efreem01

Recipes 

I've been thinking about my 5th batch now. AHS has options for mini-mash, all-grain or extract with every kit and i was wondering if there's a significant difference in taste between an extract w/grain kit and it's respective mini-mash? I'm thinking of maybe doing an imperial IPA, but i have to find a good kit.

Also, what kind of beer do you all recommend to go on a wyeast german ale yeast cake? I have cheesefoods CCA in a primary now and may just dump a new batch on top of the cake. Is this a bad idea due to the vanilla, lactose, and other ingredients in the caramel cream ale? Will they throw off the flavors of the next beer?

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Primary : Nada
Secondary Edwort's Apfelwein, AHS Titannia Wheat On Deck: LHBS IPA [Recipe Unknown], Corona Clone (Lawnmower Beer)
Bottled: Spicy Orange Pale Ale, Stone Cold Brown Ale Kegged: Spicy Pumpkin Ale
"When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading"

Orfy

Recipes 

In my opinion there is a certain taste that goes with an extract brew that is not there in a All Grain.

I've heard it referred to has a home brew "Twang"

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z987k

Recipes 

I as an extract brewer am thinking that extract brewing does have some kind of twang or something to it. After drinking some micros and then mine, it's just way different. I'm going to start partial mashing as soon as the extract I have for a couple of beers I planned is used to 1, test out this theory of mine on the taste (hopefully) and 2, to get it to come out lighter in color. No matter what I do these damn things are dark!

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Beer Style Guidelines - Kaiser's Brewing Experiments - American Society of Brewing Chemists - Journal of the Institute of Brewing

Yooper

Recipes 

The AHS partial mash recipes are very nice- I've done a couple of them in the past.

As far as that yeast cake, I think the vanilla and lactose would probably be a bad idea for your next beer, especially for an IIPA. I suggest washing your yeast, and then reusing it. Do a search for "yeast washing" and you'll find lots of threads about it. Also, look here, at the wiki: http://www.homebrewtalk.com/wiki/index.php/Washing_yeast

That might help. If it still smells like vanilla, though, I'd recommend tossing it out.

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efreem01

Recipes 

Is the extract taste a good flavor, or bad? I've done two extract kits and two partial-mash recipes. The first of the partial mash recipes isn't quite ready to drink. The 2nd partial mash brew is being moved to the secondary tomorrow evening.

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Primary : Nada
Secondary Edwort's Apfelwein, AHS Titannia Wheat On Deck: LHBS IPA [Recipe Unknown], Corona Clone (Lawnmower Beer)
Bottled: Spicy Orange Pale Ale, Stone Cold Brown Ale Kegged: Spicy Pumpkin Ale
"When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading"

Beerrific

Recipes 

Can you elaborate on this "twang?" Maybe this is what my beers have that I am trying to identify.

Does PM eliminate this?

poguemahone

Recipes 

So far the last 4 or 5 batches I've done since getting back into brewing have all been AHBS mini-mashes and frankly I don't plan on moving beyond that any time soon. I love the flexibility I'm afforded, bouncing from style to style, in order to treat my taste buds and build up my knowledge base.
One of the guys at AHBS suggested mini-mashes when I restarted back in January, citing what I've already mentioned and he was very right.

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Primary 1: Ed Wort's Apfelwein
Secondary: Belgian Saison
Conditioning Keg 1:
Conditioning Keg 2:
Conditioning Keg 3:
Kegerator Tap 1: Dry Stout
Kegerator Tap 2: Six Malt Amber Ale
Kegerator Tap 2: Optimator Lager
Just Finished: Dry Stout

z987k

Recipes 

If we're all thinking of the same thing, it's just this taste that other good beers don't have. Not all that bad, but I'd like to see if I can get rid of it. Like I said going to go PM for a couple of reasons, and hopefully it does get rid of it.

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Beer Style Guidelines - Kaiser's Brewing Experiments - American Society of Brewing Chemists - Journal of the Institute of Brewing

Rook

Recipes 

Ahh the twang!

Personally I don't like it one bit, it seems to detract from the beers to me, reminds me that I made it (not the good kind of reminder).

I think its related to carmelization of the extract. I know that my extract beers have all had a little of the extract burned on the bottom of the brew kettle.

I've since moved to partial mash with late malt extract additions. keeping the ME out of the wort until almost the end of the boil prevents some of the carmelization.
I'll be bottling my first one of those beers next weekend, and racking the second one to secondary on tuesday.

I wish I had known this was going to happen a long time ago, I'm about to dump the 3rd batch all together becuase of how bad it tastes. :-p

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Rook

Beerrific

Recipes 

I wish we could exchange twang-y beer to see if we are talking about the same things. I kind of identify the taste as slightly sour, I am also debating the possibility of having an infection. But I have gone over everything and can't figure it out. . .my first beer didn't have it (half and half DME, LME). But it was there in force in the 2nd and 3rd (all LME).

I am going to try to do a partial mash with late boil malt addition see if this helps.

It is going to be quite a project to get the hops right.