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Egg smell at 1.000 SG

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djsxxx

djsxxx

NewBee
Registered Member
Jan 18, 2016
212
0
0
United kingdom
Ok so I'm doing my second cyser batch, following LOR's cyser BOMM - https://www.denardbrewing.com/blog/post/Cyser-bomm/

Few differences I have made:

5 gallon batch - scaled everything up.

Different Apple juice - have made a tasty cyser from it before.

Wyeast 4632 Dry Mead

Used some goferm at the beginning on a stir plate. The smack pack didn't swell, and it was 6 months past date, so was a little concerned cell count was low.


There was almost a 3 day lag phase but believe it or not, it only took an additional 5 days to get to 1.000

Anyway, now it's finished I've noticed a rotten egg smell and it really doesn't taste good. I thought rotten egg was a sign of low nutrients, but it's no longer fermenting?

A couple of questions...

1. Any ideas where this smell has come from?

2. Will it age out?

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Only noticed the smell in the last day off fermentation... Odd. Hopefully it'll sort itself out.

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bmwr75 said:
Did you feed the yeast any nutrients as the ferment progressed? Stressed yeast causes the hydrogen sulfide odor you are smelling.
Click to expand...
Yep, same amounts (scaled up) and stages as the recipe.

Only thinking is maybe this yeast is even more of a nutrient hog than 1388

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I've used 4632 quite a few times, and ironically although I used it most frequently in my early mazing days before I knew much about proper staggered nutrient additions, I had a huge degree of success with it. So I know it can handle a lot of stress without complaint. That being my experience, though, I'm not sure what might be causing your SO2 production, other than the fact that rhino farts are common with ciders and cysers.

What I can say is that I've had a large degree of success in situations such as this, by adding a couple more pounds of honey, mixing/aerating, and giving another dose of Fermaid-O or boiled bread yeast. This feeds the yeast, restarts the ferment, and the renewed production of CO2 "scrubs" the egg smell right out of the mead. It may not be what you originally intended, but then again, neither was the egg smell. At least this way you'll have something drinkable, instead of drain cleaner.
 
Mazer828 said:
I've used 4632 quite a few times, and ironically although I used it most frequently in my early mazing days before I knew much about proper staggered nutrient additions, I had a huge degree of success with it. So I know it can handle a lot of stress without complaint. That being my experience, though, I'm not sure what might be causing your SO2 production, other than the fact that rhino farts are common with ciders and cysers.

What I can say is that I've had a large degree of success in situations such as this, by adding a couple more pounds of honey, mixing/aerating, and giving another dose of Fermaid-O or boiled bread yeast. This feeds the yeast, restarts the ferment, and the renewed production of CO2 "scrubs" the egg smell right out of the mead. It may not be what you originally intended, but then again, neither was the egg smell. At least this way you'll have something drinkable, instead of drain cleaner.
Click to expand...
Oh that sounds promising! Any recommendations on what I should bring the gravity up to?

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Your choice really. I generally have gone with 2 or 3 pounds of honey for a 5 gallon batch. That would raise your gravity 15-23 points.
 
Ok so I did a little Google on the rotten egg smell, and came across this - http://www.grapestompers.com/articles/hydrogen_sulfide.htm

So I did a combination of what Mazer suggested, adding honey and boiled bread yeast (brought SG up to 1.021 with 1.36Kg clear blossom honey, and made a boiled yeast slurry using 80g bread yeast) and also the following:

Racked, and when I say racked, I actually mean i poured the contents of my carboy into another one allowing it to splash and aerate. I then added some sterilised copper wire to it for about 10mins, stirring the cyser/must. I then poured it back into the original carboy (after cleaning it) but this time through a coarse filter (muslin bag) to remove the bits of dates that were in there.

Either the aeration has had an instant affect or I'm getting used to the smell of rotten eggs. Either way it looks promising. Will have a sniff in the morning!
 
Just don't use the copper if fermentation is still going as that is not what the Dr ordered
 
Squatchy said:
Just don't use the copper if fermentation is still going as that is not what the Dr ordered
Click to expand...
Oh right, well luckily fermentation had stopped, then added more honey and nutrient after, so fermentation will get going again shortly (i hope)

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It's been about 20 hours since I double racked and refed the yeast. Still chugging away but the rotten egg smell has definitely subsided.

Let's hope a ~15.5% ABV cyser tastes good!

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I am another NewBee, about 6 weeks into my first batch. I got the egg smell, too, and it would go away, then return, every 2 days or so. Lots more degassing/oxygenating was what she needed. Even after racking once, and it has started to clear (at <1.000), I was getting it. Now I shake the brakes off of it every 4 days, and the egg smell is absolutely nonexistent. To compare, I left my graduated cylinder full of my last SG measurement's mead, and it definitely still smells, while the 5 gallons of identical liquid, having been stirred, swirled, etc smells absolutely nothing like that.
Again, coming from another NewBee, not an expert, but that's how mine has gone, so far. I'll be racking again in a week or so, to get the lees out, and put her on Oak. :)
 
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