Wierd Smell update...

[MattxShinn]

ok so... some of you may remember a thread i started before about a weird smell that i was getting. click here/ I've had a few successful brews since then, and just brewed a California Common ... when I went to pitch the yeast, I smelled that same familiar smell, It was the yeast... was a wyeast lager, first time i used lager. but that smell was unmistakable, that was the smell of those beers, only amplified... the first one I just dumped, the second with that smell actually turned out great... I have a porter in secondary right now that harbors a hint of the same smell... am I getting a stuck fermentation?

 

[JoeBronco]

kinda all over the place here... A stuck fermentation dosent give off a smell. Let it sit for 2 weeks and check gravity. What smell are you smelling? What temp are you fermenting at? It sounds like what you are smelling are esters created by yeast due to overworking or high fermentation temp.

Try fermenting at the lowest recommended temp for the yeast and make sure you pitch enough... One smack pack is not always enough without a starter.

 

[kapbrew13]

Better description of the smell please. Feet? Eggs? Ass?

 

[MattxShinn]

the smell is the same smell i get from the yeast before pitching it. i can't quite describe it. and I'm not doing high gravity beers, a smack pack should be enough.

basically at this point all i want to know is, is it a bad thing to smell that yeast smell in my beer after fermentation should be done?

 

[Yooper]

the smell is the same smell i get from the yeast before pitching it. i can't quite describe it. and I'm not doing high gravity beers, a smack pack should be enough.

basically at this point all i want to know is, is it a bad thing to smell that yeast smell in my beer after fermentation should be done?

A smack pack is only enough for a 5 gallon batch of about 1.040, even though the package may tell you otherwise. If your beer is over 1.040, not making a starter means underpitching of yeast.

I'm guessing that the aroma you're getting is "yeasty" and should fade with the beer's maturity but if the finished beer has that aroma, something is wrong and I'd look at poor yeast health as the cause.

Underpitching, under aerating, a too-high fermentation temperature, fluctuations in fermentation temperature, etc, all can contribute to stressed yeast which would be the cause of off-flavors.

To fix, make sure enough yeast is pitched (consult mrmalty.com's yeast pitching calculator for the correct amount) at the proper temperature (generally low 60s). Pitching too little yeast in a too-warm wort can cause some off-flavors. Keeping the fermenter at 65-66 degrees (for ales) and making sure the beer has enough time to finish in the fermenter will go a long way to reduce any off-flavors.

Another thing that may impact the "yeastiness" of the flavor is the yeast strain used. For example, I really dislike the yeasty woody flavor of Cooper's yeast, while some other strains (White Lab's 001) and noted for being neutral.

 

[MattxShinn]

A smack pack is only enough for a 5 gallon batch of about 1.040, even though the package may tell you otherwise. If your beer is over 1.040, not making a starter means underpitching of yeast.

I'm guessing that the aroma you're getting is "yeasty" and should fade with the beer's maturity but if the finished beer has that aroma, something is wrong and I'd look at poor yeast health as the cause.

Underpitching, under aerating, a too-high fermentation temperature, fluctuations in fermentation temperature, etc, all can contribute to stressed yeast which would be the cause of off-flavors.

To fix, make sure enough yeast is pitched (consult mrmalty.com's yeast pitching calculator for the correct amount) at the proper temperature (generally low 60s). Pitching too little yeast in a too-warm wort can cause some off-flavors. Keeping the fermenter at 65-66 degrees (for ales) and making sure the beer has enough time to finish in the fermenter will go a long way to reduce any off-flavors.

Another thing that may impact the "yeastiness" of the flavor is the yeast strain used. For example, I really dislike the yeasty woody flavor of Cooper's yeast, while some other strains (White Lab's 001) and noted for being neutral.

Exactley what I needed. I knew someone could translate my English to brewer.
Thankyou. Btw... Are you THE Yooper?