How to make your extract beer taste better

I liked "10 steps to better extract brewing." I found that article very useful, but is there anything else anyone could add or revise that they'd like to put in this thread? BYO is great but it contains some flawed info. For example, that beginners should use bleach without vinegar or any additives as a sanitizer.

Keeping your ferm temp on the low end of the range and full boil are probably the two biggest factors for making a tasty beer for me.

Anyone have any tips on making a less watery beer? I'm going to try a bit of maltodextrin. I feel like a lot of extract brews I've made are lacking maltiness. Any tips?

 

A full boil worked well for me when I attempted to add more body to the beer. I also so the largest improvement when I moved away from just using liquid extract. For example, when the recipe called for 6 pounds of extract, I would do 3 pounds of liquid and 3 pounds of dry.

I found that adding the dry added a significant amount of "mouthfullness" and head retention to my beer.

 

This may not be in the spirit of the question and I haven't read the article. But since most extract brewers use steeping grains....the best thing I ever did before going to AG was to do some partial mashes. It amounted to adding the steeping grains and maybe a couple pounds of pale malt to a bag and putting it in the oven for an hour instead of letting it sit on the stove for 30 minutes. It adds a fair amount of depth in my opinion.

 

Temp range is definitely a huge factor. Beyond that and proper technique I would say partial mash can help a great deal. It will improve flavor and body IMHO. Partial mash will also prepare you for all grain if you ever decide to brew AG.

 

I've done a few AG batches, but I just don't have the patience to sit around for an extra hour and a half for every batch. Also, if I'm going to brew a keg that will typically be consumed in one night at a party, I don't want to put a lot of effort into it.

I may have to stop being so lazy though.

 

dont let the AG guys pick on u thats the spirit of homebrewing you can be obsessive or you can be lazy and can still have a great brew day

 

Are you steeping grains with extract or brewing all extract?

 

(If you do brew in a bag, you can do an all-grain brew day in only about 1/2 hour longer than an extract+specialty grain one)

Extract tips:

You nailed 2 big ones: Full boil is great, and controlling fermentation temperature is one of the most critical parts of brewing in any style.

Pitch the right amount of yeast (neither over- nor under- pitch). Don't rush things off the primary; give it a week after fermentation completes.

Use fresh extract. DME stores better than LME.

I found it easiest to use the same brand and style (the palest available) of DME for every beer, and layer flavors on top of that with specialty grains; that way I was always building from a consistent base (so I knew what to expect), and inventory was simpler. Obviously sometimes (e.g. wheat extract) you have to break this rule.

Do a late addition of roughly half your extract, even in a full boil--prevents unwanted caramelization flavors and keeps color light.

Specialty grains can add a lot.

Consider a partial mash if the style you are brewing would benefit from grains that can't be steeped. This is trivial on the stovetop--it's almost like steeping, just requires a bit more temperature control and 30 more minutes. See DeathBrewer's thread about it. http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/easy-partial-mash-brewing-pics-75231/

 

seriously i love all this. this are tips i will definitely use on the next one. But whats the thing with lower ferm temp?

 

Try to keep your fermentation at the lower end of the temperature range for that particular yeast. So if you are using Safale it has suggested fermentation range of 59 to 75. Running closer to the low end, say around 60, is better than running at the higher end, like say around 72.

 

why is that?

also how does using less water for steeping improve your beer?

How much grain would you use for the mini mash and would it change how much Extract you would use ?

 

Mashing is like steeping,only you use less water & controlled steep temps for more or less conversion,depending on how much you want it to ferment out,to my understanding. And maltodextrin is just another sugar where only about 5% of it ferments out,giving more mouth feel only.
I like using,on average,1 can of LME (3.75lbs) to 3lbs plain DME with late malt & hop additions for more flavor,lighter color. Late hop additions give more flavor & less bittering. A little bittering & more hop flavor is my preference.

 

me too i like that idea. so late hop additions and malt additions... at what part of the boil or I should say what time.

I mean I'm starting to get some of it. If you make an extract kit its a strong solution. If you boil only 2.5 (brewers best) you have a weaker solution that you are diluting down with 2.5 (or more) gallons of water. So by using more water and boil down to 5 gallons you are boiling all the flavor into your final capacity specification. So its just being diluted down to the correct about. Does that sound right?

Since I have a 5.5 gallons kettle (didnt do my homework wish it was 6.5) Im going to try and boil between 4-4.5 gallons.

Some guys at my LHBS said they have great results with both LME and DME. Im going to do a series of experiments changing only one variable at a time to see what the result ends up being. First full boil. Then same kit with DME. Then same kit full boil DME and Mini Mash. That should give me a GREAT understanding of the process.

 

You get a bit better utilization from late extract additions. That is to say,a lower strength wort seems to work a bit better. But mainly for lighter color & cleaner flavors.
So you're not diluting it in the literal sense. Your adding top off water to get it to the intended volume of the recipe. Some will top off till they measure the intended OG. I go by volume with extracts myself. Getting close to or a little higher than estimated OG is fine. Each brew being different anyway.
You add extra water in a full boil to account for boil off. Sorta the opposite of partial boil to me.

 

I think things still do not mix the same under intense as they would under room temp or moderately warm. Also intense heat for a given length of time.

Just read a post about beer sitting in a bottle a few weeks longer after bottle conditioning and tasting "just right". Sounds like a similar principal. Not gonna lie im still a big noob but... That makes sense to me.