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Author Topic: 2 beers, 2 yeasts, same nasty sulfur smell and taste  (Read 16751 times)

Offline Wort-H.O.G.

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Re: 2 beers, 2 yeasts, same nasty sulfur smell and taste
« Reply #30 on: April 29, 2013, 08:30:08 pm »
Two recent beers I have made (a bavarian hefe and a wit)  finished with a heavy sulfur aroma and taste. It was almost discourage from making another wit and since it is my second failed bavarian hefe I dont think I will make another soon (aside from the sulfur my bavarians have been all clove and no banana).

wyeast 3944 and 3068 were used respectively. Fermented at 65 F with a chest freezer and johnson.

What is wrong? What can be done to avoid this in the future?

Thanks

I had similar issue with 3068. I always used wlp300, and decided to use my same recipe with 3068. Never got any sulfur smell from wlp300 even at 65-67f. 3068 the first time I used it i also fermented 65-66f first 72 hours, then let it rise up to 70. While at lower temps, the sulfur was very noticeable. I was hoping it would go away but after 6 weeks it was still there and I couldn't stomach it, so I dumped it. Tried it again on another batch, and started fermentation at 68f and held for 72 hours. Sight sulfur that quickly dissipated and was gone by end of 2 weeks.
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Offline reverseapachemaster

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Re: 2 beers, 2 yeasts, same nasty sulfur smell and taste
« Reply #31 on: April 29, 2013, 09:13:23 pm »
Sounds like at least part of both problems raised in this thread comes from DMS. The other issue seems yeast driven, like everybody else said.

I've brewed with both WLP300 and WY3068 and while both produce lots of sulfur during fermentation I've never had it carry through to the bottle. I've opened bottles of weizen that were only 10 days old (and were carbonated) with no sulfur issues. The sulfur will naturally come out of the beer with time but you don't want to lose the fresh character of either the wheat or yeast in these beers. I've never tried the copper method but I always let my beers sit at room temperature for a day or two before bottling to make sure everything is cleaned up. The warmer temperatures will allow more CO2 to come out of the beer which seems to help push any remaining sulfur out.

If it's already bottled it sounds like letting the bottle breathe for a little while after opening will allow carbonation to push most of the sulfur out. Otherwise I guess drop a penny in the bottom of your glass.
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Offline mpietropaoli

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Re: 2 beers, 2 yeasts, same nasty sulfur smell and taste
« Reply #32 on: May 01, 2013, 07:57:16 pm »
One great trick to remove sulfur from beer is to run the beer through a line of copper. You can even take a copper pipe and stir the carboy/bucket/keg.

I heard on BrewStrong that if added post-fermentation, copper can be a catalyst in oxidation reactions. 

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Offline kramerog

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Re: 2 beers, 2 yeasts, same nasty sulfur smell and taste
« Reply #33 on: May 01, 2013, 08:35:29 pm »
One great trick to remove sulfur from beer is to run the beer through a line of copper. You can even take a copper pipe and stir the carboy/bucket/keg.

I heard on BrewStrong that if added post-fermentation, copper can be a catalyst in oxidation reactions.

That is correct.  The copper is oxidizing the sulfur.

Offline hulkavitch

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2 beers, 2 yeasts, same nasty sulfur smell and taste
« Reply #34 on: May 08, 2013, 09:27:16 am »
The sulfur never did totally leave this beer. By the time it had diminished significantly in the bottle all of the other flavors you are looking for in a wit had also minimized.

I talked to wyeast and they told me that this is common, but more typically with yeast that is not fresh. I did not document the date on the yeast pack but I doubt it was older than a month. I enquired if there was a yeast that could be used in a wit with less sulfur production and they told me to use 3463 forbidden fruit.

So in summation, next time i am going to leave the beer at room temp for 48 hours or more post fermentation (14 days), I will probably use 3463, draw a sample prior to bottling, if it smells let it sit longer at room temp and swirl it. I would advise against bottling a beer that smells of sulfur.

Offline mabrungard

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Re: 2 beers, 2 yeasts, same nasty sulfur smell and taste
« Reply #35 on: May 08, 2013, 10:09:20 am »
One great trick to remove sulfur from beer is to run the beer through a line of copper. You can even take a copper pipe and stir the carboy/bucket/keg.

I heard on BrewStrong that if added post-fermentation, copper can be a catalyst in oxidation reactions.

I think you are better off with having the copper contact at a pre-fermentation stage.  That way, the yeast will consume all the dissolved copper and keep it out of your finished beer.  The does its work with the sulfur almost immediately, so it will have done its work before the yeast gobble it up. 
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Offline duboman

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2 beers, 2 yeasts, same nasty sulfur smell and taste
« Reply #36 on: May 08, 2013, 11:56:29 am »
I've used both those strains and have not had any issues with sulfur. I make proper sized starters of healthy yeast, ferment in buckets and use  a blow off tube . The Hefe yeast I start at 60 and allow to rise to 65 and the other I start at 65 and allow to rise to 70.

My opinion is stressed yeast and under pitching producing excessive sulfur notes which is a somewhat inherent byproduct of these strains.
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Offline HoosierBrew

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Re: 2 beers, 2 yeasts, same nasty sulfur smell and taste
« Reply #37 on: May 08, 2013, 12:00:01 pm »
I've used both those strains and have not had any issues with sulfur. I make proper sized starters of healthy yeast, ferment in buckets and use  a blow off tube . The Hefe yeast I start at 60 and allow to rise to 65 and the other I start at 65 and allow to rise to 70.

My opinion is stressed yeast and under pitching producing excessive sulfur notes which is a somewhat inherent byproduct of these strains.
+1.   I've used both strains multiple times and not had the sulfur carry over to keg.
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Offline hulkavitch

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2 beers, 2 yeasts, same nasty sulfur smell and taste
« Reply #38 on: May 10, 2013, 10:44:51 pm »
I pitched an appropriate starter for the wit beer. The bavarian hefe I did not in hopes that stressing the yeast would produce more banana and clove flavors.