May 18th, 2009
Extract Beer Twang Poll
Posted by
John in
Polls
So if you have been following this blog, you know that I just completed my first all grain brew session. I had the fruits of my labor this weekend and I plan to write up a review of the beer.
In between drinking beer and thinking about the beer review, I got to thinking about all grain brewing vs. extract brewing. When I was researching reasons to brew all grain, one reason was to avoid the dreaded extract beer “twang”. I have don’t think I have tasted a twang before, so I thought I would create a poll.
Do you know what this twang is?:
What's With Extract Beer Twang?
Please vote and let us know what you think.
on May 19th, 2009 at 3:40 pm
Extract Beer Twang Poll | Brew Dudes…
Silly homebrewing poll to figure out what the heck this problem is. Is there such as thing as the extract beer twang? Do you think it is a myth or is it an issue that can be avoided by a few different methods?…
on May 19th, 2009 at 6:48 pm
Not sure what is meant by “twang” - a sharp or sour taste maybe? Usually I would think of that as a yeast issue rather than an extract vs grain thing.
on May 19th, 2009 at 10:46 pm
I think extract twang is an excuse made up by poor brewers to explain their sub-par scorecards!
on May 20th, 2009 at 11:19 am
Typically “twang” is associated with stale extract. If you buy your kits from some of the bigger places like MoreBeer, Northern Brewer, Austin homebrew etc. , you probably have not experienced the twang. If you make beer with canned extract, probably have experienced. Yeast pitch and fermentation temp will also have an impact so a lot of things can go wrong but I have done canned extract kits as an experienced brewer and still got some twang. It is all about the age of the kit.
on May 20th, 2009 at 11:23 am
My suspicion is that extract twang is something that existed maybe 10 years ago, but the quality of ingredients has increased so much since then that it’s no longer a real issue… people who think they’re perceiving it, are actually noticing something else off - likely the common culprits of novice brewers, like fermenting too hot, underpitching, or just plain newbieness.
on May 20th, 2009 at 2:39 pm
Cheers to Aaron, I am exactly in his camp about extract-twang.
Its talked about it very dated brewing texts.
I think this issue has disappeared as the hobby matured.
on August 2nd, 2009 at 1:44 am
I agree that this was a problem of the past due to both perhaps old ingredients and poor or outdated brewing practices. I mainly hear about this from folks who were brewing in the early ’90s.
I believe with the right processes + tips + tricks, you can brew a very beer using extract + steeped grains + good hops.
on December 29th, 2009 at 10:33 pm
I said the twang exists but what I really thought is that there aren’t enough choices. I brew both extract and all grain and there is a difference. Why would beer made in my set up taste the same as when they make it at Bries? Also I don’t concentrate it and store it in a warehouse…
I don’t know what grain bill and mash temperature or concentration Bries uses to make light extract. I don’t know how the concentration and storage affect the flavor. But I do know that my all grain beer and extract beer taste different even if I am shooting for the same type of beer, amber for example.
On the other hand the difference between my extract amber and all grain amber is much smaller than the difference a yeast change would entail. Also I enjoy the taste of the extract beer. For me going all grain gave me MORE choices in flavor rather than removing a twang (now that I think about it).