Question about fermentation smell

[Katten]

Hey everyone, brand new to all of this. I live in a small little apartment with a roommate who's constantly got a stick up his ass, and I had a couple questions regarding fermentation smells.

So last night I got started on fermenting my first drinks: Kilju (gross, I know) and some hard cider/apple wine from some walmart applejuice. I have them in proper carboys with well-sealed stoppers and airlocks, and I put those inside of a large, airtight plastic bin after the fact to hopefully keep the smell under control - given that my roommate would murder me if I smelled up the house at all.

So my questions are thus:

How bad should the smell get, in theory? Not in terms of how it smells, but the strength of it. I'm hoping that the combination of stopper, airlock and exterior bin should keep the smell to a level that's almost entirely unnoticeable but I'm sure that's probably too optimistic.

Are there any good ways to eliminate/contain the smell only to the bin the fermentation vessels are inside?

A friend told me the smell gets worst around day 5, is this true?

Thanks in advance,
Katten.

 

[Kickass]

I’ve only fermented beer so this may be incomplete, but...

If your RM doesn’t know you’re fermenting something they shouldn’t be able to smell it. If they know, however, the power of suggestion far outweighs smell itself.

I typically ferment in a closet and the most common “off putting” sent is a little bit of sulphur but that’s not too frequent

 

[Calder]

You can get the smell of sulfur (rotten eggs) from some fermentations, and you are not going to disguise that. I don't think I have ever gotten it with beer fermentation, but have had it with cider. I'm not sure what causes it, probably lack of nutrients or something. Cider is very lacking in nutrients for yeast. It will not leave any lingering a small in the finished product.

While fermenting beer will probably go un-noticed, the brewing part will leave your apartment smelling like a brewery (malt and hops), which some 'sensitive' people (like my Daughter) just can't stand ...... I think it smells great; I just can't understand what the problem is.

 

[SouthForkBrew]

If it were me I'd tell my roommate to go kick rocks, and that we split the place so you have every right to brew if you want to! LOL!

Honestly though, when I'm brewing beer I have to literally put my nose on the airlock to get a good smell of how it's progressing. Cider, wine, or mead is a little different of a smell but no stronger.

Chemically speaking all of the aroma compounds should be in the form of escaping CO2 which is heavier than room air and will huddle around the floor. As long as there are no problems with your fermentation temperatures or nutrients there should be minimal sulfides which are highly detectable in the nose.

 

[ncbrewer]

Maybe if you shared some of the cider with him, he would be all for it.

 

[HB_ATL73]

If your RM doesn’t know you’re fermenting something they shouldn’t be able to smell it. If they know, however, the power of suggestion far outweighs smell itself.

this is hilarious.

@Katten I say you just keep the fermenters in hiding and let him try to figure out where the smell could be coming from. Make something up- 'I don't know where that smell is coming from.. maybe there's something in the vents'.. I don't know something to that manner

 

[HB_ATL73]

Oh and please let us all know when he starts pulling his hair out listening to the airlock bubbling when fermentation starts

 

[Katten]

Thanks for all your replies!

I managed to get through the fermentation just fine without him knowing anything was up, so everything worked out. A combination of body spray, airtight containers, dryer sheets and homemade soda got me through it. Smell peaked around days 3-4 and then wasn't a problem at all.