goodolarchie
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I need your help folks. TL;DR is I need to make sure my new SS Brewtech BME kettle isn't contributing terrible tinny off flavors to my wort. I've tried BKF, PBW, Oxi-clean, StarSan... I'm still getting this effect.
Now for the long version!
About 2 months ago I upgraded to a 20 (really 22) gallon SS Brewtech BME kettle from a 10 gallon. It was my birthday present a couple months ago. I have brewed on it twice and both times, the wort came out with a distinctly slimy, metallic character. I can only describe the lingering mouthfeel like that you'd feel if you ate 3-4 tums and didn't drink water.
When I got the kettle, I did a hot water filled PBW soak (not cheap!) and recirculated with the whirlpool port for about an hour, then I did a rinse, and star-san soak, followed by another rinse. I did that on the morning I got the kettle because I was excited to brew a 10 gallon batch.
On brewday, I had a great single infusion mash, the hot scotchy was tasty. However I noticed after heating up my strike water in the BME that there was some "pitting" of the kettle at the bottom. This was the first time I had put heat to it, there was lots of water in the kettle (15 gallons), and I set the flame low to break it in. It looked like small dimples that would probably clean up / come out. Keep in mind, this was just from heating up strike water with a little gypsum / calcium chloride in it, nothing else in the kettle yet, it's the same water chem I do in my 10 gallon kettle. I gave it a scrub and rinse during the mash, the pitting didn't really come out. Well, time to boil, so RDWHAHB. A couple photos:
After racking for fermentation, I noticed that rainbow swirl that tells me the stainless steel might need to be passivated. More on that later.
The next day, I pull a sample of the beer (sample port on conical). I can only describe this as a flavor I hope to never taste again in my life. It was a tinny, ridiculously astringent tartness. If you ever used an old TV that had a "tint" setting, it was like a TV that had been set to all green tint, but in your mouth. Yuck. At first I thought it was a hop-burn like effect, but it's now almost 2 months later and I have a pint of the ~11IBU hefe I brewed (brew #1), I still sense that tinny flavor and slimy mouthfeel. It's not from hops, it's not from tannins or a poor mash, poor pH, etc.
I was so frustrated by this that I went back to the 10 gallon and did a small batch of a dry irish stout. It turned out fantastic, like revenge-brew great, I might enter it into a competition. Same mash, same variables, other than the kettle, malt bill, hops and volume.
So yesterday I worked up the nerve (and the need) to do another large batch of base lambic, and again my 65% pils 35% unmalted wheat mash went well, tasted right, color pH and pre-boil gravity were good. However the resultant wort was like dirty dishwater, with that same tinny metalic burn, and a bit of slimyness. I've never had my lambic turn out like that. I pitched a few cultures into the wort and will try it tomorrow, but the results I got yesterday were very disheartening, and I really think it's the kettle.
The dishworter:
What steps should I take to make sure that the kettle is not the culprit? How should I clean / passivate the SS? Any next troubleshooting steps are greatly appreciated.
Now for the long version!
About 2 months ago I upgraded to a 20 (really 22) gallon SS Brewtech BME kettle from a 10 gallon. It was my birthday present a couple months ago. I have brewed on it twice and both times, the wort came out with a distinctly slimy, metallic character. I can only describe the lingering mouthfeel like that you'd feel if you ate 3-4 tums and didn't drink water.
When I got the kettle, I did a hot water filled PBW soak (not cheap!) and recirculated with the whirlpool port for about an hour, then I did a rinse, and star-san soak, followed by another rinse. I did that on the morning I got the kettle because I was excited to brew a 10 gallon batch.
On brewday, I had a great single infusion mash, the hot scotchy was tasty. However I noticed after heating up my strike water in the BME that there was some "pitting" of the kettle at the bottom. This was the first time I had put heat to it, there was lots of water in the kettle (15 gallons), and I set the flame low to break it in. It looked like small dimples that would probably clean up / come out. Keep in mind, this was just from heating up strike water with a little gypsum / calcium chloride in it, nothing else in the kettle yet, it's the same water chem I do in my 10 gallon kettle. I gave it a scrub and rinse during the mash, the pitting didn't really come out. Well, time to boil, so RDWHAHB. A couple photos:
After racking for fermentation, I noticed that rainbow swirl that tells me the stainless steel might need to be passivated. More on that later.
The next day, I pull a sample of the beer (sample port on conical). I can only describe this as a flavor I hope to never taste again in my life. It was a tinny, ridiculously astringent tartness. If you ever used an old TV that had a "tint" setting, it was like a TV that had been set to all green tint, but in your mouth. Yuck. At first I thought it was a hop-burn like effect, but it's now almost 2 months later and I have a pint of the ~11IBU hefe I brewed (brew #1), I still sense that tinny flavor and slimy mouthfeel. It's not from hops, it's not from tannins or a poor mash, poor pH, etc.
I was so frustrated by this that I went back to the 10 gallon and did a small batch of a dry irish stout. It turned out fantastic, like revenge-brew great, I might enter it into a competition. Same mash, same variables, other than the kettle, malt bill, hops and volume.
So yesterday I worked up the nerve (and the need) to do another large batch of base lambic, and again my 65% pils 35% unmalted wheat mash went well, tasted right, color pH and pre-boil gravity were good. However the resultant wort was like dirty dishwater, with that same tinny metalic burn, and a bit of slimyness. I've never had my lambic turn out like that. I pitched a few cultures into the wort and will try it tomorrow, but the results I got yesterday were very disheartening, and I really think it's the kettle.
The dishworter:
What steps should I take to make sure that the kettle is not the culprit? How should I clean / passivate the SS? Any next troubleshooting steps are greatly appreciated.