I've been brewing for almost a year, and have produced about 10 extract batches in that time. Despite filtering my water, using good sanitation techniques (StarSan), controlling fermentation temperatures, and every other good process step I could think of, my beers have had a solvent-like "sharp" flavor and odor that hangs over the entire flavor profile of the beer. I was starting to get discouraged about continuing in the hobby - I just wasn't enjoying the results. And from reading the lists of off-flavors in beer, nothing really matched what I was tasting. The closest was either chlorophenols, or "medicinal".
I did my first all-grain batch over the Christmas holiday. It was an amber ale. I used the same water, same sanitation process, everything. I have sampled the first few bottles from the batch and am blown away. It is excellent - malty, slightly hoppy, smooth all the way, and not a hint of the solvent-like odor or flavor. I'm excited about brewing again.
Here's the thing, though: Why the change? Is it typical to have extract batches turn out with such lower quality than AG batches? I was under the impression that extract made some darn good beer. Why didn't it in my case, and AG did?
Any thoughts?
I did my first all-grain batch over the Christmas holiday. It was an amber ale. I used the same water, same sanitation process, everything. I have sampled the first few bottles from the batch and am blown away. It is excellent - malty, slightly hoppy, smooth all the way, and not a hint of the solvent-like odor or flavor. I'm excited about brewing again.
Here's the thing, though: Why the change? Is it typical to have extract batches turn out with such lower quality than AG batches? I was under the impression that extract made some darn good beer. Why didn't it in my case, and AG did?
Any thoughts?