Smells Like Grapefruit!!! HELP!!!

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Joined
Aug 3, 2006
Messages
12
Reaction score
0
I recently made a Porter using malt extract and after 3 days of fermenting, the beer smells like grapefruit. After 2 days it was a mixture between a citrus smell and hops. I thought origiinally it might just be the hops because I know some, like cascade, have a cirtrusy smell. But I used US Hallertau and Fuggles. Neither which according to my research produce that type or aroma. Is my beer contaminated? Is my brew doomed??? HELP!!!
 
The process of fermentation is a little like composting, how it smells during the process really doesn't matter. In six weeks, let us know how it's doing.
 
Dennys Fine Consumptibles said:
RDWHAHB. Just venting phenyls and esters. Wouldn't worry about it at this stage. What temp is your ferment at? What yeast?

Its at 72 degrees using Wyeast 1056.
 
72 is the high end, but you shouldn't have anything to worry about. Sometimes fermentation is supposed to smell like $hit (especially White Labs Kolsch strain!). RDWHAHB.
 
I'm pretty new to this. I've only brewed about 6 batches of beer so far. I've never made a porter and I've never smelled that smell during fermentation, so I was a little worried. Well see what happens. THANKS!!!
 
1056 American Ale Yeast.
Probable origin: Balentine India Pale Ale, USA
Beer Styles: American Pale, Brown Ales, Porters, Stouts, IPA's
Commercial examples may include: Sierra Nevada Ales, Belentine IPA, and St. Louis Pale Ale, Flatlanders
Unique properties: Very clean crisp flavor characteristics. Low fruitiness and mild ester production. Slightly citrus like with cool 60-66º F, (15-19º C) fermentation temperatures. Versatile yeast, which produces many beer styles allowing malt and hop character to dominate the beer profile. Flocculation is moderate. Flocculation improves with dark malts in grain bill. Normally requires filtration for bright beers. DE or Pad filtration recommended. Flocculation - low to medium; apparent attenuation 73-77%. (60-72° F, 15-22° C)
Notice the "Slighty citris like" at 60-66f. At 72f you'll be more fruity and that may be what your smelling. Should be fine in a porter.
 
I wouldn't go by taste just yet as you're in the middle of your primary fermintation. Best thing to do is to allow the brew to finish with it's primary, then rack it for the secondary. In other words, let it continue. When you are ready to bottle it, then you can taste it. It still will not taste as good without more aging but it shouldn't tast nasty at that point either.
While a lot of this can be an exact science, some times things come out strange. If you are really that worried about it, then go get another primary fermenter and make the batch again.
 
I bet as a kid you opened the Christmas presents a week before and the re-wrapped them didn't you? J/k, Relax your beer will be fine. The yeasties have, after only 3 days of fermentation, alot more work to do.
 
Yeah sometimes I get a little impatient and freaked out when something appears to be out of sorts. The best bet probably is to not worry, let it finish primary, then secondary. Thanks!
 
I recently was going almost nuts trying to track down a series of minor infections occuring with a few brews and have nailed it down to the damn air conditioning. My brew room has a Hepa filter and normally the air is nice and clean, but with the AC on it seems to be blowing peddicocus(sp) bacteria around. Been getting a very slow appearance of thin white splotches on the top of the secondary with brand new very sanitized tubing etc.

I'm moving to Victoria BC soon so AC won't be a problem...no one has AC in Victoria. :)

Ahhhh, back to the land of many brewpubs... Probably more per capita than anywhere else in North America. I do know it held the tital for most pubs per capita at one time.

Good luck with the porter. Notihing better than sitting back and enjoying your own brew. Had three guys on mountain bikes go by yesterday in the heat (uphill) and one yelled over, "We've got the worng idea. You've got the right one" (was enjoying my Helles with a neighbour) and the last in the group yelled up and asked if that was the stuff I brewed. Funny thing is I don't know who the hell that even was. I guess when you look like a mad scientis with three kegs emitting malty smells and rushing air ssounds of a jet burner, word gets around. :)
 
Back
Top