Metallic Flavor, Hazy, 1st All Grain botch

What went wrong? Was this supposed to happen? Should I throw it out? What do I do now?

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harderj1
Posts: 6
Joined: Fri Apr 08, 2005 12:30 pm

Metallic Flavor, Hazy, 1st All Grain botch

Post by harderj1 »

Help! I've created a monster. Or maybe it's an unfinished fermentation? Mash didn't yield enough sugars?

My 1st all grain batch and I'm working off a recipe for a brown ale. I just put it into the keg after secondary fermentation. The OG was 1.057, SG is 1.032. The OG seems to me like it should have been higher and the ABV seems lower than what I was expecting.

I took a taste test and the flavor is intensely metallic - like iron - followed by a very grainy aftertaste. The beer also seems very hazy, Could this be a result of stuck yeast? I pitched liquid ale yeast and it was very active for approximately 48 hours. Would pitching more yeast help?

Or does the haze and grain flavor indicate my mash efficiency was horrible and I'm stuck with gross low ABV, grain water?
BillyBock
Imperial Stout
Imperial Stout
Posts: 561
Joined: Sun Dec 31, 2000 11:37 am
Location: Ohio

Post by BillyBock »

What kind of water did you use? Tap? Well? Bottled? Do you have a water analysis? Perhaps it has an iron content--which won't make great beer by the way. What kind of metals are you using in the brewery and where/when? Here's a clip from a beer judging note to give you things to ponder to track it down...

METALLIC
CHARACTERISTICS: A harsh, metallic taste noted both
on the tip of the tongue and the roof of the mouth. Can
be felt throughout the tongue and mouth in large
concentrations. Not desired in beer. Also described as
tinny or bloodlike.
CHEMISTRY: The ferrous ion (iron) and some organic
compounds formed by hydrolysis of cereal lipids in grain,
and oxidization of free fatty acids.
HIGH RATE FROM PROCESS: Iron or mild steel in
contact with beer; freshly-scrubbed stainless steel that
has not been allowed to oxidize (passivation); improper
filtering material; high iron content in water; poorly
processed grain.
REDUCTION: Use of stainless steel; low-iron water; use
of citric acid to re-oxidize stainless that has been
abrasively cleaned; use of filtering materials that are acidwashed
to remove iron; use of fresh, high-quality grain
malt.
harderj1
Posts: 6
Joined: Fri Apr 08, 2005 12:30 pm

Post by harderj1 »

I used my tap water, which I've brewed with before without any off flavors. I used a stainless steel pot for my brewing, which I've used before without problems. The only difference is this time the entire batch was boiled in the pot, whereas previous partial mash brews only required a port ion of the total volume be boiled. I suppose it could be that, although I've never used anything abrasive to clean the pot.

Ah well, guess I'm stuck with icky beer for St. Patty's Day.

But no one has every come across this flavor in terms of bacteria contamination?
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