Does your brewery area stink?

[RoatanBill]

When I worked for the 4 breweries in NY during my college days, I would go home on the subway and people would avoid me because I reeked of "brewery smell". I worked on the bottling lines primarily and only got near the actual brewing area during lunch to get an unpasteurized brew. The smell permeated the entire building and as I recall, I could smell the Schaefer Brewery from a good distance while walking towards it from the subway.

I ask because I have commercial neighbors and my wife runs a production bakery in our leased space. She makes pastry creams, etc that absorb odors and she'd clobber me if my activities imparted an off flavor to her products. It's something I have to take into consideration.

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

My first thought when seeing the title was a question ..."Do you know how to clean?" But reading your post I get it. Now I have only visited a few breweries some have aromas and some didn't. I think that depends on what activities are going on at the time. Some people don't like the smell of mashing and the boil... Last one I made hubby asked if they all smell like wet socks.

A good exhaust fan going full blast venting outside could help. Most other steps aren't very odor producing, accept for some occasional fermentation unpleasantness, but that depends on the yeast and what it's working on.

Perhaps you'll be doing most of it outside? Ferment in a closet with a box of baking soda? Or perhaps she can market man cave creams. Sorry, I couldn't stop myself.

 

[max384]

I think it depends how often you are brewing. If you're brewing every couple of weeks, you're probably fine (so long as your wife isn't pissed). If you're brewing daily, than this may be a concern.

 

[Lefou]

haha
I think back about one of my friends telling me something like this years ago. He worked in Mickey D's and complained no matter how much he washed his uniform, it always smelled like frying oil. Thankfully, no one in my household complains of the mash or boiled malt smells.
I rinse out my beer bottles when finished, too. I love beer, but not the "sour" types or the smell that goes with it. Same with skunky beer, although I know people who like the smell and taste of it.
I have to compete with the wife in her kitchen. Usually, I only do brew days when she's at work late and the kids are out of my way. I have one who fancies himself as a prospective Iron Chef, but in reality, he's a mess-maker who has broken a few minor brew items of mine through carelessness and clutter.

 

[Vedexent]

Well, I brew in my kitchen. It definitely produces smells while I'm brewing, some good (hot grain mash), others not so good (I don't like the smell of the boiling hops, even though I like the aroma and taste in the bottle).

I wouldn't brew while there were pasty creams, or anything that could absorb odors, sitting out on the counter.

But as soon as I'm done, I very diligently clean everything up, and wipe down the kitchen - not because I'm particularly neat - but I hate sticky, and I can only imagine how much fun it must be to chip hardened bits of grain and dried wort off of equipment the next day.

 

[motosapiens]

I have only ever smelled good smells at all the breweries i've been too. fresh grain and hops. yum. My brewing area is the same on brewday, but the next day it goes back to normal smell.

 

[RoatanBill]

Thanks to all that posted.

Exhausting "outside" is just concentrating the odor for my neighbors to enjoy. Scheduling for a time when pastry cream, etc isn't being worked on means I'd never brew or I'd have to implement a night shift and I'm not too thrilled with that idea.

I guess the consensus is that the smell will be a problem I have to solve. I spent days refining a design on CAD when the smell issue came to mind. Now I might have to start over again. One step forward, two steps back.

 

[dyqik]

The strongest smells in my basement brewing come from a) the boil, and b) cleaning out the fermenter after a big dry hop in primary. The basement smelt like a hoppy skunk had been in there after kegging a Heady clone.

I suspect smell during cleaning is the hardest to avoid.

 

[FloppyKnockers]

My brewing area wreaks of awesome. The smell only intensifies when I walk in.

 

[SlitheryDee]

I haven't noticed any lasting odors. My brewing area is currently my kitchen. The last brew day I had the SO noted that it smelled pretty good actually. I've got a currently unused shed in my back yard that will serve as my brewery when I start trying all grain recipes, so if there is any lasting odor it will be away from the house.

 

[brewcat]

The smell from roasting a chicken sticks around longer.

 

[Brownalemikie]

Even SWMBO loves the smell on brew day. I wish my house always smelled like brew day

 

[MaryB]

Your neighbors won't notice unless they live 10 feet from you, the smell dilutes rapidly in the wind at the levels we brew at. Unless you are doing multi barrel batches put in an exhaust hood and brew! Plus you can always add a carbon filter.

Thanks to all that posted.

Exhausting "outside" is just concentrating the odor for my neighbors to enjoy. Scheduling for a time when pastry cream, etc isn't being worked on means I'd never brew or I'd have to implement a night shift and I'm not too thrilled with that idea.

I guess the consensus is that the smell will be a problem I have to solve. I spent days refining a design on CAD when the smell issue came to mind. Now I might have to start over again. One step forward, two steps back.

 

[day_trippr]

Our 40th anniversary is April 16.
So, hells no my humble brewery doesn't stink...

Cheers!

 

[ChelisHubby]

When either my Dog or me farts, Then I just pray the wind is blowing away from the beer.

 

[PitRow]

I used to work in downtown Portland a couple blocks from the Weinhard brewery, and boy you could sure smell it when they were brewing. Not that it was a bad smell but it radiated out for blocks in whatever direction the wind was blowing. Though they're brewing on a much larger scale. I'd imagine your neighbors would have a hard time smelling it at the size batches we're doing.

 

[MaryB]

The corn ethanol plants around here reek when they are fermenting. Can smell it miles down wind.

 

[Yooper]

I'd strongly suggest doing a test batch, say, 3 gallons, with a small boil pot and a bucket.

You may decide that it reeks tremendously. You may decide that brewing isn't for you.

You may decide to go ahead and build a 20 gallon system.

There is no way to plan for this in advance, since we don't know you or your wife's tolerance to boiling hops.

Just one little tiny batch. All you need is a bucket and an airlock and the grain and hops. Then you'll know. Right now you're trying to fix problems that may not even exist for you.

Just brew once, even a micro size batch, to see what it's all about. The aroma will be exactly the same. The process will be the same. The temperature requirements will be the same. Then you'll know.

 

[RoatanBill]

Yooper:

You are, of course, correct in stating I should just try it as it's just a few bucks worth of stuff. I started checking recipes yesterday to do just that.

 

[MaryB]

My neighbor walked into the garage last time I was brewing and said it smelled wonderful. But that is a low hop English ale(28IBU if my bad memory serves me) and not an IPA with tons of hops.

 

[RoatanBill]

My neighbors are other businesses in the mall we lease space at for our bakery. They are RIGHT next door and across the hall. We figured no one would object to the smell of fresh bread and we were correct. Many customers say they love that smell and no one has ever complained.

Beer brewing odor isn't quite so well loved. I, for one, don't think it smells all that great; not necessarily bad, but certainly not perfume. If the odor competes with my wife's bread smell or taints her pastry creams, she'd have a legitimate gripe and therefore I have to take it into consideration. If other tenants complained, I'd have a real problem.

My wife just got an email invitation to a food convention in Miami mid June. That will give me time to figure out what I want to experimentally brew and have her bring back the ingredients. A short plane ride to the island in a cold cargo hold is preferable to the week long ship ride in a hot container for yeast, grains, etc. That's about a 30 day longer delay than by the next ship, but it means I get products not spoiled by high heat.

 

[AkTom]

I'll tell you what stinks about my brewery... not enough brewing;-)

 

[RoatanBill]

I'll tell you what stinks about my brewery... not enough brewing;-)

That's clearly your fault.

Drink more of your beer every day to solve the problem.

 

[brewcat]

Beer brewing odor isn't quite so well loved. I, for one, don't think it smells all that great

Bull****. You're doing it wrong. Mash smells great. Boil smells great. Fermentation mostly smells great...can be contained in a chamber.