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Author Topic: Metallic Tasting Beer  (Read 4035 times)

Offline mickeymoondawg

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Metallic Tasting Beer
« on: February 02, 2017, 09:29:00 am »
I brewed an all-grain Irish Red Ale from a kit purchased from homebrewing.org (Adventures in Homebrewing) on Sunday 1/8/2017.
I Brewed in a Bag (BIAB) with my grain mashing at 152 degrees for 60 minutes in a 10 gallon igloo round cooler. I stirred the grain initially and then every 15 minutes throughout the mash process for a total of 5 times (0, 15, 30, 45, 60 minutes).
I then placed the bag in another 10 gallon round igloo cooler with a calculated volume of water at 152 degrees for 30 minutes and stirred it initially then  every 10 minutes for a total of 4 times (0, 10, 20, 30 minutes).
I then combined the first runnings and the second runnings and boiled the wort for 60 minutes adding my hops intitially, at 45, and at 5 minutes. This was done in a 10 gallon brew kettle from SsBrewtech.
I cooled quickly with a clean copper immersion chiller to ~68 degrees.
I ran the wort through a plastic funnel with plastic screen into the fermenter and pitched my yeast. I areated the wort prior to and after pitching the yeast.
The beer fermented for 2 weeks in my conical fastfermenter. I emptied the trub after 6 days and the yeast after the tenth day.
I kegged the beer after 2 weeks in a cornelius keg and unintentionally over-pressurized at 30 psi for 9 days.
I also added unflavored gelatin dissolved in a cup of hot water to the keg to clarify the beer. I added the gelatin 5 days after kegging.
For the past 2 days, I have been bleeding of the excess pressure to bring the pressure to ~11-12 psi so I can drink the beer this Saturday without the beer being over-carbonated and all foam.
Last night I tasted the beer after pouring off 2 pints that contained the gelatin etc.
The beer tasted metallic....... drinkable, but not very good. The OG, FG, and ABV all came very close to what the directions indicated. Fermentation went smoothly.
I read in John Palmer's brewing book that unprotected metals can impact a metallic taste.
I did not use any metals in my brew process except good quality stainless steel which isn't suppose to give off any tastes.
I also feel I was very clean and used StarSan when needed.
This is my first all-grain brew and am a little disappointed.
Anyone have any suggestions on what I did wrong?
Thanks very much.

Offline Phil_M

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Re: Metallic Tasting Beer
« Reply #1 on: February 02, 2017, 09:41:16 am »
Is there any rust in the keg? I had a patch of rust inside a dip tube once, dumped several batches of beer before I found it.

Some malt flavors also seem to register as metallic to some. Once upon a time, Newcastle Brown and Guinness used to have a metallic taste to me. Now, it's more of a dark caramely flavor.
Corn is a fine adjunct in beer.

And don't buy stale beer.

Offline stpug

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Re: Metallic Tasting Beer
« Reply #2 on: February 02, 2017, 09:42:03 am »
Iron content of the brewing water may play a factor. Without knowing anything about the water, this is a possibility.

Excessive co2 dissolved in solution can come across as slightly metallic and astringent.  Your keg was WELL overcarbed, so I would not be surprised to have some negative effects from this (astringency for sure, possibly some light metallic qualities).  Overcarbed kegs are a pain to recover from.  It generally takes letting the beer come back to room temp; venting excess pressure during this "warming period" and after it's reached room temp;  and when you finally reach a minimal carbonation level then you can rechill and carb up again.

Offline bjanat

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Re: Metallic Tasting Beer
« Reply #3 on: February 02, 2017, 09:50:01 am »
Which yeast?


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Offline Philbrew

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Re: Metallic Tasting Beer
« Reply #4 on: February 02, 2017, 10:57:48 am »
I'd bet stpug is on the right track.  Minerals/metals in the water combined with over carbonation.
Many of us would be on a strict liquid diet if it weren't for pretzels.

The Beerery

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Re: Metallic Tasting Beer
« Reply #5 on: February 02, 2017, 11:00:16 am »
Chloramine/chlorine?

Offline Stevie

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Re: Metallic Tasting Beer
« Reply #6 on: February 02, 2017, 11:01:59 am »
I agree with over carb

Offline erockrph

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Re: Metallic Tasting Beer
« Reply #7 on: February 02, 2017, 11:02:36 am »
What hops? I pick up a metallic taste from Nugget as a bittering hop on occasion.
Eric B.

Finally got around to starting a homebrewing blog: The Hop Whisperer

Offline Philbrew

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Re: Metallic Tasting Beer
« Reply #8 on: February 02, 2017, 11:03:20 am »
Chloramine/chlorine?
That could be a "BINGO".
Many of us would be on a strict liquid diet if it weren't for pretzels.

Offline klickitat jim

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Re: Metallic Tasting Beer
« Reply #9 on: February 02, 2017, 12:13:20 pm »
If you have the means, what is the pH of the beer in the glass?

If you don't have a meter, try a tiny amount of baking soda (like about 1/8 teaspoon in a half pint) and see if that removes the off flavor. If it does your ph may be too high.
« Last Edit: February 02, 2017, 12:15:40 pm by klickitat jim »

Offline BrewWright

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Re: Metallic Tasting Beer
« Reply #10 on: February 02, 2017, 08:36:44 pm »
I agree with pH issues,  however if you didn't clean your copper wart chiller prior to its very first use it could add to the metal flavor.   Oils from manufacturer.

Offline mickeymoondawg

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Re: Metallic Tasting Beer
« Reply #11 on: February 02, 2017, 09:01:02 pm »
Thanks to everyone that has helped me on this issue.

I have been releasing pressure frequently since I posted. I ran a glass out tonight and it was still all foam. After the foam settled, I had ~ 25% of the glass in beer. It tasted the same, although my wife thought it wasn't as bad as I had indicated to her. I will take keg out of fridge tonight and bring to room temp while frequently releasing pressure. Looks like I won't be drinking this beer this weekend!

I inspected the keg well before kegging and there was no rust.

I used White Labs WLP004 Irish Ale fast pitch liquid yeast. I did not perform a yeast starter.

I added a total of 2.0 ounces of EK Goldings 4.75% Alpha Acid hops to the wort during the boil.

I will test the beer's pH when I pour another sample and add baking soda to see the effects on taste.

I did not clean my new homemade wort chiller prior to use. I suspect this may be the culprit.

In the meantime, I will get a water analysis report from our local water department.

Tomorrow I will keg the Bell's Two Hearted Ale clone I brewed 2 weeks ago and pressurize at 11 psi for 2 weeks minimum before tasting.

Saturday I will brew Bell's Best Brown Ale clone.

Again, I greatly appreciate all the responses you have given this rookie.

I will reply again as I release pressure etc.

Offline satchman

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Re: Metallic Tasting Beer
« Reply #12 on: February 04, 2017, 11:53:38 am »
Chloramine/chlorine?
That could be a "BINGO".
I used to have a metallic taste in some beers, it stopped when I started using a charcoal filter and running the water through very slowly, about a half hour for 8 gallons.

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Offline mickeymoondawg

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Re: Metallic Tasting Beer
« Reply #13 on: February 06, 2017, 12:44:45 pm »
Great News !!!

After releasing pressure over 4 days and re-pressurizing to 11 psi, the beer's metallic taste disappeared. It actually isn't to bad.

The beer's pH was 4.45.

I tested my mash pH on the Bell's Best Brown clone I brewed on Saturday and the pH was 5.23.

I still will get a water analysis of our municipal water supply.

Thanks

Offline Andor

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Re: Metallic Tasting Beer
« Reply #14 on: February 06, 2017, 06:01:30 pm »
My hot water heater was well past it's prime when I moved in. I noticed when filling buckets with hot water for mash and sparse that it was reddish. Long story short we got a new hot water heater. Never noticed a flavor in the few batches I brewed though