Cider gone funky

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Hey there!
I’ve made cider before from a concentrate which turned out beautifully. I decided to make my own cider from scratch using a recipe from a local wine supply store. Followed the instructions to the letter... it said to rack it then let settle and clarify for 2-3 weeks. Popped the wine thief in it today after 16 days and was met with a horrible eggy smell. There was about 3-4 inches of sediment in the bottom of the carboy which I now suspect is the culprit but the instructions said nothing about racking it a second time. We had it in a spot that was room temp which I suspect added to the issue. Am I correct in my suspicions? We had to toss the whole lot which was disappointing since the apples came from the trees at our farm and we were really looking forward to seeing what could come of them. If the issue was that it needed to be racked a second time and stored specifically I feel like the wine store that supplied the recipe needs to correct the it but if not I’d like to know where we may have gone wrong. Any tips?
 
Ouch. Next time do not dump. It sounds like sulfur. It’s fairly common. Use nutrients next time. I use fermaid K and diammonium phosphate. You’ll get differing opinions on the use of nutrients but I prefer a clean ferment.

It’s likely you could have gotten rid of smell by adding nutrients after you noticed it. Also degassing the cider helps to get rid of sulfur that’s in solution.

Google sulfur or rhino farts for cider making.
 
Hey there!
I’ve made cider before from a concentrate which turned out beautifully. I decided to make my own cider from scratch using a recipe from a local wine supply store. Followed the instructions to the letter... it said to rack it then let settle and clarify for 2-3 weeks. Popped the wine thief in it today after 16 days and was met with a horrible eggy smell. There was about 3-4 inches of sediment in the bottom of the carboy which I now suspect is the culprit but the instructions said nothing about racking it a second time. We had it in a spot that was room temp which I suspect added to the issue. Am I correct in my suspicions? We had to toss the whole lot which was disappointing since the apples came from the trees at our farm and we were really looking forward to seeing what could come of them. If the issue was that it needed to be racked a second time and stored specifically I feel like the wine store that supplied the recipe needs to correct the it but if not I’d like to know where we may have gone wrong. Any tips?
Most important rule:
RDWHAHB!
Relax, Don't Worry, Have A Home-Brew.

Cider is notorious for the dredded rhino-farts. Its a result of stressed yeasts usually from lack of nutrients though sometimesits stress from co2 poisoning(cured by degassin). The hydrogen sulfide will usually age out and there are some additional processes that can further reduce the stank.
 
Oh no!!! Rookie mistake, I’m kicking myself now.... wish I would’ve thought to consult first. Live and learn.... thank you all for the advice. I will definitely be checking further into these dreaded rhino farts.
 
I used Mangrove Jacks cider yeast...
That’s my fave. It’s been my go to for a few seasons. If I don’t use nutrients w this yeast, it does give off rhino farts.
I also have to degas but it’s totally worth it.
I find that this yeast retains a lot of the apple character, even with cheap bland juice.
 
Sorry to hear you dumped it.
Yep, stressed yeast = hydrogen sulphide (rotten egg smell), caused by the yeast looking for nitrogen.
It disipates given time.
I usually do natural fermentations, no added sulphites, no added yeast, just good sanitation and time.
I recently made a batch of cider from just Spartan apples. A week in and my wife complained about the eggy smell! I had no yeast nutrient so I chucked in a crushed vitamin pill. Within a day the smell had gone and it's still slowly fermenting away just fine.
Don't loose heart and better luck next time!
 
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