how much copper is to much copper?

[martinworswick]

i'm thinking of building a new brew set up using a copper mash tun and a copper kettle as i have access to a cylinder that can be converted to large copper pots.

i know copper is beneficial to yeast and i also understand it can be toxic to them in larger quantities.

with 2 copper vessels would i be at risk of adding to much? or would it be a negligible amount not worth worrying about?

 

[crash1292]

I would think once the pots get a patina they will be fine.
boil some water in them first.....but I am no expert

 

[Hammy71]

Many breweries use copper, so....

 

[martinworswick]

but do they still? or are they ornamental showpieces? and are they all copper or copper clad stainless?

 

[Reno_eNVy]

Nope, they're in full use.

As it's been said before, boil some water and boil it hard before you use it for brewing.

 

[Coldies]

Many breweries use copper, so....

I wanna hug those things. Kinda brought a tear to my eye.

 

[seabass07]

Apparently the copper gets eaten by yeast as a nutrient and none makes it to the final beer. I think it was brew strong that talked about somewhere in CA the health department was trying to make them get rid of copper equipment. They tested everything for copper and found that not a single trace made it to the final product. They also said copper was a positive thing for fermentation and even went as far as to say to add a copper pipe to the boil if you don't have an immersion chiller to boil.

 

[martinworswick]

Apparently the copper gets eaten by yeast as a nutrient and none makes it to the final beer. I think it was brew strong that talked about somewhere in CA the health department was trying to make them get rid of copper equipment. They tested everything for copper and found that not a single trace made it to the final product. They also said copper was a positive thing for fermentation and even went as far as to say to add a copper pipe to the boil if you don't have an immersion chiller to boil.

afaik too much is toxic tot the yeast,they consume it and then suffer for it,but i may be wrong.

thanks for the replies,if the big guys use them then so will i! its just in the thinking stages at the moment but i want a mini version of the big shiny ones like pictured above, when it gets beyond the thinking stage i'll be sure to post pics!