autolysis

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Dougie63

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I bottled a british bitter a week ago and popped one open to try it and see how its comming along with carbonation it was in primary for 2 weeks and it has a real noticeable aroma that resembles sulphur but doesnt really seem to affect flavor that much. My question is will this go away in the bottle with age its the first time I have ever experienced this sort of thing after 15 or so batches that turned out great.
 
Certain varieties of yeast throw off sulphur smells. Your English bitter may have used one of them. It should dissipate with more time in the bottle. If you haven't bottled yet, leave it longer in the fermenter to get rid of some of it too.
 
Yeah, different strains produce different smells. But your beer is really young. 3 weeks post brew day isn't very long. Let it sit. Whatever it is, is certainly isn't autolysis after 3 weeks.
 
Yeah, different strains produce different smells. But your beer is really young. 3 weeks post brew day isn't very long. Let it sit. Whatever it is, is certainly isn't autolysis after 3 weeks.

This. What kind of yeast was it?
 
It's highly doubtful it's autolysis....it's pretty much non-existant in homebrewing these days despite what you might have heard.

And besides sulphur is not autolysis.

What kind of yeast did you use? Was it a lager yeast that requires lager time?
 
Some yeasts are high sulfur producers. I used WLP029 german ale/kolsch a lot, and THAT yeast kicks off some serious sulfur. I usually lager the beer for a few weeks after I brew, and it still retains a mineral-ey element in the finished beer for a few weeks after bottling.
 
It was nottingham yeast, I have used it many times and never got this bad odor from it. I also know the beer is young but I always open one after a week as I like to see the process and taste the before and after.
 
Was there any sulfur smell prior to bottling? Conditioning time is what the yeast need to shed that sulfur but once it's bottled there is no way for that sulfur to escape.
 
Man, that doesnt sound good. It didnt reek of sulfur at bottling, but after 2 weeks in the bottle it's developing a smell?
 
Its not uncommon for beers to go through changes while bottle conditioning. I have a quadrupel I made, it tasted good out of the fermenter, then it got hot, then 2 weeks after I bottled it it got cidery, which took months to age out.

What was your fermentation temps? Nottingham throws off some downright funky crap anywhere above 70 in my experience.
 
I listened to an old Jamil Z Podcast today where they had a sulphur smell in one of the beers they were tasting. They said it was a typical indication of a stressed yeast, and probably wouldn't go away.

I've never experienced it, so I really don't know, but this thread reminded me of that comment from earlier.
 
Certain yeast descriptions specifically liquid will warn of sulfer smells.Meaning not to worry.
 
fermentation temps were 64 deg F it was a low gravity beer was in primary for 2 weeks and then bottled, fermentation was complete 1.040 was og and 1.015 was FG for a couple days. it actually taste ok but smell is horrible guess I have to just wait it out and try after 3 weeks or more
 
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