Different beers smell different when fermenting I guess, right?

[jump_xiii]

I'm brewing my third batch of beer at the moment. The airlock is bubbling, there is krausen etc so I know that it is fermenting even though it is cool for an ale yeast- around 55 of your American fahrenheits I think.

My query is this- batch one was a lager that is really an ale (Young's Brewbuddy Lager if you want to google it) and it smelled pretty good to me when fermenting, batch two was a stout (Young's Harvest Stout) and it smelled differ but good too. This batch is a bitter (Young's Definitive Bitter) and I pitched reused yeast from the stout and it smells... Well... How can I put this? Like Satan's sack, on a hot day in hell, after he's been jogging in ski gear...

I can't really put my finger on what it smells like, although it is reminiscent of rotten eggs, but not powerful really- just stinky.

I'm not asking "should I toss it?" because I'm going to see it through anyways, just asking for thoughts...

Cheers

 

[mtk6006]

Rotten eggs aint good sulfur is bad! Mine smelled like a cross between JD and cantaloupe(sp) And it taste great but farts is not a good thing

Crotch rot is a bad thing!

 

[jmprdood]

I think you'll be fine. When I make cider the fermentation smells like rhino farts and it comes out great. When you take your next hydrometer reading give it a taste and see what you think, I'm betting it comes out ok.

Cheers!

 

[birvine]

Some yeasts give off H2S but it will pass. LOL!

B

 

[jump_xiii]

The more times I go out to the shed the less it seems to smell- it either fading or I'm getting used to it.

I've noticed that the temp is creeping up from nearer 50 to nearer 55f, and even though the krausen seems to be dropping the airlock is bubbling more.

Thanks for the input!

 

[bengerman]

just wait until you find that not all trub smells the same.
my first batch (extract Irish Red) smelled like vomit (literally) when i racked it to bottle. never had another beer smell the same, but it turned out great.


higher temps will wake the yeast up, and increase airlock activity, but part of what your seeing is also CO2 being forced out of suspension by higher temps (warmer water holds less dissolved gas)

 

[DannyD]

Never...never !!!!! "toss" beer out.....let it take its time and if its still bad after 4 months chuck the 2 bottles thats left

 

[bengerman]

if its still bad after 4 months chuck the 2 bottles thats left

Beautifully worded

 

[jump_xiii]

Just to clarify: this was never a "should I toss it" thread. Just enquiring about different smells! I'm seeing it through because I'm damn sure I'm making beer.

 

[Revvy]

Different beers smell different when fermenting I guess, right?

Smell different, taste different, look different, act different, start different.

There is nothing "typical" in brewing...every fermentation is different, and should not be used to compare one with another...you can't do that.

No two fermentations are ever exactly the same.

When we are dealing with living creatures, there is a wild card factor in play..Just like with other animals, including humans...No two behave the same.

You can split a batch in half put them in 2 identical carboys, and pitch equal amounts of yeast from the same starter...and have them act completely differently...for some reason on a subatomic level...think about it...yeasties are small...1 degree difference in temp to us, could be a 50 degree difference to them...one fermenter can be a couple degrees warmer because it's closer to a vent all the way across the room and the yeasties take off...

Someone, Grinder I think posted a pic once of 2 carboys touching each other, and one one of the carboys the krausen had formed only on the side that touched the other carboy...probably reacting to the heat of the first fermentation....but it was like symbiotic or something...


Yeasts are like teenagers, swmbos, and humans in general, they have their own individual way of doing things.

When you brew enough, you'll understand.

 

[mtk6006]

Im sorry but beer that smells like farts or vomit is going to be thrown out. The batch im making now if it started smelling like that i throw thru the window! The hell with opening it

 

[jump_xiii]

Thanks Revvy,

This is also the first use of a new fermenter- slightly shorter and wide than the other, first time pitching harvested yeast, first time brewing this recipe, first time using a swamp cooler, I know the wort was on the warm side when pitching the yeast but it was 11pm Sunday night, so everything is off compared to my previous 2 brew brewing history.

But at least I already know to just wait... What's the worst that could happen? I get funny tasting beer. Upside- I learn more!

 

[Revvy]

Im sorry but beer that smells like farts or vomit is going to be thrown out. The batch im making now if it started smelling like that i throw thru the window! The hell with opening it

I'm sorry, then I guess you'll never be brewing a lager or making a batch of apfelwein then, because it's perfectly normal, and common, for lager yeast, some ale yeasts and fermenting apfelwein to give off sulphur during the fermentation process....Google Rhino farts on here, and you'll see just how common it is...

John Palmer even writes about it.

As discussed in Chapter 6 - Yeast, lager yeasts like lower fermentation temperatures. Lager yeast produce less fruity esters than ale yeasts but can produce more sulfur compounds during primary fermentation. Many first time lager brewers are astonished by the rotten egg smell coming from their fermentors, sometimes letting it convince them that the batch is infected and causing them to dump it. Don't do it! Fortunately, these compounds continue to vent during the conditioning (lagering) phase and the chemical precursors of other odious compounds are gradually eaten up by the yeast. A previously rank smelling beer that is properly lagered will be sulfur-free and delicious at bottling time. Speaking of Time...

Some ale yeasts ALSO throw off sulphur smells as well.

Fermentation is often ugly, and stinky, AND perfectly normal.

But if you want to throw something out just because it smells during fermentation, I'm sure you can get plenty of volunteers who will ask you to ship it to them for "proper disposal."

 

[william_shakes_beer]

I'm sorry, then I guess you'll never be brewing a lager or making a batch of apfelwein then, because it's perfectly normal, and common, for lager yeast, some ale yeasts and fermenting apfelwein to give off sulphur during the fermentation process....Google Rhino farts on here, and you'll see just how common it is...

John Palmer even writes about it.



Some ale yeasts ALSO throw off sulphur smells as well.

Fermentation is often ugly, and stinky, AND perfectly normal.

But if you want to throw something out just because it smells during fermentation, I'm sure you can get plenty of volunteers who will ask you to ship it to them for "proper disposal."

+1

Fermentation is not a pretty thing. They say if you saw sausage being made, you'd never eat it again. That's why there are no award winning movies of beer fermenting. If you want to allay your fears, go to the Yeast manaufacturer's web site and read their description of the yeast. I bet it describes sulphur as one of the usual offgass compounds. Look at it this way; If the sulphur is coming out of the airlock, its not in your beer anymore

 

[mtk6006]

I read on here sulphur is a sign of infection. And i know fermentation is not pretty i understand that but i wont drink something that smells like it did cartwheels in 5 foot of sheeeeeaaaaat! I just cant get past that.

 

[DannyD]

easy....just dont smell it

 

[mtk6006]

then why worry about the aroma?

 

[Revvy]

I read on here sulphur is a sign of infection.

You read wrong, somewhere.

 

[mtk6006]

So good beer smells like farts? mine smells like cantaloupe and jack daniels NO JOKE! Im serious

 

[Revvy]

easy....just dont smell it

Best advice I've ever given to folks, pitch yeast and walk away. If you don't look at it, or sniff it, then you won't freak out about how it looks or smells.

then why worry about the aroma?

During FERMENTATION/Conditioning, we don't. That's the point of this WHOLE discussion.

It doesn't really matter what a beer tastes like, or looks like, or smells like halfway through fermentation, most of mine taste like ****...so I don't bother tasting them at that point. And I suggest to new brewers to do likewise, or else they start threads like this...because it's not halfway through fermentation that is a representation of the finished product....it's after the beer has been carbed and conditioned for about 6 weeks, that is an accurate representation of what a beer tastes like.

Carbonation and conditioning go a long way in a beer's final taste, including hoppiness, taste, aroma, etc. The CO2 lifts the flavors...And bitterness mellows with time.

Read this;

It really is hard to judge a beer until it's been about 6 weeks in the bottle. Just because you taste (or smell) something in primary or secondary DOESN'T mean it will be there when the beer is fully conditioned (that's also the case with kegging too.)

The thing to remember though is that if you are smelling or tasting this during fermentation not to worry. During fermentation all manner of stinky stuff is given off (ask lager brewers about rotten egg/sulphur smells, or Apfelwein makers about "rhino farts,") like we often say, fermentation is often ugly AND stinky and PERFECTLY NORMAL.

It's really only down the line, AFTER the beer has been fermented (and often after it has bottle conditioned even,) that you concern yourself with any flavor issues if they are still there.

I think too many new brewers focus to much on this stuff too early in the beer's journey. And they panic unnecessarily.

A lot of the stuff you smell/taste initially more than likely ends up disappearing either during a long primary/primary & secondary combo, Diacetyl rests and even during bottle conditioning.

If I find a flavor/smell, I usually wait til it's been in the bottle 6 weeks before I try to "diagnose" what went wrong, that way I am sure the beer has passed any window of greenness.

Lagering is a prime example of this. Lager yeast are prone to the production of a lot of byproducts, the most familiar one is sulphur compounds (rhino farts) but in the dark cold of the lagering process, which is at the minimum of a month (I think many homebrewers don't lager long enough) the yeast slowly consumes all those compounds which results in extremely clean tasting beers if done skillfully.

Ales have their own version of this, but it's all the same. Time is your friend.

If you are sampling your beer before you have passed a 'window of greeness" which my experience is about 3-6 weeks in the bottle, then you are more than likely just experiencing an "off flavor" due to the presence of those byproducts (that's what we mean when we say the beer is "green" it's still young and unconditioned.) but once the process is done, over 90% of the time the flavors/smells are gone.

Of the remaining 10%, half of those may still be salvageable through the long time storage that I mention in the Never dump your beer!!! Patience IS a virtue!!! Time heals all things, even beer:

And the remaining 50% of the last 10% are where these tables and lists come into play. To understand what you did wrong, so you can avoid it in the future.

Long story short....I betcha that smell/flavor will be long gone when the beer is carbed and conditioned.

In other words, relax, your beer will be just fine, like 99.5%.

You can find more info on that in here;

Of Patience and Bottle Conditioning.

Just remember it will not be the same beer it is now, and you shouldn't stress what you are tasting right now.

Our beer is more resilient then most new brewers realize, and time can be a big healer. Just read the stories in this thread of mine, and see how many times a beer that someone thought was bad, turned out to be fine weeks later.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/ne...virtue-time-heals-all-things-even-beer-73254/

 

[Revvy]

So good beer smells like farts? mine smells like cantaloupe and jack daniels NO JOKE! Im serious

Good beer during fermentation can smell like ANYTHING, including rotten eggs, fruit, alcohol......the only smell we tend to concern ourselves with during fermentation is acetone, but even then that has been known to go away sometimes during conditioning.

 

[mtk6006]

No offense but its starting to sound like some have convinced themselves that the beer is fine to drink regardless just b/c the time and effort involved. I looked at infection thread and some said "oh its fine" Theres no way i would even bottle some of it. yeah hops a natural preservative but come on when the giant "species bubbles" start floating thats not yeast rafts. Id rather be cautious then sit on the toliet for weeks! When in doubt throw it out! No way i drink fart beer. I know it sounds stupid but geeez and i know fermentation aint pretty but damn how ugly has it got to get?

 

[flabyboy]

The OP could be getting these smells because his ale yeast is fermenting in an area that is to cold. Stressing those yeast out

 

[jump_xiii]

It doesn't really matter what a beer tastes like, or looks like, or smells like halfway through fermentation, most of mine taste like ****...so I don't bother tasting them at that point. And I suggest to new brewers to do likewise, or else they start threads like this...because it's not halfway through fermentation that is a representation of the finished product....it's after the beer has been carbed and conditioned for about 6 weeks, that is an accurate representation of what a beer tastes like.

I really appreciate all the info, and i didn't think I was opening such a can of worms but can I just reiterate:

I was never planning to dump this beer!!! My point was to just ask about what can and does constitute "normal". The answer seems to be "just about anything" or "no such thing as normal".

I'm fine with that- this is my 3rd brew and the first 2 did not have any odd smells, this one does, next time I get a funny smell I'll most likely keep my mouth shut and wait (as opposed to this time when I've asked a question but was still intending to wait.

 

[jump_xiii]

The OP could be getting these smells because his ale yeast is fermenting in an area that is to cold. Stressing those yeast out

That's what I'm thinking. It is fermenting cool, although warming up a hint now as time goes on. I'm hoping that, given time in primary, I won't have a funny taste and the smell will be a distant memory.

 

[mtk6006]

Dude i wasnt flamming you. You need to relax! Im just saying if my beer smelled funky i would personally ditch it! You can do whatever you want and i hope your brew turns out fantastic!

 

[jump_xiii]

@ mtk6006

That wasn't aimed at you

 

[mtk6006]

Bud im still learning My next beer prolly smell so horrible that i dunno what to do! I guess its just hit or miss and pray like hell! LOL PLEASE BEER PLEASE BEER PLEASE BEER!!!!!! The one i have going now i wake up in middle of night staring at it thinking PLEASE BEER! lol

 

[Brewnoob1]

Well, I agree with don't judge the beer during fermentation, however, I will throw in just 1 of my experiences. 2 brews ago, I had a specific smell that I couldn't really describe. It didn't smell bad per se, but it didn't smell good either. I saw it through, let it ride for a few weeks in the fermenter, and then kegged it. A month later, I still could barely swallow the brew due to the same exact smell...which in turned was the same flavor I got. I wouldn't let anyone try it because I asked them to smell it, then said that it tasted exactly like it smelled. It wasn't infected or anything, it just didn't turn out the way I planned. I just dumped that brew 2 days ago after almost 2 months of waiting it out in the keg. So, I can agree that most of the time, it will work itself out and be just fine. However, there may be times that the beer won't lose a specific smell and it will taste exactly like a fart.

 

[Revvy]

No offense but its starting to sound like some have convinced themselves that the beer is fine to drink regardless just b/c the time and effort involved. I looked at infection thread and some said "oh its fine"

99% of the time when a new brewer starts an is my beer ruined thread, it turns out that they're just suffering from Noobitus, or new brewer's hyperchondria. New brewers are like panicky new parents, and think often that if they look at their beer wrong it's going to turn.
They also think every sound, smell or look during fermentation, actually means something, or means something's wrong, when it USUALLY isn't.

Bud im still learning l

No offense taken, but the point is, we know what the hell we're talking about you don't. You just admitted it....We're trying to teach you.....

I really appreciate all the info, and i didn't think I was opening such a can of worms but can I just reiterate:

I was never planning to dump this beer!!!

Jump, you might have noticed that we're not talking about you, you're not the one who's saying he'd dump this beer, MTK is who this discussion is aimed at....you're fine, you're beer's fine...

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

No offense but its starting to sound like some have convinced themselves that the beer is fine to drink regardless just b/c the time and effort involved. I looked at infection thread and some said "oh its fine" Theres no way i would even bottle some of it.

I read on here sulphur is a sign of infection. And i know fermentation is not pretty i understand that but i wont drink something that smells like it did cartwheels in 5 foot of sheeeeeaaaaat! I just cant get past that.

you read wrong. fermentation can kick all sorts of strange smells. Rhino Farts come to mind with some strains of yeast. the gasses and byproducts the yeast kick can be downright foul during fermentation. have you ever brewed a lager? those things reek in primary. many ales too, i brewed an ale that almost made me vomit while i was cleaning the primary after racking, that ale is one of the nicer spiced beers i've tasted.

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

99% of the time when a new brewer starts an is my beer ruined thread, it turns out that they're just suffering from Noobitus, or new brewer's hyperchondria. New brewers are like panicky new parents, and think often that if they look at their beer wrong it's going to turn.
They also think every sound, smell or look during fermentation, actually means something, or means something's wrong, when it USUALLY isn't.



No offense taken, but the point is, we know what the hell we're talking about you don't. You just admitted it....We're trying to teach you.....



Jump, you might have noticed that we're not talking about you, you're not the one who's saying he'd dump this beer, MTK is who this discussion is aimed at....you're fine, you're beer's fine...

very, very true! almost all the 'did i ruin it' threads are nooby nerves. i posted a few when i was new, i'm sure other's have too. almost every time someone posts a pic of their 'infected' beer, it's yeast rafts or larger clump of trub that floated up.

MTK, it sounds like you've made two beers, the one that smells like cantaloupe and the one you're fermenting now. i'm not taking a dig at you, but it seems like you experience and exposure to home brew is limited. i've had brews that kicked nice smells in primary, the bitter I'm currently fermenting smelled of pears and co2. but some just stank, period, like the pumpkin ale i made, the smells coming out of the primary were gagtastic at best, but the beer's great. the OP wants to know if it's normal to get strange smells during a ferment, it is. you crying that it's infected and toss it isn't helpful. you wouldn't want someone to do that when you post a simple question, would you?

 

[mtk6006]

I have been around wine making and beer making people all my life even had great grand parents and grandparents that were moonshiners back in the day (i heard the stories) and NEVER have i heard the term "fart" when it comes to beer wine or otherwise. I have been researching for some time now off and on about brewing own beer and this year i started mine doesnt smell like farts and i still dont have all the answers and i never will BUT i do have one answer and thats. If its smells like a fart then a terd is on the way. Theres noway i would let something fermet close to my close or in my house or even drink that smelled like sewage. Call me crazy but i have a motto If it smells like a terd it usually is. Sorry nobody is going to convince me otherwise just not gonna happen. Not enough people complaining about farts smells to convince me.....

 

[mtk6006]

and you tell me what beer smells like farts and exactly what goes in it and that will be my next brew within reason. If it smells like a fart i will say sorry in public eat crow etc But at this point Farts a nogo! Sound fair enough?

Edit maybe a kit that would atleast keep varibles KINDA the same

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

I have been around wine making and beer making people all my life even had great grand parents and grandparents that were moonshiners back in the day (i heard the stories) and NEVER have i heard the term "fart" when it comes to beer wine or otherwise. I have been researching for some time now off and on about brewing own beer and this year i started mine doesnt smell like farts and i still dont have all the answers and i never will BUT i do have one answer and thats. If its smells like a fart then a terd is on the way. Theres noway i would let something fermet close to my close or in my house or even drink that smelled like sewage. Call me crazy but i have a motto If it smells like a terd it usually is. Sorry nobody is going to convince me otherwise just not gonna happen. Not enough people complaining about farts smells to convince me.....

here's the deal man, just because the yeast produce gasses that smell bad doesn't mean the beer will taste like that. have you ever tasted a Dunkel? does it taste like suphur-y farts? it doesn't, but the fermentation downright stinks. like Satan's @$$, man. but none of those flavors are carried over into the final brew. sometimes a beer smells great in primary, sometimes it smells like rotten eggs. seldom are either of those fermentation smells found in the final beer.

 

[flabyboy]

and you tell me what beer smells like farts and exactly what goes in it and that will be my next brew. If it smells like a fart i will say sorry in public eat crow etc But at this point Farts a nogo! Sound far enough?

Why do you care what a beer smells like while it brewing. Put it in the fermenter for a month and forget about it. That way you won't need to smell it. What matters is what makes it in the glass. Have you ever drank a lager before? Did you like it? It probably smelled of sulphur at one point

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

and you tell me what beer smells like farts and exactly what goes in it and that will be my next brew within reason. If it smells like a fart i will say sorry in public eat crow etc But at this point Farts a nogo! Sound far enough?

you'll see what i mean when your brew that smelled like cantaloupe and Jack in the bucket, tastes nothing like cantaloupe and Jack once it's in bottles. (if it does, you have issues other than fermentation smells to worry about.)

 

[Revvy]

I have been around wine making and beer making people all my life even had great grand parents and grandparents that were moonshiners back in the day (i heard the stories) and NEVER have i heard the term "fart" when it comes to beer wine or otherwise. I have been researching for some time now off and on about brewing own beer and this year i started mine doesnt smell like farts and i still dont have all the answers and i never will BUT i do have one answer and thats. If its smells like a fart then a terd is on the way. Theres noway i would let something fermet close to my close or in my house or even drink that smelled like sewage. Call me crazy but i have a motto If it smells like a terd it usually is. Sorry nobody is going to convince me otherwise just not gonna happen. Not enough people complaining about farts smells to convince me.....

So, you mean just because you've never heard of something that means it's wrong.....So you have didactic memory and know everything? WOW!!!! :sarcasm:

Ignorance and closed mindedness, even despite a quote from one of the most famous authors in homebrewing, John Palmer, talking about sulphur in lager yeasts...Oh well, folks still have sex with hookers without condoms and smoke despite the warnings, there's no limit to man's stupdity I guess.

Guess even readings these things spread all over the place from various sources don't mean anything to you? Rhino Farts & Homebrewing Info.

Oh well, believe what you want, it doesn't mean anything to the rest of us what you believe. Like someone else said, you're gonna be dumping a lot of perfectly good batches then.

But it's your money. At least other noobs on here who are willing to learn will benefit from your closedmindedness.

*shrug*

Maybe when you've brewed 102 batches instead of just 2, you'll be a little more understanding....

 

[mccumath]

Obvious you can't convince the guy to not worry about it. I would not waste the effort to type any more about it.

To the OP, for which the thread was started for - I know you were just asking a question, and that you are not going to dump your beer. It should turn out fine, and given that you have some of the best resource people on HBT telling you the same, no stress man!

Come back in a few weeks, please, and let us know what happened! Maybe "Some Other" closed minded individuals will be able to see the light!

Ryan M.

 

[jump_xiii]

Obvious you can't convince the guy to not worry about it. I would not waste the effort to type any more about it.

To the OP, for which the thread was started for - I know you were just asking a question, and that you are not going to dump your beer. It should turn out fine, and given that you have some of the best resource people on HBT telling you the same, no stress man!

Come back in a few weeks, please, and let us know what happened! Maybe "Some Other" closed minded individuals will be able to see the light!

Ryan M.

I'm still here, and I will report back. Tonight when I got home from work I decided to shift my brew belt a little lower on the FV, that should maybe warm it a degree or 2. And I'm pretty sure the smell is fading already.

Incidentally, with the temps, the 55f or so is according to a thermometer just on top of the FV- it's not a stick on one, so with fermentation I would guess that the temp inside is a little warmer.

Cheers.