Metalic Taste From Fire Extinguisher ?

[Mitternacht Brauer]

Hi Guys,

Have just had the second session from a keg that was filled about six weeks ago .Lager partial . Had a few last week and it was great . Last night we had a few and it tasted very metalic . I had just force carbonated a pilsner earlier in the day and may have put a slightly higher pressure back to the first keg but wouldn't have thought this would cause such a taste . Not sure . Another thought was that maybe some taste is coming from the CO2 extinguisher that I'm using as my CO2 source? Also the taste was less aparrent if the beer was left for a while for the CO2 to come out maybe ??

Has anyone had any bad tastes come through in this way or is there another explaination that you guys can help me with ?? Don't want to poision everyone over Xmas lunch .

Thanks again

 

[pint of lager]

Metallic flavour is often caused by an infection.

It has been reported by others on the forum that fire extinguisher CO2 comes out of the same bottle as food grade CO2.

Have you cleaned the lines recently? Is there any cleaner or sanitiser left in the line? Or if you haven't cleaned the lines, maybe that is the source of your infection.

 

[Batz]

Metallic flavour is often caused by an infection.

It has been reported by others on the forum that fire extinguisher CO2 comes out of the same bottle as food grade CO2.

Have you cleaned the lines recently? Is there any cleaner or sanitiser left in the line? Or if you haven't cleaned the lines, maybe that is the source of your infection.

I agree with POL,you have an infection.


Batz

 

[Mitternacht Brauer]

Hi the whole setup is new . Have only been drinking from it for about a week . I rinsed the keg with the same bleach solution that I use when bottling and haven't had a problem . First time i surpose .
Thanks

 

[pint of lager]

If everything is new, it is 95% chance to be an infection.

Don't use bleach on ss. Stick to napisan for cleaning and iodine, phosphoric, starsan or hydrogen peroxide for sanitising.

 

[MHB]

The other good source of metallic tastes is - metal.

Have you used any cheep brass fittings, old taps or fittings that might have lost their protective chrome coating?

Otherwise infection; tho very old extract (years out of date) can give a metallic taste to.

MHB

 

[Mitternacht Brauer]

MHB

No brass in my system so it must be infection . Bummer just kegged a pilsner on Friday morning using the same method and solution . Hope that one has better luck .

So much for serving from the kegs for Xmas .

Whats the reason for not using bleach on ss ?

 

[pint of lager]

It will pit stainless.

 

[Darren]

MHB

No brass in my system so it must be infection . Bummer just kegged a pilsner on Friday morning using the same method and solution . Hope that one has better luck .

So much for serving from the kegs for Xmas .

Whats the reason for not using bleach on ss ?

Hey, Buster,

Metallic taste can be the result of sulphur compounds in beer (I do agree with MHB that old extract is also a cause). Chances are that unless it is overpowering no-one on christmas day will notice it.
For what it is worth, I can almost always taste metalic flavours with all of the Carlton United Breweries "range".

cheers

Darren

 

[matti]

Metallic taste can be the result of sulphur compounds in beer (I do agree with MHB that old extract is also a cause). Chances are that unless it is overpowering no-one on christmas day will notice it.
For what it is worth, I can almost always taste metalic flavours with all of the Carlton United Breweries "range".

Couldn't agree more.

I had some metallic tasting beer with Kits.
Think it was some kind of infection.
Probably caused by poor extracts and/or poor brewing practices.

Though I noticed since I started to boil my extracts and and using grains I haven't had the same problem.
matti

 

[Linz]

Is your extinguisher bottle steel or aluminium??

 

[InCider]

I tested my fire extinguisher yesterday on it's maiden run and it works fine. It even makes K&Bitz beers tast fine!

No metallic taste at all, except for when I held the pin for the extinguisher in my teeth while connecting everything.

Cheers,

InCider.

 

[Lindsay Dive]

It will pit stainless.

I had a serious discussion with bigfridge years ago on this very topic.

So, I'll state again what I said then, I reckon I have poured close to a tonne of bleach into my swimming pool over the years and the stainless steel steps near the diving board are still gleaming like to day they were installed. No pitting!

I'll replace my flame suit.

Regards,
Lindsay.

 

[InCider]

I had a serious discussion with bigfridge years ago on this very topic.

So, I'll state again what I said then, I reckon I have poured close to a tonne of bleach into my swimming pool over the years and the stainless steel steps near the diving board are still gleaming like to day they were installed. No pitting!

I'll replace my flame suit.

Regards,
Lindsay.

Is it beause they are submerged and hence not exposed for additional reaction, and how many PPMillion would the bleach be?

InCider

(Borrowing LD's Flame suit)

 

[tangent]

are you sure your taste for beer isn't developing and you're tasting extract "twang"? Perceptible in lighter beers like pilsners. <vomit>

 

[bigfridge]

I had a serious discussion with bigfridge years ago on this very topic.

So, I'll state again what I said then, I reckon I have poured close to a tonne of bleach into my swimming pool over the years and the stainless steel steps near the diving board are still gleaming like to day they were installed. No pitting!

I'll replace my flame suit.

Regards,
Lindsay.

And I remember it well ! But I still don't have an answer for you.

It is an established metallurgical fact that the common 300 series stainless steels will corrode (typically pits) in the presence of chlorine at the water line (or anywhere else that the oxygen potential changes eg under a lump of crud).

All that I can think of is that your steps are ok due to:

- Being made from a grade of stainless that is not attacked, or
- The chlorine used in swimming pools is bound up with something in the water so doesn't get to attack the steps, or
- The pH of swimming pool water is close to neutral, where a bleach solution used for cleaning is around 10-12 and this affects the reaction, or
- Your athletic diving creates long lasting waves that expose different parts of the steps so that there is no single point where there is a stable water/air interface.

Apart from your steps, I can guaruntee that a reasonable strong bleach based cleaning solution will pit your kegs as I have done it. I left one soaking and forgot about it for a week and the water line now sparkles like diamonds - from all the pits.

Yes, I should have known better !

Dave

 

[frogman]

I left one soaking and forgot about it for a week and the water line now sparkles like diamonds - from all the pits.

Yes, I should have known better !

Dave

What the hell are you doing with an empty keg for a week?
Better planning needed.
Mine soak for a hour at max before being refilled.
Maybe I need more than the 12 I have.

Pissed froggy.

 

[Mitternacht Brauer]

Is your extinguisher bottle steel or aluminium??

Mine is steel and admitantly is a few years since it was aquired . Maybe the metalic taste is god suggesting I should have paid for it ??

tangent Possibly improving my tastes but I like all the light beers that I brew and the porters etc that the father inlaw brews and we both load up the cans with grains and other extras.

All in all guys looks like I need to get brewing and try to eliminate some of these things . luckerly two kegs from Ross arrived . Went halves with the guy I work with for the great keg deal that Ross had going . Thats Ross and I hope More people took you up on the offer . The soda siphon adapter will help to eliminate the extinguisher for the next keg aswell .

Buster

 

[dr K]

Pits..what my daughter Moshes in !!
I too remember the Lindsay Dive vs BigFridge discussion of about 5 years ago, all I can is that the both of them, as am I , are grumpy old bastards and what makes it worse is that are both correct. Lindsay has been chucking a kilo of Pool Chlorine into his 50 000 litre pool every week for the last 20 years and thats a bloody big dose, but even at that dosage its about the same as chucking less than 1/2 of a gram into the keg, which is going to do two things..not pit the keg and f-all towards cleaning and sanitising and yes I will get on topic.

K

 

[dr K]

On T
Metallic is actually a fairly wide description.
From your description I would guess that you may have air in your tank (oxygen) now whilst the normal signs of oxidation in beer range from papery through wet cardboard thence to sherry an old can combined with above tell a pretty good story.
K