brewing smells?

[greg2536]

Ok I'm about to start this journey of brewing and it dawned on me what kind or type of smells should I expect during the various stages of brewing? SWMBO is tolerating this adventure and I don't want to push the envelope too far. If it is going to be over powering I will need to make arrangements to brew in the garage.

 

[Yooper]

Well, I think it smells good, so I might be biased, but really it's not that bad! My kids (teenagers) HATE brew day- the smell of the boiling wort actually makes my daughter gag. I think it's the hops. So, I try to brew when I'm home by myself. I did buy a turkey fryer to do it outside, but I don't like being outside to brew so I still do it on my stove. That might work for you, though, if your SWMBO objects to the boiling smells.

The fermentation can smell a bit sulfury at times, depending on the yeast you used but not usually. You use an airlock so it really doesn't smell much at all.

 

[McKBrew]

Depends on how your SWMBO feels about beers and beers smells. Some yeasts (esp. hefeweizen) give off a pretty strong sulfur smell. Plus your typical stale beer smell is possible. When you are brewing (boil stage) malts tend to smell like cereal in my opinion, and hops have a strong floral scent, but not the kind that everyone might enjoy. If your SWMBO objects to any of these smells, I'd highly recommend the garage.

 

[greg2536]

I have got a turkey fryer as well and plan to use it. I will be starting with a brown ale and see how it goes.

 

[mrk305]

The hops do stink up the house and boiling for an hour does add alot of humidity. I open a couple windows and run an exhaust fan for a few minutes after I am done. It has been way too hot in Georgia to do anything outside. Now that it is cooling down, I will start doing my boils outside.

 

[BierMuncher]

......I don't like being outside...

Yeah...right

 

[gruntingfrog]

Just tell her that the smells are quite similar to a bakery. It's amazing how when you prepare someone with descriptions of the sensory input they're about to receive, they will agree with you if the smells are at least vaguely similar.

 

[johnsmith098]

I like the smell of boiling wert, its a great aroma.

 

[Iordz]

I'm actually lucky, my roommates like the smell!

 

[Danny013]

Mmm, I love the smell of boiling grain and hops. My roomate doesn't; she had to leave and stay at her boyfriends place this evening, lol.

There's a wonderful hallertauer aroma in the air!

 

[TheH2]

The smell can be pretty strong. I light Yankee candles and run the exhaust fan while brewing. Afterwards I'll spray with febreeze and the smell is pretty much gone. Without that it will leave an odor for the rest of the day. That is how I brew indoors w/out the wife being too bothered by it.

I'm too cheap to buy a large pot and burner so I can brew outside. Besides there are a bunch of trees so I guarantee some bird would crap in my pot.

 

[MriswitH]

My aptly named 'Honey Butt Brown' derived from the fermentation in the primary. It smelled like someone seriously dropped a truckload inside of it - VERY sulferous.

 

[the_bird]

It's definately a love-it or hate-it smell. As was noted, the smell of wort can be very bread-like, at least until the hops are added. My wife loves the aroma, she's kinda sad that I've moved operations mostly outdoors (still mash in the kitchen). It's impossible to say how your SWMBO will react.

As noted, some yeast strains can be very sulphuric during fermentation, but those tend to be lager strains (not always).

 

[ohiobrewtus]

luckily my wife loves the smell. The kids hate it though. The only way it to try it once and find out. If all else fails you can move it outside.

 

[Beerthoven]

There are some other smells you will have to contend with...

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=38758

 

[kappclark]

After a brewing session, I find my sense of smell is heightened ... I smell everything more intensely for awhile