A tale of sulfur: mitigation, consternation, resolution

[balrog]

Brewed a batch of Josh Weikert's "Brew Your Best Cream Ale". I used an overbuilt 100b of WYeast 1007 German Ale. Been doing this a few years now, make a starter of about 1.5L, should make about 300b, save 1/3, about 100b, pitch the rest. Stop overbuilding if I'm on overbuild 6 or 7, or if it smells like the underside of a dead yak, or "acts funny", meaning differently than normal. Abnormal is almost always not good when I strive for repeatability. Other than things like wanting a cream ale in the middle of Massachusetts winter. Let's sidestep that for the moment.

The overbuild was using generation 5, (gen 1 is what I receive when I buy it). All was normal. The 5 gal recipe is simply 8 lb Pilsner and 1/2 lb table sugar; mash at 150F 60m, boil 60m, 1 oz Crystal at 60m and 10m. Chill to 58 in 15m, toss in WY1007 and set in ferm chamber. JW says to ferm at 58 then raise temp, so I did.

So far, so good.

Then I kegged it and the sulfur, rotten eggs, rhino farts was clear and present olfactory danger. It was, in a word, DEE-GUS-TEENG.

Well. So I read. I worry. I fret. Mostly fret. I'm a fretter. Come from a long line of fretters. Yes, even about apples. Apple fretters. You're welcome.

The ending of the story comes quickly children. I took an 8" length of 1/2" copper tubing which I had lying about. I washed it inside and out. Then scrubbed it, yes I have a keg line brush I can use, and by simply stirring the copper in the glass, or pouring into the glass with the copper tube in it then removing, the sulfur is gone. It's amazing.

The interesting thing is I used the next overbuild of that same yeast for my Alaskan Amber altbier and it had NO sulfur, fermented at 60. Weird.

I still like @Yooper 's Dad's Cream Ale better. Just wanted to say that out loud.

Carry on.

 

[Leezer]

Thanks again for the first hand demonstration. It was pretty amazing how the copper took that sulphur away. Don’t know the why but it worked. Made me think of my original attempt at making the lemon lime hefeweizen that had the sulphur, the copper probably would have worked wonders with that.

 

[SouthForkBrew]

Hydrogen Sulfide is the enemy here. Pure copper bonds with sulfur compounds so stirring with a copper tube would have likely pulled those compounds out. It's not uncommon for winemakers to employ the same tactic, though I've never thought to use it for beer!

Awesome post!

 

[Lefou]

You know, I was just about ready to recommend using some sterilized copper then .... well, never mind.
You got this.
I use a variation of this method to remove toning or sulfides on silver with aluminum in a slightly acidic solution with sodium bicarbonate.

 

[Sauls]

Unreal! So should have paid attention in high school chemistry class! This must work in seltzer’s to get rid of that “smell”.