linusstick

Recipes 

I'm a few batches in and I have yet to make a really full flavored beer. I am following recipes to the t but I just am not getting great results. The results are drinkable but if I didn't brew them myself I would have no idea what style it is because they all taste fundamentally the same. The pale ale has a little more hop flavor and the wit has some wheat flavor but they are very faint. I used to do all grain beers years ago and stopped for a few years. I decided I was going to do some extract beers to refresh my memory. I don't know any other brewers so it may just be I am getting the results I am going to get out of extracts and need to go back to all grain

Amity

Recipes 

Provide us a recipe that you've used and we can guide you... But in short, yes it is possible to brew full-flavoured extract beer.

Use steeping grains (or partial mash)
Use better yeast (ie: Safale or Wyeast or White Labs)
Don't use corn sugar as major fermentable
Fresh extract (DME is best, IMO)

linusstick

Recipes 

Witbier recipe:
Specialty grains:
8oz flaked wheat
8oz aromatic malt
4oz flaked oats
4oz rice hulls
Steepd those at 150 for 30min- strained into brewpot and sparged with a gallon of 150deg water-boiled then added:

5.5lbs wheat DME
1oz East Kent Goldings
Added water to get to 2.5 gallons
Boiled 45 minutes then added
1/2 oz Kent Goldings, 1/4oz bitter orange peel, 3/4tsp crushed coriander seeds
Boiled 13 minutes then added
1/2oz Saaz, 1/2oz bitter orange peel, 1/2tsp crushed coriander seeds
Cooled wort to 70degrees, topped off in primary to get 5 gallons, aerated wort, pitched White Labs wit yeast (made starter the day before). Fermentation was going in 12 hours. Fermented 14 days at around 65-68 degrees, then kegged. Sat a week in the fridge with no gas (idiot that I am didn't know how to turn it on correctly). Once I turned it on I did a blast carbonation at 25psi for 3 days. Sorry for being so detailed. The beer is drinkable, but doesn't really taste full. It's like water with a witbier in the background. I had an OG of 1.049 and a FG of 1.012 so it's only like 4.7% ABV
Thanks

JBmadtown

Recipes 

I think one of the problems with this recipe is that your specialty grains all need to be mashed. Therefore, I don't know if you are getting everything you need out of them with only steeping.

I do extract brews and my opinion is full flavored beer can be made. Without mashing you are restricted in the ingredients you can use.

McGarnigle

Recipes 

Depending on your tolerance for strong beer, you might find any Wit to be on the light side. Also, I'd question what the point of rice hulls are in that recipe.

linusstick

Recipes 

I know light and I know flavorless. This doesn't have much flavor. I got the recipe out of the "Beer Captured" book. I didn't know the purpose of rice hulls either since there is no mash, but I figured I'd do it to spec.

CrookedTail

Recipes 

Yes you can make full flavored extract beer. Improve your brewing process (late extract additions, post boil wort cooling, fermentation temps). Improving those areas are crucial.

If you don't it won't matter if you mash your own grains or not.

bknifefight

Recipes 

For any Belgian, the yeast play a huge role in the flavor. I always have a good beer using WLP400 and extract. I think maybe you should have fermented at a higher temperature to bring out the yeast flavor. Either way, keep working on your process and I'm sure you will eventually be happy with the beer you're making.

Linkin

Recipes 

You mentioned you did AG in the past - Are you using the same water source as you were then? I notice a huge difference between tap vs spring vs distilled. The distilled tends to be very light and tap tastes like crap (might not surprise you if you've seen A Civil Action), and i have had great results with bottled spring water. Just another variable.

doctorRobert

Recipes 

Agree wiyh everything said. Also make sure you have a good boil.

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