Learn Me Up On Kit Twang

[woodwormm]

Can you knowledgable folk help me to understand what it is you mean by kit twang and help me figure out if i've got it...

i have always brewed using kits, only just racked my first full extract...

some of my kits are fantastic and some are bit iffy. i am confident in my processes and sanitation. but sometimes i'll get one that is a bit 'fruity' in the first taste. sometimes i almost think it's off, but i'm never sure that it's off. my homebrewing mates reckon they're not infected (and after tasting another mate's that was infected) i tend to agree.

as a rule i use US05 for anything close to an ale and pitch as close to 20C and ferment at 18C...

It seems to be my Coopers Lagers and Pale Ales, i hammer everytime and get them perfect, as soon as i venture towards something a bit 'fancier' i get the 'fruity' twang...
it doesn't seem to matter what brand of kit...

any ideas?

 

[[email protected]]

Do you have any friends who AG brew? Have a taste of theirs and see what we are talking about. It's not that kits are bad, it's that AG can be substantially better. If AG brewing interests you, buy a fresh wort kit which will taste like an AG beer with none of the fun.

 

[woodwormm]

yes that's one of the reasons i'm thinking more about twang, as one of my mates does AG and his beers are awesome...

can't get enough of Dr Smurto's Golden

 

[kelbygreen]

the twang to me is more like a metalic kind of taste some beers are worse then others. I also found you can get it with extract as well so its prob to do with the way they make the extract and prob with iso hops as well in the pre hopped. Others may or may not taste it or they can taste different things they call kit twang

 

[Bribie G]

The kit twang, IMHO comes from the malt extract. At the factory they make wort just like in a brewery, but then it gets a prolonged boil under reduced pressure to turn it into the syrupy goo in the tin and along the way it seems to lose all those fresh bready grainy flavours and picks up a "sour" twang. It's probably like instant coffee - drinkable and nothing too much to complain about, but no matter how good or tricked up instant coffee can be, just one cup of freshly brewed espresso can blow you away by comparison.

The OP is doing all the right things - but at the end of the day, to avoid the twang:

• go all grain
• or use the blandest kits you can find, such as Canadian or Cerveza and add your own flavours.

Last year I didn't brew for a month while I was waiting for the results of a possible overseas gig. When I got back into brewing I needed a quick keg filler so I got the finest of malt extract Thos. Coopers, the best of hops and yeast and did an extract APA - and the first sip had the TWANG. :unsure:

 

[TmC]

All of my beers have it, I would describe it as metalic/plasticy. Funnily enough my extract brews are the worst :huh:

 

[Housecat]

I have started to call the K&K's Subway beers.

No matter what I have done, even though I have a great finished product, they always have that twang that makes them all taste very similar.

That is where Subway comes into it, no matter if you have the chicken or the ham, they all have that same taste.

Things I have done to reduce twang (in the kits) is to steep grains and add hops to the mix. Use the recipe database and the world is your oyster (or pint glass).

HC

 

[keifer33]

As Bribie suggests use the lightest cans possible. If you want a dark beer steep some grains and add hops to bitter it. Every few brews I still use a can of goo as I know I can make it alright and saves me a little bit of time. Some cans will punish you with that twang so just make note of the ones that you just cant stand and steer clear of them.

 

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Today, 06:36 PM
Post #3


Mini Mash


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yes that's one of the reasons i'm thinking more about twang, as one of my mates does AG and his beers are awesome...

can't get enough of Dr Smurto's Golden

Do it! get into AG

Honestly the beer is awesome, it ends up cheaper (they way I think of it the more I drink the more I pay off my capital and save), but most importantly nothing beats the fun of AG brew day.

 

[felten]

Use the freshest can possible as well, cans age has a lot to do with those off flavours.