Newbie Q: Aftertaste in kit lager

[Badbrew]

Hey all,

Second batch, second set of problems!

After cracking the carbonation problems of my first batch, my second batch has brought a few more problems.

I have a "Brewing Classics Czech Pilsner" kit from an online store. I've fermented for two weeks, conditioned in bottles for two weeks and they are currently in my fridge and have been for 3 weeks now. I cracked one open to have a taste and was pleasantly happy with the colour and carbonation. The taste seems Classic at first however there is an aftertaste. I would describe it as metallic however I think some lagers you can buy over the counter may have this taste.. I'm unsure. Any ideas what the problem is? Or is this just a very strong Pilsner flavour?

Having googled the taste there is a lot of posts about oxidisation and such. This is a kit brew (using an extract) and the only metal that has come into contact with the brew was when stirring the sugar in when batch priming. Could this really have caused the flavour? It was sterile..

With every batch I want to learn something new. Any ideas, I'd be most appreciative to hear what could have happened! I want to nail a kit brew before I start all grain brewing .

Cheers!

Daz

 

[Bigcol49]

Hi!
Your beer will certainly improve with age - it has often been stated on this site that the last bottle in a brew tastes the best.
Crack a bottle a week and compare the flavour.
Meanwhile, get the next brew on :lol:

 

[DarrenSL]

Hi. What are you using to sanitise? and in what concentration?

 

[Badbrew]

Thanks for the replies so far gents.

In terms of Sanitisation - I used StarSan with the "recommended amount". One issue I did have is that I couldn't seem to get all of the bubbles out of the keg. Could this have caused the flavour? It was left to dry for 30mins but there were still bubbles inside and the instructions clearly stated to not re-rinse.

Cheers!

Darrin

 

[JFB]

I did about nine kits before moving to AG and must admit I found them very temperamental some were good some bad. All seemed to have a certain twang about them. I think fermentation temperature may have been an issue.
From googling the problems it seems lots of other people are having the same problems and no one seems to really pin the answers down so your really not alone.
As bigcol says crack on to the next brew, enjoy learning about the fermentation process and knowing your one brew closer to AG:thumb:

 

[Halfacrem]

Thanks for the replies so far gents.

In terms of Sanitisation - I used StarSan with the "recommended amount". One issue I did have is that I couldn't seem to get all of the bubbles out of the keg. Could this have caused the flavour? It was left to dry for 30mins but there were still bubbles inside and the instructions clearly stated to not re-rinse.

Cheers!

Darrin

Don't Fear The Foam, is the Star San users mantra :)

 

[Simonh82]

You don't need to worry about the foam in with starsan. Infact it is better to use it when it is wet. If it dries out it stops working.

Re the metallic taste. From John Palmers How to Brew
"Metallic flavors are usually caused by unprotected metals dissolving into the wort but can also be caused by the hydrolysis of lipids in poorly stored malts. Iron and aluminum can cause metallic flavors leaching into the wort during the boil. The small amount could be considered to be nutritional if it weren't for the bad taste. Nicks and cracks ceramic coated steel pots are a common cause as are high iron levels in well water. Stainless steel pots will not contribute any metallic flavors. Aluminum pots usually won't cause metallic flavors unless the brewing water is alkaline with a pH level greater than 9. Shiny new aluminum pots will sometimes turn black when boiling water due to chlorine and carbonates in the water.

The protective (grayish) oxides of aluminum can be enhanced by heating the clean pot in a dry oven at 250°F for about 6 hours."

It does mention poorly stored malts. I wonder if old malt extract could cause this? Otherwise what did you boil your wort in?