"extract twang"

[bluelightguy]

Was wondering if anyone could dercribe the so called "extract twang" for me .
i not sure what it is i'm tasting in my beer , i'm new to brewing.i have done 3 batches and all have the same flavor . i have been reading like crazy but can't get this nailed down.

thanks all

 

[Brewsmith]

Can you explain what you are tasting?

 

[bluelightguy]

it's a bitter or sour aftertaste, the carbing is fine , the head looks great it's clean and clear , i'm 100% happy with the way it looksand pours , it's 4 weeks in the bottle .

 

[Tankard]

That bitter aftertaste sounds like extract twang... I'm not so sure about the "sour" part though.

It's hard to describe extract twang. What I did to define it was to brew an SNPA clone, and then I compared it to an SNPA. I knew it wasn't going to taste the same, obviously, but my brew had a distinct "bite" that the SNPA did not. After another extract brew, I got the same aftertaste, and I switched over to all grain.

Extract twang is not necessarily bad, it just keeps your beers from tasting like commercial beers (which is what most homebrewers shoot for).

 

[HOOTER]

That's a tough one. I've tasted it but I'm not sure I can describe it. It's sort of like a "twang". But seriously, I guess it's a very subtle acidic type of flavor. However you chose to describe it using dry extract will eliminate it.

 

[brewt00l]

coppery, metallic...sucking on a penny kinda thing

 

[Tankard]

coppery, metallic...sucking on a penny kinda thing

That's a good explanation. Coppery metallic taste + bitter hope bite = extract twang

 

[Austinhomebrew]

What container did the extract come in? What is the expiration date?
It is usually on the bottom of the can.....

If you have fresh extract from bulk (not cans) and it hasn't oxydised. You won't have a problem. Don't blame the extract for the container it was in.

That copper penny taste is the can the extract came in. Have you tasted fresh pineapple versus canned pineapple. When you eat it from a can you get a nasty metallic flavor in the pineapple. Do you blame the pineapple and say "pineapple twang"? No you blame the can and never buy it in cans again.

Here are a few ways to get rid of the problem you are having. Buy extract only from bulk. Buy extract made in North America. Don't buy old extract in a can. If the extract was made in another country, it has been in a can for at least 6 months before it reaches you.

Our customers do not complain about "extract twang". My Imperial Stout recipe calls for 13 pounds of extract. I taste tested with customers that are very experienced all-grainers and many of them thought it was an all-grain batch.

We only buy extract that is made in North America and we order in small amounts to keep it as fresh as possible. We sell over 135,000 pounds a year so you know it is always fresh.

Forrest

 

[brewfire]

If you cant get a hold of a bottle of some bodies AG in your area and compare the taste try and get something within the same style.

Or brew a fresh wort kit from your supplier and a can version may give you the answer to extract twang

 

[Chris_Dog]

What container did the extract come in? What is the expiration date?
It is usually on the bottom of the can.....

If you have fresh extract from bulk (not cans) and it hasn't oxydised. You won't have a problem. Don't blame the extract for the container it was in.

That copper penny taste is the can the extract came in. Have you tasted fresh pineapple versus canned pineapple. When you eat it from a can you get a nasty metallic flavor in the pineapple. Do you blame the pineapple and say "pineapple twang"? No you blame the can and never buy it in cans again.

Here are a few ways to get rid of the problem you are having. Buy extract only from bulk. Buy extract made in North America. Don't buy old extract in a can. If the extract was made in another country, it has been in a can for at least 6 months before it reaches you.

Our customers do not complain about "extract twang". My Imperial Stout recipe calls for 13 pounds of extract. I taste tested with customers that are very experienced all-grainers and many of them thought it was an all-grain batch.

We only buy extract that is made in North America and we order in small amounts to keep it as fresh as possible. We sell over 135,000 pounds a year so you know it is always fresh.

Forrest

Good analogy Forrest! I never had the luxury of fresh LME before switching.

 

[Hoosierbrewer]

I wonder if it is something from the cans. Remember the unique taste of fruit drinks that used to come from mdtal containers. I had a wierd taste with some tomato juice I used for soup base from a can.

 

[JacobInIndy]

I've got the same problem with both my Fat Tire clone and plain old wheat. The beer looks great, but it has a sort of sour-ish/red-wine-that-was-left-out-overnight-in-the-glass taste to it.

It is drinkable, but not what I was expecting. My extract came in the plastic containers, so I don't think it's picking up a tinny taste.

Is AG brewing the only way to get rid of this? Also, will aging help get rid of the flavor?

 

[earlytimes]

I've noticed this "twang" in a few of my beers. I also noticed that it diminishes as it ages. Let it sit, brew more beer to keep you busy, and in a couple of months you'll have great beer on your hands.

 

[Teacher]

I'm guessing this isn't so much of a problem with DME?

 

[bluelightguy]

Extract did come in a can , the red wine sort of afterbite could be a good decription right , dosent taste awful but not what i was expecting is a good decription thanks JacobInIndy.
I'm on well water that dosent taste bad so i've been using that to brew with , in two of of the brews i've used dextrose , the last one that i've brewed i used dark malt extract and it's still in primary 7days at 72F today,might let it go another week before secondary.
I've been trying to switch things up a bit to try to get some consistency in my brews. Next up is using spring water and i will try and ferment in the basement is cooler down there other then that i'm just about of ideas.

thanks all for the input ,i'm not giving up on this, brewing is fun! but a little frustrating at this time

 

[david_42]

And the plastic buckets from AHB have many uses around the house & hop farm. They'll even keep latex paint fresh.

 

[Austinhomebrew]

I'm guessing this isn't so much of a problem with DME?

Dme is made from liquid extract. So it should be there. Part of what people thing is "twang" is because the extract they are using is older and oxidized then they carmalize it in the boil. All of this is going cause some off flavors but they blame it on the extract.

Forrest

 

[Austinhomebrew]

Extract did come in a can , the red wine sort of afterbite could be a good decription right , dosent taste awful but not what i was expecting is a good decription thanks JacobInIndy.
I'm on well water that dosent taste bad so i've been using that to brew with , in two of of the brews i've used dextrose , the last one that i've brewed i used dark malt extract and it's still in primary 7days at 72F today,might let it go another week before secondary.
I've been trying to switch things up a bit to try to get some consistency in my brews. Next up is using spring water and i will try and ferment in the basement is cooler down there other then that i'm just about of ideas.

thanks all for the input ,i'm not giving up on this, brewing is fun! but a little frustrating at this time

Try some fresh extract. The problem is most likely not the water.

Forrest

 

[Hoosierbrewer]

Wouldn't anything packed in a can have a metalic taste of some sort after time? If so, then that would make Forrest's suggestion of using fresh LME even more improtant. I had stuff in the Army that was a few years ol and packed in lined metal. It always had the same twang to it.

 

[MTpilot]

I forget which book it was, but I remember the twang being also described as a ballpoint pen. You know that distinct aroma when one explodes in your pocket?

 

[Teacher]

I forget which book it was, but I remember the twang being also described as a ballpoint pen. You know that distinct aroma when one explodes in your pocket?

Yeesh...I really don't want that in my beer!

 

[balto charlie]

Part of what people thing is "twang" is because the extract they are using is older and oxidized then they carmalize it in the boil. All of this is going cause some off flavors but they blame it on the extract.

Forrest

Right on Forrest. I make PMs and I don't have the twang. I always use fresh ingredients. I will be moving to AG soon but will also make PMs. The 2 things that I always try to do when brewing is sanitation and fresh ingredients. Charlie

 

[Sgt. Major]

I was wondering if you used regular table sugar either in your boil or for priming your bottles.

 

[petrolero]

I think you guys are onto the problem, but I'll raise another possibility.

Did any grain husks make their way into your boil? I had a great batch of chocolate stout ruined that way because boiled husks leach tannins and it doesn't take a whole lot to impart an acrid finish to your beer. Just a thought.

But really the copper penny thing sounds more plausible in this case.

 

[bluelightguy]

I did use regular table sugar for priming in the first brew , 2nd i used dextrose , and the 3rd i will use dextrose as well, unless someone else has a suggestion , fresh ingredients is something i will have to look into a little more , the dark malt extract that i have used in the 3rd brew was not in a can it was in a plastic tub, but the wort came in a can kit . i'm curious to see if the 3rd brew will be any different with the use of the dark malt extract instead of dextrose .

thanks
ryan

 

[Lost Dogma]

I have encountered this "twang" taste recently in a few of my beers. The common denominator of the two batches that were twangy were: the use of at least 3 lbs. of wheat DME, and the adding of extract to the full 60 min. boil.
The wheat extract may have been less than fresh (--how can you tell at the LHBS?) I also heard that the chances of getting extract twang can be reduced if the DME is added late in the boil. I am not sure exactly what the rational for this is though.

 

[Austinhomebrew]

I have encountered this "twang" taste recently in a few of my beers. The common denominator of the two batches that were twangy were: the use of at least 3 lbs. of wheat DME, and the adding of extract to the full 60 min. boil.
The wheat extract may have been less than fresh (--how can you tell at the LHBS?) I also heard that the chances of getting extract twang can be reduced if the DME is added late in the boil. I am not sure exactly what the rational for this is though.

If you boil the DME for the whole boil it will carmelize (off flavor).

Forrest

 

[Lost Dogma]

what would carmelization of wort taste like? I love carmelized onions . Would it not impart more of a burnt sweetness rather than the tart twang that was described earlier.

I have been adding my DME to the boil later b/c I heard that this increases hops utilization.

 

[Austinhomebrew]

what would carmelization of wort taste like? I love carmelized onions . Would it not impart more of a burnt sweetness rather than the tart twang that was described earlier.

I have been adding my DME to the boil later b/c I heard that this increases hops utilization.

I doubt that you carmelize your onions for a good solid hour in a very rapid boil. Adding the DME late reduces carmelization and increases hop utilization at the same time.

Forrest

 

[blacklab]

IMHO, the carmelization that Forrest is talking about is the 'twang' that most people taste in extract brews. Even with late additions, I could never make it completely go away in lighter styles. It's easier to hide in something darker.

 

[z987k]

I found that the darker brews always hid it a lot better as well.
AG makes it go away though, but that's a whole 'nother bucket o' worms.

 

[SteveM]

I've heard many people talk about it but in all my years of brewing, I don't think I've ever tasted anything that I would describe as "twang."

I've had great AG beers, and really bad ones (the kind where you conceal a grimace at a tasting and choke out an insincere "Wow, this is good') and great and bad extract beers.

I'm not saying it's a myth but I will say that there are hundreds or thousands of uncontrolled variables in every brew batch that could account for a unique-ness in the flavors.