Alright I used bottled poland springs (they were on sale today) so I’m hoping it will produce a solid beer.
I used it with the Aletoberfest, I’ll try and remember to post if the metal subsides with the background.
Shawn: One other thought since you’re brewing with extract… are you boiling the full volume of wort or are you doing partial boils? I ask because a partial boil can bring out some funny flavors which [in the past] have been described as a “metallic twang”. On a partial boil (say 3 gallons), the wort is so concentrated that it can create some unwanted flavors in your beer. When I was an extract brewer, I found that doing full volume boils (you need a 6+ gallon kettle) was one of the [if not THE] best improvements made in my beer. Proper fermentation temp was probably a close second. Not sure if this was mentioned in the thread already but it’s something to look into. It’s also possible that the iron content plus a partial boil was responsible for the flavors you detected. Bottled water plus a full-volume boil should produce a really nice beer.
I am doing a partial. Good call. The last batch I just did I boiled about 4 gallons (needing to top off like a gallon and a half)
My guess is that your Aletoberfest will be a nice beer. The different water should be an improvement. If you still detect any metallic flavors, it could be the partial boil although 4 gallons is better than 3. Maybe be on the lookout for a 6+ gallon stainless pot and then I guarantee you’ll be impressed with your extract beer. Cheers.