Cider Leaving A Strange Smell In Fermenter

[nuck_cup]

In an effort to justify my new interest in home brewing, I offered to make my missus a batch of cider in between beer lots. We put down a cider using a brigalow cider kit, 300g ginger, 2 apples, 2 pears, 4 cinnamon sticks (blended together) and a few cloves (Edit: also added around 3L of berri apple juice and 2.4L of berri apple and pear). Used a Lalvin 1118 champagne yeast and the goop went from 1060 to basically 1000 flat. I left the cider in the primary plastic fermenter for about 2 weeks, and then transferred to my secondary one. There was a really strong smell in the fermenter; couldn't put my finger on it at all, a mix of old fruit and chemicals perhaps? I assumed it was the yeast grub at the bottom of the fermenter and washed it out, only to find that the smell was still there pretty strong. Filled it with some generic brewers santiser and left it overnight, only to find that the smell is STILL there. Have I ruined both of my fermenters somehow?

Incidentally the cider is pretty damn dry, I added 500g lactose because I had some around to hopefully sweeten it up a bit.

 

[Wolfy]

Plastic fermenters can absorb smells and the like.
I'd suggest soaking it in sodium percarbonate (napisan) for 24h, when dry give it a rub out with some bicarb soda, and even stick it outside in the sun for a day or two.
After that disinfect with bleach for a few hours then rinse with hot water, if the smell is still around after that, either put up with it or get a new one.

 

[pk.sax]

dunno how the kit behaves but fresh juice with that very yeast came out sulphury smelling from the fermenter. It dissipated quickly enough though. This is also why I do my experimenting in glass.... vinegar soaks are good for smelly stuff though. Sanitisers won't get rid of chemical smells mate. you need to use chemicals that would counteract the chemical in the fermenter causing the smell. Assuming its acidic, use something basic and vice versa.

 

[nuck_cup]

am I safe in assuming that it will impart this chemical flavour on future brews?

 

[pk.sax]

am I safe in assuming that it will impart this chemical flavour on future brews?

Why don't you test by putting in some water and vodka and leaving it there overnight. Drain the vodka water to something else and let sit for a bit and check if the smell &/or flavour transferred.

you can even do a mini brew with some crap yeast, sugar water and a tiny sprinkle of yeast nutrient to see if overnight brewing takes on any of those flavours.

 

[manticle]

am I safe in assuming that it will impart this chemical flavour on future brews?

Probably safe enough to make wolfy's regime worthwhile. Use the hottest water you can for the sodium percarb/nappisan soak.

 

[nuck_cup]

anyone have any idea what could make this type of cidery chemical like smell? smart ass friend thinks it's a methanol combo from the cinnamon sticks :S