Fermenter Smells!

[wburgess]

I always have wondered about the smells coming from my little bubbling air lock!

Are they indicative of the final brews taste?

Is it just me or do all brews smell whilst fermenting have a strange tang to the odour, meaning an infection is on the loose or is it just the CO2 playing havoc with my nose!?

Would love to hear comments...

[dedken]

They all smell by varying degrees. Turbo cider smells bloomin' horrible when it's fermenting! Lager yeasts smell quite sulphury. The smell is not going to be indicative of final taste, although having said that my elderflower champagne smells of elderflowers, which is a bit worrying.

[Naich]

The CO2 gives me a bit of a stinging sensation in my hooter but I love the smells and will happily spend 10 minutes a day sitting next to the FV and soaking up the aromas. I find it interesting the way the smell changes as the beer ferments, from a pure fruitiness, through cidery and ends up quite beery (well it would). You can't tell what it will taste like from the smell, but in general I'd say that the brews that have smelt the nicest tended to be the nicest tasting.

[wburgess]

I totally agree! Even after the fermentation is pretty much complete, the aroma develops so much. Same with flavour.

My mrs finds it very amusing to see me sitting next to the fv pushing the top off it slightly to push out a nice little gas waft! (From the beer of course!)