Another Brew Smells Awful

[JimmyXR6T04]

i posted a few weeks back, saying that my coopers lager (after spending 3wks in the bottle) smelt like yeast. As in, the left over dreggs in the bottom of the fermenter. Anyways, today i bottled a coopers bavarian lager, and when bottling i had a smell and it smelt exactly like the coopers lager had done after 3 wks in the bottle.

I've also got a coopers canadian blonde in the other fermenter, and doing a hydro reading today, it smelt really good, unlike the other. So i'm now doubting that its a "coopers" thing.

The only thing i can think of is, i used a brewcraft german lager no.60 brew enhancer in both the coopers lager, and cooper bavarian lager. Could this be whats giving it the smell?? I wouldn't have though it would. The yeast used for both batches was 34/70.

At this stage, i'll be keeping well clear of the german lager brew enhancer, and more then likely keeping clear of the coopers brews.

What else could be the problem?? perhaps infection? or the fermenter not cleaned properly??

Has anyone else had the "yeast" smell experience? and did it go away with more time spent in the bottle??

 

[BottleBitch]

have you tried chilling down the beer for a few days to see if the yeast flocculates, and then see if it still smeals like yeast.

 

[MHB]

SW-34/70 is a great yeast but will throw lots of off characters if it gets even a bit too warm, that is over ~16 C.
I would choose another yeast if you dont have good temperature control US-56 and S-04 both work well.

MHB

 

[Franko]

i posted a few weeks back, saying that my coopers lager (after spending 3wks in the bottle) smelt like yeast. As in, the left over dreggs in the bottom of the fermenter. Anyways, today i bottled a coopers bavarian lager, and when bottling i had a smell and it smelt exactly like the coopers lager had done after 3 wks in the bottle.

I've also got a coopers canadian blonde in the other fermenter, and doing a hydro reading today, it smelt really good, unlike the other. So i'm now doubting that its a "coopers" thing.

The only thing i can think of is, i used a brewcraft german lager no.60 brew enhancer in both the coopers lager, and cooper bavarian lager. Could this be whats giving it the smell?? I wouldn't have though it would. The yeast used for both batches was 34/70.

At this stage, i'll be keeping well clear of the german lager brew enhancer, and more then likely keeping clear of the coopers brews.

What else could be the problem?? perhaps infection? or the fermenter not cleaned properly??

Has anyone else had the "yeast" smell experience? and did it go away with more time spent in the bottle??

Ive used a brewcraft german lager no.60 brew enhancer and had no probs here
Franko

 

[JimmyXR6T04]

SW-34/70 is a great yeast but will throw lots of off characters if it gets even a bit too warm, that is over ~16 C.
I would choose another yeast if you dont have good temperature control US-56 and S-04 both work well.

MHB

that could be the problem. it used to sit nicely at around 12deg, but lately with the warmer weather it went as high as 18 :unsure: so that could be it. The canadian blonde i'm using a s-189 yeast, and it smells great so far.

The next brew will be an ale type, using a more conventional yeast, something that will be ok up to around 20deg.

Do you think my brew could be ruined due to the warmer temps??? will it improve with time in the fridge? or should i cut my losses on the coopers bavarian lager and make another brew using a more suitable yeast.

The temps were always around the 12deg mark, and then in a matter of days, as the canberra people will know, we got a big increase in temps and hence my brew went crazy. Will it be ok? arrggh, i hate the thought of wasted beer.

Another question, i really enjoy the ESB Bavarian lager, using the 34/70 yeast. I want to do more like that, but will it be ok using a different yeast?? Or should i just start trying some ales??

Cheers for all the help guys, as you can see i'm still learning!

 

[MHB]

JimmyXR6T04

Mate if you are going to use Lager yeast you need temperature control.
Get one of those digital controllers from Brissybrew and a fridge, otherwise brew Ale. Hang it get one even if you want to brew Ale in summer.

Cheers

MHB

 

[JimmyXR6T04]

JimmyXR6T04

Mate if you are going to use Lager yeast you need temperature control.
Get one of those digital controllers from Brissybrew and a fridge, otherwise brew Ale. Hang it get one even if you want to brew Ale in summer.

Cheers

MHB

So i take it, a slightly changing temp is ok with the ales with the right yeast?? coming into summer, i expect the brew to be between 20-25deg. I might have to look into something to help control the temps a bit better. The lagers were fine during the winter, as it always sat around 12deg, however, the rapid increase in outside temps caught me offguard.

Will those brews still be ok? or should i chuck 'em?

 

[Gerard_M]

Why not take a couple of samples down to your HBS? Some after sales service is never going to hurt.
Cheers
Gerard

 

[warrenlw63]

Jimmy

Sounds like what you're experiencing is what a couple of older HB books used to affectionately refer to as "yeast bite". Or the yeast giving off a bit of a stink because it's basically been mishandled in terms of temperature.

Besides all the stuff that's been well-covered in this thread like actual fermentation temperatures. I may have missed it but what temperature are you pitching (sprinkling on the wort) your yeast at?

If you're trying to emulate a lager I'd suggest trying to pitch your yeast at no more than around 18 degrees at the very most, 15 would be even better if it's possible for you? :unsure:

Pitching at 25 degrees or higher and dropping to achieve your fermentation temperatures is only going to distress the yeast from the word go.

Also has the brew completely cleared before you bottle? You may be carrying over more yeast than you need when you bottle. This would be evidenced by a fair bit of sediment on the bottom of your bottles. In reality you should just have a slight dusting on the bottom of each bottle.

Warren -

 

[The Scientist]

Will those brews still be ok? or should i chuck 'em?

Don't chuck 'em for gods sake. Give 'em time and if you still don't like the taste, just palm 'em off to your mates that would drink VB

 

[chimera]

You say you have two fermenters on the go - one making beer that is seemingly fine, the other has done two consecutive batches with suspect results?

Maybe the common link is the fermenter - perhaps its placement in your brew room where it is getting direct sunlight/adverse something else, or there is some lingering contaminant absorbed into the plastic.

 

[big d]

As part of your sanitation routine i trust you are removing and stripping down your fermenter taps and giving them a good clean.

Cheers
Big D

 

[JimmyXR6T04]

i'm pitching at around the 18deg mark. Both fermenters are in the same room, with no sunlight being let in. And i've had a bad brew from each fermenter, so i can't say its one or the other. I'm thinking its due to the temps.

I get very little sediment at the bottom of the bottles, so thats all good.