Sour smell in primary

[porky_pine]

Hi everyone,

I just brewed my first batch of IPA from extract on Saturday 3/24. For the first two days on Sunday and Monday, the airlock on my 6 gallon glass carboy was bubbling like crazy and I could smell a really nice, hoppy smell coming out of the airlock. Then I woke up today, Tuesday, and the airlock bubbles about once every 15 seconds and it smells like very sour apple coming out of it maybe even vinegary. I keep the room at 65 degrees during the day and wrap a blanket around the carboy at night and turn the heat down to 60. There is no more foam on top of the beer anymore either. Did my beer get infected last night or something? I'm a little worried. Here is my recipe:

3 lbs Amber DME
1 lb gold light DME

3.3 lbs gold light LME

1 oz nugget 60 min
2 oz ek goldings 15 min
1 oz cascade hop 5 min

Wyeast 1028 London Ale yeast

Thanks!

 

[dbreienrk1]

No way to tell via your smell description. Lots of things smell different to other people. Let it go and see prior to bottling.

 

[TipsyDragon]

RDWHA....SSB. your beer is fine. Leave it alone for 2-3 weeks then bottle it.

 

[Alemann]

Agreed I wouldn't worry about smells this early

 

[TopherM]

Fermentation is a smelly, nasty process. I wouldn't worry about it until you get much further along in the process. By bottling time, you should be able to draw a sample, and that sample should resemble the young characteristics of the final beer.

 

[homebrewdad]

Some fermentations smell great all the way through. Some smell like rotten eggs, or garbage, or other nasty things. Relax.

 

[Revvy]

But does it TASTE sour?

Co2 can appear to have a sour smell to it to some folks.....Tasting it is the only way to know. But like other's have said, fermentation is often and ugly and stinky process, and perfectly normal.

 

[StanJohnson]

Do a search on "what does fermentation smell like". My favorite is "rotting unicorn souls".

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/i-got-my-first-bad-smelling-fermentation-236675/

 

[AdamPag]

Wait until your fermenter smells like a 5 gallon bucket full of farts, then drink.

 

[iv_hokie12]

Its probably fine. My first instinct whenever I hear something like this are intentionally sour beers, but those bacteria take weeks to have their desired effects. My head says it is normal fermentation and that there is nothing to worry about. Also bacteria doesn't do well in high co2 environments like your initial fermentation. Its all good!

 

[D_Nyholm]

I made a Belgian white and almost threw it out it was so nasty and smelly. It was almost like throw up and rotten eggs at the same time. Turned out to be a great beer and those smells were just a by product of the yeast. I wouldn't worry about it and just see what happens after 3 weeks in primary at least.

 

[porky_pine]

Thanks for all the advice. I had to clean out the airlock when it was bubbling the first day. I sanitized it before I put it back in but there was still a little crud on it. Now on the bottom of my stopper there is a half inch of black stuff hanging down. Is that normal?

 

[cravej]

Just wait until you ferment a lager and it smells like rotten eggs!

 

[DarthMalt]

I bet it's CO2 mixed with everything else going on in there. It would be highly unlikely your beer turned to vinegar that fast. Sit back, relax and wait it out: you're making beer!

 

[porky_pine]

I'm just going through this thread because I'm trying to write down all my old recipes. I want to say thanks to everyone for telling me to chill out because this beer came out tasty and now I'm hooked! I've made 17 batches since then with not a problem yet and some really, really good beer!

 

[gfinockio]

Thread bump - making an all-grain amber ale, recipe asks for dry-hop after 7 days. Previous to this it smelled fine - sweet, almost... and bubbling well. Tossed in the hops, bubbling slowed to almost nothing (maybe one every minute) but the SMELL - smells sulphur, with almost that vinegar tang to it. Infection, perhaps? It's been 2 days and the smell has certainly intensified.