Slight "Metallic" taste?

Extract/Partial Mash Brewing
1

I’ve been extract brewing since the beginning of this year when I made the jump from Mr Beer to 5 gallon batches. The first two I did on my stovetop, extract partial boils. After that I got a turkey fryer set up from my uncle and went full boil in my garage. I have brewed Dead Ringer, Hope and King Scotch Ale, and 2 batches of Denny’s Wry Smile (one is in fridge, the other goes into bottles this weekend) with all the same process as much as possible.

The Dead Ringer came out fantastic. The Hope and King tasted amazing when I pulled my FG sample before I bottled (almost just poured a glass of flat beer haha) and I used the 5 oz corn sugar as I normally do boiled into the bottling bucket before the beer. I let it sit for three weeks for carbonation in my 70 degree laundry room. After letting it sit in fridge for a week, I tried my first bottle. It was tasty but had a slight metallic (best I can describe) flavor to it. I remember that flavor from one or two of my Mr. Beer batches where I was bottle carbonating with table sugar and got a little too much in the bottle (at least I assumed that’s what the off flavor was from).

Also, I just cracked Denny’s Wry Smile and it’s amazing too so batches on either side of this came out great with no noticeable off flavor. Maybe it is there but more hidden by the hops so I don’t pick it up? I was reading a bit on bjcp about beer faults and the section under metallic mentions water (which I’ve not had tested yet, on the list of things to do) and fully rinsing sanitizer (I use Star San). I triple rinse all my bottles after use and store them upside down covered in empty beer cases and thoroughly rinse with sanitizer on bottling day. I do tend to have bubbles left in the bottles when filling them, is this an issue maybe? I have been trying to shake the bubbles out of the bottles as much as possible (I have the same issue when I sanitize my glass carboys)

I use a mix of 1L PET Mr Beer bottles, 12 oz browns and 16 oz grolsch style for bottling. The Hope and King Scotch ale used both the 1L PET bottles and the 12 oz browns. This off flavor isn’t consistent from bottle to bottle and seems to be fading over the past month but it’s still there in most that I’ve had.

Any tips or ideas are appreciated, always trying to learn more and get better at this wonderful hobby.

:cheers:
Rad

2

This isn’t the issue. You don’t need to fear the “foam.” In fact, I read a study where Star San filled a beer with sanitizer and gave it to people and noby noticed (it was more scientific than that that but… I’ve been drinking and am NOT getting into that…)

Yes, if it seems to be aging out let it age. Astringency can also be taken for “metallic” flavors. This can be caused by hopping issues and this would age out. It could also be caused by over-steeping the grains.

3

That was another question, if I am doing a full 6.5 - 7 gallon boil to get to my 5 - 5.5 gallon finishing volume in my carboy, should I steep my grains in the full volume as it works up towards 170 (15-30 mins as I go slow at the start of my boil till I take the grains out) as I have been doing or should I steep them in less water and add volume after that water gets to 170 and I’ve taken the grains out?

:cheers:
Rad

4

The second, 2 - 2.5 gals for steeping. If you’re able, this can be done in a separate pot while the bulk of the water is heating up.