I’ll definitely be checking each keg for rust once I get them empty and cleaned.
As for iron in the water , that’s not an issue at all with my home or water supply
Did they all use the same grain mill, or wort chiller? Mill could be wearing out a bearing or axle and throwing some metal shavings. Wort chiller is just another metal to check.
Any malt you used in all four?
I’m checking my mill this weekend, as far as malt, only the pale and the IPA used similar grain bills and malt, the Pilsner was totally different. Been really busy with work so I’m hoping to get some time this weekend to really dig in to all this
For the grains, I was thinking more, if you, or your LHBS had an improperly stored bag of malt that might be a cause, but it would probably have to be something like the same base malt used in all four beers.
Yeah, different grains and my LHBS is a really busy place, they go through a lot of grain weekly with proper storage so I know I’m always getting pretty fresh ingredients. I don’t store anything at home except hops in the freezer.
It’s gotta be the kegs. The beer may be a wash… Hope not… But the kegs are supposed to be coated internally to keep its contents from seeping into the metal and vice versa. Check the kegs. That’s where I would start.
In commercial brewing we passivate all our stainless with acid about once every quarter. Kegs less frequently than this. New stainless that is not passivated will almost always leave a metallic taste in the beer as the oxidative protected coating does not set (and there are still microscopic pieces of metal on the tanks from welds and manufacturing.)
I tried to allude to passivation in one of my earlier post. If it were me I would buy some acid from 5 star and passivate my kettle and all my kegs. I have a hunch it is coming from your kettle though.
Thanks Keith, I actually put off my brew day tomorrow to do this to the kettles, even though its a new brew easy system with only 4 batches if figured what the heck. I also dumped 2 kegs, found no rust, but they are older so those as well just to be sure.
BTW, met a nice woman from Huntsville the other night while out with my wife. She raved about your beer and the craft scene there! She’s heading home and then back again in a few weeks on business and promised me a sample pack of your beers since I can’t get any in the Chicago 'burbs.
Cheers and thanks,
Gary
Hey cool! Tell her to stop by the brewery and ask for me and I will prepare you a mix pack personally!
Nice. Now that is true brewery service.
Thanks Keith, that’d be awesome, I’ll try and get in touch with her and let her know.