Brass - Is it a bad thing?

[SteveD]

Some say brass is a no-no in contact with beer. What's the consensus? Mine is - I don't know. I see lots of people using brass components in their setups, typically tank connectors, compression fittings.

I ask in order to establish wether to go ahead with cheaper brass stuff, or dig deep for S/S connectors, particularly in areas with extended exposure to wort or beer, namely tank connectors on the mashtun, boiler, and FV's.

What do you think?

[steve_flack]

There's a big thing in the states about using or not using brass and some people suggesting pickling brass to remove surface lead. Others say that picking actually makes lead exposure worse.

You could get stainless stuff from places like BES if it bothers you and if the price difference isn't huge it's an idea. It does however seem harder to get some things in stainless.

FWIW, I use brass and stainless.

[tubby_shaw]

Ahem, into metallurgist mode
Initially if it was unsafe to use brass fittings for risk of lead poisoning you would not be able to buy them.
If my memory serves me correctly the amount of lead alloyed into die casting brass is around 0.5% and as it is alloyed and therefore chemically bound into the crystal matrix of the material there is sod all chance of it leaching out
The post processing of most cast components will remove remove any lead in the surface of the casting, further machining may open up surfaces that contain minute traces of lead but as I have said these are alloyed into the material and do not want to come out.
If you are living in a property that is 15 or more years old then you are more likely to sufer lead poisoning from the fittings used in your water supply
I use brass fittings

[sparky Paul]

I use brass fittings

I reckon I would too.

Given the current legislation banning the use of tin/lead solders for potable water pipework, the continued universal use of brass fittings would tend to imply that they are considered pretty safe... although (virtually) lead-free brass fittings are now becoming available.

[Western Brewer]

It's Professor Frink With the drinking and the supping and the falling down.

Frink is the mad professor on the Simpsons who is based on Gerry Lewis's Nutty Professor. This is for the intelligent members of the forum who don't watch the Simpons

[SteveD]

Any taste issues? Metallic beer? (We've not yet heard from Daab the Wise, Jim the great, or Andy the Pretty Bloody Good)

[Jim]

From previous threads, Daab's OK with it; don't know about Andy, and I've never tried it yet.

However, I have just bought a brass tank fitting for my shiny new boiler.

[Vossy1]

I use brass, but only because I wont afford the silly English prices for SS fittings

Roll on a trip to the US

[tubby_shaw]

.....i'm off to lick some brass fittings now

[oxford brewer]

.....i'm off to lick some brass fittings now

Pickled or non-pickled?

[SteveD]

Sod the lead! It'll sink. The hops will strain it out with the trub;) My main concern is simply wether you can taste any difference in the beer. My quest for brewing Nirvana has me wanting to move away from plastic buckets, back-mutilating lugging of full vessels, spillage, plugging in and unplugging cables and pipes, rendering the kitchen unserviceable during brews, etc, and moving towards steel vessels with plumbed in piping, much of it copper, and a pump. What I'm keen to know is wether anyone who's done that can detect any adverse effects on beer flavour through contact with that much more metal than in an all plastic set up......or perhaps even the absence of any plasticky taint?

[Jim]

I can't say I've ever noticed any plasticky taste in any of my brews.

I suppose the boiler and HLT are the only likely suspects if you can taste it - plastic on the cold side is almost universal in commercial serving - beer lines, pumps, valves, cask taps etc etc so that can't be a problem.

Edit, on re-reading your question, I realise I've answered the opposite of what you were asking!! Never mind.

[SteveD]

I know lots of US brewers like to try and pin oxidation on plastic fermenter as well as claiming they harbour off flavours and bacteria but i;ve never heard 'plasticy' flavours used as an excuse to use a glass carboy

I'm not saying I get plastic flavours as such. I was asking if anyone noticed a difference in going from plastic vessels and piping to metal vessels and piping wether negative or positive. Or maybe there's no difference at all. I did wonder if, having used plastic vessels & pipe for every brew ever, that there might be a taint that I'm so used to that I don't even recognise it as such, and when switching to metal, is revealed by it's absence. It's just a thought and I was asking wether the metal users could confirm or refute it. I could well be theorising up a dead end street!