What is that copper flavor?

[bleme]

I am completely new to brewing (in fact, my first brew day with be the 4th). I want to experiment and try a bunch of different things. However, sometimes I buy a bottle of beer and can hardly drink it because it tastes like I have a mouthful of old pennies. Can anyone tell me what causes that flavor so I can avoid it like the plague?

 

[bad67z]

If you have any examples of the beer you have tasted with the "copper flavor" it may help diagnose the flavor that is unappealing to your palette.

 

[bleme]

The most memorable was a Sierra Nevada in 1993, but I couldn't tell you which variety it was. In general, if I am only getting one beer (like at a friends or a restaurant), I will try a beer that I've never had before. If I like it, I add it to the list that I might pick up a 12-pack of. If I hate it, I move on and forget about it.

 

[bad67z]

Well I would suggest a journal of sorts, keep track of the beer that are not suited for your pallet. Then take a look at the grains and hops used to produce them to see if there is a particular item that keeps coming up.

 

[tripleOGkush]

maybe it's the hops that your tasting. that would be a shame if you didn't like that flavor though.

what beers do you like the flavor of?

 

[bleme]

I like Newcastle, Fat Tire, Sam Adams Oktoberfest, Blue Moon, Alaskan Amber, Amber Boch, Killians Red, Modelo Negro...

How do I find out what grains/hops are used in a beer?

 

[jonmohno]

Most important what beers are you getting this from exactly? Sounds like metallic or iron taste. Ive gotten this a few times before. There are plenty of great beers though.what style do you like?

 

[jbwebst]

That's exactly how a friend of mine would describe an IPA when he was first introduced to them... now he's very fond of the style. I'm going to guess that's it's something about excessive hops usage that turns you off.

I am completely new to brewing (in fact, my first brew day with be the 4th). I want to experiment and try a bunch of different things. However, sometimes I buy a bottle of beer and can hardly drink it because it tastes like I have a mouthful of old pennies. Can anyone tell me what causes that flavor so I can avoid it like the plague?

 

[passedpawn]

If Anchor Steam does that to you then it's Northern Brewer hops. I judged a flight of Cali Commons and that "copper" taste was similar among them.

 

[jtbrill632]

I'm probably way off base with this, but if you are getting this flavor with any thing else, ie. other foods or drinks. You may want to talk to a doctor. I've heard this "mouth full of pennies" sensation with people who's electrolites are out of balance.
I'm sure I'm off base but I would be remiss if I didn't mention it.

 

[Ramitt]

I like Newcastle, Fat Tire, Sam Adams Oktoberfest, Blue Moon, Alaskan Amber, Amber Boch, Killians Red, Modelo Negro...

How do I find out what grains/hops are used in a beer?

I am going to guess it is hop related.

 

[bleme]

I would tend to agree with the IPA/hop theory, but I'm definitely going to be paying more attention to what I am drinking now that I am brewing.

Are there certain hops that taste more metallic than others? Should I shift my recipes around so I am adding 1/2 ounce less hops at the start of the brew and more at the end?

BTW, I am starting out with 2 Northernbrewer extract kits; the Cream Ale (1oz Cluster) and the American Wheat (1oz Willamette/1oz Cascade).

 

[jonmohno]

According to John Palmer metallic taste are due to iron in water or poorly stored malts basically.I think alot of lagers have a basic metallicy almost aroma. I tend to think of a bland nothing ness in light lagers to seem mildly minerally or metallicy. Im willing to bet the op is misinterpreting what he is tasting.What beers are you getting this from? If you tell us i bet we could figure this out.I dont ever think ive contributed a character of metallic with hops.What about oxidation?

 

[jonmohno]

Now that he mentioned those beers i see what he is talking about,especially octoberfest beers, i have tried many this year and i would have to say i picked up on this mild metallicyness from the majority of octoberfest beers i have had.
I tend to think those beers mentioned are a bit average easy drinkers though,seek out some other beers and see about this metallic taste. Since you live in Cali,get some pliny the elder and see what happens. Cannot lose with stone and lagunitas either ,eel river is good, tdefinatly Bear Republic,and i just started trying some Humboldt Brown which is pretty nice.

 

[Blueman89]

This may sound nuts, and may not be applicable to your situation, but try wiping the bottle lip with a paper towel. The Only time I've ever tasted serious metal flavor there was a slight bit of oxidation on the glass from the cap. A little really screwed up the flavor. Now I almost always clean the lip, even when pouring into a glass.

 

[lou2row]

That must have been a memorable beer, if you remember it 19 years later, and none since.

 

[jonmohno]

Like someone else has stated(intended) " you have been diagnosed with pennymouthinitus", meaning try more better beers.

 

[bleme]

That must have been a memorable beer, if you remember it 19 years later, and none since.

Well, I wouldn't say it was the ONLY one I remember. It was just the first, so every time I've tasted that flavor since (I could count on one hand) I have related it to that one. I also didn't like the chili beer or the Jamaican beers I had that year, but at least I know what was wrong with those

 

[ReDim]

I like Newcastle, Fat Tire, Sam Adams Oktoberfest, Blue Moon, Alaskan Amber, Amber Boch, Killians Red, Modelo Negro...

How do I find out what grains/hops are used in a beer?

Copper like taste can be from certain water qualities used in a beer, my tap water has it, but after I boil it the copper taste is gone. But you are seeing in most common commercial beers then it could be you and not the beer.

A general google search "Sam Adams Oktoberfest Clone" or Sam Adams Oktoberfest recipe" would get you started. I also sometimes look at recipes for the brew as I taste it.

 

[bleme]

Well, I went to the local brewery and tried their Porter and their IPA. The Porter was perfect. I tasted copper in the IPA, though not nearly as bad as some beers I have had. Before I sort of wondered if the beer had gone bad. Knowing that the beer was supposed to taste that way might have made it more palatable.

 

[True_Sycko]

Well I can comment, The only time I have tasted it was in Killians, and its almost all the time with that beer, and once in awhile a really really cheap beer. It tastes like metal or metallic or something like that. With the cheap beers I always thought "whatever its cheap" but yea killians almost always has it and its worse with a bottle then tap.

 

[jonmohno]

Im detecting a pattern here, it seems with the lower or moderate avb beers that have been listed here, that a carmel/roast or toast malt that seems to be in alot of these beers is being described as copper.I can see that being the case as a lighter bodied beer with these malts. That may be slightly why i feel indiffernt about some brown ales- some ocktoberfests,maybe. Something to do with the hops(citrus)/carmel toasted malt?

 

[Sacdan]

It's got to be the hops. You could get the "copper" taste from the bitterness. I could see that.