Extract vs. All Grain

[KendallAdkins]

I am an all grain brewer because I think the process is a lot more enjoyable and I love having complete control on flavor profiles.
My question is, has anyone here done side by side comparisons on "the same" beer with one done extract and one done all grain?
I'm curious to see if there is actually a quality difference.
I am a chef so to me, extract brewing is like buying a frozen lasagna instead of making one from scratch. Is there a similar quality difference in beer?

 

[Epiphanic]

Brulosopher one of his trademark exBEERiments on this very subject.

http://brulosophy.com/2014/07/21/extract-vs-all-grain-exbeeriment-results/

 

[firerat]

I think a better comparison might be making a "kit" pizza (think DiGiorno) vs. making your own dough and sauce etc.

A frozen pizza is just buying a sixer.

I can't say that I've had any real side by side comparisons but I will say, once I switched to all grain and started drinking my all grain brews, I noticed all the extract brews I had left over and bottled all had the same sort of odd aftertaste. Nothing really bad, but it was in every one of my extract beers from like 4 or 5 recipes.

Now I don't know if I just got better at brewing, had bad ingredients, or am just crazy.

And this is purely anecdotal so take it for what it is.

 

[gatsby174]

I believe the "extract twang" everyone talks about comes from using water with minerals. This water may be fine with all grain, but they impart a mineral taste in extract. I brewed with rodi from the start and never had the twang. But when I brewed at my buddies with my equipment and his water, every batch had the twang. If you have good water, I believe extract can be every bit as good as al grain, you just have less control of the process. Just my .02

 

[Rev2010]

Honestly, I think quality of beer is really not much of an argument for AG vs. extract. I've made some fantastic beers using extract, some that are every bit as good as an AG brew or commercial beer. Probably due to my water I never really noticed the extract twang that many report, but it's reported enough to have merit I'd say. For me it was all about being able to do anything I wanted. For example, I wanted to use German grains for my Hefeweizens but weyermanns LME wasn't available here in the states. Plus, most extracts are a blend, like Amber, you can't really tweak it nor change the country of origin for the grain. Then, once you start steeping specialty grains all the time why not just go AG and mash?

One of the biggest turn offs for me with extract was the super fine powder DME. It gets everywhere and requires a lot of cleanup. That, and boy oh boy does it foam up the wort even if you stop the boil for a bit to add it, plus you have to go slow and stir it in very well . Then you have to get back up to a boil. So, outside of my Weizenbock, which I haven't yet been able to best with my AG attempts I haven't looked back. Still brew my Weizenbock as extract, looking to fix that this season


Rev.

 

[flars]

I would like to reply in detail to this post, but it would be super critical.

 

[KendallAdkins]

I would like to reply in detail to this post, but it would be super critical.

Go for it.

 

[flars]

Can't. I need to remind myself that this is a public forum and must always be helpful, rather than critical. I let poor judgement escape once in a while.

 

[gfinockio]

You can and will get great beer from either extract or all-grain. This is reality, no matter what side of the argument seems to think.

 

[Billy-Klubb]

let's clarify something: extract brewers are not cookie cutter brewers. there are enough variables: types of extracts, hops, water, steeping grains, yeast, fermentation temps. firerat has the comparison right.

as for a side by side, I have not. but I would like to find out what % of which malts are in some extracts and do an experiment.

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

let's clarify something: extract brewers are not cookie cutter brewers. there are enough variables: types of extracts, hops, water, steeping grains, yeast, fermentation temps. firerat has the comparison right.

as for a side by side, I have not. but I would like to find out what % of which malts are in some extracts and do an experiment.

Exactly. Extract isn't frozen lasagna. It's buying the pasta noodles and sauce rather than making them from scratch. There's still PLENTY of creativity available.

I personally prefer all-grain, but that's a desire for control (and cost savings) rather than quality.