Specific flavour in stout

[Linalmeemow]

I've brewed lots of stouts over the past few years, and I've never been able to get a specific "iron-like" flavour I've found in my favourite commercial varieties. I'm not ever sure if "iron" is the best description - it's akin to the slight metallic taste in blood. It's definitely not a hop flavour so I assume it must be malt or something in the water of the breweries - does anyone know what I'm talking about or have any suggestions for achieving it?

FYI, if you've ever tried Stringer's Dry Stout that's a good example with the flavour I'm talking about.

 

[An Ankoù]

I know exactly what you mean as I get it in my "Beast of a Midland Mild" and in my Twisted Stout (one of these calls for vanilla, which I ignore). It's the flavour, which, while not unpleasant, makes you wonder if it was poured from a rusty can- except it was bottled. Both contain Carafa Special type III. That might be a starting point.

 

[Linalmeemow]

I know exactly what you mean as I get it in my "Beast of a Midland Mild" and in my Twisted Stout (one of these calls for vanilla, which I ignore). It's the flavour, which, while not unpleasant, makes you wonder if it was poured from a rusty can- except it was bottled. Both contain Carafa Special type III. That might be a starting point.

It's definitely not an unpleasant or "off" flavour - it's absolutely my favourite flavour in stouts.

Carafa Special 3 eh? I'll have a read up on that - I've used Carafa Special 2 in a stout before and didn't get what I was looking for, but I'm not sure what the difference is between them.

 

[Brew_DD2]

I can confirm that I have a slight metallic character in my latest beer, a Kozel Cerny clone. It also has Carafa Special 3 in it. I actually thought it may have been an off flavour, but the beer hasn't been exposed to unprotected metals and my brewing process is pretty nailed down these days.

 

[Dexter101]

From a bit of reading i have done, metallic blood flavours can be an off flavour with contamination from metals in the brewing system.

Otherwise, often think mineral flavours are probably from water chemistry? Might be worth looking at

 

[foxy]

The usual suspect in metallic tastes is HSA, having a read up on the 'herbstoffe effect' may help with the cause of the metallic taste.

 

[An Ankoù]

I can confirm that I have a slight metallic character in my latest beer, a Kozel Cerny clone. It also has Carafa Special 3 in it. I actually thought it may have been an off flavour, but the beer hasn't been exposed to unprotected metals and my brewing process is pretty nailed down these days.

No, it's not an off-flavour. You can't smell it and there's no acrid bitterness. It's something you taste after swallowing and breathing out through your nose. I suspect comments above re off-flavours are genuine off-flavours. Try some Twisted Stout. It's on the Malt Miller website. It's a thoroughly ok stout without being stunning, in my unhumble opinion.

 

[Brew_DD2]

The usual suspect in metallic tastes is HSA, having a read up on the 'herbstoffe effect' may help with the cause of the metallic taste.

Nah I've ruled that out.

 

[foxy]

https://books.google.com.au/books?i...ECAkQAQ#v=onepage&q=herbstoffe effect&f=false

 

[Brew_DD2]

https://books.google.com.au/books?id=0nO9CgAAQBAJ&pg=PR15&lpg=PR15&dq=herbstoffe+effect&source=bl&ots=IhxnUN7Q7E&sig=ACfU3U2XiqxFOzSWg3Fbckl8P7JegBvhiA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwibsMmu787lAhVRQH0KHU9mDKkQ6AEwBXoECAkQAQ#v=onepage&q=herbstoffe effect&f=false

It might be a cause, but I've ruled it out.

 

[Linalmeemow]

This is definitely not an off flavour, I've only ever experienced it with stouts and it's delicious!

 

[An Ankoù]

This is definitely not an off flavour, I've only ever experienced it with stouts and it's delicious!

So have I, and in milds. No other beers and not in all stouts and milds. I don't know why people want to insist it's a defect. My joke about pouring from a rusty can didn't help.

I've only ever experienced it with stouts and it's delicious!

Should be an indicator.

 

[Mr Brico]

I know exactly what you mean as I get it in my "Beast of a Midland Mild" and in my Twisted Stout (one of these calls for vanilla, which I ignore). It's the flavour, which, while not unpleasant, makes you wonder if it was poured from a rusty can- except it was bottled. Both contain Carafa Special type III. That might be a starting point.

Where do you get these brews/kits from if you don't mind me asking.

 

[An Ankoù]

Where do you get these brews/kits from if you don't mind me asking.

The mild is a recipe from (I think) Twisted Brewery in the most recent CAMRA publication and the stout is in the recipes section of the Malt Miller website. If you go to the site and search "twisted stout" it'll come up with both the AG kit and the recipe.

 

[Dexter101]

So have I, and in milds. No other beers and not in all stouts and milds. I don't know why people want to insist it's a defect. My joke about pouring from a rusty can didn't help.

Should be an indicator.

I don't doubt you.

Off flavours are just a way of describing flavours that people don't like. diacetyl for example is nothing inherrently wrong. Some styles in a judging sense allow aspects of it. It you wanted Buttery flavours in your beer then you would want it there.

Different people also taste flavours in different ways or are more sensitive to them.

So some people taste DMS as creamed corn, others its tomatoes.

Just found this information on a website, maybe the high roasting temperatures of your stout grain bill is responsible.



metallic Aromas or tastes similar to iron, rust, coins or blood. Its presence has a number of causes: rusty pipes or water, high malt roasting temperatures or staleness. Usually an off flavor.

http://draftmag.com/offflavors/

 

[johncrobinson]

I dont regard it as an off favour. A nice stout is one of my favorite beers.
They seem to be fading from the market,I used to love a Mackeson, Not seen it for years now.

 

[An Ankoù]

I dont regard it as an off favour. A nice stout is one of my favorite beers.
They seem to be fading from the market,I used to love a Mackeson, Not seen it for years now.

Had a German dunkel last night where the flavour you describe was just detectable (Landbier from Bayreuther Bierbrauerei AG). It's almost certainly coming from a roast malt. I can't imagine that Weyermann are such poor maltsters that they couldn't avoid this flavour if they wanted.
Didn't Guinness used to be given to pregnant mothers and I invalids because it was thought to contain iron?

 

[foxy]

I have read that either Guinness or Mackeson was once obtainable on prescription, could have been due to the fallacy of the iron content. 1 pint of orange juice contains more iron than 18 pints of Guinness I think I remember reading, could have something to so with absorption as well.
If making a dry stout better to get some astringency into it by mashing the roast grains, oatmeal stouts, milk stouts cold steep for 24 hours.

 

[robster62]

I dont regard it as an off favour. A nice stout is one of my favorite beers.
They seem to be fading from the market,I used to love a Mackeson, Not seen it for years now.

Asda sell mackeson. "Guinness is good for you" used to be their ad slogan I guess because of the doctor thing.

 

[JonBrew]

I would imagine that the subtle metallic flavour (not an off flavour) you get from some stouts comes from a combination of high water mineralisation, roasted malts and possibly the variety of bittering hop used. I've noticed very subtle metallic/mineral qualities in my beer from using Magnum as a bittering hop - almost like a coolness on the palette rather than a taste.