Riddle me this

[smAllGrain]

Brewed 8 Gallons of a Blonde Ale & Fermented 4Gals with Wyeast 1469 (no starter) & the other 4Gals fermented with a Belgian yeast I harvested from a Bottle (local brewery). At first the Belgian was awesome, then the esters faded & now it taste like sucking on a penny. The Blonde with 1469 taste great still. Whats up with the Belgian? 10Gal SS Pot, same bottle caps, Fermented in plastic carboys, bottled on the same day, ect....

 

[smAllGrain]

bueller?....

 

[55x11]

Brewed 8 Gallons of a Blonde Ale & Fermented 4Gals with Wyeast 1469 (no starter) & the other 4Gals fermented with a Belgian yeast I harvested from a Bottle (local brewery). At first the Belgian was awesome, then the esters faded & now it taste like sucking on a penny. The Blonde with 1469 taste great still. Whats up with the Belgian? 10Gal SS Pot, same bottle caps, Fermented in plastic carboys, bottled on the same day, ect....

how long ago did you brew/bottle?
Are you sure Belgian yeast strain in the bottle is the same used in fermentation? Sometimes breweries filter/pasteurize and add different strain for carbonation.

"Sucking on a penny" - metallic taste (?) - infection?

 

[smAllGrain]

how long ago did you brew/bottle?
Are you sure Belgian yeast strain in the bottle is the same used in fermentation? Sometimes breweries filter/pasteurize and add different strain for carbonation.

"Sucking on a penny" - metallic taste (?) - infection?

Brewed at least a few months ago, then bottle after three weeks. (sorry dont have my notes close).

I am confident it was a Belgian strain. I have confirmation from the brewery

I would def say it has a metallic taste. just find it interesting that only now after a few months its there. The other 4Gals is fine

Tried researching this & only thing I found that gives the metallic taste is due to the brew pot

 

[55x11]

Brewed at least a few months ago, then bottle after three weeks. (sorry dont have my notes close).

I am confident it was a Belgian strain. I have confirmation from the brewery

I would def say it has a metallic taste. just find it interesting that only now after a few months its there. The other 4Gals is fine

Tried researching this & only thing I found that gives the metallic taste is due to the brew pot

My guess would be an oxidation, or perhaps an infection. It happens.

 

[Cyclman]

I also don't like beers fermented from dregs. It is a multiple step process that has to be done right, and can have infection issues. My guess is unhealthy yeast.

 

[smAllGrain]

I also don't like beers fermented from dregs. It is a multiple step process that has to be done right, and can have infection issues. My guess is unhealthy yeast.

I was wondering if that might be the issue. The yeast came from a higher AVB beer.... I washed the yeast after fermentation. Do you think that yeast might be unhealthy too? Guess I could brew a small batch & see if the same thing happens

 

[MileHighBrewer]

How high abv? Good chance you used some very stressed out yeast. Oxidation may cause copper penny like flavors, too, but if the other beers fine I am going with yeast issues. Sit on em a bit longer, see what happens?

 

[smAllGrain]

How high abv? Good chance you used some very stressed out yeast. Oxidation may cause copper penny like flavors, too, but if the other beers fine I am going with yeast issues. Sit on em a bit longer, see what happens?

8% ABV.... I knew it was a risk but it was my first time harvesting from a bottle and I really wanted that yeast. At least it was good for the first couple of months

I will prob sit on a few bottles and see what happens. Will prob just dump the four jars of washed yeast I have. Not a big fan of that metallic taste

 

[IslandLizard]

Brew a small batch (say 3/4 gallon) with some of the washed yeast. Just make some extra wort in your next mash. Not much to lose, lots to gain.

 

[smAllGrain]

Well, 6ish months later and the "Penny" taste is fading but still present.... When do I dump it?

 

[oceanic_brew]

My bet is stressed out yeast.

I'm still not 100% sure how to tell if a starter kicked off or not but I had all of my washed yeast freeze a bit and tried using it anyway. I tried monitoring the starter to see if I could notice activity but it seemed pretty dull.

I made two smash beers with the starters and both came out really cloudy, stuck fermentations, with a metallic taste and as you say "sucking on a penny" yeah! That's the flavor.

They both aged into delicious beers, I can still notice the flavor because I've been monitoring it's dissipation. I still can't completely enjoy the beers because i'm too mindful of the struggling yeast, but I happily give these away to guests and they love it's simplicity after a good smash beer explanation.

 

[oceanic_brew]

So feed them to someone else I say!