On making my Ales,can I just stick with Nogginham Yeast?? Reason I ask I have one metal main water line coming off my own well,then to the house its PVC and I get just a TINY hint of metallic taste,no much but was told Nottingham yeast will help with that. Next thing is I am not sure how to simplify my water issues.With the minor metallic taste,I would like to be able to mix some water so I didn't have as much of my own house water,say 1/2 Drinking water with 1/2 House water,or would that even make any sense? Larry
“On making my Ales,can I just stick with Nogginham Yeast??” Nottingham yeast is a fine yeast but it is a neutral yeast strain (i.e., it provides little in terms of yeast produced flavors). If you are satisfied with this neutral aspect you can choose to make this your house yeast. Just be aware that there are a number of ale styles where this yeast will not be appropriate (e.g., a number of Belgian Ale styles, a number of British Ale styles, etc.). “Reason I ask I have one metal main water line coming off my own well,then to the house its PVC and I get just a TINY hint of metallic taste,no much but was told Nottingham yeast will help with that.” This is the first I have heard of Nottingham ‘helping’ with metallic flavors. How exactly does Nottingham ‘help’ here? Is the intimation that Nottingham will eliminate metallic flavors? “Next thing is I am not sure how to simplify my water issues.With the minor metallic taste,I would like to be able to mix some water so I didn't have as much of my own house water,say 1/2 Drinking water with 1/2 House water,or would that even make any sense?” Yes, diluting your tap water with other water (e.g., RO/distilled water, spring water) should mitigate the ‘stuff’ in your water. I use municipal tap water for my brewing but I filter it via a dual stage carbon block filter. My principle goal here is to filter out the chloramine in my municipal water but this filtering process will also filter out other ‘stuff’ (assuming there is other ‘stuff’ in my municipal water. Have you noticed off flavors in previously brewed batches from your water? If not, maybe there is no ‘problem’ to be solved here? Cheers!
Does your water have the taste normally? I don't see how Nottingham would impact the flavor if it is normal for your water. Some yeasts intentionally have a "mineral" flavor profile but none could make it go away. I've brewed with well water for years from different sources. Sometimes you are lucky and it works great, sometimes it is horrible. I doubt your lines have anything to do with it. If it's safe to drink it should be safe to brew with. The metallic taste is likely from the water itself. You really have three options if your straight up well water is not working. One is to try diluting it with distilled water. Maybe by trial and error you will figure out what works. Another option is to have your water tested and adjust it accordingly. The third option is to just buy distilled or RO water, or install an RO filter, and add minerals accordingly.
There aren't any yeast strains that will remove significant amounts of metals from your water. Yeast do use trace amounts of some metals, but if you can taste it, that's more than yeast are going to use. If my water tasted metallic, I'd get it tested.
Here is what John Palmer says in HowToBrew.com about a metallic flavor: http://howtobrew.com/book/section-4/is-my-beer-ruined/common-off-flavors
Yes, Larry, that makes sense...but depending on how bad your water is, you might want to use 100% RO water...or dilute until the taste goes away....if you are a true beer nerd you will spend lots of money on having your water tested first
Fellows,My water in my house taste fine,but I am use to it and don't necessarily taste a metallic end slight taste but one of the guys in town that sells Beer Equipment and all the stuff we use,said to me & I had ask him to taste it and be VERY critical,cause I wanna produce great beer,,,he tasted it and replied "Larry this is a really good beer(Rocky Raccoon Honey Lager) but I needed to use Soft water for Lagers and Hard water basically for Ales.But he said it sorta had a very slight hint of a metallic taste at the end taste,then he said right quick,it might be just because your water is HARD seeing you have your own well! I read all your answers and I love what all you say and mark my work,with you guys help,I know my issues will settle!! Getting my water check or tested I like as well!Thanks,,Larry
Do you perceive this taste in your beers? Do you brew your beers for your personal consumption or do you brew these beers for others as well? Cheers!
Jack I brew my beers for my taste and several close friends ONLY,As far as perceive taste? Well I just know a metallic taste when I taste it for instance & I taste it in my Honey Lager but not at all in MY Stout ,but my Stout beer from the same water is VERY good,,but my Honey Lager needs a soft water so I know that's probably where my main issue with that beer is.Will try a different batch and check it.Like reading you Jack,thanks for all your input!! Larry
Yeah I grew up in the country and drank well water for years and just always assumed water had that weird metallic taste. Wasn't until I moved to Texas and bottled water became a thing and I got a water filter for my fridge that I realized that water really doesn't/shouldn't taste like anything. You get used to it, I guess I call it palate blindness. I think Jack sums it up, if you are making beer for you and your friends, and ya'll are happy don't worry about it. Less stress, more fun
