Extract vs grain question

[billpaustin]

I'm new, have brewed only one batch so far. That had a bag of grain to soak, and then boil the wort. It turned out fantastic!

My second batch, in the fermenter for 10 days so far, is an extract Hefe-Weizen. It looks like it might be ok.

My question is: can you get really good beer from extracts? Or is it just a matter of convenience, where you don't get as good a result?

Or is extract supposed to be every bit as good as grain? What about adding a small amount of grain to an extract batch, for "taste"?

 

[JeepDiver]

Yes you can get award winning beer from.extract. doing extract with speciality grains, or partial mash (extract + some base grain + specialty grains) gives you more flexibility.

All grain gives you complete control over ever aspect of the flavor.

 

[billpaustin]

Thanks for the quick reply!

So my plan will be to find a decent extract kit, to keep me in regular drinking beer and for the lake, while I start playing with grains, the hops I'm going to grow, etc

I drink all weiss bier, either German in bottles, or my own brew. Any good extract kits to recommend for weiss bier?

 

[dogbar]

To brew extract weizens, you really can skip the kits. Buy the biggest, cheapest-per-ounce bags of wheat DME (actually a mix of wheat and barley) you can find and weigh out the amount you need for each batch. An ounce of german hops and then really keep an eye on your fermentation temperatures, because that's what's going to determine the mix of flavors you get from your yeast.

I suggest dry malt extract rather than liquid because it'll give you a lighter color. That can also be helped with "late extract addition" (search here for lots of threads).

 

[SeraphX117]

dogbar and jeepdriver said it all. extracts do make excellent brews and just get some dme for a hefe. ferm temps are important in hefe...fermented one at 74% (i was on vacation and didnt turn the cooler on) and it wasn't very good (had to let it sit 5 weeks just to drink it)

 

[billpaustin]

To brew extract weizens, you really can skip the kits. Buy the biggest, cheapest-per-ounce bags of wheat DME (actually a mix of wheat and barley) you can find and weigh out the amount you need for each batch. An ounce of german hops and then really keep an eye on your fermentation temperatures, because that's what's going to determine the mix of flavors you get from your yeast.

I suggest dry malt extract rather than liquid because it'll give you a lighter color. That can also be helped with "late extract addition" (search here for lots of threads).

Perfect! Just what I wanted to hear

 

[Stones]

You can absolutely brew great beers with extracts and steeping grains. As a new brewer best advice I would give you is to buy a BIG bag of PATIENCE next time your at LHBS.

All kidding aside, easiest things to ensure great home brew (extract or all grain) is to focus on the following

-fresh ingredients, grains, extracts and hops
- regulate and manage fermentation temperatures
-properly aerate your wort prior to pitching
-use liquid yeast culture when possible
- make yeast starters
-take copious notes in your journal

Hope that helps
Cheers!!!

 

[BigFloyd]

You can absolutely brew great beers with extracts and steeping grains. As a new brewer best advice I would give you is to buy a BIG bag of PATIENCE next time your at LHBS.

All kidding aside, easiest things to ensure great home brew (extract or all grain) is to focus on the following

-fresh ingredients, grains, extracts and hops
- regulate and manage fermentation temperatures
-properly aerate your wort prior to pitching
-use liquid yeast culture when possible
- make yeast starters
-take copious notes in your journal

Hope that helps
Cheers!!!

+1. Especially the part about regulate and manage temps. That's one of the top 3, right behind good sanitation.

I would also add to cool the wort to a good pitching temp. Mid 60's for ales, cooler for lagers. Pitch a sufficient amount of yeast that's within 10*F of the wort. If using dry yeast, rehydrate it every time. IMO, nothing at all wrong with dry yeast. You just don't get as many varieties to chose from.

I do all-grain too, but some of the extract batches have been amongst my favorites.

 

[unionrdr]

All good things to keep an eye on & regulate.
And make sure you use a wheat beer yeast,hefe,yeast or the like to ferment wheat beers. They're a bit different in so much as the esters they produce at extreme ends of the yeasts' temp range. higher temp produces that banana candy ester,while lower you get clove. To high,& you get bubble gum. i did read about one wheat beer in Germany that has that bubble gum ester on purpose. I read about it here; http://www.germanbeerinstitute.com/index.html
Lots of individual beer info there too. Steeping grains can add a sort of clean flavor to the beer imo. Besides some different flavor complexities. Read up on what colors & flavors they give,& use accordingly. Farious styles from different countries have certain grains that give those colors,flavors,& aromas. The hops used with them should also be matched accordingly to learn how they all interact in a given brew.