treating water with sodium met causing egg smells during fer

[dodsi]

As per the title, using tap water (20l) with half a teaspoon of sodium met to neutralise the chlorine. I have discovered is causing the rotton egg smell during fermentation. Usually I would use bottled spring water and not have this issue but I had not picked any up and was trying to cut a corner. Temperatures are fine.

Cautionary tale to you fellow brewers is that this can be a cause of egg smells if you use any sodium met based products like Campden to treat water.

Question is will there be any ongoing ill effects on my brew allowing for a couple of months conditioning in bottles or keg.

THANKS

 

[alanywiseman.]

I have not experienced this. I use about a 1/4 campden tablet per 20L water.

1/2tsp Na Metabisilphate sounds like a lot to just treat the water.

 

[pittsy]

i would bet it's the yeast rather than the sodium with the smell

 

[wilsoa1111]

agreed campden tablets alone dont do it, and smell will defo dissipate given time- why lagers are lagered- my new belgian yeast 3787 was giving off a bit of sulphur at start but completely gone now- espicially with it painting the ceiling (damn airlocks clogging)

 

[dodsi]

Its definitely not the yeast - that is safale s04 and with spring water I end up with no real smell unless you put your nose to the airlock and you only get an appley fresh brewing smell.

Bit of digging around on this new fangled Internet thing showed up plenty of evidence around sodium met causing this issue and water treatment etc so using spring water really is just the best and easiest solution.

Have done 2 brews in this way in the last week one is a lions prride and one a wherry. Both kits I have done previously but using spring water and neither had the same issue - both of the current ones do. Spring water costs only a couplw of quid and improves the brew and resolves all water treatment issues... so why not?

 

[rpt]

I use 1/2 Campden tablet in 23L water and have not noticed a sulphur smell.

BTW, where do you get 23L of spring water for £2?

 

[mabrungard]

How much copper metal is there in your brewing system? Copper contact with wort during either mashing or boiling will dissolve some copper into the wort. The copper is useful in complexing with sulfides from the wort, removing them from the equation. If it continues, you might consider dropping a short length of copper tubing into the kettle so that it can supply some dissolved copper to the wort.

 

[dodsi]

My brewing system consists of 2 budget kettles, a plastic paddle and a fv.

I do not have space for an AG setup or appropriate place to do a BIAB boil I just want to get the best out of a kit brew.

 

[alanywiseman.]

My only other suggestion is stressed yeast but I have seen this much more in wine than in beer.

 

[dodsi]

yes, stressed yeast is another viable option - i only have not considered it this as I have done the same before but using spring water in the same temperatures with the same type of yeast and not had the same issue.

However, is the popular opinion that there will be a long term effect on the beer or not?

 

[pittsy]

i would say it should be ok , a few weeks in bottle usually sorts it.

 

[EskiBrew]

Short answer - it will probably not affect the beer.

Long answer

I've not noticed the same effect but we each have different things in our water which might react a bit differently so we may get different smells. I notice that Aleman mentions "Burton Snatch" in this post.

He also goes on in this post to say that:

As for using the powder it is easy, 100g in 1Litre gives you a 10% solution. . . . 5ml of the 10% solution is the same as 1 campden tablet

Which sounds far from easy to me but there you go :?

Anyway, the question perhaps is, are you over dosing with sodium met and therefore causing the yeast to metabolise it and create the sulphur smell? - I don't know. You are putting 1/2 a teaspoon into 20 litres. Is that the same ratio as 5ml of a solution that has 100g in 1 litre?

 

[pittsy]

i think the dose to use is more like a quarter of a tablet (although i use a half , i was reading the other day and it's a very small amount , it was in ppm