My Wyeast 2001 Pils Urquell Smells Like Rotten Eggs?

[beerman101]

G'day fellow brewers.
I pitched a Wyeast Pils Urquell 2001 liquid yeast a couple of days ago into my brew at about 27 Degrees, I left it in my thermo controlled fridge overnight at 25 degrees untill fermentation was evident, (as per instructions). Then I brought the temp down to 10 degrees. As the Temp was coming down the brew started to give off a "Rotten Egg" Sulpher type smell.
I noticed this smell when I first opened the wyeast packet too.
Anyway, I tasted the wort and it tasted fine, but this smell has got me worried.
This is the first time I have used any liquid yeast and want to know if anyone can tell me if this is normal??
Cheers

 

[Malnourished]

Whoa, sulphur with a lager yeast is perfectly normal, but pitching at 27C certainly isn't. Where did you get these instructions??

 

[Batz]

G'day fellow brewers.
I pitched a Wyeast Pils Urquell 2001 liquid yeast a couple of days ago into my brew at about 27 Degrees, I left it in my thermo controlled fridge overnight at 25 degrees untill fermentation was evident, (as per instructions). Then I brought the temp down to 10 degrees. As the Temp was coming down the brew started to give off a "Rotten Egg" Sulpher type smell.
I noticed this smell when I first opened the wyeast packet too.
Anyway, I tasted the wort and it tasted fine, but this smell has got me worried.
This is the first time I have used any liquid yeast and want to know if anyone can tell me if this is normal??
Cheers

Not a problem beerman,many lager yeasts smell this way while brewing 2001 is one of them.
Very nice yeast it is too,using it myself ATM.....and yep smells yukky

Batz

DWRAHAHB

 

[razz]

G'day fellow brewers.
I pitched a Wyeast Pils Urquell 2001 liquid yeast a couple of days ago into my brew at about 27 Degrees, I left it in my thermo controlled fridge overnight at 25 degrees untill fermentation was evident, (as per instructions). Then I brought the temp down to 10 degrees. As the Temp was coming down the brew started to give off a "Rotten Egg" Sulpher type smell.
I noticed this smell when I first opened the wyeast packet too.
Anyway, I tasted the wort and it tasted fine, but this smell has got me worried.
This is the first time I have used any liquid yeast and want to know if anyone can tell me if this is normal??
Cheers

As long as it tastes okay beerman, you should be concerned if it tastes like it smells. I have not used this yeast but I would say because of the pitching temp it has produces more smell than it normally would.

 

[beerman101]

Whoa, sulphur with a lager yeast is perfectly normal, but pitching at 27C certainly isn't. Where did you get these instructions??

The dude at the home brew shop said pitch at about 25 degrees. I didn't think that an extra couple of degrees would be too significant.

 

[Batz]

I pitch this yeast at around 18c,then drop fast and ferment at 12c

You'll be ok,perhaps next time try to pitch lower.

Batz

 

[neonmeate]

i pitch my lagers at 7degrees as per Noonan and dont let it get above 10 until the D rest if I can. starts slowly but you get a lot less esters.

 

[Finite]

From what ive read and heard and from what I do myself. Its much better to pitch your yeast at the temperature you will be fermenting at.



I have a fridge setup just for lagering and its always set to keep liquid 8C, it normaly fluculates about 0.8C max on a hot day.



All is not lost though, this smell is common for lagers the fact you droped the temp down within 24 hours might have saved you a bit here.

 

[DJR]

Moving this one to the right spot...

 

[AndrewQLD]

I pitched a Wyeast Pils Urquell 2001 liquid yeast a couple of days ago into my brew at about 27 Degrees, I left it in my thermo controlled fridge overnight at 25 degrees untill fermentation was evident, (as per instructions). Then I brought the temp down to 10 degrees. As the Temp was coming down the brew started to give off a "Rotten Egg" Sulpher type smell.
I noticed this smell when I first opened the wyeast packet too.
Cheers

If you pitch a lager yeast at 27c and then refrige at 25 until fermentation begins your in big trouble if you want to make a Lager. Too warm a start temp.
At this point you have dropped the fridge temp to 10c, but it takes quite a few DAYS for your fridge to bring the temp of the wort down to 10c, don't forget the heat generated by the yeast activity. Starting at that high a temp and even with the reduction in ambient air temp the fermentation would be close to terminal within a couple of days.
A lot of Lager yeasts will produce a sulphur smell during NORMAL fermentation temps (10-12c) and that is expected, but fermenting at too high a temp can magnify this as well.

However, this is a yeast by - product and if the wort is left to lager in secondery for a few weeks and then kegged and matured for a few more weeks the sulphur smell will eventually fade.

I am very sad to see that a HBS (who should know better) gave instructions as you have described above, your brew may, or may not turn out ( given the high start temp), but see it through and you might get a reasonable beer, although not a lager.

Cheers

Andrew

 

[beerman101]

If you pitch a lager yeast at 27c and then refrige at 25 until fermentation begins your in big trouble if you want to make a Lager. Too warm a start temp.
At this point you have dropped the fridge temp to 10c, but it takes quite a few DAYS for your fridge to bring the temp of the wort down to 10c, don't forget the heat generated by the yeast activity. Starting at that high a temp and even with the reduction in ambient air temp the fermentation would be close to terminal within a couple of days.
A lot of Lager yeasts will produce a sulphur smell during NORMAL fermentation temps (10-12c) and that is expected, but fermenting at too high a temp can magnify this as well.

However, this is a yeast by - product and if the wort is left to lager in secondery for a few weeks and then kegged and matured for a few more weeks the sulphur smell will eventually fade.

I am very sad to see that a HBS (who should know better) gave instructions as you have described above, your brew may, or may not turn out ( given the high start temp), but see it through and you might get a reasonable beer, although not a lager.

Cheers

Andrew

I now know better thanks to this forum. I only recently discovered this forum and am bloody glad I did.

 

[Back Yard Brewer]

"Rotten Egg" Sulpher type smell.

I am not sure if this is relevant to beer, but here goes. I work in the wine industry and make champagne. When we do yeast build ups we use a product called Diammonium phosphate (dap) This product performs two functions 1) It is a yeast nutrient 2) It reduces the the possibility of "Rotten Egg Gas" or H2s. Rotten egg gas can be realated to the fact that if yeast is working or multiplying at a faster rate than it should it will produce H2s. In your case this could be true because of the temp you started it at. Being a lager yeast I would assume that because it is a low temperature fermenting yeast it should be started at a low temp.Starting it high means it is working or multiplying faster than it should. I have had the problem in a couple of my brews and have sprinkled a small amount of dap into my fermenter, and I mean small. If anyone has any other angles on what I have just mentioned it would be of interest to me.