Talk me out of an Extract brew or not.....

Okay, I know this topic has probably been killed on this, but AG beer seems to drain too fast ! I've never brewed extract batch in my life. I've been strictly an all grain brewer so far for a couple years, but I have a new six tap keezer, and tonight two faucets burped big time! Time for brewing is a late night thing or a snow day while the kids are outside playing kind of thing. I have a couple AG batches almost ready, but has anybody has any luck with a quick and easy good tasting session or IIPA extract beer for my keezer in a pinch, or maybe a perminant home in the keezer. I'd love to be able to bang out a quick 5 or 10 gallon batch, but am I spoiled with the AG Taste?!????
Thanks everyone in advance.
Cheers!

 

You can take an all grain recipe you enjoy and convert the recipe to extract if you have BeerSmith

 

Agreed, you can make very good extract beer, give it a try, and like ski12568 stated, convert your favorite all grain recipe to an extract recipe and you might be surprised.

 

You can avoid most extract-derived "off flavors" by using late additions (post-15 minute mark) for the majority of the extract. I brew all grain 3/4 seasons and switch to extract in the summer to save on too-warm groundwater. I don't think there's much difference between flavor in either method as long as your techniques are sound. Save even more time on chilling by topping up with chilled bottled/distilled water. I can knock out the hot side of a 5 gallon batch in under/about 45 minutes.

 

Every now and then I like to do an American pale ale with steeping grains, extract, and a 20 min boil. Just use a bunch of late hops and it comes out great. Whole thing takes about an hour and a half including clean up.

 

i agree with using steeping grains in extract. the only time extracts should be giving you weird flavors is if you boiled the entire amount for the entire 60 minutes (which will also give you a darker finished product) or you're dealing with old ingredients.

from my research, LME is more prone to becoming stale than DME, so if your LHBS isn't a big one that's always selling out of their products, maybe stick with DME.

if you go with just an all light DME with some specialty steeping grains, you should be getting just about the same product. i also only do 25-30% of the extract for the full 60, then i add all the rest at flameout actually (your product should be "nasties"-free, but even if you add it at the end when the temps are still above 200, you're killing anything anyways). this helps if you're going to do a hopstand because the time it takes and the stirring in of the extract brings down the temps to the perfect level for the hopstand.

sometimes when converting a recipe from all grain to extract, people also talk about that you get a bit of a sweeter final product (extracts tend to have less fermentables depending on where you usually mash at), and one way i've found to avoid any residual sweetness is just to add some sugar to help dry it out.

the steeping grains may seem like they add more time, and although i'm going to recommend this, i've never actually done it: they say to just stick your grains in when you start the boiler, take them out once you reach the 170F mark, then you're utilizing your warm up times to do both. it may not be exactly extracting all the sugars possible from the steeping, but it will give you the flavor that you're looking to get out of it, since the main purpose for you is just extracting the flavors. also i've heard double crushing the grain is best for steeping, and i've done it with some success, although that's just anecdotal success.

in other words, i say go for it!

 

Thanks!
I'll have to give it a try---

 

I did this exact thing over the weekend.

Lots of the really experienced guys and gals on this forum have pointed out that it's not the extract vs. AG, it's the process that counts. An experienced brewer can take a "beginner" extract kit and produce an excellent beer because we understand and apply the proper process: fermentation temperature control, yeast health, good pitch rate, oxygenation and nutrient, etc. and we have the equipment to do a full boil. Go for it!

 

yes i forgot to mention the full boil (full volume that you're going for, instead of topping off).

 

I think a lot of the complaints about "extract" beers are complaints about poorly brewed and poorly fermented beers. You can make great beer with extract and terrible beer with all-grain; it just depends on how you as a brewer execute.

 

I agree with Darwin. I have brewed probably 10-12 AG batches in my short brewing career but I have made numerous extract batches from kits and have had excellent results. In my mind I compare it to gardening. You can plant your tomato seeds in small pots, water them, tend them, repot them, etc. for 3 months or just wait until mid-May and buy really nice plants from the greenhouse. Having done it several times, I like knowing that if I have the time and energy I can brew really good AG beer. If I don't have the time I can brew an extract batch and make really good beer. I think it's good to know how to do both. But, like others have said your process matters a lot.

 

Here's a very popular 15 minute pale ale extract recipe packed with lots of hops.

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f66/15-minute-cascade-pale-ale-210253/

 

Just don't tell them it's made with extract until AFTER they give their opinion

 

I'm not exactly sure how to word this, but in my experience from when I used to do extract beers...some recipes and style just worked out better. For example I always had good results from extract wheat beer recipes but people said that my AG stouts were much better. I can't peer into the crystal ball and tell you why...maybe it was because of all the actual wheat in the steeping grains...or maybe it was the yeast. So my recommendation would be to do a wheat beer. If you aren't into wheat beers (I know a lot of homebrewers lose their taste for them over time) you could look at doing a hoppy wheat beer...maybe something like 80-Acre. Because you can get well-kept fresh hops it does a great job of giving extract beers more of a fresh flavor...again I'm doing a bad job of explaining stuff today but I think you get what I mean...

Also 80-Acre is a beer I would love to brew if I could find a decent recipe that has been tested numerous times.

 

I've been considering converting certain recipes to extract. The time savings and less equipment to clean is huge. I've only done 1 extract batch since switching to all grain and it was a 2gal test. It turned out really well and I had forgotten how easy it was to brew extract.

Just reading this thread I learned a nice tip about extract. Late addition DME. I've already got the ingredients to brew 2 batches this weekend but maybe my next my next batch will be back to my roots, extract with steeping grains.

 

I have switched back and forth from grain to extract over the years. To me, if you know what you are doing, the quality level is comparable.

As a rule, I tend to have less issues with extract off flavors if I'm making a hop-forward or a yeast-dominated style. Malt-bombs with extract can be tricky.

 

I almost gave up brewing all together brewing extract. Could never get past the "funk taste" the 3 or four hours saved to me is not worth the trade off in taste.

 

Try a batch BIAB. Your only extra equipment to clean is a bag. I dump mine out and rinse it and hang to dry. Mill your grains really fine since you don't have to worry about a stuck sparge, mash for 30 minutes, pull the bag and let it drain/squeeze it dry. Boil the wort and chill it. All grain doesn't have to take all day. I'll squeeze out a batch in 3 1/2 hours or less. It takes me that long to do and extract batch and I don't have to deal with the sticky mess of LME.

 

I've been considering that. I'll have to peruse the BIAB section a little more to make sure I do it right.

 

My recipe is simple...

3lbs wheat malt extract
3lbs pilsner malt extract
3lbs smoked malt for steeping.

add lot's of early addition bittering hops...big alpha hops then finish the last 10 minutes with aroma.

Use safale 05...simple, smoky hoppy good beer.

 

Was reading up today. I think I may move this direction. 1 kettle seems pretty darn convenient and simple.

 

BIAB rocks.

 

Some day I will go all grain but for now I am happy doing extract. As for the twang, I have never had it but I also do late addition when doing partial boils. I suspect adding it all on a partial boil may "caramelize" which could cause the twang and it is possible newer brewers just dump in the yeast and don't watch the temps which could be causing twang as well. I just did my first full boil yesterday and added it all in at the start so we will see if I get twang or not.