Sniffing Airlocks

[kegerators]

Why do I find the need to sniff the airlock on my carboy when it is bubbling away?

 

[tom_gamer]

Because it smells awesome!

 

[IffyG]

Because it smells awesome!

Unless it's a wheat beer... those throw off some nasty odors.

 

[kegerators]

My wife begs to differ. She says the house smells like rotton eggs. She's crazy.

 

[aubiecat]

Do you sniff when making lagers?

 

[kegerators]

I lager in the kegerator with a temp controller, so when I crack open the door I get the mega yeast sniff. Glorious!

 

[krenshaw]

i tend to just stare at my airlocks for a while to see which one is catching up to the other.. the first time i made a lager i took an accidental wiff when i opened the lid to my keezer.. felt like i almost passed out from the smell/co2 that had built up in there..

 

[Whattawort]

My wife begs to differ. She says the house smells like rotton eggs. She's crazy.

Depends on the strain. I did a batch of pecan brown with S-33 and it smelled like a wet fart for 3 or 4 days.

OP - I can't pass my ferm storage area without taking a deep deep sniff of my airlock. My wife makes fun of me when I do it, but I equate it to her impulsive need to admire her craftwork when she passes it. It's the odor of pride! And it smells DAMN good!

 

[kegerators]

Scares the **** out of my dog when the airlocks overflow and start hissing.

 

[TNGabe]

Scares the **** out of my dog when the airlocks overflow and start hissing.

That reminds me, I need to go check my Biere de Garde and see if it needs a blowoff tube.

I tend to use Belgian yeast strains and love the smell.

Anyone else take a BPM (bubbles per minute) to have a comparative measure when you're waiting on the last few points and don't want to keep checking the gravity?

 

[kegerators]

Not sure if they work, but have you seen these? http://www.brewballstore.com/

 

[Whattawort]

That reminds me, I need to go check my Biere de Garde and see if it needs a blowoff tube.

I tend to use Belgian yeast strains and love the smell.

Anyone else take a BPM (bubbles per minute) to have a comparative measure when you're waiting on the last few points and don't want to keep checking the gravity?

Nah. I'm lazy. I just stow the fermenter away for 3 -4 weeks (or whenever I remember it's there), take 1 reading and if I'm bottomed out on expected FG I'll let it sit 2-4 days longer and then bottle/keg.

 

[wordsmith]

Scares the **** out of my dog when the airlocks overflow and start hissing.

This /\. He's more of a sniffer than me.

 

[Bricks41]

I went out into the garage twice yesterday to smell the blow-off jug... HUGE Tangerine/grapefruit, slight apple and a spicy hoppiness.... yum.

 

[TNGabe]

Nah. I'm lazy. I just stow the fermenter away for 3 -4 weeks (or whenever I remember it's there), take 1 reading and if I'm bottomed out on expected FG I'll let it sit 2-4 days longer and then bottle/keg.

I don't have enough fermenters to do that. When it's done with primary in 5 or 10 days, it's bottled or moved to a smaller carboy to cellar or lager.

 

[Tiber_Brew]

Sniffing airlocks is like masturbation; everyone does it whether they admit it or not.

 

[Whattawort]

Sniffing airlocks is like masturbation; everyone does it whether they admit it or not.

I don't.

 

[SpeedYellow]

Sniffing airlocks is the gateway drug to huffing on your keezer fermentation chamber. Next you'll be sticking your whole head down into your closed keezer chamber, taking a huff, and shaking your head and coughing madly from the CO2-yeast burn. Then doing it again.

First step is admitting the problem.

 

[Bronco1500]

We are told one of the secrets to happiness in life is to take the time to smell the roses. Well, we are brewers. We take time to smell the hopps...coming out an airlock

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

You new airlock sniffers always crack me up. It's not like this is new phenomena here. Christ on a cannoli, not ten minutes before I found this thread I was sniffing to make sure that my pale ale didn't still have a gassy rhinoceros living inside of it.

 

[Dan]

I usually only get a wiff of CO2 when I open my fermentation chamber. But will say, love the steady knocking sound of the blow off tube pumping CO2 into a jar of sanitizer. Very comforting and something about it just makes me grin!

 

[Whattawort]

You new airlock sniffers always crack me up. It's not like this is new phenomena here. Christ on a cannoli, not ten minutes before I found this thread I was sniffing to make sure that my pale ale didn't still have a gassy rhinoceros living inside of it.

Admit it. You'd sniff even harder if there was a gassy rhino in there.

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

Admit it. You'd sniff even harder if there was a gassy rhino in there.

Ummm, duh. Fruit-y esters are for sissies and for n00bs, and I thinks you knows it. Real brewers prefer rhino farts.

 

[Tiber_Brew]

You new airlock sniffers always crack me up. It's not like this is new phenomena here.

Airlock sniffer since 2004, here. Almost nine years of whiffing the wonderful aromas of gawd's own air.

 

[Whattawort]

Just took a BIG sniff of the airlock on my old ale. I'm drooling now. Been a little sick lately, so no touchy today.

 

[Denny]

Why do I find the need to sniff the airlock on my carboy when it is bubbling away?

Because you haven't been brewing long enough! After a few hundred batches you'll get over it.

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

Because you haven't been brewing long enough! After a few hundred batches you'll get over it.

Speak for yourself, buddy!! I have nowhere near you experience, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night, and I like to take a sniff off of the airlock when the fermentation really gets going. Probably for reassurance, but I also love the wonderful (or not-so-wonderful) smell in the morning.... smells like.... victory!

 

[Denny]

Speak for yourself, buddy!! I have nowhere near you experience, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night, and I like to take a sniff off of the airlock when the fermentation really gets going. Probably for reassurance, but I also love the wonderful (or not-so-wonderful) smell in the morning.... smells like.... victory!

Oh, I used to do it too, but I got over it a couple hundred batches ago.

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

Oh, I used to do it too, but I got over it a couple hundred batches ago.

:shakesfistatcloud: One day, man, one day! Guess by then, you'll have replaced "couple hundred" with "couple thousand" though!

 

[Whattawort]

Oh, I used to do it too, but I got over it a couple hundred batches ago.

NEVER! If I can't drink it yet, I can at least smell it in anticipation! This old ale gets sniffed twice a day and will continue to be acknowledged until it's in bottled. This is how I tell it I still care. Respect!