Debate my buddy and I had. Is extract brewing REALLY making homebrew?

[Pumbaa]

dont forget about "The Great Hydrometer Debate"

 

[rdwj]

Iodophor ALL THE WAY!!!

Blasphemy!!!

 

[Beer Snob]

Are you telling me that he started out, day one doing AG? One thing I like about this hobby is the wide variety of complexity or ease that you have in making beer. In 'Desinging Great Beer' the author even points out that most of the awards at competions are from Extract.

Mashing is just one aspect of brewing as you pointed out. It's too bad your friend was not listening to you.

 

[disaffected]

Are you telling me that he started out, day one doing AG?

Yeah, how improbable! It was day two for me. Well, brew two, anyway.

BTW, do you happen to know what percentage of the entrants in a typical competition use extracts versus grain?

 

[homebrewer_99]

These are the cans:

(1) aluminum vs. stainless steel
(2) bleach as a sanitizer
(3) AG vs. extract
(4) glass vs. plastic

There are probably more.

Definitely...you forgot the USMC against the entire forum...

 

[Beer Snob]

Yeah, how improbable! It was day two for me. Well, brew two, anyway.

BTW, do you happen to know what percentage of the entrants in a typical competition use extracts versus grain?

I'll check the first chapter. Each chapter (in the second part) is of a different style of beer and it comes out when he talks about how the style is typically made today versus historically because he'll use competition information.

 

[Dude]

If you have any doubt about how good extract beers can be, google a homebrewer by the name of Jim Rossi.

 

[Chairman Cheyco]

In 'Desinging Great Beer' the author even points out that most of the awards at competions are from Extract.

That's only partially true. He says the majority of the prize winning beers have extract in them, along with specialty grains as partial mash or steeping. He goes on to say that in the sample none of the prizes were awarded to all-extract brews.

This is merely a statisctic, and not a comment on wether or not the people making extract-only are actually brewing. The point he was trying to make is that a few grains go a long way.

 

[Beer Snob]

I agree with what your saying actually. Was in the book all night. I also noticed that these competitions were several years ago. Things might have changed. But again, like you said I think his point was that you can make some impressive beer without completely doing AG.

 

[Willie3]

Extract Brewing ... He who brews with extract BREWS with extracts, right?

Chapter Closed... now back to Aluminum....


- WW

 

[ultraplop]

The problem here is that your buddy isn't looking at this from logical perspective.

Brewing is a means to an end. In home brewing the end is usually beer that is higher quality, lower costing, or of different style than beer that is purchased from a store. This something that can be accomplished using just about any homebrewing method whether it be Mr Beer or hopped extract kits, extract, extract with steeping or minimash, and all grain. Sometimes the end is to just have fun creating something, but its kind of silly to call someone a fake brewer just because you think you have more fun brewing with all grain than they do with extract.

Anyways, each method has its own benefits and reasons to use them and this is what your buddy is completely missing. None of these methods are invalid as long as they produce the desired result.

You mentioned that your friends couldn't even finish the beer your buddy made; the fact of the matter is that even a Mr Beer brewer can brew some pretty good beer and would probably be considered a better brewer than your buddy. He doesn't realize that simply using a more advanced technique does not necessarily make you a better brewer or make better beer. In fact, in his case it’s the opposite

Another thing to take into account is that simpler is often better. If you take an all grain and an extract brewer that both make the same type of beer and they produced similar quality beers, then I would consider the extract brewing method to be the superior method. Less chances for mistakes, less chances for infections, and it saves a lot of time. (not that all grain doesn't have other benefits, but in this scenario they would be negligible)

 

[Beer Weevel]

If it drinkable beer? it's brewing!!!!

 

[Desert_Sky]

here we go again

 

[Yuri_Rage]

Yup, somebody resurrected this one. I don't think you can possibly call it brewing if you sanitize with bleach and boil in aluminum, but real brewers use Fleischmann's bread yeast - only the rapid rise variety, less lag time that way.

 

[Cheesefood]

Real Brewers are Democrats.

 

[chillHayze]

Real brewers have a sig less than or equal to 3 lines.

 

[olllllo]

Real Brewers know how to beat a dead horse... to death even.

 

[chillHayze]

I give this thread another 3 pages.

 

[Chairman Cheyco]

Someone should stop this...

...aw crap, I guess I should...

 

[Yuri_Rage]

Someone should stop this...

...aw crap, I guess I should...

We're kinda squashing the debate by making fun of it...isn't that good enough?

 

[Chairman Cheyco]

I suppose you're right Yuri. I guess by now everyone can agree that real brewers do not use extract.

 

[chillHayze]

MUWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAWWHAWAHAWAHHWWHWAWAWAWAHA!!!!!111

Well that about sums it up.

 

[Yuri_Rage]

I think I'm going to quit brewing. I'm convinced I'm not really even brewing anyway after reading this. There's some BMC in the fridge.

 

[chillHayze]

PM me for my address to send all your supplies. I wont use them for brewing, having fallen upon the same realization as yourself. I just want all the cool links in my sig.
That would put it over 3 lines - darn!

I'm just gonna eat the extract powder and hop pellets.

 

[Carne de Perro]

I'm just gonna eat the extract powder and hop pellets.

I snorted my DME last weekend, it was great but now my left nostril is blocked and I can't get it unstuck.

 

[chillHayze]

I snorted my DME last weekend, it was great but now my left nostril is blocked and I can't get it unstuck.

Ye it will clog if you do too much in one sitting. It gives me a heck of an energy boost for about half an hour, then I find myself wanting more. With DME at over $1 a pound, it's a pretty expensive habit. Not as expensive as snorting whole leaf hops, but close.

 

[Beerhead]

If you think about it, brewers only make wort. It's the yeast that makes the beer.

Well it's obvious then isn't it?

You aren't a real home brewer unless you eat sugar and then poop out CO2 and alcohol.

Not to mention divide hundreds of times!