AG taste in an extract recipe

I'm wondering if anyone has encountered an extract recipe that was very comparable to the all grain version of the recipe.

Better way to phrase the question is this. I want to make an extract brew, but I want it to taste as good as an all grain recipe

Let me know of a recipe to follow.

Thx

IMO your best bet is to try a partial mash, where a significant chunk of your fermentable sugars come from mashed grain, and the rest from your ME. If you have a style in mind, there are plenty of good minds here (myself not included) that can help you with a recipe.

Then again, if this is your first brew, you might want to KISS with an extract kit.

Just use fresh ingredients, full boil, add 2/3rds extract late, cool quickly, pitch enough healthy yeast, control ferment temp closely, and be patient. And sanitary.

I adapted this (3gal) from Saccharomyces' Broken Halo AG clone:

Recipe: Busted Wing IPA
Style: 14B-India Pale Ale(IPA)-American IPA
Wort Volume Before Boil: 4.00 US gals
Wort Volume After Boil: 3.50 US gals
Volume Transferred: 3.20 US gals
Water Added: 0.00 US gals
Volume At Pitching: 3.20 US gals
Final Batch Volume: 3.00 US gals
Expected Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.010 SG
Expected OG: 1.057 SG
Expected FG: 1.010 SG
Expected ABV: 6.2 %
Expected ABW: 4.9 %
Expected IBU (using Rager): 51.1
Expected Color: 6.8 SRM
Apparent Attenuation: 81.3 %
Mash Efficiency: 70.0 %
Boil Duration: 60.0 mins
Fermentation Temperature: 64 degF

Fermentables
US Caramel 10L Malt 12.00 oz (14.1 %) In Mash/Steeped
US Caramel 20L Malt 12.00 oz (14.1 %) In Mash/Steeped
US Carapils Malt 4.00 oz (4.7 %) In Mash/Steeped
Extract - Light Dried Malt Extract 1lb 0oz (18.8 %) Start Of Boil
Extract - Light Dried Malt Extract 2lb 0oz (37.6 %) End Of Boil
Sugar - Corn Sugar/Dextrose (Dry) 9.00 oz (10.6 %) End Of Boil

Hops
NZ Pacific Gem (16.3 % alpha) 0.40 oz Bagged Pellet Hops used First Wort Hopped
US Cascade (6.0 % alpha) 0.25 oz Bagged Pellet Hops used 30 Min From End
US Cascade (6.0 % alpha) 0.25 oz Bagged Pellet Hops used 15 Min From End
US Cascade (6.0 % alpha) 0.50 oz Bagged Pellet Hops used Dry-Hopped

Yeast
US-05, 1pkg

GoBrewers said:

IMO your best bet is to try a partial mash, where a significant chunk of your fermentable sugars come from mashed grain, and the rest from your ME. If you have a style in mind, there are plenty of good minds here (myself not included) that can help you with a recipe.

Then again, if this is your first brew, you might want to KISS with an extract kit.

Click to expand...

+1 on doing partial mash.

A significant improvement to extract beers can be had by doing full boils, pitching big starters of fresh yeast and paying attention to fermentation conditions. The dreaded "extract" twang is usually traceable to the concentration of partial boils, long lag times and lack of fermentation temperature control.

BigEd said:

The dreaded "extract" twang is usually traceable to the concentration of partial boils, long lag times and lack of fermentation temperature control.

Click to expand...

What is the "extract twang"?

+1 on the extract twang when doing partial boils.

As having a few extract brews under the belt I have noticed that my beers have been getting much better. Yes the technique is coming around due to practice but in the last few batches, I have been doing full boils. The beers have been turning out better. Also, I have noticed that time will only make beers better. (If you bottle that is)

Yes also note:

+1 on partial mashing. adds complexity and color. so +2

THart said:

What is the "extract twang"?

Click to expand...

I'm not really familiar with it, but as I understand, "ballpoint pen" is the best descriptor.

Make the step up to partial mash, then eventually to all grain. All grain and partial mashes with a higher ratio of grain to extract are more complex, and generally better, when compared to their extract counterparts. Granted, there are amazing extract beers, but in all likely hood they'd be better all grain.

All grain brewing eventually (eventually) pays for itself, and can be done anywhere, even in the smallest of small studio apartments. I was living in a one room job for a short while when I was still in school, and all grain proved no problem.

So when you feel the time is right, make the switch. I thought I never would because of the seemingly daunting transition, but after a few batches I was doing partial mash, and soon after I was officially all grain. At first I followed Deathbrewer's stovetop method, which is a decent stepping stone -- but a cooler MLT is the way to go.

The short answer? There's no way to get that "all grain" taste in an extract brew. That's like asking if one can get a full-flavor experience out of ultralight cigarettes. Granted, this is an extreme analogy, but I'm sure you see the point.

Could be my palate is not so refined. Is there a chemistry to this extract tang or something? I've never had homebrewed AG beer, only brew pub & micros (assuming AG ). I've done "clones" that have been sucsessful, meaning that they seem to taste like the original & I don't notice anything untoward. Of course I don't try much to do lagers or anything super light. I think decide the type of beer you like & want to make & there will be a good recipe for extract brewing. So, digdan, what would you like to brew?

Ooopps, posted twice, sorry
I recognise your avatar Pelican, are you a calligrapher or in the art supply biz or something?

beerjunky828 said:

+1 on the extract twang when doing partial boils.

As having a few extract brews under the belt I have noticed that my beers have been getting much better. Yes the technique is coming around due to practice but in the last few batches, I have been doing full boils. The beers have been turning out better. Also, I have noticed that time will only make beers better. (If you bottle that is)

Click to expand...

I notice an improvement over time in my kegged beer as well. The very last extract batch I made was a honey weiss. After six weeks, it had a bit of a biting honey taste to it. Two months later that had mellowed and it became one of my favorite beers, just as I killed the keg.

I would describe the extract "twang" as it's called in this thread, as kind of a filmy after taste. It tastes thicker (for the lack of a better term) not as crisp as an AG. I think, like it was stated earlier, that it's mainly due to partial boils and not doing a late extract addition. So, as I suggest to all my extract buddies that aren't ready for the AG leap, do a full boil, add most your extract in the last 20min of the boil, and use Whirlfloc (Irish moss) to help with the clarity.