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Author Topic: Quality of All grain vs. Extract  (Read 5239 times)

Offline dmtaylor

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Re: Quality of All grain vs. Extract
« Reply #15 on: March 21, 2014, 06:52:54 pm »
If you have undesirable water you will make undesirable beer whether extract or all grain.
Dave

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Offline HoosierBrew

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Re: Quality of All grain vs. Extract
« Reply #16 on: March 21, 2014, 07:00:48 pm »
I'd argue some people will make worse beer when switching to all grain.  If you have moderate akalinity in your brewing water, you will undoubtedly make worse beer if you do not control your mash and sparge pH.  I've tasted several all grain homebrews that have a noticeable astringent after taste. 



+1.  That was my journey. Even though I switched to AG fairly early (long time ago) I saved pH for last, because the info back then was spotty at best regarding that. It's easy to make AG beer, tougher to make it well across different styles. I live in the Midwest, so it's an uphill climb until you realize that your local water (except for some lucky few) won't work consistently well. Downloading water software like Bru'nWater is huge.
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Offline klickitat jim

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Re: Quality of All grain vs. Extract
« Reply #17 on: March 21, 2014, 07:27:56 pm »
Gotta compare apples to apples. If everything quality and process is equal, then very little difference in final beer quality. The noticeable difference is in the tweakability and cost.

Offline wsoublo

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Re: Quality of All grain vs. Extract
« Reply #18 on: March 21, 2014, 08:14:51 pm »
Grain astringency is a result of incorrect mashing, really sparging pH.  Assuming the brewer doesn't modify their water, I would expect the extract brew to be better.
« Last Edit: March 21, 2014, 08:17:05 pm by wsoublo »

Offline reverseapachemaster

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Re: Quality of All grain vs. Extract
« Reply #19 on: March 22, 2014, 08:40:00 am »
I have more fun brewing all grain than I did with extract so from that aspect the quality of my all grain beer surpasses the few extract batches I did.

I agree with the comments above that it's easier to make worse beer with all grain than extract because you have to control several more variables with all grain.
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Offline dmtaylor

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Re: Quality of All grain vs. Extract
« Reply #20 on: March 22, 2014, 12:13:09 pm »
Oh, man... all grain is so easy.... best way to get started is BIAB, use a calculator to figure your strike water temperature, shoot for low 150s to mash in, wait >40 minutes, pull the bag, rinse if you want or skip if you want....... yum.  We make things a heck of a lot more complicated than they need to be.  As long as you have good tasting water, and can get that temperature in the 150s quickly and keep it there for a little while, you're going to make great beer.  All the sugars you need with more flavor and less cost.  We make things so much more complicated than they need to be........
Dave

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Offline brewsumore

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Re: Quality of All grain vs. Extract
« Reply #21 on: March 22, 2014, 03:03:09 pm »
Do you include partial mash as an extract brew?  If so, it's hard to acknowledge much difference between those and an all-grain beer.

However, it seems like a lot of support for equality between extract and all-grain brews.  I agree in regards to that potential to a point, especially as Erockrph states in regards to a limited number of styles or their sub-categories. 

Still I think that if you were to look at a wide sampling of many all-grain brews made by brewers expert in both recipe design and brewing, compared to many extract beers (excluding partial mash) made again by experts, I believe that the win column will contain a considerably higher percentage of all-grain brews.

This is attributable in large part to more control of 1) fermentability of the wort which also plays into yeast selection to reach desired finished body, mouthfeel and flavor of the beer, 2) more potential for creating a desired or creative wort profile as designed by building a mashed grist with potentially numerous malts/adjuncts/other, in comparison to a standardized extract combined with steeped grains, 3) better quality control over freshness of ingredients, 4) control of the mash environment (water treatment, grain/water ratio).

I admit some of this is based on hypothetical equal conditions, but I think you have to look at real world ability to control the variables by the brewer.

Still, I must admit there are some truly wonderful extract brews.  But having gone all-grain a number of years ago, I have no desire to go back to extract beers, even though I place absolutely no stigma on them, and made and really enjoyed a fair number of them during my earlier years of home brewing.  Cheers!
« Last Edit: March 22, 2014, 03:06:33 pm by brewsumore »

Offline klickitat jim

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Re: Quality of All grain vs. Extract
« Reply #22 on: March 22, 2014, 03:38:09 pm »
This summer I might try a side by side using one of jamils recipes to the T. That would be one way of settling it, at least for me.