Smells like egg!!!!

[MattGuk]

Hi all,

Just a quick question.
I brew up an English bitter AG this past weekend.
All number were hit no problem, fermentation started pretty quick also.
I used an English ale yeast exactly the same as my last batch, however this time it smells like egg.
I have had this in the past with Lagers, never with and ale.
Would you say this is normal?
I'm sure it's fine, just never had this smell from ale before.

Cheers
Matt

 

[gunhaus]

Yup! Sulpher happens (I should get that on a t-shirt!) with ales too.

 

[RPh_Guy]

With proper yeast management, you shouldn't be getting hydrogen sulfide production.

This article is in progress:
https://***************.com/wiki/Hydrogen_sulfide

 

[gunhaus]

With proper yeast management, you shouldn't be getting hydrogen sulfide production.

This article is in progress:
https://***************.com/wiki/Hydrogen_sulfide

Nice article. In a perfect world: I would not blow a head gasket on a well maintained car with only 28K miles. I would not be hiding in my house from the cold virus. I would never burn anything on a grill with indirect heat. And yet . . . .

I agree with your premise - But i stick with my slogan!

 

[RPh_Guy]

Just basic stuff will make sulfide a thing of the past:

• Make a healthy yeast starter, preferably on a stir plate.
• Yeast nutrient.
• Aerate the wort thoroughly.
• Either control temperature or pick a strain that works well for your ambient temp.

 

[MattGuk]

This was dry yeast, rehydrated.
13grams into 16 litres of 1.038 wort, can't imagine it's a pitching problem, maybe I am wrong?
Wort was aerated well, though only through vigorous stirring and although no temp control, fermented out in 6 days at about 18°c.
Do you think, given a bit more time this will be ok?

 

[tellyho]

It will be fine. Sulfur totally does happen. I have never (in 14 years) had a batch where it didn't go away.

 

[MattGuk]

Good to know, thanks for the reassurance.
Leaving In primary for a few days at a warmer temp, see if that helps the escaping CO² to drive the smell away.

 

[MattGuk]

I also just read that one pack a dry yeast is generally enough to ferment up to 10-12 gallons or wort ( US gallons ).
Is there such a thing as over pitching? If so, could this possibly give off sulphur being that I added 13 grams of yeast to 16 litres of fairly low gravity Wort?

 

[smata67]

I just recently got some sulfur odors from the airlock from a Nottingham fermentation on about Day 2. It was gone by Day 4 and the beer turned out fine. In fact, I had forgotten about the stink thing until I read this thread.

 

[RPh_Guy]

This was dry yeast, rehydrated.
13grams into 16 litres of 1.038 wort, can't imagine it's a pitching problem, maybe I am wrong?

What was the yeast and how did you rehydrate it?

Wort was aerated well, though only through vigorous stirring and although no temp control

There's room for improvement.

Leaving In primary for a few days at a warmer temp, see if that helps the escaping CO² to drive the smell away.

After fermentation, the H2S is removed by mainly by oxidation.
https://***************.com/wiki/Hydrogen_sulfide#Removal

If so, could this possibly give off sulphur being that I added 13 grams of yeast to 16 litres of fairly low gravity Wort?

That's definitely not a high enough of a pitch rate to cause problems.

 

[MattGuk]

The yeast was my suppliers own branded yeast, however on another forum, people who use this yeast say they believe it to be S-04.
I rehydrated by boiler water, covering and letting it cool, then adding the yeast when the temp was about 21°c, stirring slightly ( everything in contact was sanitised ) leaving for 10 mins then adding to the wort.
I don't have a bottling bucket to rack too, and most suppliers here are shut due to Corona, my last batch I just bottled from primary and it turned out great, however I think I won't be able to do that this time, and am.now considering if I should tip it.

 

[RPh_Guy]

Your rehydration process sounds reasonable. Non-chlorinated tap water? The yeast and wort were within 10°C when pitching?

You actually under-pitched. S-04 is reported to contain 6-8B cells/g, so best case you pitched 0.51-0.68M cells/mL/°P, which is considerably lower than the 0.75-1.0M/mL/°P generally recommended for ales. It's also possible that the cells were damaged from repackaging since exposure to moisture during storage can significantly reduce viability, so it's possible the pitch rate was considerably lower.

 

[MattGuk]

So, I smelt and tasted tonight, still smell like agg, and a slight taste too.
I decided I purge using compressed co² earlier, don't know if this will cause an issue, but worth a shot otherwise it would only be getting poured away.
8 days in primary, I would have thought if this was going to go away, it would have by now...... Right?

 

[RPh_Guy]

I would have thought if this was going to go away, it would have by now...... Right?

No. It will persist until it's removed one way or another.

After fermentation, the H2S is removed by mainly by oxidation.
https://***************.com/wiki/Hydrogen_sulfide#Removal

 

[MattGuk]

In your experience, what would be the best way for ME to remove it?
I don't have any fancy equipment so I am limited to what I can do.

 

[RPh_Guy]

You can use literally any options I presented.

Aging is usually sufficient for most home brewers because they don't prevent oxygen exposure within their system.

If you're in a hurry I would suggest adding a bit of sulfite and intentional air exposure (e.g. just open the lid for a few minutes and drop in a fresh, crushed Campden tablet).

Warming it up and bubbling CO2 through it might be a good alternative.

Copper is certainly an option if the above don't work; about 0.1ppm would be a good starting point.

None of that requires "fancy equipment" since you already keg.

 

[MattGuk]

I don't keg, I just used some compressed co² lol.
So I could just add a little sodium metabisulphite and stir a little with the lid off?
Thank for your advice, really appreciate it

 

[RPh_Guy]

Yep!

 

[Wigster]

I just recently got some sulfur odors from the airlock from a Nottingham fermentation on about Day 2. It was gone by Day 4 and the beer turned out fine. In fact, I had forgotten about the stink thing until I read this thread.

I’m glad to hear this. I was starting to worry about my brew. It’s an English ipa and it’s just past 2 days fermenting, came down stairs this morning and smelled the sulphur/egg smell and thought my beer had gone wrong. Thanks for this reassurance.

 

[smata67]

Are you sure it wasn't the dog? Mine pops one and then blames the cat. Which never works, because I don't even own a cat. He keeps trying, though. "A" for effort.

 

[Tobor_8thMan]

Hi all,

Just a quick question.
I brew up an English bitter AG this past weekend.
All number were hit no problem, fermentation started pretty quick also.
I used an English ale yeast exactly the same as my last batch, however this time it smells like egg.
I have had this in the past with Lagers, never with and ale.
Would you say this is normal?
I'm sure it's fine, just never had this smell from ale before.

Cheers
Matt

Must be doing a lager. Near the end of fermenation, put the fermenter in warmer temps for the yeast to clean up the sulfur.

I can still taste the, yuck, "Egg water" at West View Park in Pittsburgh, PA.

 

[VikeMan]

Must be doing a lager. Near the end of fermenation, put the fermenter in warmer temps for the yeast to clean up the sulfur.

Oxygen and/or certain metals in beer will clean up sulfur (H2S). But yeast don't clean it up after fermentation. The typical reason it's in the beer is that the yeast produced more than they could use and "liberated" the excess into the beer.

 

[Wigster]

Thankfully on day 5 of fermentation now and the smell has gone and has been replaced by a pretty nice beer smell, gonna take my first reading tomorrow so I’ll get a better idea of what I’m dealing with by it’s looking and smelling good.

 

[smata67]

I just happened to come across this yeast brochure from Omega. Do a search for "sulfur." Will typically condition out/dissipate with age.

 

[RPh_Guy]

I just happened to come across this yeast brochure from Omega. Do a search for "sulfur." Will typically condition out/dissipate with age.

If you want to learn about this off flavor, my article provides thorough and accurate information:
https://***************.com/wiki/Hydrogen_sulfide
Many of us are concerned about oxidation and don't want to age/oxidize our beer.