Sulfur-like

[Hood2031]

Hello all,
I am on my second day of fermentation using a California Ale Style yeast and I am smelling rotten eggs out of the blow tube... Is this beer salvagable? Thanks again.

[Triple Freak]

Certain strains throw off sulfur when fermenting. Don't sweat it, your beer is fine.

[brewmonkey]

This is a byproduct of your yeast, and will be found in a good number of lager strains, so no worries. It will condition out when you transfer the beer to secondary/package.

[rougetrout]

Some yeast reduce sulfer when they are fermented at too high a temperature, too high of an oxygen concentration, or too high of a pitch rate. They utilize Sulfer as a terminal electron acceptor to create energy. These compounds, mostly H2S are very liable so they will disappate quickly in secondary but are trapped in the bottle!

[Hood2031]

Would it be prudent to rack the beer into a secondary vessel prior to bottling in order to reduce the sulfur derivatives in the final beer? Thanks for all of the help.

[rougetrout]

That would be my suggestion, a couple of weeks in secondary would help prior to packaging!

[brewmonkey]

Yes, you should rack to secondary. In fact you should always move a beer to secondary, even your wheat beers.