All my extract beers taste the same

[Toppers]

Extract kits w/ grain steeping from a reputable company, I have made a wheat and tripel in the last two months. Neither one has much more than a month in the bottle.

They are both very good, but have this identical, annoying taste to them I cant figure out. Sometimes, I can't tell which one I am drinking! This is comparing a tripel to a wheat, lol.

Do they need several months in the bottle or is this something to do with the malt extract?

Thanks!

 

[Tenchiro]

Extract kits w/ grain steeping from a reputable company, I have made a wheat and tripel in the last two months. Neither one has much more than a month in the bottle.

They are both very good, but have this identical, annoying taste to them I cant figure out. Sometimes, I can't tell which one I am drinking! This is comparing a tripel to a wheat, lol.

Do they need several months in the bottle or is this something to do with the malt extract?

Thanks!

SOunds like the dreaded extract "twang". https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f37/extract-twang-what-54434/

 

[cushdan]

Are you using tap water? You may want to make sure the common flavor isn't from that.

 

[phissionkorps]

If your water is really "aggressive" it will lend a "character" to the beer, but I don't think it would be powerful enough to overpower the malt, hops, and alcohol and make it homogenous. Sounds like it might be "twang" to me as well. I've gotten the twang in about half of my extract brews. It mellows way out with old age (after a year).

 

[Jaeger48]

It could be a cleaner, your process, contamination, hot ferment, or any one of several other items. Please describe process etc.

 

[GearBeer]

I would definitely suspect the H2O if you're on city water. As Jaeger48 said, a description of your process would help.

 

[Revvy]

How long are you letting them carb/bottle condition? If it's under 3 weeks, more likely the beers are just "green."

 

[cuinrearview]

+1 on above suggestions

What yeasts are you using? Some companies use the same yeast for all or most of their kits. With wheat beers and belgians, most of the flavor comes from the yeast. If the supplied yeast was the same for both that could explain it. Also, belgians and german wheats generally have a pronounced clovey character.

 

[Brandon O]

Are you a smoker? My buddy is a smoker and his taste buds are completely shot. He can't tell the difference between a New Castle and a budweiser.

 

[Toppers]

Thanks for the reponses-

I have good tasting well water. I used Wyeast 3068 liquid yeast. So it's not either of those. The wheat beer in mention now has 6 weeks under bottle carbing and tastes the same. Followed the directions, 45 minute boil, etc. w/ grain steeping prior to all this for 20 minutes. The funny part is, it's good. But I can taste this strange thing and it's really annoying. It would be a superb beer if not for this off-taste.

 

[eschatz]

Well, you need to be using a different yeast for each of the beers. However, the EXTACT TWANG might have gotten to you. Maybe you should take the AG plunge. You'll never look back. And you can do it CHEAP AND EASY!

 

[Brandon O]

My extract stuff had twang to it. Faint, in the back ground, twang....close to sour but not quite sour.....just twang.
Did my first AG yesterday, loved it.

 

[GearBeer]

I've got a few quick observations:
1. You used the same yeast for both brews, which is going to lend a similar character.
2. They need to age more
3. It sounds like you might be referring to extract twang when you say that they "have this identical, annoying taste to them I cant figure out."
4. It sounds like your kits may have come with aged LME. As LME gets older it tends to obtain an unpleasant taste. Did you purchase these kits from a LHBS or from an online dealer?

 

[GearBeer]

Ok, a couple guys posted while I was composing, so I have to add the following links. DO NOT think that just because you are moving to All-Grain that you are going to instantly have perfect beer. Making good beer is much more complex than that and I would highly suggest that you get some more experience under your belt and make, lets say 5 (I just made that number up), beers that you really think are good before you move on to AG. Basically, what you're doing when you move to AG is adding more variables.

That said:
http://blogs.homebrewtalk.com/Revvy/Why_cant_we_all_get_along/ (thank you Revvy)
and
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f37/you-can-make-good-extract-only-beer-82788/

 

[Brew-boy]

I had a similar flavor even with my all grain all beer tasted the same. I changed two things and it went away I stop using dry yeast and Iodophor and went with liquid and starsan. Sound silly as alot of people make good beers using these products but in my case it was the root cause.

 

[Toppers]

I did not use the same yeast for both brews, sorry you assumed that, I should have been clearer--used an ale yeast for the Tripel which I forget the name now (liquid).

 

[Fat Guy Brewing]

Where are you getting the 'kits' from? A source that sells in low volume will have old ingredients laying around. I used to pick up kits at a store and everything was included all sealed up in a box. Who knows how long the stuff had been sitting on the shelf, even the hops at room temperature! I even took in 2 different beers I had made and asked if I had done it correctly because they tasted exactly the same to me: 'yep, its just right' they told me. Once I started buying raw ingredients and not 'kits', I got beer tasting the way it should. Make sure you are getting fresh ingredients. Also, make sure you ferment and age long enough, read some of the posts here and you will see.

 

[Austinhomebrew]

Was the extract in a can?

Older extract in cans have a metallic flavor that people describe as twang.

I can tell you that our customers do not complain of extract twang. We sell tons of liquid extract a year (literally). I don't think the extract itself is to blame. Old extract and extract in metal cans or the deadly combination of both is probably the culprit.

People say that DME doesn't have twang. DME is made from LME so the variable seems like the can it comes in.

Many people complain about another flavor that keeps coming up in their beer. It usually ends up being Iodophor or Starsan that is mixed at too high concentration and not rinsed well. Iodophor is a no rinse solution at 1/2 oz. per 5 gallons. At this dilution you can't really see the Iodophor in the water. People can't help themselves and keep adding more Iodophor until the water looks a certain color. This is too much Iodophor.

The off flavor you are getting is not punishment for not being an all-grainer.

Forrest

 

[GearBeer]

+1 for brewing with "raw ingredients" instead of kits.
Perhaps you could post the recipies (Including the different yeast strains. You mentioned only Wyeast 3068 earlier in this thread) and your procedures. Without more information there's not a lot more we can tell you.

 

[DD2000GT]

...It usually ends up being Iodophor or Starsan that is mixed at too high concentration and not rinsed well...

Forrest

Forrest - I thought Star San WAS a "No Rinse" sanitizer. The instructions on my bottle just says to drain and air dry.

 

[Kilgore_Trout]

Forrest - I thought Star San WAS a "No Rinse" sanitizer. The instructions on my bottle just says to drain and air dry.

It is, if mixed at proper concentrations it shouldn't hurt anything. Iodophor comes out of solution and turns into a gas, so that shouldn't contribute anything either.

 

[TheJadedDog]

Sounds to me like a bit of the extract twang. I switched to all extra light DME and use steeping grains to get flavor and color and this problem vanished from my beers. I will give a +1 to what Forrest said and tell you that I did not get the twang from the 2 kit beers I bought from him when I was first starting out even though they both came with LME.

Personally I like the all extra light DME with steeping grains because it lets me experiment with the specialty grains I use. That said, now that I have a deck I am going AG just as soon as the budget allows (gotta pay for the move first - ugh).

 

[madewithchicken]

Well water often has high amounts of sulfur. I am not sure what that might do with the yeast. Ask your out of town visitors if they think your water smalls funny. My grandma's well water smells a bit like eggs. But tastes great after a few days of drinking it.

Did you use the same yeast for both batches? If so I would look there first.

Were the hops fresh and sealed right?

Did you do a secondary? How long were they in the primary and in the secondary?