TOPIC:

Can you tell the difference between a kit and an extract/all grain beer?

I think kits have a distinct green apple and slightly yeasty smell. But is there really a difference? The question is not can kits be good or even better then extract brews but could you spot which one is the kit?

Maybe that slightly yeasty smell is cos the yeast is a generic, limp, possibly old yeast rather than a specific fresh sachet. Difficult to know. I'd say it'd be much easier to spot a cheap-as-chips kit&kilo rather than an all-malt one, for sure.

The Brewferm kits I did were all extrememly good.

[quote:47ien76z]
Maybe that slightly yeasty smell is cos the yeast is a generic, limp, possibly old yeast rather than a specific fresh sache[/quote:47ien76z]
Yeah the test would have to be on the kit made according to the instructions with just the yeast they give you. If you start adding your own yeast or anything else I think they would become unrecognisable.

I almost don't want to answer because I know where you're going with this and I know its a set up; lol!


I think it completely depends upon the kit and the extract/all grain beers themselves. I also think that it would depend upon the style..


I'd like to think that we could tell the difference between a pre-hopped "Can and Kilo" and an all malt extract brew made with steeped grains and fresh hops.

I think most interesting would be which factor makes the most difference? (Is it the use of all malt vs. half sugar, is it pre-hopped vs. freshly hoppped, is it steeped grains vs. no steeped grains?)


I'd love to see:
1. Can and Kilo kit vs. all malt kit (both pre-hopped, same style)
2. All Malt Pre-hopped Kit vs. All Malt freshly hopped kit (same style, ideally)
3. All Malt Kit no steeped grains vs. All Malt Kit steeped grains

Then we could use the metric of how many people could tell the difference between each of the above to determine which factor makes the biggest difference.




I'd be willing to contribute an all malt, freshly hopped, steeped grain hefeweizen to any such experiment if its at least 4 weeks out...

I don't think it's a set up. It's just one of a friend in mead's mad beer testing plans again...

I think I could tell a kit from an extract or all grain brew. I think the difference between an extract brew and an all grain brew would be much harder to get. But you don't know until you do the blind tasting.

[quote:350nawms]I almost don't want to answer because I know where you're going with this and I know its a set up; lol! [/quote:350nawms]

I think I'm getting a reputation.

[quote:350nawms]I'd love to see:
1. Can and Kilo kit vs. all malt kit (both pre-hopped, same style)
2. All Malt Pre-hopped Kit vs. All Malt freshly hopped kit (same style, ideally)
3. All Malt Kit no steeped grains vs. All Malt Kit steeped grains [/quote:350nawms]

That sounds very complicated Can and kilo versus not a can I think is the main test. And having different styles might even make it more fun.

[quote:350nawms]any such experiment if its at least 4 weeks out...[/quote:350nawms]

I doubt there will be a test. You need a load of people saying "Anyone with a mammalian tongue should be able to tell them apart" and such. I think unless people are massively overconfident on the issue there is not much fun testing it.