurry, I'd say go ahead and bottle, but it does seem worrying that it's been 5-6 weeks with no change. From what I've read (and experienced) the fart smell lasts 1-3 days tops, and that's at the beginning of fermentation. Were your fermentation temps unusually high? Any harsh flavors? Even if you bottle now, it may need mellowing time for the off flavors/smell.

 

[Donasay]

fermentation temperatures have been somewhat low, in the low 50's due to the cold weather. But no off flavors other than the sulphur smell.

 

[termeric]

i just got home today and the whole house smelled awful. would a high fermenting temperature make it smell / taste worse? how can i tell what temp it is inside my bucket?

 

[beala]

fermentation temperatures have been somewhat low, in the low 50's due to the cold weather.

The is a complete stab in the dark, but maybe the mellowing process requires the yeast to be active? At 50F, it could be slowing the process down.

would a high fermenting temperature make it smell / taste worse? how can i tell what temp it is inside my bucket?

Are you referring to my post? I have no proof of this pertaining to sulfur smells and apfelwein in particular, but I think the general rule of thumb is lower temps will produce a cleaner flavor/aroma.

In your case, I wouldn't worry about it, though. That smell is unavoidable when it comes to apfelwein, and isn't even detectable in the final product.

I think figuring out the temp in the bucket will require you to either open it, and stick a sanitized thermometer right in there, or you can buy one of the surface mounted carboy thermometers that sticks right on the side of the bucket/carboy.
http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?cPath=178_67_65&products_id=998

 

[Revvy]

Ed mentions in his Apfelwein thread, that the sulfur smell is common, and dissipates after a few days.

 

[termeric]

my batch has been fermenting like mad, and it smells pretty bad, but I'm cautious to move it to the closet where its cooler than the kitchen. the kitchen is usualy in the mid 60s where the closet is low 60s or high 50s. im using champagne yeast and don't want the whole process to die off because of the cold. will i be ok by moving it along to the closet?

this is only my second batch, but this one has been fermenting more violently than the first.

 

[beala]

Heh sorry I didn't mean for my post to confuse so many people. The mid-60s should be perfect for montrachet. 60-70F is optimal, and anything less than 60 might put your yeast to sleep. What really matters is the temp of the wort, which may be a bit above ambient temps, but it should be fine. My apfelwein fermented at 68-72F ambient and I can't detect any off flavors. In fact, I think montrachet can be taken all the way up to 80F.

 

[BayviewBob]

Ok I can't believe I am asking this question but:

I made a 3 gallon batch of Edworts Apfelwein (more or less) and it never had a fart smell , let alone a rhino fart smell.
(full discloser: I have never put my nose up or near a rhinos bunghole)

Should I be concerned?

More info:
I used Lalvin EC-1118 yeast and I had to use a blow out tube because it took off like a rocket. but nothing smelled (bad anyway) at all.

(and by the way, rhinos got nothing on me. Ask the SWMBO!)

Thanks