Extract vs All Grain

No need to move on from BIAB...I make better beer and get much better conversion efficiency with BIAB than I did with traditional all grain.

 

I'm all for going all-grain. I've said this before and gotten roasted for it but it's true, extract is a damaged, oxidized product before you even begin, so all-grain is the way to go.

As for BIAB versus standard all-grain with a sparge as a professional I have to go with sparging as being the best method but I'll concede that BIAB is much easier and probably worth it for many people.

Have fun, and good luck!

 

A number of years ago at a National Homebrewers Conference Briess provided two beers for tasting: one was brewed with their extract and the other was brewed all grain (same base malt as for the extract). I asked for two pours and did a side-by-side taste test and I could not taste a difference between the two beers. I made this remark to the woman at the booth and she smiled at me. She then went on to state that they (Briess) conducted a blind taste test of the two beers using trained taste testers and that they could not reliably distinguish between the two versions.

Cheers!

 

So there really is no such thing as extract 'twang' if you know what you're doing and use the freshest possible extract. (Did I just open a can of worms?)

 

I have brewed with extract many times and there was no 'twang' in any of those beers. As you adroitly pointed out, if you know what you are doing and use fresh product you can produce a high quality beer.

Probably!?!

Cheers!

 

I'll argue it back and forth but I know I'll never win. Malt extract is either boiled-down into a syrup and then cooled and bagged or blown into the air so that it dries and drops down to the floor in a crystalized form - - - neither of these options can compete with the freshness that's acquired by extracting the sugars within a liquid base (mashing and sparging).

While I will admit that I've had extract beers that didn't taste like extract beers, and that there's something to that, I still have to go with what I know in stating that mashed beers are fresher and brighter and more interesting.

 

For a BIAB brewer (and as one), I still want to get some kind of cooler for better temperature control. Blankets work, but I still find my self taking them off and turning the heat back on a few times during my mash.

As to BIAB vs traditional mash/sparge a few local guys will let me play with their systems to see how I like/feel about sparging before I really comment there.

 

With DME, it certainly can be hard, if not impossible to tell, with some styles of beer. You certainly do have your finger more on the pulse of your beer with all grain, though. From fermentability to flavor profile.

 

What'syour stance on hot side aeration?

 

Extract twang is very real. Avoid it if you can, by any means you can. Briess can avoid it by using a can fresh off their process line. We can't.

 

I certainly don't mean to offend any extract brewers who make good beer, but there is no way extract is as good of a product as all grain wort. It is processed more than necessary, and processed foods tend to lack compared to their fresh, less processed counterparts.

No serious coffee drinker considers instant or even preground coffee as a legitimate alternative to fresh ground beans. Would you drink a glass of rehydrated powdered milk instead of a fresh gallon from the grocery store? Would you consider making a cake from a boxed mix to be truly "baking a cake" compared to making one from scratch?

Malt extract is a convenience product. It's great for people without the time, equipment, patience, or desire to brew all grain. If you fit that bill, there is nothing wrong with that. However, if you take this hobby (or career) seriously (some would say too seriously ) and want to make the best beer possible, all-grain is necessary.

...in my opinion.

 

Depends on what kind of beer that you are making. If you're making a hop-forward beer that would have a very simple grainbill, then extract and all-grain versions would be almost identical. Same goes for yeast forward blonde beers like hefeweizens, saisons, and BSGs.

 

Do you have link for that test?

 

The difference may not be detectable to the human palate in some cases, sure. That doesn't mean that the products (fresh malt vs extract) are of equal quality, though. It just means that you have enough other flavors to cover up the flaws.

To take my coffee and powdered milk examples from above: Maybe you can't tell powdered milk from fresh or instant coffee from fresh in a Frappuccino from Starbucks, but in a glass (or mug) on its own, there surely is a difference.

 

If, from a sensory perspective, you can't tell the difference, then is there really a functional difference in the products?

I'd say "no", in all the circumstances you've described. Even if there is a testable difference between the two products in question or if they tasted and smelled different on their own.

 

Your opinion is WRONG!!!!

Just kidding. I totally agree with you actually. Cheers.

 

I agree that in some cases there may not be a functional difference, but that does not change the fact that one material is inherently inferior. It just may not be worth the extra cost/effort to use the higher quality ingredient in some cases. Although, in this case, extract is actually the more expensive option, the time/effort savings are attractive.

 

Briess probably has a Marketing Department that can pull the ol' switcheroo too.

OOPS!!

 

I would completely disagree with this sentiment. How do you mean "inferior"?

Let me first say that I brew all-grain and prefer to do so over using extract. That said, I think, in many applications, DME is a great substitute. I cannot say the same for LME, as I've never known its quality to be equal to that of grain.