All extracts have a similar taste?

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saltybp

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Hi,

I have brewed up 4 extract with steeping grains recipes so far. (Stout, IPA, Red, and Wit). They are all different styles and tastes but they all seem to have a similar underlying taste. Its not a bad taste at all, I am happy with the beer, but I am wondering if it is a limitation of extract brewing. Am I being too picky? The red, IPA, and Wit are essentially the same color too. My next kit will be mini mash to see if there is a difference but I figured I would ask since that will not be for several months.
 
Well, there are different types of extracts. Like Munich LME, extra-light DME, etc. But often batches with extract do taste very similar, if the extract isn't the extra light one with specialty grains.

Using more specialty grains helps, and a partial mash may help.

If you're using the same yeast, and fermenting at the same temperature, that could also be a culprit.

A couple of tips- one, add the majority of the extract at the end of the boil. That will help lighter colored beers, like the wit, not darken during the boil. Follow good recipes, with good fresh ingredients. If you're buying Brewer's Best kits, for example, try a new line from a vendor who specializes in quality kits. Or use one of our recipes here on the site, and buy the ingredients fresh. Make a yeast starter with liquid yeast, if you're using liquid yeast. Control fermentation temperatures, trying to keep most ales in the 65-68 degree range.
 
saltybp said:
Hi,

I have brewed up 4 extract with steeping grains recipes so far. (Stout, IPA, Red, and Wit). They are all different styles and tastes but they all seem to have a similar underlying taste. Its not a bad taste at all, I am happy with the beer, but I am wondering if it is a limitation of extract brewing. Am I being too picky? The red, IPA, and Wit are essentially the same color too. My next kit will be mini mash to see if there is a difference but I figured I would ask since that will not be for several months.
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saltybp, If you've been using the same type of yeast and pitching it at the same temperatures, maybe that's what tastes the same. Hops, yeast, grains and water all influence the beer's taste in the end. Try experimenting with different yeast types at first then select one type of yeast and ferment with it at lower and higher temperatures.:mug:
 
I am starting to think that most of the 'all my extracts have the same flavor' stems from new brewers following less than stellar instructions (and sometimes old yeast)...and what you're tasting is the twang of acetylaldehyde.

Less than optimal yeast health, pitching and fermentation, coupled with racking off the yeast cake too early, can lead to a variety of off flavors that include cidery/green apple flavor.
So I would say 1: avoid really cheap yeast, like Munton's or coopers. 2: pitch PLENTY of yeast...use www.mrmalty.com calcuators and 3: ferment at the optimal range, and don't pitch the yeast too warm.

ideally rehydrate the yeast or make a starter for liquid strains.
 
My first few batches all tasted similar as well. I've been able to eliminate the issue, however. There's a few things you need to do:

1) Brew your beers only with extra light extract (or wheat extract for wheat beers), and use specialty grains or a partial mash to build your beer's flavor profile. Your extract should serve strictly as your base, and nothing else. Stay away from amber and dark extracts.

2) Play with different yeast strains. If you're using the same yeast strain for all of your beers, that could be the reason why they taste similar.

3) Ferment at cooler temperatures. Ale yeasts will give your beers strange flavors at higher temperatures. Try to ferment your beers in the low to mid 60's.

4) Cool your wort as quickly as you possibly can. My beers improved pretty dramatically once I started paying more attention to this item.
 
I also noticed similar tastes on my first two brews. I figured it was from the syrup. Fermentation temps may have been to blame as well, although they seemed to be within the acceptable range. I learned to add the syrup late in the boil after I had done both of them, so didn't get to try it out. I did my first AG this past weekend, so I'll be able to compare the finished product to see if I can eliminate any factors.
 
They are all AHS kits with the recommended liquid yeast. I follow the direction to a T and have consistantly hit the exact starting and finishing gravities...something I read was hard to do with extrat. I have never added the extract at the end. My next will be mini mash and I will try adding the extract late.
 
saltybp said:
They are all AHS kits with the recommended liquid yeast. I follow the direction to a T and have consistantly hit the exact starting and finishing gravities...something I read was hard to do with extrat. I have never added the extract at the end. My next will be mini mash and I will try adding the extract late.
Click to expand...

AHS has great recipes, so I guess it's not the kit itself!

How about water? Are you using tap water? If so, maybe try bottled water for the next batch and see if that fixes the problem.
 
saltybp said:
They are all AHS kits with the recommended liquid yeast. I follow the direction to a T and have consistantly hit the exact starting and finishing gravities...something I read was hard to do with extrat. I have never added the extract at the end. My next will be mini mash and I will try adding the extract late.
Click to expand...

what about the fermentation temps?
 
My guess is the water and yeast you are using are the main contributers. Not sure if you are using liquid yeast or not but I would give that a try as well to match up your specific style of beer to a style specific yeast. I would also try some bottled water for your next batch to see is that changes the taste of your beer. Happy Brewing!
 
Just checking back in. Its not a problem by any means, the beer tastes great. Im just suprised by the similar underlying taste from such different beers. I ferment at 68 degrees.
 
i've experimented, and i've had others lme brew, and i still taste it. i can't stand lme brew. it tastes infected to me every time. the acetylaldehyde taste is nasty. some taste it, some don't
 
I brew all grain but occasionally still do an extract batch. I can taste the difference right away. It's not a bad taste by any means, but taste malt extract before you use it, its that taste in the beer.
 
How quickly are you drinking the beer after fermentation ends and you bottle it? When I was new to brewing, I would start drinking the beer as soon as it was carbonated. While it tasted like beer, it still had a certain "green"flavor. LHBS then recommend letting it mature for a while. This got rid of the green flavor and really help differentiate between the styles.
Also I second the advice for adding half the extract at the end of the boil.
 
I brew all grain but occasionally still do an extract batch. I can taste the difference right away. It's not a bad taste by any means, but taste malt extract before you use it, its that taste in the beer.

That's exactly it. Ok. It's not just me. Thanks
 
saltybp said:
They are all AHS kits with the recommended liquid yeast. I follow the direction to a T and have consistantly hit the exact starting and finishing gravities...something I read was hard to do with extrat. I have never added the extract at the end. My next will be mini mash and I will try adding the extract late.
Click to expand...

Just an fyi, extract will give you a very calculated OG every time. It's impossible to miss unless you forget to add it haha. FG however can be missed depending on a few factors.
I strongly urge you to do late extract addition WITH EXTRA LIGHT EXTRACT (literally turn off the heat then stir in the extract), @Yooper turned me on to this years ago when I first started brewing prior to going AG and I firmly believe the late addition combined with keeping ferment temps in low to mid 60's with swamp cooler made my extract beers remarkably good.
As an example, I made a recent full extract CDA. I met a guy who's been brewing AG since 2006 (his set up is ridiculous....thousands of $$ he has spent...) and brought him a growler of it, his eyes bugged out of his head when I told him it was all extract. Just remember anyone can brew an extract but just because it's "simplified" over AG doesn't mean everyone can do it well.
 
I've given up on using darker extracts. I don't like the flavors they contribute, and I feel like they lack body. If you're planning on doing mini-mashes, just use the lightest, freshest extract you can find, and rely on specialty grains to obtain the colors and flavors you are looking for. That and late boil additions have been my biggest improvements in quality and consistency.
 
All the extract kits I've made we're no boils kits. That might be the problem. So what's the best way to make an extract kit?
 
I had the same issue. I started out with extract and brewed 7 different kinds and same thing, they all tasted the same. I switched to all grain and my god what a difference. Have done about 9 brews all grain then my buddy gave me a bottle of his extract brew and noticed that same "EXTRACT" flavor. Good but no real differences.
 
So I just cracked open an extract brew that I made Aug 24th. I had totally given up on this batch and was actually thinking of dumping it last month. Put bottle in the fridge a few days ago and tried it today and OMFG it's sooooogood. That is from my 2nd batch ever and I learned a valuable lesson in homebrewing today...patience young Padwan! Lol
 
DreBourbon said:
So I just cracked open an extract brew that I made Aug 24th. I had totally given up on this batch and was actually thinking of dumping it last month. Put bottle in the fridge a few days ago and tried it today and OMFG it's sooooogood. That is from my 2nd batch ever and I learned a valuable lesson in homebrewing today...patience young Padwan! Lol
Click to expand...

What kind of beer was it? Big beers like Imperial Stout's and Belgian triple's only get better with time!
 
It was an Brew Canada Red. So like a Richards Red. Sooooo delicious. Now Im wondering of I always have to wait a few months?. Lol
 
I'm going to chime in as an extract brewer who has no desire to go AG. I absolutely agree that "extract twang" is a thing, but in my experience it's not due to the extract, it's due to a poor process.

My first handful of batches ranged from nut brown's, to pale ales, to a Big Foot barley wine clone, and while they all tasted different, they also all had a very similar flavor that was present throughout all of them. I was using different styles of liquid yeast(no starter), fermenting in a spare bathtub(no temp control), doing FULL boils since the first batch, and adding 100% of the extract at the start of the 60 minute boil.

After I started noticing the "twang", I really wanted to get rid of it so it became more of my focus than anything else. I kept the full boil system, added a stir-plate for a yeast starter, bought two rolling Igloo coolers to use as swamp-coolers, and started adding 10-20% of the extract at the start of the brew, and the remaining extract at flame-out.

Now, I'm not sure exactly which one of those upgrades helped the situation, but the twang is 100% gone and I guarantee no one could tell the different between my beers now and an AG beer of the same recipe.

I am extremely critical of my own beers and the "twang" always pissed me off and was the only thing I could really perceive "wrong" with my beers (other than color which comes from adding all of the extract at the beginning of the boil). However, I'm happy with my beers now and now I can focus on being critical of other things in my beer, like the recipe, instead of process.

IMO, if you are having a twang issue, look at your PROCESS before you ditch it for all-grain. There is no need to triple your brewing time to get rid of the twang by going AG. Go AG if you want to be more involved in the brewing process, but again, the twang isn't the extracts fault.
 
Went to all grain and the twang is gone. It was worth investing in a mash tun and I find AG tastes way better than extract and my beer is better tasting sooner. But to each their own.
 
I've never experienced "extract twang"....that, or maybe I like the twang, same as I've never had an oxidized brew...that, or maybe I like the flavor :) Word can only go so far, but I have no idea what y'all are talking about. I always used the lightest extract available with appropriate steeping grains for the brew, all was well and non-twangy .....have moved onto to mead, so it's a moot point by now. I do have plans for a cranberry wheat this spring, but the "twang" will be from the cranberries, really
 
I will say, I used extract for a while, and had just a few batches with "extract twang". Funny that some say it is "process", when I did all the things listed above that the one guy did to get rid of his "twang" except making starters, but that's because I use dry yeasts - always hydrated, and I well-aerated the wort.

*shrug*
 
I think we need to stop talking about "extract twang." It is not a descriptor of anything you can taste or really describe. It's just a term for "this tastes weird, but I'm not sure what it is." If it's salty, sour, sweet, or bitter, then say that. If it tastes moldy or musty, that's a good descriptor. Funky is even a good descriptor because we can reference other funky things (cheese, etc.).

I think the problem is when people are new to brewing, they do all kinds of things that cause undesirable flavors. Some are related to the extract, like adding it at the 60 minute mark, using stale ingredients, etc. Or it is cheap yeast that throws bad aromas OR doesn't attenuate all the way. Or maybe it's temperature - even "good" yeast like S-04 is gross if you go over 70 degrees.

So you make extract beer and it's bad. But you fix things here and there, and you get better, and then you move to all grain, and after that, you've really fine tuned your process, and the beer is better.

You say, "When I made extract beer, it was bad. Now that I make AG, its good." But that might be backwards. Maybe it is more like, "When I made bad beer, it was extract. Now that I make good beer, it is all grain." You got better, and you can probably make better extract beer now.

Of course, some of you can taste the extract difference.

But again, "extract twang" doesn't describe what it is you're tasting. And new brewers repeat that term because it sounds like it should be the right term. "This tastes twangy" tells you nothing about how it tastes.

End of my rant!
 
I'm pretty sure as an adult I can use any word I want. TWANG! Are you home with me when I make my beers? How do you know my process? Ps. Twangy twang twang.
 
DreBourbon said:
I'm pretty sure as an adult I can use any word I want. TWANG! Are you home with me when I make my beers? How do you know my process? Ps. Twangy twang twang.
Click to expand...


I agree 100%. When you are an adult, you can use whatever word you want. Until then…

I don't have to be home with you when you brew beer to know if it is a good description or not. And it doesn't matter what your process is. No matter the process, that's still not a good descriptor.

Did you have a different point?
 
Twang is real. Sorry to those who disagree, but you'd be flat out wrong. It is real, and thousands of homebrewers know this, it's not just me.

I'll just leave this here, in case it might help someone. Paste image into Word in landscape, then print and laminate if desired. :D

extract-beginnerrulesofthumb.png
 
Extract beer has a HUGE "twang" taste compared to all grain in my experience.

Partial mashing with extract is much better IME but AG has been by far the best beer i've made. Of course, not all batchs are "winners".
 

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