Extract why?

[clibit]

My experiences with dried extract have been much better than those with tinned liquid extract. I still use DME to boost an AG from time to time, like making a 10 litre stove top AG into a 15 or 20 litre partial mash, with good results.

 

[MyQul]

90 mins cos i'm a bit on the slow side :-(

You've now single handedly destroyed my carefully constructed argument :lol:

 

[GHW]

I'll add my two penneth' worth to the debate.

I think extract brewing can produce great beers, I used DME in my previous Galaxy, Amarillo and London Pride clone. The Lp wasn't great (though my ag bitters haven't been either) but the pales were as good as ag beers I've made.

An extract brew day with a full hour boil is still way quicker than an ag brew day. No mashing removes a couple of hours easily. So that's a clear advantage.

The expense is obviously a downside.

But I did extract as kits were not really providing me with the sense of having made the beer myself, and I knew I could make better. That provided me with experience of using hops in the boil. From there it was only a small jump to ag (I was more pushed by clibits legendary thread).

So I'd advise anyone wanting to progress from kits to ag to do two or three extract brews first, as their next step.

 

[clibit]

I do think DME gives better results than tins of gloop. But even with DME you get better results if you use some grain too.

 

[dad_of_jon]

You've now single handedly destroyed my carefully constructed argument :lol:

nope, your argument is still intact because i'm like -where did I put the thermopen it was here a minute ago? x that by 5 and theres your extra 30 mins.

I know Clibit the master of AG brews extract ALL the time :-o, he fits them in during his AG masterpieces and does them sooo fast he doesn't even realise he done one.

kinda like...

AG mash - extract - sparge - extract - boil - extract - chill - extract - pitch yeast... hmm why do I have 5 fv's full intead of 1 :wha:

gotta go I can hear the buzz of a light sabre!

 

[Birkin]

I've never brewed extract, but I can see why people do.

The mash / sparge / lauter on paper sounds like a process which can so easily go wrong (A few degrees and your mash won't work).

I think extract brewers prefer not to have the potential risk of poor conversion, and in theory extract should give more reliable SG's.

That said, speaking as an AG brewer, mashing is actually more forgiving than people seem to think it is.

I find those cheap digital thermometers with the probe on a wire make the whole process much easier, they cost £2 off eBay and I think every AG brewer should have at least 3.

 

[Lesinge]

I have done all three, kit, extract and AG. Whilst I did 80 or so kits I only did about three extracts before moving onto to AG and that was mainly because my wife encouraged me to go full AG for the cost benefits. I can't say I was wildly successful with the extract brews as they didn't really taste as good as the best kits and nowhere, looking back with hindsight, near to the AG beers. However, that might have been down to my inexperience, the equipment I had available or just the extract kits I bought (I had a problem with the hops in a bag system from Getherbrewed which resulted in little or no hop profile coming through). However, saying all that, doing the extracts gave me the confidence to move from kit to AG and I haven't looked back (excepting a few kits to bulk up my stock when time is running low :-)) since. If you are limited on time and/or space then extract brewing can be the answer to brewing your own favourite styles, learning about grains and hops etc and still be cheaper than buying decent beer in a pub. In fact because I live near london, even if extract beer was twice as expensive it would still be cheaper than buying beer in a pub!

 

[aamcle]

i'm like -where did I put the thermopen it was here a minute ago? x that by 5 and theres your extra 30 mins.

If I go into the garage it's 1/2 the time "working" and 1/2 looling for the thing I just put down. Err now what was that called.........

 

[MyQul]

. In fact because I live near london, even if extract beer was twice as expensive it would still be cheaper than buying beer in a pub!

I live in the smoggy depths of London. If extract contained gold dust it'd still be cheaper than buy beer in a pub :lol:. I see it all the time but I never fail to be amazed that some pubs sell 330ml bottles of Bespoke Artisan Craft Beer for neary £5

 

[Lesinge]

I live in the smoggy depths of London. If extract contained gold dust it'd still be cheaper than buy beer in a pub :lol:. I see it all the time but I never fail to be amazed that some pubs sell 330ml bottles of Bespoke Artisan Craft Beer for neary �£5

Yep, it's ridiculous. It breaks my heart to give over a £5 for a pint knowing that if I bought two pints I could make 40 points at home for the same money. It's a pity as I miss going to a pub but am going to try and recreate a pub here at home...I already have a blackboard with the current beers available on and a beer garden!

 

[Bigcol49]

Hi!
Re: cost of malt extract. This product is reasonably priced, but the colour is variable. I've got some but haven't had a chance to use it yet.
http://www.thehomebrewcompany.co.uk/light-premium-liquid-malt-extract-15kg-p-2284.html
Colin

 

[simon12]

I never realised until I just checked how much it is, unless you get the 25Kg for £60 it really is a major cost and makes kits look much more reasonable. I am starting to agree though there is a place for it it is quite a niche. I wonder how much it costs for 1000Kg. For comparison grain is under 50p per Kg for 1000Kg and not much more for 100Kg.

 

[MyQul]

I never realised until I just checked how much it is, unless you get the 25Kg for �£60 it really is a major cost and makes kits look much more reasonable. I am starting to agree though there is a place for it it is quite a niche. I wonder how much it costs for 1000Kg. For comparison grain is under 50p per Kg for 1000Kg and not much more for 100Kg.

Think you might have to clear your gargage out to store 1000kg of extract

 

[simon12]

I just wanted to see if extract is expensive because of repacking or if it is just expensive.

 

[Covrich]

for 15 minute extract boils do you have to ramp up the hops to get your results..???

By the way I am definatley in the same camp as clibit regarding DME over LME..

I did a few partial mashes before I had the equipment for full 5 gallon batches, where I would mash with half grain and then top up with DME, it worked out really well.