Mahanoy
Active Member
Hi all,
I just cracked open the first bottle of a Lavender Wit I brewed a few weeks ago and it reeks. It smelled bad during fermentation but I noticed some other folks having similar issues who reported that the smell had faded by the time it was done carbing. Not this one.
It's a standard Belgian wit with a half ounce of lavender in addition to the bitter orange peel and coriander. I can best describe the smell as something like old deli ham soaking in orange juice that's gone bad. The odd thing is that it tastes just fine, but the smell is pretty awful when it first hits the nose.
I'm wondering if this is a yeast issue or maybe something with the lavender. Anyone ever brewed with lavender before and had similar results? Or brewed with Wyeast's Belgian Wit yeast and had something like this happen?
I'm fine with it this way as long as it tastes good, but obviously it's not ideal and it's not one I'm likely to share with anyone. Maybe it'll clear up if I leave it alone for a few more weeks, but I'm a little worried that something was off in the process. I was careful about cleanliness and sanitation and had no problems with fermentation, so I don't think I have an infection. At this point I'm narrowing it down to the yeast or the lavender.
Any thoughts?
I just cracked open the first bottle of a Lavender Wit I brewed a few weeks ago and it reeks. It smelled bad during fermentation but I noticed some other folks having similar issues who reported that the smell had faded by the time it was done carbing. Not this one.
It's a standard Belgian wit with a half ounce of lavender in addition to the bitter orange peel and coriander. I can best describe the smell as something like old deli ham soaking in orange juice that's gone bad. The odd thing is that it tastes just fine, but the smell is pretty awful when it first hits the nose.
I'm wondering if this is a yeast issue or maybe something with the lavender. Anyone ever brewed with lavender before and had similar results? Or brewed with Wyeast's Belgian Wit yeast and had something like this happen?
I'm fine with it this way as long as it tastes good, but obviously it's not ideal and it's not one I'm likely to share with anyone. Maybe it'll clear up if I leave it alone for a few more weeks, but I'm a little worried that something was off in the process. I was careful about cleanliness and sanitation and had no problems with fermentation, so I don't think I have an infection. At this point I'm narrowing it down to the yeast or the lavender.
Any thoughts?