Hi,

I'm thinking about giving home brewing a try but I'm a little concerned about the possible odor during fermentation. I will probably be trying an extract kit as a first attempt. I realize that boiling the wort will definitely smell to some extent and I am not worried about that. But if the carboy has a strong smell while fermentation is taking place that might be a deal killer for me from a WAF persepctive (WAF = Wife Acceptance Factor

My question is, does home brewing create a constant and strong odor during fermentation? I have googled a bit on this and found some contradictory and ambiguous statements but nothing definitive.

Thanks,
- sgt

It depends at least partially on the yeast. Hefeweizen yeasts are a little smellier. But, long story short, the smells for normal fermentation are hardly noticable until you stick your nose right on top of the airlock. In a very strong fermentation you may smell it a little right around the fermenter in the first day of primary fermentation, but nothing more than a foot or two around it. The smell of fermentation is not something you'll have to worry about. Unless you spill fermenting beer or have a big blow over, you're fine.

It depends at least partially on the yeast. Hefeweizen yeasts are a little smellier. But, long story short, the smells for normal fermentation are hardly noticable until you stick your nose right on top of the airlock. In a very strong fermentation you may smell it a little right around the fermenter in the first day of primary fermentation, but nothing more than a foot or two around it. The smell of fermentation is not something you'll have to worry about. Unless you spill fermenting beer or have a big blow over, you're fine.


That's good to know. So if all goes well (no spills or other accidents) there will not be a strong/noticeable smell permeating the apartment. Also my understanding is that this primary fermentation stage would be at most two weeks.

I will likely be trying to make a pale ale, not a Hefeweizen style yeasty beer.

Thanks for the information,
- sgt

Just to be honest most of the smell comes during the boil. your apt/house wil smell a bit like making bread up till you add the hops at which point it'll smell a little interesting, but it's not a smell that lingers in any way.

sgtturmeric wrote:
That's good to know. So if all goes well (no spills or other accidents) there will not be a strong/noticeable smell permeating the apartment. Also my understanding is that this primary fermentation stage would be at most two weeks.

I will likely be trying to make a pale ale, not a Hefeweizen style yeasty beer.

Thanks for the information,
- sgt

If primary goes well, it should only last 4 days... a week at most. Most regular strength beers (up to like 7% or so) should be fine in a week. And, the most active part is really only two days or so.

Ah, excellent -- I make at least four loaves of bread every weekend with a long bulk fermentation stage of 24 hours -- I use one teaspoon of yeast for four loaves (12 cups of flour plus 5 cups of water).

Maybe I'll bake the loaves while doing the boil!

I didn't know that fermentation could be as little as 4 days. That means if I do the boil and start fermentation this weekend I could bottle next weekend and try the first bottle after another 2 weeks? For some reason I had it in my head that I would have to wait months to drink the beer I'd be making.

sgtturmeric wrote:
Ah, excellent -- I make at least four loaves of bread every weekend with a long bulk fermentation stage of 24 hours -- I use one teaspoon of yeast for four loaves (12 cups of flour plus 5 cups of water).

Maybe I'll bake the loaves while doing the boil!

I didn't know that fermentation could be as little as 4 days. That means if I do the boil and start fermentation this weekend I could bottle next weekend and try the first bottle after another 2 weeks? For some reason I had it in my head that I would have to wait months to drink the beer I'd be making.

3 weeks is a completely plausible turn around time for a pale ale or other normal alcohol level beer. One thing, be careful about sanitation if you're using bread yeast as well around the beer. That stuff will not make your beer taste good! Don't cool in the room you make/ferment your bread in. And don't ferment beer in there either. That's a strain you don't want in your beer!

The title just made me think of my current Hoegaarden clone that i have fermenting.. maan, that is one stinky azz beer. Came home yesterday and my house stunk. After opening up the windows though it cleared out pretty quick. Tossed it back into the closet with a towel under the door and seemed to keep the odor out pretty good.

But this beer and my Apfelwein (hard wine/cider) were by far the most pungent beers brewed to date.

I've got a batch of pale ale going now and I have to put my nose almost inside the airlock to smell anything, so that's good. When I try a batch from grains I'll probably stink up the apartment but my usual cooking does that anyway so it should be OK!

I have made four beers so far. The first couple lived in my basement during fermentation, which was no big deal, but the last two stayed upstairs in the house. I was very nervous (due to my wife), but there have been NO issues. The only way you can smell it is if you really take a good wiff of the airlock. Good luck!

Heh, I've been taking a good wiff of the airlock pretty regularly just because I like the smell

Lager yeasts and lager-like ale yeasts (e.g. Kolsch yeast) may give off a sulfury smell like rotten eggs. Aside from that, fermentation hardly smells like anything.