Brew smell

[sacula]

Hello, Im pretty new at this. I just did my 3rd last night. Anyway, when I brew my wife complains about the smell. I have tried opening windows and lighting candles but she always ends up locked in the bedroom. Anyone have this problem? How can I fix it?

 

[Revvy]

Where are your fermenters??? Do you have a basement?

 

[kpr121]

 

[donjonson]

tell her she is nuts and that is smells delicious!

 

[Verio]

LOL, my wife set up an automatic spray freshener in our bathroom because of the smell

 

[chew]

I assume you're talking about the smell while you're brewing, not while the beer is fermenting? My wife is the same way. She has a particular disdain for hoppy beers, which are pretty much all I brew. I just try and brew when she's at work or out of town. When that doesn't work out, she just puts up with the smell, and I put up with her grumbling. Probably the best way around it would be get a turkey boiler set, and start brewing outdoors!

 

[sacula]

I assume you're talking about the smell while you're brewing, not while the beer is fermenting? My wife is the same way. She has a particular disdain for hoppy beers, which are pretty much all I brew. I just try and brew when she's at work or out of town. When that doesn't work out, she just puts up with the smell, and I put up with her grumbling. Probably the best way around it would be get a turkey boiler set, and start brewing outdoors!

Yeah, I thought of brewing out side. Im in Indiana and its starting to get pretty cold. Will the cold hurt anything?

 

[kpr121]

All joking aside from my prior post, I agree with chew that you should get an outdoor burner. My first batch was on the stovetop and the wife flipped a lid (We both love the smell of brewing, but even I understood when I came in the house 3 days later and still smelled like a bread factory.) She told me that I could either stop brewing, take it outside, or get ready to sign divorce papers. I went with the outdoor setup. Figured it was cheaper than getting a divorce.

 

[sgillespie]

Interesting.. My wife loves the smell of brewing beer.

Brew outside

 

[Verio]

Mine was for fermenting

 

[sgillespie]

Mine was for fermenting

Yeah, that one is a little tougher, but glad you didn't have to kick her out

 

[Diver165]

Really? My wife loves the smell when I brew and is right by my side. And she doesn't like beer! To be honest it smells like cereal or grapenuts. As far as during fermentation? It honestly doesn't matter because its in the basement. But I haven't noticed a smell to it other than BEER!

 

[Diver165]

Mine was for fermenting

me too..and SWMBO still falls for the old pull my finger joke.

 

[beninan]

A co-worker of mine lets the rhino fart in the bedroom. I know I wouldn't have a problem with it, but I'm sure my SWMBO would. I just keep my fermenters in a closet and tell her to deal with it or I won't make her any more soda.

 

[Whut]

I brewed my first batch in the kitchen and have been in the garage ever since. SWMBO doesn't like beer and hates the smell. Having recently celebrated 2+ decades of marriage I've learned to pick and choose my battles. The garage was the obvious choice and she never questions what I spend on this hobby.

 

[daaviator]

For me it is my daughter who complains. She keeps saying the house smells like wet dog. SWMBO has grown to like the smell.

 

[Beer604]

The most efficient way to handle such situation is;
on brewing day give her your Credit Card,
and send her shopping. Problem solved.

 

[Justibone]

Yeah, I thought of brewing out side. Im in Indiana and its starting to get pretty cold. Will the cold hurt anything?

I'm in Indy. Nah, the cold won't hurt anything... it will just require more gas to get up to full boil. If you stand close enough to the burner it will help keep you warm, too!

Also, Fermcap-S will make it so that you don't have to stand over your boil pot vigilantly watching every second for boilovers.

Turkey fryer set-up is actually pretty sweet. You will have to figure out how you want to sparge -- do you have a cooler to do your mash in so your turkey pot is available to heat the sparge water? Or are you going to do the brew-pot-sparge-pot-tango, putting one on the flame and the other off as you need to maintain mash temps? Or will you heat your sparge water inside on the stove and then carry it outside to the mash pot? That's the one hangup with our set-up... we need an MLT.

And I need a porch. <-- Apartment dweller

 

[HerotBrewer]

My wife loves the malty smell of brew day. In fact every time I brew she starts craving malt biscuits (cookies).

So last Brew Day I baked her some malt biscuits using 2 tsp of DME. She is now even happier.

 

[devilishprune]

My SWMBO hates the smell with a passion, unfortunately. I try to do it when she's at work, but usually that still doesn't work because there is no effective way of airing out my apartment. I usually brew with all the windows and doors open with a fan blowing air out, but it doesn't seem to get rid of all of it and I have to face the wrath when she gets home.

 

[vtchuck]

so I moved out to the garage.... built a bench, installed a sink and bought a propane burner. We're both happier.

I brew year round here in Vermont BTW.

 

[Cowbizzoy]

It was good at my house till I put fermenting apfelwein upstairs.... Lol. Try it SWMBO won't like it....

 

[pksmitty]

You're looking at this all wrong! This isn't a problem, it's an opportunity! Time to buy a propane burner and large brew kettle and move it outdoors! That's what I did when SWMBO complained about the smell. (I'm doing it for you, dear) It will take a little longer (not much) to boil in the winter, but the cooling goes a LOT faster!

 

[Justibone]

(I'm doing it for you, dear)

This is the money quote.

 

[Diver165]

Having recently celebrated 2+ decades of marriage I've learned to pick and choose my battles. The garage was the obvious choice and she never questions what I spend on this hobby.

Now that's spoken like a true married man! Amen brother!

Kinda like the saying, "Win the battle but loose the war."

 

[slantedbolt]

Thankfully SWMBO did not care about the smell... we shall see with the next batch...

 

[bja]

My SWMBO hates the smell of boiling wort, so after the first 4 or 5 brews I moved out to the garage. I like it much better out there. I have more room and I can make all the mess I want and just hose it down when I'm done. The cold doesn't bother me, I actually like brewing in the winter more than I do in the summer.

 

[AL73]

Ja!! actually im new in homebrewing,, i just bottled my first very batch (extract for begginers) and when i opened the hops wow! i was just geeting my nose there,, instead, but my wife and kids ran! ... my wife help me bottling, i was very pleased with that porter... excelent hobby!

 

[Homercidal]

I don't know what the problem is. She should be able to put up with the smell of us doing what we enjoy, as much as we put up with the smell of us doing what SHE enjoys!

 

[clayroc]

My wife said and I quote "then get a new wife"