Strange aroma

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Nephron

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I made a "Munich Helles" lager (Brewing Classic Styles, p. 52), using a temp-controlled refrigerator for the first time. I oxygenated with a bubble stone x 1 min before adding yeast, then no air or sloshing at any later time. It bubbled at 1d (55 F), and by 6 days down to 3 bubbles per minute. So much sulfur that nose stung when smelling at the trap (Saflager S-23), but that tapered off by the time primary fermentation ended.

At 6 and 8 days the SG was 1.009 (down from 1.053) so started 2 days of diacetyl rest (60 F). Moved to second carboy at 54 F, lowered temp daily by 2 F until at 45 F, and stayed there for 60 days.

While lagering, there was a hint of apple scent (not "green apple" but very subtle). But when I bottled (SG 1.004) the aroma was extremely similar to mineral spirits! Tasted fine, but what's with the smell?

I can't find online remarks about smells of turpentine or mineral spirits. Wife said it was fine (but she had Covid at the time, and couldn't smell anything).

This is the clearest beer and the greatest attenuation I've ever had. If this is a colossal fail, what did I do wrong? Will this smell go away during bottle conditioning, or is that too much to hope?
 
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I am bot a lager guy, but there are many here who will help in any way that they can
 
Same as Craig,
Hope the others chime in as it would be interesting to know.
One day, I'll do a lager
 
I'm only an occasional lager brewer (not necessarily saying that this is a "lager" issue) and I've never had the problem you are describing, but I have found that most off-flavors that I have encountered can be traced back to the yeast and fermentation. I usually pitched too little yeast, pitched at the wrong temp, held it at the wrong temp during active fermentation...etc. etc.

But...

Here's another theory from someone who knows a lot more about brewing than me. From the "Common Off Flavors" section of John Palmer's How to Brew:

Solvent-like
This group of flavors is very similar to the alcohol and ester flavors, but are harsher to the tongue. These flavors often result from a combination of high fermentation temperatures and oxidation. They can also be leached from cheap plastic brewing equipment or if PVC tubing is used as a lautering manifold material. The solvents in some plastics like PVC can be leached by high temperatures.
 
Northern Brewer e mailed a flyer with a "Mexican Lager" sale going on. I pushed the buy me button. I have never brewed a lager before, I will see how this one goes soon.
 
First off, congrats on brewing a lager. The first couple can be challenging, especially if they don't turn out really well.

I mostly brew lagers and have tried many different yeasts, by far S23 is the worst lager yeast I ever tried. I know a lot of people like it, but not me. I hate it.

The sulfur production is normal, but it should not be excessive. Excessive sulfur production is a sign of the yeast be slightly stressed. It's not a big deal most times since the sulfur will dissipate with time. The fruitiness is characteristic of that yeast and it can be excessive with S23. That is most common complaint about it. I have tried that yeast a half dozen beers over the years and I can't say any turned out well. The last beer I made was an American Lager fermented under pressure. The beer had a very strong metallic flavor, over whelming actually. There was not good reason for it, but the beer was awful. In your case, I suspect that the yeast does what it always does and produces a butt load of esters, those esters can come out as fruit. But I suspect with different levels of different esters, it may be possible to create an aroma that is hard to put your finger on. About the only thing you can do at this point would be to let it set and see if it improves with time.

Next time, brew the same beer but change to the yeast to Fermentis 34/70 dry yeast. It's a work horse and very forgiving. Don't be afraid to pitch 3 packets into a 5 gallon batch, heck 4 packs wouldn't be too much, it will reduce sulfur and speed up the fermentation. When you pitch dry yeast directly, there is no need for oxygen. The only time you need oxygen with dry yeast is if you build it up with a starter or are re-pitching from a previous batch. 34/70 sometimes can produce a very mild lemon character, but it's usually muted.

Remember, dumping beer is alcohol abuse. Don't abuse alcohol!

Brew on!
 
I'd say Equipment and Yeast are the most likely suspects. As @HighVoltageMan! stated above, time will tell.
I've had success with 34/70, Diamond Lager yeast, and most recently I've been using and liking Apex Munich Lager Yeast.
Cheers,
Brian
 
HighVoltageMan! said:
First off, congrats on brewing a lager. The first couple can be challenging, especially if they don't turn out really well.

I mostly brew lagers and have tried many different yeasts, by far S23 is the worst lager yeast I ever tried. I know a lot of people like it, but not me. I hate it.

The sulfur production is normal, but it should not be excessive. Excessive sulfur production is a sign of the yeast be slightly stressed. It's not a big deal most times since the sulfur will dissipate with time. The fruitiness is characteristic of that yeast and it can be excessive with S23. That is most common complaint about it. I have tried that yeast a half dozen beers over the years and I can't say any turned out well. The last beer I made was an American Lager fermented under pressure. The beer had a very strong metallic flavor, over whelming actually. There was not good reason for it, but the beer was awful. In your case, I suspect that the yeast does what it always does and produces a butt load of esters, those esters can come out as fruit. But I suspect with different levels of different esters, it may be possible to create an aroma that is hard to put your finger on. About the only thing you can do at this point would be to let it set and see if it improves with time.

Next time, brew the same beer but change to the yeast to Fermentis 34/70 dry yeast. It's a work horse and very forgiving. Don't be afraid to pitch 3 packets into a 5 gallon batch, heck 4 packs wouldn't be too much, it will reduce sulfur and speed up the fermentation. When you pitch dry yeast directly, there is no need for oxygen. The only time you need oxygen with dry yeast is if you build it up with a starter or are re-pitching from a previous batch. 34/70 sometimes can produce a very mild lemon character, but it's usually muted.

Remember, dumping beer is alcohol abuse. Don't abuse alcohol!

Brew on!
Click to expand...
I used 4, and it took right off.
I have only done one lager, (and I loved it), but I asked a crapload of questions from anyone that would listen and answer.
I was told by multiple sources to watch my pitch temp. I did. I let the fermenter sit in the refrigerator for about 3 hours before I pitched the yeast. The liquid was probably in the low 60s. I was told to do my D Rest when the krausen started to fall. I actually ramped up the temps around day 4 because the damn thing fermented like a beast with the 4 packs of 34/70.
I was told by multiple sources to use 34/70. It was a good choice.
I did get a little sulfur on the nose when I kegged, but it wasn't bad. I damn near cried when the keg kicked last weekend.
 
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