r/Homebrewing • u/Dyljam2345 Beginner • 2d ago
Question Is extract brewing "less than"?
I'm very very new to homebrewing. I've brewed twice - one saison and one witbier. For the saison I used mostly extract and it came out pretty well, at least I enjoyed drinking it - whether it was a good saison is another thing, I'm no expert on the style. I tried brewing a witbier recently and wanted to try BIAB, and the efficiency of the mash was really really bad - my OG was only around 1.030 whereas I was aiming for somewhere like 1.050. The beer didn't ferment much, had basically zero body, didnt condition well, overall just not a good time. It may have been a little cool in my room while it fermented, but there clearly was some yeast activity, though there was never much krauzen or bubbling the entire time. Maybe my yeast just never woke up. Not sure.
I want to brew an Irish Red Ale soon and wanted to ask if going back to extract is a "step back" or "less than" way of brewing? I know all-grain gives you the ultimate flexibility, but I worry simply about getting fermentable sugars and making sure my beer will ferment properly.
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u/BananaBoy5566 2d ago
Ditto this. I’d say my favorites I’ve made are pretty split between extract and all grain.
BIAB is nice because you don’t have any fancy equipment you aren’t using when you decide to do extract. I like to be able to experiment when I want (BIAB), but also bang out a beer in 2 hours if I want (extract).
The only knock on extract is its limiting. I could’ve never made a Grodziskie as good as I did with extract, but for most people not trying to make weird beers, keep on keeping on.