Bad Smell And Stupid Mistake

[stewills]

hi everybody!

i bottled my first brew yesterday... all went well.. i used the coopers carbonation drops.. unfortunately some of them were too big for the bottle so i have to force them in...

but then one stupid mistake i made.. it was.. half way thru bottling my beer i took out the airlock and untighten the lid of the fermenter ( but did not take out the whole lid)... then after i bottled i read in a booklet that i am nto supposed to do that.... will that affect my beer?

then.. when is smelled the beer in the fermenter at the end.. and also when i drew it out to take an sg reading.. there is a smell ( or say stinky smell) is that normal???

i used the waders bitter beer concentrate and the 1 kg brewing sugar that came with it... is the smell normal ?

thank you all!!!!

 

[Corey]

Taking out the airlock and loosening the lid won't do anything to your beer. Everybody does it.

Did you taste it? I recommend that you always taste a sample before bottling. If you've got an infection or something is wrong, you'll know it and won't waste your time bottling it.

It's fairly common to get some strange smells. Now that you've bottled, just leave them for a month and see how they go.

 

[Gough]

Can you describe the smell?

Just loosening the lid while bottling in itself shouldn't cause you any problems that I can see. It is a good move to remove the airlock or at least release the pressure when bottling/racking so you don't draw the fluid from the airlock into your beer.

As for the smell, if your beer is infected you will know. We'll need to know more about the smell to give you much more feedback than that.

Good luck,

Shawn.

 

[stewills]

hi again!

ok.. the smell hard to describe but strong.... smells like beer... strong beer... but wiht a kick of strong odour.. makes sense? smells like the beer concentrate but stronger in smell

i tasted it... it tasted liek flat beer with a bit of sourness in it.. doesn't taste bad though...is that normal...

i tasted it in the beginning of the fermentation.. tasted like the beer concentrate.. bit sweet... tasted it yesterday was sour and liek flat beer as i said...

thanks!

 

[Corey]

If it didn't taste bad then it's probably OK. You'd know it if you'd just swallowed a mouthfull of infected beer.

 

[SteveSA]

Stewills

Loosening the lid is fine. Fermentation produces two by products: Alcohol and CO2. the CO2 fills the headspace of your fermenter and escapes through the airlock. When fermentation is complete, a "blanket" of CO2 remains on top of your beer, thereby protecting it from (most) airborne bacteria when you remove the lid.

Since Co2 is heavier than air, as you take beer from the bottom when bottling this blanket will drop as your beer level drops. Once you have finished the CO2 will remain at the bottom of your fermenter.

If you stick your face near the top of the empty fermenter and blow hard into it you'll get a faceful of CO2. Not a terribly pleasant experience but it will show you it really is there

I suggest you either lose the carbonation drops next time or try to find a new and innovative purpose for them. Bulk priming is easy and gives you more control over the process.

It's not unusual for new fermenters to have an odd smell... it will pass (Provided you keep them clean of course!)

Regards
Steve