dsaavedra
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I just set up my keezer with 4 brand new stainless steel Intertap flow control faucets, with the stainless steel shank and tailpiece also from Intertap. I currently have 2 beers on tap, which I previously had on tap on my picnic tap setup - no metallic taste there so I know it is not due to anything in the brewing process.
I've only had the taps set up for 3 days so I haven't had a whole lot of time to experiment with pouring from them (you can only handle so many "test pours" in one sitting ) but what I'm experiencing seems to be a big spurt of foam on the first pour (I'm guessing because the faucet is warm) and a metallic, astringent taste in the beer. This seems to go away on the second pour, plus I've adjusted the flow control to get less foam on the pour.
What I'm wondering is if this can be caused by the Intertap faucets? They are supposedly all stainless steel so I wouldn't think they would impart any metallic flavor. Has anyone experience this before?
I have a few working theories:
1. Metallic taste is from the few ounces of beer sitting in faucets for an extended time - maybe the faucets just need to "break in"... I didn't do much in the way of cleaning them initially aside from running about a gallon of watered down starsan through each so its possible there could be some manufacturing residue inside.
2. The excessive foaming is from the faucets being warm (I also noticed the inside of the faucets are a little rough, not perfectly smooth like I would have expected). Since the foam is mostly CO2, which can have a metallic bite, I may be experiencing that. I don't think this is the case though as the metallic taste is not like any carbonic bite I've experienced, it states like straight up loose change but not super intense.
3. My CO2 tank feel like its close to being empty. Can the CO2 towards the end of the tank impart a metallic taste for some weird reason?
4. I'm just overthinking it and making all this up because I tend to obsess and worry over things.
Any ideas or similar experiences? Here are a few details on my setup:
I've only had the taps set up for 3 days so I haven't had a whole lot of time to experiment with pouring from them (you can only handle so many "test pours" in one sitting ) but what I'm experiencing seems to be a big spurt of foam on the first pour (I'm guessing because the faucet is warm) and a metallic, astringent taste in the beer. This seems to go away on the second pour, plus I've adjusted the flow control to get less foam on the pour.
What I'm wondering is if this can be caused by the Intertap faucets? They are supposedly all stainless steel so I wouldn't think they would impart any metallic flavor. Has anyone experience this before?
I have a few working theories:
1. Metallic taste is from the few ounces of beer sitting in faucets for an extended time - maybe the faucets just need to "break in"... I didn't do much in the way of cleaning them initially aside from running about a gallon of watered down starsan through each so its possible there could be some manufacturing residue inside.
2. The excessive foaming is from the faucets being warm (I also noticed the inside of the faucets are a little rough, not perfectly smooth like I would have expected). Since the foam is mostly CO2, which can have a metallic bite, I may be experiencing that. I don't think this is the case though as the metallic taste is not like any carbonic bite I've experienced, it states like straight up loose change but not super intense.
3. My CO2 tank feel like its close to being empty. Can the CO2 towards the end of the tank impart a metallic taste for some weird reason?
4. I'm just overthinking it and making all this up because I tend to obsess and worry over things.
Any ideas or similar experiences? Here are a few details on my setup:
- Keezer set to 37°F with fan mounted on inside of lid blowing straight down to circulate air, 1" foam insulation around the wood collar
- Kegs were new when I bought them but have had a couple batches run through them
- ~4 feet of 3/16" Bevlex vinyl tubing that I've been using without issue with my picnic tap setup
- 12 psi on the regulator
- Stainless steel tailpieces, shanks, and faucets.
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