17 replies to this topic

[Beejus McReejus]

For the first time in prolly 6 years. I made a batch of wheat on the super bowl to show a buddy how the process works, so I had a yeast cake ready to go, but no motivation to get off my butt and brew. I decided I'd kick it old school and make an extract batch to save time and energy. I went with a simple pale ale from half LME and half DME. I steeped a pound of C-40 for color.Knocking a brew day out in 2 hours is very nice. Not having a ton of equipment to clean up is also awesome. However, spending $30 on extract for 5 gallons wasn't that cool.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

For the first time in prolly 6 years. I made a batch of wheat on the super bowl to show a buddy how the process works, so I had a yeast cake ready to go, but no motivation to get off my butt and brew. I decided I'd kick it old school and make an extract batch to save time and energy. I went with a simple pale ale from half LME and half DME. I steeped a pound of C-40 for color.Knocking a brew day out in 2 hours is very nice. Not having a ton of equipment to clean up is also awesome. However, spending $30 on extract for 5 gallons wasn't that cool.

I've thought about doing this but I have so much base grain supply it just doesn't make sense for me to not use them

[ncbeerbrewer]

Good to hear you had an enjoyable brew day. I don't think I could go back to extract myself, all grain is just too enjoyable to me. I might have to kick it extract though got a couple friends interested in learning to brew so gotta start em off well. Hope the beer ferments nicely.

[CaptRon]

You could show your friends how to brew starting off all-grain. It really isn't that hard.Back on topic, I also brewed an extract mini-mash today. 5lbs light DME, 1lb Crystal 60, 12oz white wheat malt. 2oz Mt Hood for 60 mins. Can you guys guess what it is? lol

[Beejus McReejus]

Can you guys guess what it is? lol

Beer?

[CaptRon]

Beer?

WRONG! Barley tea with spice.

[Hentai]

However, spending $30 on extract for 5 gallons wasn't that cool.

$30 in 5 gals of beer, not bad.Introducing another future follower, priceless.

[Howie]

I brewed a couple of extract batches a few weeks ago. I did a hefe and an American wheat. The hefe used fresh DME. The American wheat was more of an experiment using some very old LME, just to see how it would turn out with the old LME.The hefe came out pretty decent. I brewed it kind of low gravity and I overhopped it, so it seems a little thin. That being said, it's clean and pretty good.The Am Wheat with the old extract was horrible. It wasn't cidery, but tasted like bitter tea. That was an experiment gone wrong. It's drain pour.

[harryfrog]

The Am Wheat with the old extract was horrible. It wasn't cidery, but tasted like bitter tea. That was an experiment gone wrong. It's drain pour.

Was it just the old extract, or something else? I've got some 15 month old liquid pilsener extract which I have no idea what to do with. Think I should just toss it, or waste the $6 in hops and $7 in yeast for an experiment?

[Howie]

Was it just the old extract, or something else? I've got some 15 month old liquid pilsener extract which I have no idea what to do with. Think I should just toss it, or waste the $6 in hops and $7 in yeast for an experiment?

I have no idea if it was the extract for sure, but I'd be willing to place a wager on it. I don't know of anything else that went wrong with my brewday.I pitched a reasonably fresh smack pack into 3 gallons of 1.045-ish beer. It was WAY dark. Came out copper colored.

[Beejus McReejus]

So on the extract batches that turned out like crap, did they taste bad out of the kettle? My early extract batches weren't the best, but I also didn't know what the hell I was doing at first. I'm hoping I won't be able to tell much difference in this batch vs. an AG beer.

[Deerslyr]

Was it just the old extract, or something else? I've got some 15 month old liquid pilsener extract which I have no idea what to do with. Think I should just toss it, or waste the $6 in hops and $7 in yeast for an experiment?

There's no getting around the $6 in hops, but you could cut your yeast cost in half with dry. I don't see why you wouldn't just use an Ale yeast either. Save the space for a lager you know will turn out good, right? This way you will know sooner, rather than later. ORYou could can some starter wort, which is what I would do if faced with the same situation and if I had the equipment to can it properly.

[harryfrog]

You could can some starter wort, which is what I would do if faced with the same situation and if I had the equipment to can it properly.

Seeing as my birthday left me with the equipment - that's not a bad idea. I guess that stale extract when diluted down that much into starter wort wouldn't be bad...hmmm...

[Beejus McReejus]

Didn't turn out too bad at all:Definitely better than some of the extracts I made when I started out.

[ncbeerbrewer]

Nice looking beer. Great work, enjoy the spoils. Extracts do make good beers too I remember.

[MakeMeHoppy]

I still think the big knock on extract beers having a twang is mainly inexperienced brewers and old extract. Nice looking beer. I'm actually planning on doing an all-extract hefe soon.

[MyaCullen]

I still think the big knock on extract beers having a twang is mainly inexperienced brewers and old extract. Nice looking beer. I'm actually planning on doing an all-extract hefe soon.

Another is that most extract brews are made from partial boils, where the extract is added up front, whereas a very tasty extract beer can be made by doing full volume boils and adding extract in batches instead of all at once. You get as a result better hop utilization, and less Malliard reactionsin the wort.Before I went over to AG, I made some excellent extract brews, starting from Munton's Extra light Extract, or Alexander's Pale LME, as a base and working from there. I won't knock extract for being extract. Good fresh malt, appropriate hops, proper yeast strain, and pitching rates, along with sanitation and temperature control are IMO, more important than whether you mashed the grain or it was done commercially.