Slight sulfur smell from Hefeweizen

[Kuhndog]

Brewed an AG Hefeweizen...I'm very thorough with sanitizing...temps...etc. 60 min boil, 1 L starter using WLP 300 and fermented at 65 for two weeks.

I have no idea where the sulfur smell and very limited sulfur taste came from. The fermentation started within 8 hrs...but the taste is off. 3 ingredients - 60% wheat, 39% pilsen, and 1 % equivalent acidulated malt. Mashed at 152 for 60 mins.

I have no clue what went wrong....didn't boil long enough? It doesn't smell like eggs or anything...it's just a faint sulfur smell....definitely not what I want. I kegged 2 gals of it...rest is in bottles. Will this go away or not? I didn't ferment high because I didn't want a fruit bomb...but geez.

 

[ASantiago]

This sounds fermentation related. WLP300's optimal temp range starts at 68F.

Sulfur is a byproduct of fermentation, usually lager yeast. What was your fermentation temperature schedule? At what temp did you pitch? If you had to change from pitch to target, how fast and in what direction? Did you do a higher temp rest at the end of the fermentation?

 

[acidrain]

You brewed a Hefe, and there is only a slight level of sulphur smell? You are just lucky I guess.

There are a lot of threads out there like "did I ruin my beer?" and "Should I dump it?". The WLP300 and Wyeast 3068 (both the same strain) are freak'n nasty, but produce an outstanding Hefe.
Lower temps for more clove, and higher temps for more banana. Go over 70 or so and you may get bubblegum, which is not desirable IMHO.
I go for more clove, so started ferment at 62, and then bumped it up from there to about 68 over a week or so. Turned out great. Your recipe is almost the same as mine. You should have a tasty brew!

 

[CaribouBrewmasters]

Thats just your beer doing it's thing like it should. Don't worry yet.

 

[Kuhndog]

This sounds fermentation related. WLP300's optimal temp range starts at 68F.

Sulfur is a byproduct of fermentation, usually lager yeast. What was your fermentation temperature schedule? At what temp did you pitch? If you had to change from pitch to target, how fast and in what direction? Did you do a higher temp rest at the end of the fermentation?

I pitched at 68...and then put it in my keezer at 65 for two weeks with my temp probe taped to the side of the bucket. I wanted to keep it in the mid-60s since the temp inside the bucket would go up due to fermentation. After the 1st week was up I did bump up the temp (but never opened the fermentation bucket) to about 68 for a few days before lowering it into the mid 60s for the last few days.

 

[passedpawn]

The sulfur will go away. I've never had it, but a local microbrewery had a batch that was very sulfury (I had some of it while it was still green). A couple weeks later they were serving it and the rotten egg was gone.

 

[gwapogorilla]

Mine had a slight sulfur smell as well. I would give it one more week for the yeast to eat up some of the esters before you bottle or keg. Then everything should be good.

 

[marvinsjunk]

Same here. Brewed 2 weeks ago and took a gravity reading last night. Detected a faint sulfur smell. I used wyeast 3068 and read that it's normal. I'll keg this weekend and I expect it will be gone by this time next week.

 

[Kuhndog]

Update - it pretty much went away...very little remaining...moreso when I burp

Personally, I don't know what went wrong. It almost tastes just like a wheat beer with very little fruitiness. I didn't want a fruit bomb so that is why I went on the lower end of the temp scale but it wasn't lie what Jamil suggested which would have been 62 or so. And he said that temp was a nice balance....mine was a few degrees warmer and it's not balanced either...I guess next time...I'll try 68-70 and see what I get.

The bottled ones are good to go after 1 week...nice carb. A little more fruitiness than the kegged portion...no sulfur there.

 

[HCbrewing]

You ever try WB-06 for a Hefe? Just kegged one this week after only 7 days fermenting at 68 degrees, and it is very tasty.

 

[hophop]

You need to drastically under pitch if you want banana fruity flavor. I'd pitch 1/2 a vial for a light hefe and maybe 3/4 for a heavy hefe. No starter. No aerated wort. Temp has less to do with flavor profile than pitch rate.


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