Extract brewing is FAKE brewing

[Dee]

...waking up a "old" thread

Something I havent seen anyone commenting on:

I have made cakes from scratch and out of a box but I am not a baker. Ive assembled furniture and made racks from scratchs. Im not a carpenter. Ive done cans, all extracts, partial and all grain. So Ive brewed but Im not a brewer.
Why should all grain be called brewers and extract not, when its neithers job description? Its not what u do all the time.

I guess that makes you a homebaker, a homecarpenter, and...

Wait for it...

A homebrewer.

 

[rcreamer0713]

Been following this and only have one thing ti say. I drink the beer i make. I enjoy it. Only all grain batch i did. I didnt enjoy. I dont blame it on all grain just wasnt my style.

If you enjoy it. You made it. And its beer. Who cares what got you there...homebrewing is great because we can make beer to our personal taste. Extract or all grain.

 

[Morrey]

Been following this and only have one thing ti say. I drink the beer i make. I enjoy it. Only all grain batch i did. I didnt enjoy. I dont blame it on all grain just wasnt my style.

If you enjoy it. You made it. And its beer. Who cares what got you there...homebrewing is great because we can make beer to our personal taste. Extract or all grain.

I am going to +1 you on this post! Really, if you like what you make, who cares what it is? Many home brewers started out with extract and feel like they "grew up" and shifted to all grain. I did. But that doesn't mean that a good extract beer is chopped liver. There is plenty of room for all types of brewing.

 

[HopGobbler]

Everyone who tries my beers enjoys them, and I enjoy the fruits of my labor. Considering I spent the hours to boil the ingredients, add the hops, dry hopped, aged and bottled it, it's beer to me and I made it. I agree with others that said most people start out as extract and usually mature to all grain. I'm so far very happy with my extract brewing and the success I've had

 

[JDWebb]

My friends drink my beer and get drunk. They come begging for more. I brew more beer, they drink it and get drunk. Never have they ever complained about my extract beer while sober. But then, how could they possibly remember, they're always drunk.

 

[EMTbrewer]

My friends drink my beer and get drunk. They come begging for more. I brew more beer, they drink it and get drunk. Never have they ever complained about my extract beer while sober. But then, how could they possibly remember, they're always drunk.

Well if they always get drunk from it then they have no need to complain. It definitely says that if they are getting drunk from your home brew then they most likely like the beer. Personally if I don't like the beer then I won't get drunk from it. My two cents

 

[TorMag]

My friends drink my beer and get drunk. They come begging for more..... they're always drunk.

Thank God that is the only qualification to being a beer judge.

 

[agrazela]

In all this talk about cakes, and coffee, and tea, and whatever else, I think we've forgotten one very important thing:

I've always used the spaghetti sauce metaphor. To the non-brewer I explain that, like homebrewing, there are many different levels of complexity when making spaghetti sauce.

The first, and simplest, is to take store bought spaghetti sauce, like Prego or Ragu, boil the noodles and combine. This is like the most basic form of extract brewing. The next, adding a little "flair" and complexity, is taking that store bought sauce and adding fresh tomatoes and herbs, making it a bit more of your own. This is like extract + specialty grains.

Next is taking ingredients like canned diced tomatoes, fresh tomatoes, your own herbs and spices and some tomato juice and combining them to create your own sauce. This is, technically, not completely home made, but it's damn close, just like partial mash.

Last is taking the tomatoes, fresh herbs and spices, garlic, etc. and cooking it all down yourself to make completely homemade sauce. This is like all grain.

I've used this metaphor for 10+ years to explain homebrewing to people and it seems to work well. I feel like a lot of homebrewers/people in general get it in their heads that homebrewing, like cooking, can't have certain levels of complexity.

Where's the meat, motherf**ker?!?

#FakeSauce

 

[ericbw]

In all this talk about cakes, and coffee, and tea, and whatever else, I think we've forgotten one very important thing:







Where's the meat, motherf**ker?!?



#FakeSauce

Ha!

That analogy is also off. Opening a jar of sauce is like opening a can of beer.

Extract is like using canned tomato purée, diced tomatoes, etc.

Extract is an ingredient. Sauce is a finished product.

 

[jmlabeck]

I need to chime in. I've been brewing since '89. For the first 20 years, I was strictly extract. I'vw since moved to partial mash. I can't do all-grain, because I'm in senior housing, and there are limits on what we can have (and what I'm capable of).

My opinion:
If you pitch a packet of dried yeast into a re-hydrated can of Mr. Beer, you're a brewer.
If you re-pitch a carefully farmed strain into your 7-barrel system, you're a brewer.
If you like what you make, ignore us all.

 

[ericbw]

I need to chime in. I've been brewing since '89. For the first 20 years, I was strictly extract. I'vw since moved to partial mash. I can't do all-grain, because I'm in senior housing, and there are limits on what we can have (and what I'm capable of).



My opinion:

If you pitch a packet of dried yeast into a re-hydrated can of Mr. Beer, you're a brewer.

If you re-pitch a carefully farmed strain into your 7-barrel system, you're a brewer.

If you like what you make, ignore us all.

Right on.

 

[Michigan_Wolfman]

I recently read the following on another forum.

"Are you seriously saying that you have stuck enough LME into a pot to just ferment the small amount of sugar remaining in the extract ? Those Extracts are made specifically to give flavour and are Intended to be fermented with additional sugar - it's just in the nature of the beast !"

"... go to any brewing forum and say you make your beer using "Brew kits" and they will not recognise that as a valid method. If your not "mashing and sparging" malt (preferably home malted) you're just "Not one of us". "

Has anyone else ever encountered such nonsense?

Homebrew "Purists" with sticks up their ass. UGH! :smack:

 

[triethylborane]

Home malting? Some people have too much time. AG takes long enough.

 

[Lefou]

Not everyone has the time, space, and means to do what they want. You do what you can with what's available. Twenty years ago, I picked up my first book on brewing when there was a lot less out there for hobbyists and homebrew guys.
When I took off my boots and hung up the uniform for the last time, it was time to afford a mortgage. Somewhere between stifling taxes, real life, and more education some time got squeezed in for hobbies.

Will Palmer's Pot Bellied Beer Gods shower me with fickle awards for my efforts? Probably not.
I'm not really seeking their egotistical trinkets of subjective approval.

I'm brewing for me.

 

[rcreamer0713]

Not everyone has the time, space, and means to do what they want. You do what you can with what's available. Twenty years ago, I picked up my first book on brewing when there was a lot less out there for hobbyists and homebrew guys.
When I took off my boots and hung up the uniform for the last time, it was time to afford a mortgage. Somewhere between stifling taxes, real life, and more education some time got squeezed in for hobbies.

Will Palmer's Pot Bellied Beer Gods shower me with fickle awards for my efforts? Probably not.
I'm not really seeking their egotistical trinkets of subjective approval.

I'm brewing for me.

God damn best response 2017

 

[HopGobbler]

Not everyone has the time, space, and means to do what they want. You do what you can with what's available. Twenty years ago, I picked up my first book on brewing when there was a lot less out there for hobbyists and homebrew guys.
When I took off my boots and hung up the uniform for the last time, it was time to afford a mortgage. Somewhere between stifling taxes, real life, and more education some time got squeezed in for hobbies.

Will Palmer's Pot Bellied Beer Gods shower me with fickle awards for my efforts? Probably not.
I'm not really seeking their egotistical trinkets of subjective approval.

I'm brewing for me.

 

[beerguyfrmsd]

I recently read the following on another forum.

"Are you seriously saying that you have stuck enough LME into a pot to just ferment the small amount of sugar remaining in the extract ? Those Extracts are made specifically to give flavour and are Intended to be fermented with additional sugar - it's just in the nature of the beast !"

"... go to any brewing forum and say you make your beer using "Brew kits" and they will not recognise that as a valid method. If your not "mashing and sparging" malt (preferably home malted) you're just "Not one of us". "

Has anyone else ever encountered such nonsense?

I have heard of many brewers and homebrewers on both sides, but here is my take. I am a AG Brewer and I love the work, but sometimes I do not have a lot of time to brew an all grain batch, so I experiment with LME batches to hone in on my hop styles or recipes and dry hopping techniques, while cutting down on brew day times. For me it is either a empty kegerator or full fridge soooo. I appreciate both styles and to each have their purpose and are appreciated to the fullest extent .

 

[FlashRedGLS18T]

I need to chime in. I've been brewing since '89. For the first 20 years, I was strictly extract. I'vw since moved to partial mash. I can't do all-grain, because I'm in senior housing, and there are limits on what we can have (and what I'm capable of).

My opinion:
If you pitch a packet of dried yeast into a re-hydrated can of Mr. Beer, you're a brewer.
If you re-pitch a carefully farmed strain into your 7-barrel system, you're a brewer.
If you like what you make, ignore us all.

I agree with all of this, most especially the last line.

 

[nymtber]

I've been brewing for 6 years now. 30 documented batches. ONE bad batch, one batch of Kolsch that tasted more...hefe-like (brewed it for grandpa's 85th birthday 2 years ago, it was a HIT! People LOVED IT!) The rest? Super drinkable. Some I really have to just walk away from or they would be gone faster.

I've never brewed all-grain. Or even partial mash. Extract and specialty grains works for me. I'm not brewing for competitions, just to enjoy and share with family and friends.

I can afford to get into all-grain. Its the extra time and equipment I don't want to deal with.

I also still do partial boils! I have a 20qt clad-bottom pot. I need to get a 40qt someday...

 

[charles]

I have been fake brewing for about 8 years now. All that matters is do what you enjoy. I have gone to some micro breweries in my area that have really good all grain recipes. I always get recipe kits and change them up to make them my own. I am in no way being cocky saying I can make better beer than most commercial beers. Cheers

 

[brewshki]

I came here for incendiary comments/flame war, as I am bored at work, and have been thoroughly disappointed. Why must you all be so civil. There is no entertainment in that.

 

[allanmorgan]

Wow. This is still a thing.

 

[SlitheryDee]

I made the jump into all grain about a month ago. The resulting beers were my best yet. It was pretty enlightening actually, because it made me think about what the real difference between the two was. What made my extract brews seem not quite there when the all grain ones came out so well? I think the answer is in the water. For my first 6-7 brews it never occurred to me that I was doubling up on the mineral content due to the fact that the manufacturers used their own municipal water to make the extract in the first place. I can't leave anything alone, so now the goal is to figure out what I need to do to make my extract brews as good as my all grain ones. I'm going to start with distilled water and work from there.

 

[Morrey]

I made the jump into all grain about a month ago. The resulting beers were my best yet. It was pretty enlightening actually, because it made me think about what the real difference between the two was. What made my extract brews seem not quite there when the all grain ones came out so well? I think the answer is in the water. For my first 6-7 brews it never occurred to me that I was doubling up on the mineral content due to the fact that the manufacturers used their own municipal water to make the extract in the first place. I can't leave anything alone, so now the goal is to figure out what I need to do to make my extract brews as good as my all grain ones. I'm going to start with distilled water and work from there.

You made me think of something I really hadn't thought about which is water management in extract brewing.

In many cases, but not always, brewers start out extract just to get the feel of the brewing process before moving on to AG. I've heard it quoted just use tap water and don't get all hung up on water managing just yet. Just make beer and learn the process. Humm. makes me wonder how good we could make an extract beer by managing our brewing salts properly to bring out the nuisances we desire. I have spent lots of time thinking thru water management with AG, but not at all when I did extract. You make a good point that I bet many others will say, yep, me too.

 

[ericbw]

I made the jump into all grain about a month ago. The resulting beers were my best yet. It was pretty enlightening actually, because it made me think about what the real difference between the two was. What made my extract brews seem not quite there when the all grain ones came out so well? I think the answer is in the water. For my first 6-7 brews it never occurred to me that I was doubling up on the mineral content due to the fact that the manufacturers used their own municipal water to make the extract in the first place. I can't leave anything alone, so now the goal is to figure out what I need to do to make my extract brews as good as my all grain ones. I'm going to start with distilled water and work from there.

This is why I often think people assume that grain is better than extract. I think it's really about being a better brewer. Over time, your brewing improves, and now you know why. You can probably make much better extract beer just by not tweaking the water.

 

[charles]

The more you brew the better you get at it. I'm sure if someone has been extract brewing for 10 years will have a better beer than someone who just starting doing ag. Do what you like and no matter what you brew you will get better at it.

 

[Brownalemikie]

This is why I often think people assume that grain is better than extract. I think it's really about being a better brewer. Over time, your brewing improves, and now you know why. You can probably make much better extract beer just by not tweaking the water.

You are exactly right. My experience in brewing has led me to believe now that smoking cigarettes during my boil extremely improves the flavor of my beer

 

[ncbrewer]

There's a sticky about water chemistry: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?p=6219200&highlight=water+tweaking#post6219200

AJ DeLange described a fairly simple way to check on salt additions for flavor: "Adjustment of chloride and sulfate levels for the most pleasing beer is best done by experiment in which you add bits of sulfate and chloride to your beer as you taste it and then reflect the ion levels that give the most pleasing result in the kettle." This is in post #913. Potentially, you can work out the salt additions you want without brewing batch after batch to test it.

 

[patsan]

I can guarantee it will make your recipes better. Do biab with no sparge and no mash out and it only tacks on about 30-40 minutes.

I totally agree! I moved to BIAB about 6 months ago. It adds about 45 minutes, maybe an hour to brew day, depending on the beer. I was an extract brewer for years and loved every minute of it. The biggest difference about BIAB over extract is the color. I can get a lighter color and be a little more subtle with the flavors. But then again, extract was fun, easy, and boy could I do a high ABV with no real fuss! And consistently got a good drinkable beer. And Talk about a buzz!!! I made a 10% RIS that me and my friends blew through fast!

 

[ericbw]

You are exactly right. My experience in brewing has led me to believe now that smoking cigarettes during my boil extremely improves the flavor of my beer

I just noticed this smart ass comment

You saw what happened with that other thread.

 

[Brownalemikie]

I just noticed this smart ass comment

You saw what happened with that other thread.

Just curious......you aren't a decendent of Howard Hughs are you?

 

[ericbw]

Just curious......you aren't a decendent of Howard Hughs are you?

I don't know what that means.

 

[JDWebb]

Lordy...

 

[NoIguanaForZ]

Pfeh. REAL brewers set all the physical constants at the start so that the universe naturally evolves to inevitably contain the beer they want to make.

 

[rcreamer0713]

Pfeh. REAL brewers set all the physical constants at the start so that the universe naturally evolves to inevitably contain the beer they want to make.

Idk what this means...but feels like someone should write this down and publish it in a philosophy books.

 

[ericbw]

I think it means that if you say "X is the 'right' way," then anything done X way is right.

 

[JDWebb]

Actually, Extract Beer brewing is a form of desired outcome based on quality input achieving expected results thereby creating a palatable and pleasant experience that will linger as long as you keep sipping from the bottle.

 

[wilserbrewer]

I brewed extract only for a long time on and off....say 15-20 years. Then around 10 years ago extract prices went sky high up considerably so I tried all grain and was pleased.

Now I'm buying grain by the sack and hops by the pound, and the cost is almost free compared to the labor involved.

All grain can be very simple, BIAB or a very simple cooler mash tun is all you need....

 

[JDWebb]

Lordy...

 

[NerdBrewer22]

I don't know what that means.

By decendent, he meant : Lineage, ancestors