Extract vs All grain (green empty tasting beer)

Hey all, Ive done about 6 batches, all extract. My problem is thatmy beer always tastes green/lifeless/thin... Is this an issue of bottle conditioning time(I usually condition between 2 weeks and 2 months)? Do the extracts have more complex sugars that take longer to break down? Or should I look into all grain( I already steep)? Honestly just a bit sick of spending the time and money to homebrew and have low quality beer. I do use filtered water, could that make a diference?

I'm guessing you're talking about mouthfeel.

Steeping grains have improved the mouthfeel of my beers, especially adding 4 or 8 ounces of Carapils. The one brew I did that didn't have any any steeping grains felt like water in my mouth.

If you are using simple sugars and such for fermentability in your wort, it greatly reduces mouthfeel. Steeping grains with extract will improve your beers, but it depends on the style. With all-grain, the mash temperature controls body, mouthfeel, and fermentability. Maybe try partial mash, which is a mini- all grain with extract. But, you may have a certain way of tasting and feeling liquid, which will just always work against you.

I have never done just an extract, butmy buddy does and his beers all taste like water to me. At the very minimum I would suggest steeping some grains. I am doing partial mashes currently because even with steeping grains I wasn't getting what I wanted from my beers.


Dan

I'd go mini mash next time. AHB has some great Mini Mash Kits. While you are at it, purchase your stuff with going All Grain in mind. You can do most of it in the kitchen with the boil outside.

How much beer are you ending up with at bottling time? Maybe it's as simple as using too much water?

Steeping grains or a mini-mash will improve the overall flavor, complexity, and mouthfeel of your beer , but the simplest thing to fix "watery" beer is just to add a quarter cup of maltodextrine during the boil.

When I was doing extracts, I would steep some specialty grains AND add a tablespoon of maltodextrine.

Fermentation temp can have an effect as well. Ferment warm 70-75 and it will be thin tasting, fermenting cool 65-70 will produce more mouthfeel.

If you brew a high gravity extract mouthfeel should *edit* NOT be a problem. I would try brewing a little higher gravity batches. That will raise your FG and improve your mouthfeel.

Yeah. What yeast and recipes are you usually using? Kits?

I'd go for a mini-mash of some sort. need more info to help you out.

Yeah been doing extracts but not necessarily high gravity. My IG are usually 1.05 or so. The taste is more just watered down than anything, even Bud Light beats it.... not exactly encouraging. Doing an octoberfest this time, and doing the partial mash so hopefully that will help. What does the maltose do for you?

Have you been carbonating the beer to the right levels?

Is it a lack of malt flavor or lack of bitterness or hop flavor than makes it seem "watered down"?

Have you been adding hops?

Lol yes definitely been adding hops, well during the boil anyway. Not sure of the IBU but most batches have 1oz -60 min, 1 or 2 oz 30 mins and 1or 2oz 2 mins (boil times). I have been useing filtered water from the fridge could that hurt things any?

If you go AG, all of the ingredients and their quantities are in your control. I've never doenan extract kit, but I would say just add more stuff.

That said, I do wonder how the mfg's purify the extracts? Is it only the sugars? All the unfermentibles sucked out? You can't tell me that bags of white powder are going to have any complexx flavors in them...

Maltodextrine is simply unfermentable, long-chain sugar molecules. Since the yeast can't eat them, they leave a residual sweetness and body to the beer.