First extract-bad experience

Pretty wet behind the ears here.

I've done 2 small batch AG recipes on the stovetop, and mini-kegged them. They blew my mind of what can be achieved with homebrewing. A pale ale & a golden ale. The golden ale might be the best beer I've ever ingested.

Thought i'd step up the quantities. I got a fermentasauraus and put a Black Rock Pale through it. I let it ferment for 3 weeks at around 24-26C, i know thats a bit warm but it's warm here, and i'm not set up to cool yet - i reckon it might have tipped 28 at some stages there. Anyways.. i've kegged an carbonated and after the all grain small batches, this is like dirty water. It's not horrible, but there are some flavours in there i really don't like (could be the ferment temp), and it doesn't have any body - watery.

My question is--- Is this normal?? Are extract cans just that much behind an All Grain?
I'm going to do a Morgans premium pale next, and dry hop it because I already have the ingredients. I'll hopefully be able to temp control that one. I'm going to hit up a Robobrew after that though.

Agree with Gash, I would say that your ferment temperature was too high and/or you screwed up sanitation along the way.

IMHO the key to success is having a good solid base. Pick a beer you like and aim to repeat it a few times to get consistency. Once you have a solid base, then start looking at how you can adjust the variables to play with style.

The problem with constantly changing styles is you may now know what you are doing wrong in your operational processes as opposed to the recipe/ingredient.

A golden ale is probably a good one to pick or a pilsener style in winter.

If you are time poor which happens to the best of us, I find the full wort kits (The 15l containers at Keg King) the next best thing. Much better than extract and less work.

Good luck!

Agree with Gash, I would say that your ferment temperature was too high and/or you screwed up sanitation along the way.

IMHO the key to success is having a good solid base. Pick a beer you like and aim to repeat it a few times to get consistency. Once you have a solid base, then start looking at how you can adjust the variables to play with style.

The problem with constantly changing styles is you may now know what you are doing wrong in your operational processes as opposed to the recipe/ingredient.

A golden ale is probably a good one to pick or a pilsener style in winter.

If you are time poor which happens to the best of us, I find the full wort kits (The 15l containers at Keg King) the next best thing. Much better than extract and less work.

Good luck!

Thanks Gash & Dredd,

My temp controller should arrive this week so hopefully, I'll solve that problem, stick the 'saurus in the fridge. Spunding valve too.

Anyways the beer didn't turn out to be that bad. We flogged around 10 schooners each into us Friday night, and mates liked it.. maybe I was just being picky after the AG's.

Be interesting to see how the next one goes.

THanks Legends.

No worries - I try to keep it simple and brew lagers in winter, ales in spring/autumn and drink it in summer.

If you have the space for refrigerated fermenting, more power to you.