Extract after AG?

Just wondering, how many here still find themselves doing an extract batch after they started brewing all grain? I work two jobs so i dont always get an entire day to brew which makes me once in a while do an extract batch

Brewing beer is brewing beer buddy . Many people make great beer doing extract. Will this be your first extract batch or did you switch from extract to AG? If you started AG I bet you'll do great doing extract. A lot quicker for the most part. I have a similar problem, would love to do AG but doing school and having a job to pay for it leaves me with little time to do my favorite hobby.

Also sorry, misread your post, I see you have done extract before .

Yeah i love the control i get with AG but extract is so much quicker!

If I want to make a quick batch, I have no problem going extract. Also, extract is a little less stressful since I don't worry about hitting my mash numbers.

I know a lot of brewers who, after going AG they swear they will never do extract again. The way i see it if its good beer i dont care which way its made!

I've made a total of one extract batch and it was back in 1994. I have nothing against it whatsoever and I will probably make an extract one of these days. I've actually been thinking about it lately. As forestGeek said above, you don't have to worry about your numbers and I know people have won awards with extract brews.

I make small batches and all grain takes me 3 hours start to finish. I suppose I could get an extract batch done in 2 or less.

Hhhmmmmmmm... *scratches chin

ETA: just looked at the price of DME and probably won't be doing any extract batches any time soon. I can make an entire batch for the cost of 4 lbs. of extract.

I still brew a lot of extract partial mash.
maybe 75% ex+s/pm 25% AG

I switched to AG in February and have 3 AG batches under my belt but I just brew an extract beer last week. The reason is that it is a stupid simple recipe where I don't have steeping grains and the boil only needs to be 30 min. So I could knock it out in less than half the time it takes me to do AG. But I think the vast majority of my beers going forward will be AG.

Many "make the switch" to all grain but I don't look at it that way. Mashing is just another tool/skill to have. It's not like you're a football player and you change to playing baseball; you're still playing the same game. If you're short on time and/or want to make a simple brew, extract brewing can be a great tool to cut your brew day in half...

I did extract years ago, and they didn't turn out (extract twang), so I kind of gave up. Then last fall, I got back into it and went all-grain, learning about the importance of things like temperature control. I still had one canned extract kit (Cooper's Mexican Cerveza) on my shelf that had expired in 2011, but I couldn't bring myself to just throw it out, so a week ago, I decided to brew it just to see if I'd get anything remotely drinkable out of it. I discarded the kit instructions and yeast, added an ounce of Cascade hops, and fermented it at lager temperatures using some washed Czech Pils lager yeast. It's doing its D-rest right now, and if this batch turns out, then I'd be open to the idea of occasionally picking up a canned extract kit again in the future, if they were on sale or something.

It all depends on how this batch turns out. If it's bad or "twangy," then I'll stick with all-grain exclusively.

kombat said:

I did extract years ago, and they didn't turn out (extract twang), so I kind of gave up. Then last fall, I got back into it and went all-grain, learning about the importance of things like temperature control. I still had one canned extract kit (Cooper's Mexican Cerveza) on my shelf that had expired in 2011, but I couldn't bring myself to just throw it out, so a week ago, I decided to brew it just to see if I'd get anything remotely drinkable out of it. I discarded the kit instructions and yeast, added an ounce of Cascade hops, and fermented it at lager temperatures using some washed Czech Pils lager yeast. It's doing its D-rest right now, and if this batch turns out, then I'd be open to the idea of occasionally picking up a canned extract kit again in the future, if they were on sale or something.

It all depends on how this batch turns out. If it's bad or "twangy," then I'll stick with all-grain exclusively.

Click to expand...

I'm guessing it's going to be a little bad due to it being 2 years old at least. Why not buy a cheaper, newer extract batch and experiment on that, if I may ask? That will give you a better clue than using a 2 year old malt extract that is probably for sure going to produce off flavors even if you do everything right. Also I am not sure on the shelf life of those either. I know dried holds a bit better than liquid but still 2 years? Let us know how it turns out!

Swarley88 said:

I'm guessing it's going to be a little bad due to it being 2 years old at least.

Click to expand...

My understanding is that the "expiry date" on those canned extract kits is primarily limited by the yeast (which I discarded anyway), not the malt extract. The extract itself will experience a little darkening, but otherwise, should still be perfectly fine (as long as the can remained sealed).

kombat said:

My understanding is that the "expiry date" on those canned extract kits is primarily limited by the yeast (which I discarded anyway), not the malt extract. The extract itself will experience a little darkening, but otherwise, should still be perfectly fine (as long as the can remained sealed).

Click to expand...

Oh then all should be fine . I haven't used the can extract. Only liquid in a plastic jug with a seal over the top. And dry, the dry was in a bag though.

I usually avoid prehopped kits they always have an off taste

Not me. Did extract for about 6 months and switched to AG. For me personally, if I'm going to make beer I'm going to make it from grain, not pancake syrup.

JFMBearcat said:

Not me. Did extract for about 6 months and switched to AG. For me personally, if I'm going to make beer I'm going to make it from grain, not pancake syrup.

Click to expand...

Just so you know extract is made from base malt grain. They use the same process you do and condense it down.

To everyone else. The extract and custom kits today are light years ahead of pre hopped can kits. If your going to give extract an honest shot buy quality.

JFMBearcat said:

if I'm going to make beer I'm going to make it from grain, not pancake syrup.

Click to expand...

:smack:

BxBrewer said:

Just so you know extract is made from base malt grain. They use the same process you do and condense it down.

To everyone else. The extract and custom kits today are light years ahead of pre hopped can kits. If your going to give extract an honest shot buy quality.

Click to expand...

I'm aware brah.

amandabab said:

:smack:

Click to expand...

Ouch brah.

....

Very sensitive subject...I prefer All Grain, just because I enjoy the process. When time is an issue, I have no problem knocking out an extract beer!

My point was it's not about better or worse, it's about using different tools for different jobs. Plenty of extract brews win awards at home brew competitions. Plenty of all grain brews are poor when something in the more complicated process goes awry. Either method can produce good or bad beer. It depends more on the recipe, style, process and fermentation than it does extract vs all grain. Admittedly though, some styles really sing when brewed all grain...

I've been brewing for a few years now, and I started with extract, done a BIAB, and just did my first partial mash a couple of weeks ago. The only thing I haven't liked about the extract kits I've done is the inconsistency in the finished product. Some have been awesome, and some I've had extract twang. I feel like the Partial Mash/All Grain method will help eliminate that.

A couple weeks ago I did the Midas touch clone on here, and opted for the extract version....and as I chronicled here, it actually turned out to be one of my worst brew days in a LONG time. I think I just was a bit over confident that it was 'only an extract.'

But there's a lot of folks on here who brew both, or don't have the time to spend all day mashing and such. Or there's some beers that can't quite be duplicated from an Extract Batch to AG,I wrote on here for years about the difficult I had with a clone of Bell's Amber, my original extract with grains recipe is dead on, but doing a simple recalculation to AG didn't not produce as good results.

Thats just it. I think the brewing masses hear "extract" brewing. The first thing that comes to mind is pre hopped Coopers or Mr beer. Then you get into mass produced boxed "kits". These kits are pre preped and shelved for god knows how long before they hit the LHBS. Midwest and Northern have been doing this too. I like to know if i order a kit. The company puts the kit together,crushes the spec grains at the time i ordered it. LME is perishable like bread and has a short shelf life. Inconsistancy is due to the companys handling of the extract. Morebeer has had the best most consistaint extract ive found to date.

Ive tasted and drank my share of all grain brew. Im a member of a club that hold meetings at a local craft brewery. http://www.captainlawrencebrewing.com/
Side by side my extract brew is as good as any other home brew ive tried. The diffrence is i take as much care into my brew days as an all grain brewer does. There are guys in my club with the three keggle propane systems in there garage. Yet they are on there decks doing extract brews because of time. No shame in that.

I think extract gets a bad name from the kits. If you use a bit of lme or dme from your LHBS (which i am happy to say i work at the one in my area) combined with the other needed ingredients you should be able to produce a good brew.