Extract "Twang" what is it and how to combat it?

[cowstick]

So last night my roomies did a side by side taste test and we have noticed that my beers have this same, I dont know, sweetness to them. I have seen threads on here that talk about an "Extract Twang" and was wondering what it was.

I had a stout last night from one of our fellow brewers. It was delicious. So I cracked one of mine to see the differences. It had aformentioned "Twang" or "sweetness" to it. It was good also but that twang threw me for a loop.

Any ideas what it could be. The Extract twang that is.

[miking]

I only remember that taste when my friend did partial boils while I did full wort boils. His beer had it and mine didn't.

[b33rm4chine]

Perhaps burnt carmelized extract from the bottom of the kettle?

Also not all extracts are created equal... try a different brand or variety.

[richt]

Wow, I got in here before kenc_zymurgy

Like somebody just posted, full boil is a good way to get around that, as well as the late extract method. Basically, add your steeping grain liquid and maybe a third of your extract at the beginning of the boil. You need some sugar in there otherwise your hops won't isomerize. In the last 15 minutes add the rest of the extract. I usually add half of my extract at the beginning and then half with 10 minutes left when I put my immersion chiller in the kettle to sanitize it.

Another thing is to make sure you are using the lightest extract you can find and use the same base extract for every batch. With the darker extracts you never really know what other grains are in there and in what quantities. With say, Briess Pilsen or Extra Light, it is just base malt and a bit of CaraPils. You might want to switch to just dry malt extract too. It's got a longer shelf life so it stays fresher longer, more bang for the buck since you're not paying for water, and stays lighter in the boil.

I've been doing all of these things for a little over a year and my beers have made a marked improvement.

[twotacotuesday]

I used to get that twang with all of my first few batches. Finally I made a porter. IT was fantastic and the twang was gone. ever since, that taste is gone from all my batches. I have no idea what it was or why it is gone. Sorry, prob doesnt help much, but it may go away.

[spunky]

Yea, I like Briess pilsen DME also, no twang there. Do you control your ferm temps ??? Have you tried different yeasts ???? I would sometimes get a twang using John Bull ME , none using the Briess

[cmcgorray]

Like so many others on the forum, I've had that taste intermittantly. Full boils, late additions seem to help. I've never had the twang when using dry malt extract, only with the LME. I also think that fermentation temps may be a culprit. Do not let the ferm temp get above 68F at any time during the first 3-5 days. If you are brewing a Belgian style and want to increase the ferm temp the last few days, go ahead. Otherwise, keep those temps in the carboy under 68. This has helped my brews the most.

[cowstick]

So far all the kits I have been doing are from NB. I have added all 6 lbs. of LME at 60 mins. So Ill try out adding the late addition on my next batch and see what happens. I have tried 5 yeast strains but have only been able to taste 3 so far the other two still have two weeks left in the fermenter. I really didnt like the wyeast belgian strain. Way too banana smelling for me.

I have been able to some what control the temp. Its been a good stable 64 degrees F. Now my Honey brown ale went up to 70 and the yeast loved it there. Yeast is Safebrew s-33.

My Dry Irish Stout is great so far the best one Ive done(according to my roomates) and the only thing I did different on that batch was steep the specialty grain at 155 for 30 mins and let it sit in primary for 3 weeks.

Thanks for the input I always know I can count on you.

[Denny]

That flavor seems to be more common in beers that use liquid extract. I always attributed it to old extract. I rarely find that flavor in beers made with DME.

[cowstick]

Seeing how ive only done 5 batches of extract and only using LME. Like Wheat, Amber, Golden, Dark. Now ive seen DME at NB But ive only seen the lighter colored and nothing that looked like Dark. How would I beable to go about making a stout with DME. Would I just use a lot more steeping grains? Im sorry to sound like a dumb ass but I really dont want this to discourage me from brewing. Also I dont quite understand AG brewing yet other wise I would go that route.

[Denny]

Whether you use LME or DME, the best approach is always to buy the lightest you can find, as a base, and ad specialty malts to it to get what you want. 2 reasons for that...first, in anything other than light extract, you have no idea what they used to get the color. Could be crystal, chocolate malt, roast barley, black patent...there's no standards and just no telling. In addition, using light extract and specialty grains gives you the most control over your beer. It's very much like AG where you use a base malt and add specialty malts to it.

[cowstick]

So I worked out a recipie on Beersmith. Lemme know what you think. If this would be the right way to go for steeping the grains and then adding the DME.

Dead Baby Stout
Dry Stout


Type: Extract
Date: 2/21/2009
Batch Size: 5.00 gal
Brewer:
Boil Size: 4.08 gal Asst Brewer:
Boil Time: 60 min Equipment: Brew Pot (5 Gallon)
Taste Rating(out of 50): 35.0 Brewhouse Efficiency: -
Taste Notes:

Ingredients

Amount Item Type % or IBU
5.00 lb Light Dry Extract (8.0 SRM) Dry Extract 29.41 %
11.00 lb Black Barley (Stout) (500.0 SRM) Grain 64.71 %
1.00 lb Wheat, Roasted (425.0 SRM) Grain 5.88 %
2.00 oz Chinook [13.00 %] (60 min) Hops 76.2 IBU
1.00 oz Goldings, B.C. [5.00 %] (5 min) Hops 2.9 IBU



Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.053 SG
Measured Original Gravity: 1.010 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.014 SG Measured Final Gravity: 1.005 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 5.09 % Actual Alcohol by Vol: 0.65 %
Bitterness: 79.1 IBU Calories: 43 cal/pint
Est Color: 192.4 SRM Color: Color


Mash Profile

Mash Name: None Total Grain Weight: 10.00 lb
Sparge Water: - Grain Temperature: -
Sparge Temperature: - TunTemperature: -
Adjust Temp for Equipment: FALSE Mash PH: -

Steep grains as desired (30-60 minutes)



Mash Notes: -
Carbonation and Storage

Carbonation Type: Corn Sugar Volumes of CO2: 2.4
Pressure/Weight: 3.8 oz Carbonation Used: -
Keg/Bottling Temperature: 60.0 F Age for: 28.0 days
Storage Temperature: 52.0 F

Notes


Created with BeerSmith

[rico567]

Since starting in November '07, I've brewed about 20 batches, all Midwest extract, mostly LME, a wide variety of ales. I've had nothing with any of them that could be described as a "twang." All of these beers have been enjoyed by myself and other family members, with no comments of off-flavors. Some things other people have referred to might be significant:

1. I have always done full 5-gallon boils

2. I do late additions of my extract

3. I pitch below 75F and fermentation takes place in my basement in the mid '60s.

[troy4500]

No one has suggested the obvious solution, All grain . But seriously, full boil, late additions, dme, keeping fermentation temps low, and pitching temp low ( a few degrees below fermentation temp) will make all the difference.

[richt]

Type: Extract
Date: 2/21/2009
Batch Size: 5.00 gal
Brewer:
Boil Size: 4.08 gal Asst Brewer:
Boil Time: 60 min Equipment: Brew Pot (5 Gallon)
Taste Rating(out of 50): 35.0 Brewhouse Efficiency: -
Taste Notes:

Ingredients

Amount Item Type % or IBU
5.00 lb Light Dry Extract (8.0 SRM) Dry Extract 29.41 %
11.00 lb Black Barley (Stout) (500.0 SRM) Grain 64.71 %
1.00 lb Wheat, Roasted (425.0 SRM) Grain 5.88 %
2.00 oz Chinook [13.00 %] (60 min) Hops 76.2 IBU
1.00 oz Goldings, B.C. [5.00 %] (5 min) Hops 2.9 IBU

Are you sure about the black barley? I'm hoping the quantity is a typo. For a dry stout, though, I think you want a bunch of roasted barley. I'm pretty sure that's what the dry roasty flavor in a dry stout is all about. A pound should do the trick.