Saison with 3711 and lemon zest…normal smell?

[heidi.rose]

Hey all! About a week ago I brewed a saison with sage, lemon zest, and Wyeast 3711. It tore through and has been holding at 1.002 for about two days now, with occasional activity in the airlock if you look at it for long enough and everything looks normal. However, it is giving off a strong tart aroma and I can’t tell if that’s from the lemon zest (1 oz at 5 minutes), the funky nature of the yeast, or a possible vinegary scent indicative of an infection. My sanitation is good but there are fruit flies around. I think I smell vinegar but it’s hard to be sure as other peppery and fruity aromas are also present.

Long story short, would you expect this beer to smell sour during primary fermentation? Should I be worried? This is my first time brewing with saison yeast, and I know it has unique characteristics but it’s hard for me to tell what is normal.

 

[hotbeer]

During fermentation and just after you might smell anything depending on a lot of things. The smells coming out of my fermenters change too as the yeast go through their cycles. So I wouldn't think anything odd nor worry at this point of time. Even if it was something bad going on, there really isn't any fix.

Taste wise they say that fermentation imparts some off flavors to beer anyhow while fermentation is taking place. It's after fermentation that yeast have more to do and they clean up those off flavors.

So just because your fermentation is over in a few days don't get in a rush to get it out of the FV. Many of us find that longer times in the FV make for better beer. For certain the longer you leave it the more yeast and other stuff will go to the bottom leaving you a clean beer that you don't have to fuss with cold crashing or other finings like gelatin.

So, wait and see what it taste like when it's time to pop the top on a bottle or make that first pull from a keg.

 

[Miraculix]

Relax... Have a homebrew.... You know the drill!