Tried Splash Racking, still has odor.

[BSamp95]

Hi, I know yall want recipes so here's that first...
1 Gallon water
2Ibs Churchill Farms Pure Honey
2 cups Fresh Blackberries
1 pack of Craft a Brew yeast
All three days worth of Craft a Brew yeast nutrients.

I am at week four of fermentation.

I just started cold crashing this brew yesterday, and noticed an odor once I took the airlock off. So, I did some research and from what I can describe it's a sulfuric smell. Which indicates hydrogen sulfide... I read a lot of posts saying splash racking should work to get rid of a minor amount of hydrogen sulfide.... but it didn't seem to do the trick. I have de-gassed this batch a total of four times (which is more than the original recipe called for). I don't know where I went wrong or what I can do to fix it, because I planned on bottling after cold crashing for three days but the odor makes me not want to bottle.

 

[darigoni]

Usually a sign of yeast stress. Not enough nutrients, temperature, etc.

I've read that copper can help.

Using Copper to get rid of Sulfur (possible to use too much?)

This is building off of the other thread I had http://www.gotmead.com/forum/showthread.php?t=18237 titled "Too Much Nutrient." The thread turned more into talking about sulfur than nutrient additions, so I figured I'd post my question about copper in a new thread. I was unable to find a copper...

gotmead.com

 

[BSamp95]

Usually a sign of yeast stress. Not enough nutrients, temperature, etc.

I've read that copper can help.

Using Copper to get rid of Sulfur (possible to use too much?)

This is building off of the other thread I had http://www.gotmead.com/forum/showthread.php?t=18237 titled "Too Much Nutrient." The thread turned more into talking about sulfur than nutrient additions, so I figured I'd post my question about copper in a new thread. I was unable to find a copper...

gotmead.com

I've read that as well, I'm going to try it today. If it works I'll bottle it. If it doesn't work does it basically mean the batch is ruined? Or will the smell go away with age?

 

[darigoni]

Try doing a Google search on "will sulfur smell age out?" and "mead will sulfur smell age out?" The first search will give you some advice and experience from beer brewers.

Looks like it will eventually age out. One person noted that it took a couple of months. I also read that you should not bottle it until the small is gone, as it could trap the smell. So, you may want to age in a carboy or glass jug.

 

[Chevette Girl]

In my experience, sulphur odours usually age out or can be splash-racked or treated with copper (I use a length of copper water pipe, if you use an American penny it needs to be made in 1982 or earlier to have sufficient copper content, if I recall correctly from my research the last time I had to deal with it), but if it smells and tastes like rubber, you're probably stuck with it. Can you tell if it's a flavour or just an odour?

I have one batch with a diesel aroma that developed after bottling, and it goes away in a few hours if I take a glass worth out of the bottle, shake the rest up and pump the air out about six times with my VacuVin wine preservation system (which sounds more complicated than it is, it looks like a taster's cork but it's got a one-way valve and a little pump thing you use to draw the air out of your half-finished bottle of wine so it doesn't spoil, I don't drink much wine and don't generally have oxidation problems with mead so it gets used on the diesel batch).

 

[BSamp95]

In my experience, sulphur odours usually age out or can be splash-racked or treated with copper (I use a length of copper water pipe, if you use an American penny it needs to be made in 1982 or earlier to have sufficient copper content, if I recall correctly from my research the last time I had to deal with it), but if it smells and tastes like rubber, you're probably stuck with it. Can you tell if it's a flavour or just an odour?

I have one batch with a diesel aroma that developed after bottling, and it goes away in a few hours if I take a glass worth out of the bottle, shake the rest up and pump the air out about six times with my VacuVin wine preservation system (which sounds more complicated than it is, it looks like a taster's cork but it's got a one-way valve and a little pump thing you use to draw the air out of your half-finished bottle of wine so it doesn't spoil, I don't drink much wine and don't generally have oxidation problems with mead so it gets used on the diesel batch).

I plan on using copper this evening when I can keep an eye on it, and I haven't tasted it yet. Not really a rubbery scent. I'll be trying the copper and tasting it tonight.

 

[BSamp95]

Okay so, copper didn't seem to work. So either it wasn't REAL copper, orrrr I'm not sure. Is this even safe to drink if it smells like it has Hydrogen Sulfide in it?

 

[jjhodge3]

Hi, I know yall want recipes so here's that first...
1 Gallon water
2Ibs Churchill Farms Pure Honey
2 cups Fresh Blackberries
1 pack of Craft a Brew yeast
All three days worth of Craft a Brew yeast nutrients.

I am at week four of fermentation.

I just started cold crashing this brew yesterday, and noticed an odor once I took the airlock off. So, I did some research and from what I can describe it's a sulfuric smell. Which indicates hydrogen sulfide... I read a lot of posts saying splash racking should work to get rid of a minor amount of hydrogen sulfide.... but it didn't seem to do the trick. I have de-gassed this batch a total of four times (which is more than the original recipe called for). I don't know where I went wrong or what I can do to fix it, because I planned on bottling after cold crashing for three days but the odor makes me not want to bottle.

BSamp,
I have had this happen as well and read to stir the mead with copper. Maybe take a sample and try it on small scale. I would open it occasionally and give it a stir. Hope this helps. It helped with mine.