metallic flavor

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thomasben

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Brewed an esb and a Belgian pale fermented on chimay yeast...first few weeks the beer tasted great...now it taste metallic...any ideas. I keg by the way
 
Palmer has a handy page

Metallic flavors are usually caused by unprotected metals dissolving into the wort but can also be caused by the hydrolysis of lipids in poorly stored malts. Iron and aluminum can cause metallic flavors leaching into the wort during the boil. The small amount could be considered to be nutritional if it weren't for the bad taste. Nicks and cracks ceramic coated steel pots are a common cause as are high iron levels in well water. Stainless steel pots will not contribute any metallic flavors. Aluminum pots usually won't cause metallic flavors unless the brewing water is alkaline with a pH level greater than 9. Shiny new aluminum pots will sometimes turn black when boiling water due to chlorine and carbonates in the water.

The protective (grayish) oxides of aluminum can be enhanced by heating the clean pot in a dry oven at 250°F for about 6 hours.
 
I had a Doppelbock that had a metallic taste to it prior to lagering. All it needed was time and now it tastes great.
 
I had the exact same thing...it turned out to be my water. Now I use RO with CaCl added. It made all the difference. Otherwise I'd have given up. Maybe post a sample of your water to the brewing science forum.
 
Oregon does have good brewing water but that does not necessarily mean your water is great.

Where in oregon are you? Your city water could come from a number of sources.

There is also potential for issues inside the home - e.g. copper and galvanized plumbed together w/o a dielectric junction.
 
I had a couple brews that had a strong metallic taste when I first sampled them (after about 2 - 3 weeks in the keg). I put the kegs aside, and let them rest for another 6 weeks by which time the taste had completely gone. Both brews used Wy1028, but I had used that yeast many other times without this problem.

-a.

P.S. I also had the problem once when I was using an enameled pot where the enamel had got chipped. That time the taste did not go away, but it did give me the excuse I needed to buy a new kettle.
 
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