Alcohol is created during fermentation. When the sourdough starter isn't fed often enough or feedings are skipped, it is common for an alcohol odor to develop. Also, you have to keep in mind that starters are more than just a simple mixture of water and flour. 'vgo':visitorGlobalObjectAlias;var visitorObject=window[vgoAlias];if(email&&typeof visitorObject!=='undefined'){visitorObject('setEmail',email);visitorObject('update');}else if(typeof(trackcmp_url)!='undefined'&&trackcmp_url){_load_script(trackcmp_url);} That said, I don't usually get a strong alcohol smell when I first create a starter, it usually happens over a longer period and especially if I haven't fed it well. Can I use my sourdough starter if it smells like alcohol? Another study found that sourdough bread was more effective than white bread at reducing inflammation in the gut. This is actually a pretty common thing to face as there is actually a good reason on why such a thing happens in the first place. How do you fix a sourdough starter that smells like alcohol? To correct an existing alcohol odor problem, you can sweeten your starter by taking 8 ounces (1 cup) of your sourdough starter and mix it with 4 ounces of flour (half a cup) and 4 ounces of water. If your dough is too warm, yeast will burn through sugars during the first rise. var _removed=false;var form_to_submit=document.getElementById('_form_8_');var allInputs=form_to_submit.querySelectorAll('input, select, textarea'),tooltips=[],submitted=false;var getUrlParam=function(name){var params=new URLSearchParams(window.location.search);return params.get(name)||false;};for(var i=0;i