Strange off smell

[lelandmccann]

Hello everyone,

I brewed an NB ESB kit two weeks ago, fermenting at 68 since. I took a hydrometer reading with the intent to rack to secondary earlier today. Reading came out spot on but the beer smelled bad. If you've had Shorts Soft Parade, it smelled like that. Sour fruity sort of thing. No sign of an infection and it tasted fine. I went ahead and racked it, now I'm thinking that was a mistake.
I've only brewed IPA's so I have no idea what an ESB would smell like after 2 weeks, but it seemed off. Advice?

 

[h-bar]

Some yeasts just produce stinky smells. I had that experience with hefeweizen IV yeast - made the room smell like rotten eggs, but the beer turned out fine. If it tastes good, I wouldn't worry. Think of it this way...if you're smelling it, it's leaving the beer. Also, if you're using a British yeast with warmer fermentation temps, it could be producing a lot of esters, creating the fruit smell.