Why I Went Back to Extract This Summer

I feel guilty admitting this: I backslid and did an liquid extract beer today.

It's so dang hot here in Texas that I decided to reduce brew time and just do an extract wheat beer. I've been doing all grain for over 2 years. I just wanted some beer and I didn't want to sweat that long outside.

I don't think its anything to feel guilty about! People make really fine beer from malt extract.

i just stepped up to all grain a few months ago but i will admit that the last 2 brews i have made a watermelon wheat and a wit were partial mashes both turned out fantastic.

your still making beer, unless you start making pisswater beers like blue ribbon or coors i say cheers and good luck.

If you can make "pisswater beers" with no off flavors then you know you're a good brewer.

I've been thinking about picking up a 50# case of DME just so that I can play around with some extract brews. You get to skip so many steps. It's really nice to have a batch of beer done in two hours rather than 4-5.

That's cool. When I brew Barley Wine I do extract.

I've been doing extracts and will be starting all grain with my next brewday(not sure when yet though). However, I have made some amazing beers using extract, and have 2 more promising extract batches in the closet now. Personally, I don't see why everyone hates on the extract, my main reason for going all grain is to try it and see what all the fuss is about, as well as to help reduce costs since grain seems to be much cheaper than DME/LME these days.

I live in Ft. Worth and just "enjoyed" an AG brewing session this afternoon with the heat and humidity in my garage. I usually look forward to brew day but not when it is this hot. Can't wait for July and August.

Speaking as an extract brewer I wouldn't diss you for doing what you did. I even had a friend call me because he brews AG and he wanted to "learn" extract brewing as I was doing it. After a few chuckles at my end and him declaring he was serious we got together. I told him that brewing with extract is like baking a cake from a mix. He said that if he had never baked a cake from a mix he would want to learn how to do that properly as well. Touché!

Also, I have spoken to many people about sterilized wort kits we have here in Canada called Festabrew from Magnotta. A lot of people like them and they're dead easy to make. Apparently you end with decent beer and it's really easy, so is there shame in that?

There is no shame in making beer, no matter what method is used. I do up an extract kit every now and then as well some Partial Mash brewing for big beers.

I prefer all grain because I like the total control that I get. I mean, you can add/remove a little or replace/exchange something and make an all new beer. That being said, I don't like to mash 20 lbs of grain for a barley wine and that is where my DME is important to me.

I feel as though I could probably successfully pull-off and all grain but I'll stick to extracts and PM's. I have two little kids and I don't have the free time I had in years past. Once they are both in school, I'll probably attempt some AG brewing. For the record...When I find a great recipe, (thanks BierMuncher!) some of my extracts are regarded as high as some AG recipes according to neighbors and friends.
*Edit: My real dislike for extract brewing is how strict AG'ers look down their nose at you when you tell them you brew with powder from a bag.

ErieShores said:

I feel as though I could probably successfully pull-off and all grain but I'll stick to extracts and PM's. I have two little kids and I don't have the free time I had in years past. Once they are both in school, I'll probably attempt some AG brewing. For the record...When I find a great recipe, (thanks BierMuncher!) some of my extracts are regarded as high as some AG recipes according to neighbors and friends.
*Edit: My real dislike for extract brewing is how strict AG'ers look down their nose at you when you tell them you brew with powder from a bag.

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The sugars extracted during the mash process are sugars extracted during the mash process no matter whether if you did it yourself during an all grain brew or if you bought them from a store. It shouldn't matter who thinks what if your beer is a good as you say. If you made good beer who gives a rat's ass how you made it. When I got started in all grain, my first few batches tasted like donkey piss so I did an extract batch so I would have something good to drink. What's the big deal? I don't give a flying !@#$% what people think.

Sawdustguy said:

The sugars extracted during the mash process are sugars extracted during the mash process no matter whether if you did it yourself during an all grain brew or if you bought them from a store. It shouldn't matter who thinks what if your beer is a good as you say. If you made good beer who gives a rat's ass how you made it. When I got started in all grain, my first few batches tasted like donkey piss so I did an extract batch so I would have something good to drink. What's the big deal? I don't give a flying !@#$% what people think.

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Amen brother. Unfortunately there are all grain snobs who think less of my beer. Whatever, I like it. Oh, love your avy and the name of your brewery. I'm a big waterfoul hunter myself. We hunt with my father-in-laws black lab, Niko, that only knows Greek. Love that little guy.

People like the 'control' of AG, just like they prefer using liquid yeasts because there are more types. But I know many people who have made award-winning extract beers and most breweries only use one or two house yeasts. I brew however the recipe requires and I don't drink enough to see the economies of AG.

Kudos for realizing what it takes for you to be able to still brew.

Here's my analogy: My wife's family camp in a pop-up camper with most of the amenities of a house and stayed at campgrounds whereas my dad never thought of that as true camping and only went with a tent in the woods. That being said, her family has probably camped twenty times more often partly because it's much easier to pull off.

I would rather camp in the woods but won't turn down an offer to stay in the campgrounds (but we still sleep in a tent, is that like partial-mash?).

I like AG because I like the process. The biggest improvements in my beer's flavor was not going from extract to AG, but rather having fermentation temp controlled, and pitching enough yeast!

This next winter I think I'll do some extract brewing since I had some miserable sessions brewing in my sub-zero garage this winter!

Make good beer, that's all we're after!

In this day and age we have ready access to great malt extracts from which award winning beers are brewed regularly. Having said that I do all grain because A) I'm a control freak and B) Brew day is my day. No distractions no chores nothing, and I can milk an all grain lager for an entire day .

GT

I go back and forth a lot. AG is such a long day I can only get one in every couple months. Of my top two recipes one is AG and one is extract. The extract one (Pistol's ESB) can be brewed in under an hour, but it costs like $40. The AG (edwort's porter), costs in the very low 20s, but I'll be outside ~6 hours.

I also cannot at this time make all grain lagers.

Its hard to beat the price AG. It costs me 12 dollars for a 10 gallon batch AG. 5 liters of extract for 10 gallons is 35 dollars for me.

Btw why is it harder to do AG lagers?

Gwitz said:

Its hard to beat the price AG. It costs me 12 dollars for a 10 gallon batch AG. 5 liters of extract for 10 gallons is 35 dollars for me.

Btw why is it harder to do AG lagers?

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My immersion chiller can cool 5+ gallons of wort down to 70 easily. I need like 50 for lagers, so I utilize lots of top off water.

i prefer extract brewing but usually do AG due to costs

I went AG a few months ago and I love the process BUT I will definitely be brewing PM's and extracts. It's so hard to get the time for the AG as often as I want to brew. I can brew a PM or extract any night of the week, but for AG I have to plan it with SWMBO!

I think it's a great idea. I had planned an AG session for this weekend but the outdoor temps are just too high. I can do a mini-mash under AC, and I will next weekend.

Just about to do my first AG, mostly for curiosity and control reasons. I know ill end up in the"beer brewer" category rather than AG or extract. Ya gatta do what's right for you to make the beer you want.

It has been pretty hot and humid in TX lately, and I have not brewed either, even though I have plenty of ingredients in hand. I guess I just have not acclimated to the heat yet. My girlfriend said hey lets just do an extract batch. I said I would but I have a 50lb sack of grain at the house. Brew how you like to brew, no harm no foul.

I have done a 5 gallon extract or PM on one burner while making 10 gallons of AG on the other one. Doesn't get me in from the Memphis heat, but I get 15 gallons of great beer!

I haven't made a batch of extract in 8-10 years, but I suspect this summer I will. It just gets too hot to do AG during late August. Also, the biggest improvement I've seen with AG is controlling your mash temp, i.e. controlling how dry your end product will be. For big, strong beers this has turned out critical for most of my recipes, since extract tends to have a few too many unfermentables for my taste.

But an extract Mild/Bitter/Cream Ale? Rock on, that's gonna be my Summer beer!!

ErieShores said:

*Edit: My real dislike for extract brewing is how strict AG'ers look down their nose at you when you tell them you brew with powder from a bag.

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Just ask them if they grow their own hops, grow and malt/roast their own barley, culture their yeast, etc.

...erm....yes...? doesn't mean i don't like extract though. in fact i have contemplated making my own extract during the winter months so it's easier on me during the summer, but the amount of propane it would take would be outrageous.

I've made some real decent extract brews, but I felt like I was missing out on the whole beer process. I've brewed 2 AG so far and one BIAB. The 1st AG attempt was the BIAB and I came out pretty low on the efficiency but I couldn't even tell. The beer was still delicious.

I think why it works out so well for me is because I have an 28qt electric turkey fryer that can boil my 5 gal batches in the kitchen. No fighting the heat for me with extract or AG.

I recently entered several of my beers into a local AHA sanctioned competition. A couple AG and a few extract. My bock is extract and it took 3rd overall after being beaten out by a porter and an vienna lager.

TokyoRoad said:

Just ask them if they grow their own hops, grow and malt/roast their own barley, culture their yeast, etc.

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I make a pseudo-lager once and the real O-fest people stuck up their nose about theirs. I should have asked if they lagered theirs in caves in Germany.

I prefer AG for the full day and the cost, but am not against doing an extract occasionally to get something in a fermenter some night after work.

Since going all-grain, I'll still do an extract batch once in a while.
For various reasons -
-less time.
-style- I have have yet to make an all-grain stout that's better than my simple extract recipe.
-outside temps.

I was going to brew last weekend, but it was almost 90 and high humidity (I also brew in the garage); I got lucky Tues after work it was in the 70s.
Last winter, my water hose had froze solid by the time I was ready to use the chiller...

japhroaig said:

...erm....yes...? doesn't mean i don't like extract though. in fact i have contemplated making my own extract during the winter months so it's easier on me during the summer, but the amount of propane it would take would be outrageous.

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Why would it take a lot of propane? From my understanding, generally extract is made by pulling a vacuum and "boiling" it at a very low temperature. Otherwise, I'm not sure how you'd avoid burning it..

Since I don't have a vacuum the only option would be to slowly reduce it, like a demi/glace. And considering getting a gallon of stock down to a syrup consistency takes forever if you don't want it burnt, getting 5-10 gallons would take many hours. And lots of propane

But I guess this begs the question--any ideas how to create a vacuum on a boiling kettle?

japhroaig said:

Since I don't have a vacuum the only option would be to slowly reduce it, like a demi/glace. And considering getting a gallon of stock down to a syrup consistency takes forever if you don't want it burnt, getting 5-10 gallons would take many hours. And lots of propane

But I guess this begs the question--any ideas how to create a vacuum on a boiling kettle?

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I'm not convinced a boil kettle, or a carboy for that matter, could withstand a vacuum.. or a keg...what do they use for vacuums?

Anyway, we're getting a little bit