Sat Sep 05, 2009 6:31 am
Sorry about the major delay; life got in the way. Both beers turned out spectacular, but personally I feel the all grain beer is better.
The all grain beer turned out lighter in color by a considerable amount. It also has a much better wheat character and it finished 3 gravity points drier. I found that the ester, phenol balance in this one seems to be a slight bit more subdued. The head retention on this thing is amazing too. The head also has a different texture than the extract beer; it is very rocky and has a great mousse-like texture.
The extract beer is awesome too, its just missing some of the wow factors that the AG beer has. I do like the body and mouthfeel better on this beer. I percieve it to be much smoother and fuller without being to heavy. I was expecting it to taste sweeter, but its not. The hop character is a little more subdued too, which is closer to style.
Conclusion: It's kind of like dating two chicks at one time. On one hand you've got this smokin hot So-Cal blonde with a thin waist and a giant rack who gives rockin head. On the other hand you've got a nice midwestern farm girl who is really nice, low maintnance, and has just a bit more cushion for the pushin.
I personally feel like AG is the way to go. There is a lot more control. I'll adjust the body with my mash temp and keep the amount of hops, cause I like a little more hop character in my hefs. If you want to cut your brew time down or have limited space you can make an awesome beer with extract, it just misses on a couple of aspects that I think could make it a competition winner.
