Do you always have a twang?

Do you always get the twang taste from an extract kit when you add all the extract upfront in your boil?

I wanted to do a late addition but instead I stuck to the recipe. It did however, require a 3.5 gal boil (which I sort of miscalculated an need up with a 4 gal boil).

When I was doing extracts I never had a beer I was truly proud of because of that "twang" taste.

You're right Unionrdr, I should have done the late addition, and I'm kicking myself in the a$$ now.

I guess I didn't feel confident enough to stray from the directions being my second brew.

Do u think since I did closer to a full boil (4 gal), it may help with some if these issues (caramelization, off flavors, etc)?

I always taste the twang in extracts, regardless of when the extract is added. That is why I moved to all grain. I think some people are more susceptible to the taste is all.

So, what exactly does extract twang taste like? I did a dozen extract batches before switching to AG and to this day have no idea what extract twang is. Always added my extract at the start of the boil, contrary to common wisdom discussed here.

unionrdr said:

Well,it'a sort of caramelized tartness in a tangy kind of way. That's about as close as I can describe it atm.

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I think that is a pretty good explanation.

I would describe it as a tartness almost like a sour bitterness like those sour candies that used to be popular in the 90's.

For me I always got the carmel real strong and almost like a plastic taste.

unionrdr said:

I think the full boil may help a little. but some things need to be done for better beer regardless of full or partial boil. Late extract additions,water quality,steeping/mashing temps to name a few.

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Can you expand on the "steeping" temps discussion, if it is to say that deviation from kit instructions is needed?

unionrdr said:

We def deviate from kit instructions around here. I steep at between 150-165F for 20-30 minutes. Water amount doesn't matter as much as with mashing. but After learning partial mash,I think I'd still keep steeping water down to 2 gallons or so. Which is the amount of water I use for a 5lb partial mash,but between 150-160F. So steeping can use a tad more heat than mashing. Mashing needs conversion of starches by enzymes to make simple sugars.
Steeping is just that. You steep the already converted grains to get the sugars out of them. That's why steeping water amount isn't as crytical. As is steeping temps,which can go that lil bit higher (150-165F) than mashing. Steeping is just soaking the good stuff out,basically. But i prefer to sparge both. Better to have that grain nectar than plain water.

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Yeah, I was planning on adding a sparge to my brew process this time around.

Those steeping guidelines seem consistent with the instructions (2.5g for 20 mins at 150-165).

I'm going to log all my deviations from the instructions this time around and hopefully at the end make note of the lack of "twang" so this is all very helpful.

Pelican521 said:

Do you always get the twang taste from an extract kit when you add all the extract upfront in your boil?

I wanted to do a late addition but instead I stuck to the recipe. It did however, require a 3.5 gal boil (which I sort of miscalculated an need up with a 4 gal boil).

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No. Extract recipes can and do exceed all grain recipes in competition. Freshness, recipe, and ferment controls are factors for each.

The interesting thing to me is I think different people taste it differently. My first bath had it so strongly that to me it's basically undrinkable. I mean it's horrible. However my dad said he thought the beer was pretty good. I took a sample in to my LHBS and they said there was nothing wrong, it's just how extract beers taste sometimes. MY last batch still has it, although it is less pronounced I think because I used speacialty grains. It's still there though. I need to try the late addition strategy.

Aggie_JD said:

The interesting thing to me is I think different people taste it differently. My first bath had it so strongly that to me it's basically undrinkable. I mean it's horrible. However my dad said he thought the beer was pretty good. I took a sample in to my LHBS and they said there was nothing wrong, it's just how extract beers taste sometimes. MY last batch still has it, although it is less pronounced I think because I used speacialty grains. It's still there though. I need to try the late addition strategy.

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I agree with this!

I made a Brewer's Best Extract Imperial Blonde Ale kit and I thought the twang made it almost undrinkable...but one of my craft beer loving buddies thought it was one of the best homebrews he had ever had! Not everyone perceives tastes the same and not everyone can taste well! I have a very good sense of smell, such that I smell things LONG before others around me notice a smell. I think that if you have a highly defined sense of smell that your taste is likely also defined. In the case of off flavors in homebrew I wish I didn't have such a strong sense of taste/smell!

unionrdr said:

Sometimes I don't think folks are tasting the twang so much as the extract quality. How fresh it was,how old it was,etc. Not to mention quality of brewing process.

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I completely agree with this. With the extracts I use, I have never experienced the "twang" in my brews nor, have the people that have drank said brewskis. However, I have had some friend's & family's homebrew and there was "twang". And I know for sure that two of those people shop at the same LHBS and it is not the one I go to. I think that the age and quality of the extract and naturally, your brewing process, have everything to do with that undesirable taste.

For me, it is amazing how my perception of taste in beer has grown since I started homebrewing a couple of years ago. I started off with Mr. Beer. I thought that first batch was the best beer on the planet. Okay, maybe not the entire planet but I thought it was pretty darn good. So did my buddies. I quickly moved to 5 gallon batches and my beer got better and better. Then, I went to partial mash after about a year and my beer continued to get better. My buddies said I was brewing the best beer I had ever brewed with each batch. Now, I brew AG and love it. I continue to refine my process and improve. Last weekend, I brewed a Pliny the Elder clone. A buddy of mine new to homebrewing came over to learn a thing or two about what I do. He had one extract batch under his belt and brought some over for me to sample. It took half a nanosecond on the first taste to notice that twang you speak of. I then remembered that many of my extract batches had it too (I just didn't realize it at the time). My buddy had no idea what I was talking about. I guess my point in this whole long story is that everyone's perception of taste is different.

I also think when I went to partial mash and did full boils with very late extract additions, the twang was gone. I think there's something to late extract additions as well as the quality of the extract.

DISCLAIMER: References to my beer getting better are based solely on my own (and that of all my friends) "unbiased" opinions!

Just to clear things up for a newb extract brewer- the LME should be added at what, the 5? 10? minutes left part of the boil? Or it varies by style?

I don't think I ever detected extract tang.

I do get a regular twangy off flavor with most of my AGs, but that's related to my water profile, I'm sure.

I believe I've always tasted it with my extract batches. It was definitely more noticeable whenever LME was used, so I quickly switched to DME late additions and steeping grains to try and cover it as much as possible. Being a big craft beer drinker, the taste was fairly obvious.

After getting frustrated with my last batch of extract using amber DME, I got so fed up that I invested in some AG equipment.

One tip for adding the extract and I am not sure if this has been mentioned or not; Turn the flame off or remove the pot from the heat source prior to adding any of the extract whether it is early addition or the late addition. This well keep any of the sugar from burning or caramelizing on the bottom. Stir the crap out of it and then return the wort to the heat source.

Jayhem said:

I agree with this!

I made a Brewer's Best Extract Imperial Blonde Ale kit and I thought the twang made it almost undrinkable...but one of my craft beer loving buddies thought it was one of the best homebrews he had ever had! Not everyone perceives tastes the same and not everyone can taste well! I have a very good sense of smell, such that I smell things LONG before others around me notice a smell. I think that if you have a highly defined sense of smell that your taste is likely also defined. In the case of off flavors in homebrew I wish I didn't have such a strong sense of taste/smell!

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So does Hen's Tooth have a twang?

Yes - agree with that. Right on!!!

Thanks for the input guys. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this batch comes out good. After 4 days, the airlock is still bubbling away. I think I'll keep it in the primary for 10 days then rack to my secondary and dry hop.

I think my first batch came out great, a clone of Fullers ESB. Or maybe I just have ugly parent syndrome