Metalic tasting irish red

markgrueninger · Jan 4, 2012

Did a holiday batch of Irish red and the brewing process went well, fermentation was good, and no underlying troubles with bottling. However, the finished product has a distinct metallic tinge to it. Any thoughts?

NordeastBrewer77 · Jan 4, 2012

could be water. could be a new brew kettle that wasn't oxidized before brewing. could be yeast. could be a lot of things. recipe, process, times, temps, yeast strain, etc. would help us figure it out for you.

3sheetsEMJ · Jan 4, 2012

I keg now but back when i used to bottle i had a few batches with a metallic taste, one time i also got a plastic off flavor. I never figured out what it was from but thought it might have been from the bottle caps themselves. Honestly ive never experienced that same flavor from a keg. Where do u get your caps? Do you get the same kind each time you brew, and have you experienced this off flavor before?

SoonerDoc · Jan 4, 2012

I had a metallic taste that (I believe) I tracked down to over-carbonation (I keg). How's the carbonation in your bottles?

3sheetsEMJ · Jan 4, 2012

Could be overcarbed, I agree. That does give it a tinny taste sometimes. Heres a graph for recommended carbonation levels, its a great reference...

http://www.kegerators.com/articles/carbonation-table-pressure-chart.php

Hanso · Jan 4, 2012

I had this with my first ever batch and never again experienced it. Was super nervous my 2nd batch would be the same.

I did not keg. I pitched dry yeast without rehydrating and also pitched near 80 degrees. Yikes. Looking back my guess is the way I treated the yeast was the cause. The metallic bite cooled down and mellowed out over the course of a few months in the bottles but even still, let's just say the best thing about my first batch was the fact that it was my first batch.