I am in the process of brewing my 2nd batch ever. I'm a noob. I was racking my Sweet Stout tonight. After 3 weeks in the primary fermentation bucket, I opened the lid and naturally took a huge smell of it. I was almost knocked backwards with a strong alcohol / chemical smell. I feared something went horribly wrong. However, after a few seconds, all additional sniffs were pleasant. I'm new to this, so is that initial strong smell expected or do I have a problem? I can't detect any chemical smell at all now and am not sure I ever truly did. I think its ok buy wow was I shocked by the initial blast. Input?
smell of fermentation?
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milesvdustin
Well-Known Member
A whole lot of that first whiff you took is CO2 gas in suspension over the beer surface. It is not very pleasant to say the least. I smell it all the time (I like to smell the airlocks 
) and I have gotten used to it. Bottle it or keg it after the hydrometer shows fermentation has completed. Then brew another!
) and I have gotten used to it. Bottle it or keg it after the hydrometer shows fermentation has completed. Then brew another!Similar threads
