I recently brewed a wheat beer and it's developed a strong sulphur aroma during fermentation. This was a fairly simple malt bill, 60% Fawcett Maris Otter and 40% Wheat (some Fawcett wheat malt and some Best Malz german wheat malt)...however I am using a fair amount of honey (about 40 lbs added to the whirlpool). My yeast is my house yeast (california ale yeast) which has never produced this kind of a sulphur aroma in the past.
The first few days of fermentation went as expected, and the beer had the pleasant soft honey aroma that I was trying to achieve. On day five I capped off the tank to capture CO2, and it was a two days later that I first noticed the sulphur aroma, which is now (day 10) unmistakable. I will say that the aroma dissipates rather quickly (say a minute or two) once a sample has been poured from the tank. At this point I've uncapped the tank to allow any CO2 and volatiles to escape.
I know that some yeasts can naturally produce sulphur aroma compounds during primary fermentation and that the aroma will fade during maturation, and I'm certainly hoping this is the case. However I have only experienced that with lager yeasts, never with this ale yeast.
Any thoughts out there? Could this be a result of the honey? I've never brewed with honey before. I should add that this is a 12 plato beer with about 80% apparent attenuation, outside of this sulphur aroma fermentation has been totally normal.
The first few days of fermentation went as expected, and the beer had the pleasant soft honey aroma that I was trying to achieve. On day five I capped off the tank to capture CO2, and it was a two days later that I first noticed the sulphur aroma, which is now (day 10) unmistakable. I will say that the aroma dissipates rather quickly (say a minute or two) once a sample has been poured from the tank. At this point I've uncapped the tank to allow any CO2 and volatiles to escape.
I know that some yeasts can naturally produce sulphur aroma compounds during primary fermentation and that the aroma will fade during maturation, and I'm certainly hoping this is the case. However I have only experienced that with lager yeasts, never with this ale yeast.
Any thoughts out there? Could this be a result of the honey? I've never brewed with honey before. I should add that this is a 12 plato beer with about 80% apparent attenuation, outside of this sulphur aroma fermentation has been totally normal.
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