Copper Oxide Contamination?

This is another of those "Did I Ruin My Beer" posts, but I can't find anything that matches my scenario on here.

I brewed a nutty brown ale recipe that came from this site. The reviews sounded great and the recipe looked really good (and I am sure that made by the right person it is!). The problem is that the sample taken (after 1 week primary and 2 weeks secondary) tasted awful. There is a horrible bitter taste that should not be there.

This was my first all grain attempt after 5 extract kits. All of my equipment was new and I am concerned that there might have been some contamination from the copper manifold and/or chiller. After brewing the copper was of a much different color than when it went in. I am sure that there was an oxide layer that came off in the wort. The bottom of the secondary also had a copper-ish color to it.

Does anyone have any knowledge that might let me know if this may be the problem, and also is there any reason to keep the beer?

I doubt that copper oxidation would ruin your beer, although it certainly wouldn't help much either. I would be more concerned with oils or sealant that they put on the copper to inhibit oxidation so that it stays nice and shiny in the store. Copper tubing should be thoroughly cleaned prior to the first use. After that I soak mine in a solution of 2 quarts of white vinegar and 5 gallons of water for 30 minutes to remove the oxidation. And because I am totally anal I also sanitize my chiller before using it as well.

I did clean the chiller, but not good enough it would appear. Just cleaned it with soap and water, and boiled it once before using it to make beer. The thought of processing chemicals on the copper didn't occur to me at all.

Thanks GR for the insight and the information about the vinegar. I will give that a try before my next brew!

Yeast love copper.
The FDA tested the beer from one of the micros that has a copper kettle,
probably with the intention of forcing them to switch to stainless.
When they checked the copper level there wasn't any because the yeast ate it all.
I don't think that your off flavor is copper related.

HairyDogBrewing said:

Yeast love copper.
The FDA tested the beer from one of the micros that has a copper kettle,
probably with the intention of forcing them to switch to stainless.
When they checked the copper level there wasn't any because the yeast ate it all.
I don't think that your off flavor is copper related.

Click to expand...

+1
Many people put pieces of copper in their brew pot to act as a yeast nutrient.

I would review your process and make sure you didn't do something wrong.

It could be as simple as the utilization of the hops used in a full boil as compared to a partial.

Good luck

Bull