Is it worth it?

I still have a batch in secondary ready to bottle in 1-2 weeks...

I hear all the comments that you can make a good beer from extract... Then the "Twang" discussions start or the "Off" flavors.. I have dumped some $$$ into this new hobby and now I see it going the All grain route really quick..

Any thoughts or comments?

Thanks..

Take baby steps. Your beer wil be quite good with extract. I noticed my biggest jump in quality when I went to full boils. So far, AG has been a good experience, but don't be in a big hurry.

rdwj said:

Take baby steps. You're beer wil be quite good with extract. I noticed my biggest jump in quality when I went to full boils. So far, AG has been a good experience, but don't be in a big hurry.

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Agreed.

I'm still openning a bottle of my older extracts every now and again. They're good.

Extract brewing with some specialty grains steeped in will yeild darn good beer. The kind of beer you can't get (without spending and arm and a leg) unless you make it your self.

If you really enjoy the hobby though, AG is a "when" not "if".

I do AG-s now because it's enjoyable and I like the product. Now...when the weather turns unbearable next winter, you'd better believe that the choice between brewing extracts on the stove or not brewing at all will be a no brainer.

Partial mash is a good compromise for those of us who brew in the kitchen and can't do full boils.

As for the "twang" I was able to reduce mine by doing three things differently.

1) do larger boils - I dont have the capacity to do full boils, but I am doing 3.5 now as opposed to 1.5 when I first started.
2) dont use LME. I use DME for added body and alcohol and get my desired color by steeping specialty grains.
3) use liquid yeast. I am not saying yeast is to blame, but I noticed the biggest difference when I switched from dry yeast to liquid yeast.

cubbies said:

As for the "twang" I was able to reduce mine by doing three things differently.

1) do larger boils - I dont have the capacity to do full boils, but I am doing 3.5 now as opposed to 1.5 when I first started.
2) dont use LME. I use DME for added body and alcohol and get my desired color by steeping specialty grains.
3) use liquid yeast. I am not saying yeast is to blame, but I noticed the biggest difference when I switched from dry yeast to liquid yeast.

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Also, you might look into late boil extract additions, there have been reports of this eliminating the 'twang.'

cubbies said:

As for the "twang" I was able to reduce mine by doing three things differently.

1) do larger boils - I dont have the capacity to do full boils, but I am doing 3.5 now as opposed to 1.5 when I first started.
2) dont use LME. I use DME for added body and alcohol and get my desired color by steeping specialty grains.
3) use liquid yeast. I am not saying yeast is to blame, but I noticed the biggest difference when I switched from dry yeast to liquid yeast.

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I think numbers 1 & 2 are probably good strategies for twang minimalization. I don't buy #3, though: liquid yeast is absolutely necessary for some styles, but not for others. There are some excellent quality dried yeasts out there.

I've never figured out about this "twang". Either I've never had it or just don't know what it tastes like. Of course, I've only done full boils, with very rare exceptions.

What is this twang you speak of?

Go AG.

I did one extract and then went to AG, I never went back...

I have heard the twang described as licorice or molasses. I think the flavor I have in mine is closer to molasses.

cweston said:

I think numbers 1 & 2 are probably good strategies for twang minimalization. I don't buy #3, though: liquid yeast is absolutely necessary for some styles, but not for others. There are some excellent quality dried yeasts out there.

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Like I said, I am not blaming the yeast. I have only done a few batches, the first few I did 1.5 gallon boils, used both LME and DME, and used dry yeast...they had the twang that people speak of. Then I did a recipe where I used only DME, a 3.5 gallon boil, and liquid yeast, that batch did not have any twang to speak of.

I have had 1 extract batch that had the twang. Since then I have switched to all DME and have made beers I would stack up to any AG out there. I do plan to move to partial mash, but only because I want to increase my involvement with the process.

As far as the yeast is concerned, it should not have any impact on the twang, the twang is mostly due to older LME.

And as for the monetary investment you have made, everything you have bought for extract will be used when doing AG (you'll still need that stock pot and fermenter, hydrometer, siphon, ect...). AG involves buying more equipment to supplement what you already have, not to replace it.

Something that really helped my beers was fermentation control. Having an environment a constant 61 degrees really ensures a clean fermentation. If you are above 65 ambient you may want to look into it before AG.

I build a fermentation chiller (the one from extruded polystyrene) and it was about 70 bucks, with the inconvenience of changing the ice every 2-3 days. Is it worth it? Hells yes! I would often cringe upon the taste of fuesols and junk in the beer. Not to mention the headaches! Glad to have all that in the past.