sulphur smell from turbo yeast wash

by **zippytheclown** » Sun Dec 15, 2013 9:18 pm

A couple of days ago I put down my first TPW. I was lead to believe these take two weeks plus to finish, so I put down a turbo wash as well. I washed out my FV with plain bleach and left to soak, as well as all my utensils, rinsed out then I followed the instructions to the letter for triple distilled turbo yeast, added carbon and waited, after watching it for 2 days, it did nothing, I stirrred it a couple of times, no result. I thought I musta killed it, maybe didn't rinse the vessel properly, so I thought "why not" and pitched some lowans in there. Couple hours later it was frothing up on top, taday it's going nuts, my airlock is going like a machine gun, but there is a very faint smell of sulphur coming out of the airlock. I pulled the lid, mix is fizzing away like mad, and a faint wiff of sulphur as well as the smell of fermented alcohol. anybody got any ideas what the smell might be, and is it worth me seeing this wash through to term or should I abort and throw it down the drain?

by **Sam.** » Sun Dec 15, 2013 9:28 pm

The sulphides will be taken out when you distill it by any copper in the vapour path :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Having said that I don't think any of my washes have smelt like sulphur before stilling... :shifty:

I do know if you run a TPW through a stainless pot with no copper in the path it stinks like shit of sulhur :puke-huge:

by **bt1** » Mon Dec 16, 2013 5:28 am

I'd have $1 bet on stressed yeast.

I know of no other method for sulphur (like) development in a wash.

bt1

by **Aussiedownunder01** » Mon Dec 16, 2013 5:37 am

I think with turbo yeast you put the carbon at the end of the ferment

by **zippytheclown** » Mon Dec 16, 2013 7:34 am

turbo you put the carbon in at the same time as the yeast, turbo clear goes in at the end of the ferment

by **zippytheclown** » Mon Dec 16, 2013 10:52 am

oh well, my keggomax reflux column just turned up in the mail so maybe I'll run the sulphur smelling wash through that to pop it's cherry, if it comes out undrinkable I can just say I was testing for leaks

by **Kimbo** » Mon Dec 16, 2013 11:08 am

How how hot was the water when you pitched your turbo yeast? I am thinking that you may have killed it.
I am also thinking that the Bakers yeast is utilizing the Neutirents which come with the turbo yeast thus giving you the smell.
The Sulfur smell is a typical Turbo odour :-B

by **zippytheclown** » Mon Dec 16, 2013 11:29 am

pitched at almost exactly 24 degs as per instructions. I figure that if it's fermenting, eventually the alcohol will kill any bad stuff, and the still will take care of the rest, column is packed with copper so sulphides should be removed

I did notice though that the temperature shot up when/after it started fermenting

by **Kimbo** » Mon Dec 16, 2013 11:39 am

zippytheclown wrote:pitched at almost exactly 24 degs as per instructions. I figure that if it's fermenting, eventually the alcohol will kill any bad stuff, and the still will take care of the rest, column is packed with copper so sulphides should be removed

I did notice though that the temperature shot up when/after it started fermenting

Ok, Your pitching temp was good, and its normal for the temp to rise during a ferment.
Maybe you had turbo lag :laughing-rolling:

by **zippytheclown** » Mon Dec 16, 2013 12:33 pm

lol, how long you been waiting to use that one?

by **Dusty_ben** » Mon Dec 16, 2013 12:46 pm

Let me know how your new still goes. Been looking at these as a fill in until I can afford a bubbler

by **OzKev** » Mon Dec 16, 2013 2:06 pm

Sulfur is normally associated with lager yeasts, but all yeast can develop it when stressed. The sulfur will clean itself up at the end of ferment, just allow it to sit a couple of extra days before using it. If the yeast is stressed which a lot of turbo yeasts normally are due to the level of nutrients packed with them, then you may develop other off flavors which wont be cleaned up and turbo yeast are known for.