I'm gathering this is just the way it is lol, Stinky-Pew For the Win!
i went back and asked my neighbor about the smell and he told me that all the aloe he's used for his skin always had that smell too. live and learn i guess =P
i still wonder how ppl can stomach aloe smoothies down here LOL. even before i knew that aloe is stinky-pew it just didn't sound like a good idea =)

The ones that I've used for burns have an odor but IMO they don't stink...it is not a bad odor. It could be a difference in varieties or in noses!

It also could be caused by rot. Just check it over very well. Norma

I'm with Norma - it's a problem with the plant or (and I hope this is the case) the soil's too water-retentive. A more porous soil will tell, I think.

Well, one way or another we'll find out. Like i said i chopped up the whole mother and threw it aside. i kept the main root stub cause it was pushin a cute lil pup and i figured it was just as good a base as any for a plant (no signs of rot or stink that i could see). but i also have two other 7 or 8" starters from the same mother in separate pots as well. all nice and tender with fresh soil so . ..
i haven't had contact with an aloe since i was a kid, and i never really knew anything beyond the sunburn/wound home remedy stuff anyhow. . . but neither myself nor my gf nor her mother think they should have a odor that strong. one way or another we'll find out =P
I'll keep you posted =)

I agree with paraclesus. The yellow sap found in the skin of the aloe is what smells like a bag of "rotton potatoes and sour onions." In my experience, a majority of the aloes have that particular smell. It is only the yellow sap that smells though. Once it stops flowing, you can use the inner gel without worrying about the smell.

So glad i found this post. I JUST ran into the same problem. I received my first aloe plant ever from a friend. I decided to plant it in organic soil so i thought that the aloe was having some kind of reaction to it. Whew! So glad it's normal but it still stinks.