Metallic / Blood Taste

[MrC]

I've been noticing a metallic / blood, taste in the aftertaste of a couple of my beers lately.  I think I am quite sensitive to the metallic taste and often notice in beers both commercial and homebrewed.  

 

Although it is often listed as a fault in beer tasting literature, I haven't seen much info on how to prevent the metallic flavour from appearring.  

 

Has anyone overcome this problem or can anyone offer any advice?

 

Cheers

[David Nicholls]

Filter powder (DE) can be a source although rare these days. Have a look at your water and your vessels.

 

For me iron tastes like cold icecream/ink.

 

Cheers

Dave

 

[MrC]

Cheers Dave

 

My kettle (pots) are stainless steel and the only other metal part of my system in a brass spigot on my mash tun.  Oh and my kegs.  Is there anything particular kind of defect I should be looking for in my SS pots?

 

 

[MrC]

Hmmm.  Just read this (http://www.howtobrew.com/section4/chapter21-2.html) again and now I'm wondering whether storing my malt in the garage at 30C could be the problem...

[David Nicholls]

Soak some brew water for a day in your brew vessels and taste.....is it good quality SS? I would still have a look at your water. Any contacts in an analytical lab.....Fe in beer is a straightforward analysis.

 

Having brewed in the tropics we never had any issues that could be attributed to warm storage of malt, even when ambient was as high as 35-40 degree's. We would keep stock levels to a minimum (2-3 weeks)>

[MrC]

Thanks again Dave.  I'll take your advice and soak some water in the vessels to see if I can find the culprit.

Cheers.

[MrC]

After leaving water in my pots and mash tun over night I think I may have found the culprit.  The water in my pots was slightly metallic.

 

The other thing I realised is that in an attempt to streamline my brew day I had been filling my pots with water the night before so that they were ready to go first thing in the morning.  I brewed again two days ago without storing water in my pots overnight so time will tell...

[Mike Neilson]

Might need to passivate your pots aye!! Its defintly not the water as im not picking up a metallic taste in my beer thank god!! Imagine if the water here was high in iron!!

[Stu H]

Is it just me, or does Little Creatures Pale Ale have a metallic taste? The last few times I've drunk it I've noticed it, almost to the point where it puts me off.

[MrC]

I didn't notice a metallic taste in Little Creatures Pale Ale the one time that I tasted it but I do get a metallic taste regularly from a couple of NZ Craft Breweries.  I think I'm just sensitive to it and adjust my expectations accordingly.  

 

Having said that, I still don't want it in my own beers.  I've made some changes to my process and hopefully I will avoid the problem from here on.  Time will tell...

 

[denimglen]

I've noticed a slight metallic tinge to Epic Pale Ale sometimes, nothing major but I get a little of it every now and then.

 

Could be the massive amount of cascade in it?  IIRC LC was cascade too?