Bavarian sulfur smell = secondary?

[CSlicks]

I just brewed a Bavarian hefe (WYeast 3068) and it's fermenting @ 62 but giving off the dreaded sulfur smell I've heard so much about. I was planning on skipping the secondary to retain a yeastie quality essential to a good weizen, but... I'm reading advice on other threads suggesting I go to a secondary for a couple weeks to assure the smell fully dissipates/disappears.

Should I do that to be safe then?? I don't want to lose out on that yeastieness.

 

[944play]

I just brewed a Bavarian hefe (WYeast 3068) and it's fermenting @ 62 but giving off the dreaded sulfur smell I've heard so much about.

The absolute stinkiest ferment I've ever experienced was 3068 at 62°F. The beer was pretty good, and I did nothing to reduce the sulfur. If you're kegging it and you still smell sulfur, slowly bubbling CO2 into the liquid post (while venting it) can strip some sulfur out.

 

[CSlicks]

That's great advice... I wish I had a kegging system (my brother does... so I'll tell him that). I'll be bottling. Should I worry if I still smell the sulfur when I transfer to the bottling bucket?

 

[althea]

I also had very strong sulphur when fermenting in the mid-60's with the same yeast...this was doing Ed Wort's Bee Cave Hefeweizen. I let this ferment in the primary for 15 days...then bottled. The sulphur was strongest during the early and most active part of the fermentation and slowly went away over the remaining time. By the time I bottled there was a barely noticeable sulphur smell remaining, but I went ahead and bottled. I would bottle once the sulphur smell is mostly gone, but I don't think a secondary is necessary. Mine was absolutely delicious.

 

[CSlicks]

Thanks, I'll go ahead and bottle without a secondary, maybe after three weeks or so. I think the sulfur smell is kind of fading...even though it's still bubbling. ...It sure was a scary thing to smell, counterintuitive to one of my favorite styles!

 

[oldschool]

My suggestion is to get it warmed up to help speed up fermentation and the outgassing of CO2.

 

[slothorentropy]

I also had very strong sulphur when fermenting in the mid-60's with the same yeast...this was doing Ed Wort's Bee Cave Hefeweizen. I let this ferment in the primary for 15 days...then bottled. The sulphur was strongest during the early and most active part of the fermentation and slowly went away over the remaining time. By the time I bottled there was a barely noticeable sulphur smell remaining, but I went ahead and bottled. I would bottle once the sulphur smell is mostly gone, but I don't think a secondary is necessary. Mine was absolutely delicious.

I also brewed this one and ended up with a sulfurous aroma that I noticed when putting it into secondary. I think I only left it in secondary for a week or two and wish that I'd let it go longer, because the stink was still noticeable at bottling and hasn't really dissipated at all since (about a month). I've heard that once you bottle it, it's in there, and time doesn't really help much. Have also heard that it's best to let it sit in primary on the yeast cake longer as the yeast are going to clean up the stench over time.

 

[Breck09]

I second what everyone else has said about this yeast being my stinkiest ferment to date. The sulfur smell filled our finished basement so much that my wife wouldn't even come down during the week of heavy fermentation. I didn't secondary that I can remember and bottled the batch. Had no sulfur smell in the finished product.

 

[nefarious_1_]

I always get the sulfur smell with this yeast. Some ferments have a stronger odor than others, but all disappear after 2 - 3 weeks. In my experiences, there is no need to rack off the yeast for the smell to dissipate. Give it some time.

 

[passedpawn]

It'll go away with time. Comes from pitching yeast at cold temps. H2S.

 

[CSlicks]

Warming the temperature to speed fermentation and gas out CO2 is interesting advice. If it's true that the cold temps are producing the sulfur odor, then wouldn't bumping the temp to a standard ale eliminate the risk of bottling the sulfur smell whatsoever? -But would I lose some of the flavor benefits that come with the 62 degrees ferment ...
Let's say I warm to 68 (It's been fermenting for a week, so may be too late to try this option)

 

[seabass07]

Personally, I'd wait until you hit FG before raising the temp. My last one hit FG after 5 days. I then raised up the temp to room temp for a diacetyl rest. After 4 more days, the sulfer was gone. A diacetyl rest is pretty standard for a hefe since it usually has a high percentage of pilsner and it also has the benefit of cleaning up the beer a bit faster.

I use the sulfer to tell me when to bottle a hefe. As soon as it's gone, it's time to bottle.

 

[kcross13]

I had the same after a week in the primary. After two weeks it has cleared up. The smell was only in the fermentor and the test samples had no trace what so ever. Definitely fading with time. Going to dry hop in a secondary to try and mask and residual odor

 

[passedpawn]

personally, i'd wait until you hit fg before raising the temp.

+1

 

[solbes]

I pick up sulfur coming out of the airlock during primary with my WY 3333 (german wheat). Never detected it in the beer though after ~ 2 week primary. Different yeast altogether though, as this one drops out completely.