Sulfur smell coming from fermenter

[Abbas]

I brewed a wheat beer Saturday using German 2row, wheat malt, and flaked wheat, using SafBrew T-58 as my yeast, and Huell Melon as my hops.
I recently purchased a 7 gallon SS brewtech BME and used it for the first time yesterday. I filled it up with hot water and PBW and scrubbed the inside and let the other components soak in the solution. After, I used star-San prior to transferring the wort. I placed it in my closet which stays at 67 degrees consistently. I woke up this morning to check the fermenter again... the temp was up to almost 77 and the entire closet and air coming out of the airlock smelled like sulfur.

What would be the possible source of the sulfur smell? Is it the strain of yeast I used, temperature of fermentation, grains, hops, or residual PBW?
Should I let it ride or just dump it and try again?

 

[Cheesy_Goodness]

Beer can give off some unpleasant aroma while fermenting, so definitely don't dump it just yet. 77 is pretty high though, you'll want to get that temperature under control as soon as you can. Keep in mind that fermentation produces heat so you'll have to take that into account when you're controlling fermentation temps.

 

[Abbas]

Beer can give off some unpleasant aroma while fermenting, so definitely don't dump it just yet. 77 is pretty high though, you'll want to get that temperature under control as soon as you can. Keep in mind that fermentation produces heat so you'll have to take that into account when you're controlling fermentation temps.

I was freaking out. I've never experienced this with any other brews so I thought I must have messed up. Unfortunately that is the best temperature control I currently have. I live in FL and the and the that is the coolest place in my house. Everywhere else is 72-75 degrees. I have 2 fridges waiting for me, just havent been able to pick them up yet...

 

[GPP33]

I had the exact same experience with a wheat before I got temp control figured out. The beer fermented warm and had a strong sulfur smell. The aroma would smack you in the face if you took a whiff as soon as you poured it but it would fade fairly quickly. The flavor was great, it just stank. Eventually it faded in the keg, but by that time it was almost gone. Time will be your friend on this one, I'd put in a secondary and let it sit for a couple months.

 

[shoengine]

Took me about two months of room temp storage in keg to clear the sulphur from my pils. My sulphur compounds were generated by a low fermentation temp (lager yeast), but they will probably be cleaned up by the same processes.

 

[Abbas]

What should be the gameplan here? Should I let it sit in primary for a couple months? Should I transfer it to secondary in a couple weeks and let it sit for a month or 2?

I forgot to mention that I plan on adding pureed watermelon in the secondary. Should I wait to do this until the sulfur smell subsides?

 

[bradleypariah]

Just stick to your recipe plan, and disregard the smell. You can create those kinds of aromas simply due to your water profile. Water hardness alone can cause it. I added a fair amount of gypsum to a beer once, and I keep my fermenter near the house's heater in the basement. It's a gas heater, and I was completely convinced I had a gas leak. Beer was totally fine.

If you plan to transfer to a secondary vessel to add your watermelon, do not do it until you are certain that you have reached final gravity. Your reading must not change over the course of three days. Airlock activity is not a sign of active fermentation. Airlocks will quit bubbling days and days before your beer is actually finished with primary. Plan on primary taking five to ten days.

Then transfer onto the watermelon, being careful to not stir up too much oxygen in the process. That's the place it should sit for an extended period of time. Try not to leave anything in primary for an entire month or more.

 

[GPP33]

I vote secondary simply because 2 months is a long time to tie up such a fine piece of fermentation equipment. It deserves to be refilled so it can once again bless you with beer.

 

[Abbas]

Just stick to your recipe plan, and disregard the smell. You can create those kinds of aromas simply due to your water profile. Water hardness alone can cause it. I added a fair amount of gypsum to a beer once, and I keep my fermenter near the house's heater in the basement. It's a gas heater, and I was completely convinced I had a gas leak. Beer was totally fine.

If you plan to transfer to a secondary vessel to add your watermelon, do not do it until you are certain that you have reached final gravity. Your reading must not change over the course of three days. Airlock activity is not a sign of active fermentation. Airlocks will quit bubbling days and days before your beer is actually finished with primary. Plan on primary taking five to ten days.

Then transfer onto the watermelon, being careful to not stir up too much oxygen in the process. That's the place it should sit for an extended period of time. Try not to leave anything in primary for an entire month or more.

I vote secondary simply because 2 months is a long time to tie up such a fine piece of fermentation equipment. It deserves to be refilled so it can once again bless you with beer.

Thanks guys. Fermenter temp is down to 71 but the sulfur smell is still coming through the airlock. I’ll follow you advice and test the gravity a couple times and then transfer to secondary