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kit "twang"

Started by hopapotamus, June 15, 2015, 07:00:28 PM

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hopapotamus

what causes it ? and more important can it be avoided ?
i have a few out of date kits and would like them to be drinkable , iv found lord eoins kit hack guide most useful in improveing kits no end , but i still get that twang even from pouch kits .

Blueshed

Quote from: hopapotamus on June 15, 2015, 07:00:28 PM
what causes it ? and more important can it be avoided ?
i have a few out of date kits and would like them to be drinkable , iv found lord eoins kit hack guide most useful in improveing kits no end , but i still get that twang even from pouch kits .

change the yeast and if you have temp control it will improve the kits

mervynskidmore

I think temperature is the main thing, which is a pain in the arse now in the summer for those of us who can only ferment at room temperature. I've tried a few of the Young's American kits and they have been great. The cheaper kits have cheaper yeast which probably doesn't help either.

Boycott

I don't think ive ever had a kit beer without that twang. I would be interested in knowing what it is

LordEoin

June 15, 2015, 11:22:10 PM #4 Last Edit: June 15, 2015, 11:44:03 PM by LordEoin
I think a lot of it is to do with the random yeast supplied.
Coopers kits with Ac, A, or P yeast all usually comes out quite clean when you stick to the low end temperatures.
While Ac+L yeast kits all seem twangy to me, and i suspect it's because no matter what temperature you ferment at it's wrong for one of the yeasts in the blend.
Finlandia kits that are pure twang with the kit 'kuivahiiva' yeast, but if you replace it out for cleaner us05 or notty you don't get the twang at all and although they lack flavor as-is the dark ale makes an excellent blank canvas for a dark kit hack.
I got no twang at all off the Craft Range kits, and they pride themselves on the careful selection of their yeast and the clear temperature instructions. Although the twang in their case might be hidden by their dryhop additions.
I have an All Grain fermenting behind me just now using the Coopers Wheat Beer kit's A yeast.
I'll know in a few weeks if that imparts any twang, but I suspect that it's repackaged US05.

More importantly though I think it's a result of LME, particularly cheap LME like that cheaper shite that comes from scandinavia in unmarked cans.
Any kit or extract i've done with that is twangy to the last.
I even fermented out a no-hop beer with just LME and the twang shined through.
The craft range LME wasn't as bad as the cheaper cans.
I've not tried it with DME but i suspect it'd be more like sweet flavorless beer.
Kits using DME additions are less twangy to my palate, and dry kits (all DME) have next to no twang from what i remember (but they usually fail on the hop side)
my extract brews with DME are preferred over LME in flavor, but lack body.
many wheat beer kits have very little twang, so maybe it'd the barley part of LME that twangs and not so much with wheat LME

There's also a lot of kit snobbery around that would put a twang in someone's mouth just by knowing it's a kit.
Make an all grain and call it a kit and you'll probably here something like 'good for a kit' or 'nothing wrong with that' instead of the oohs and aahs you'd get calling it an "AG triple hopfen dunkel alt" (that sounds tasty).  Or hack a kit and call it an AG and see its rating automatically increase.
Stoopid puny hyooman brains!

To minimize or remove the twang, swap out the yeast, use DME over LME, steep some grains and add a short hop boil and dryhop, then call it an AG or extract :D
And always watch your temperature control.
That usually does the job.

johnrm

Ac, A, P & L?
Don't you mean AC/DC?

I've gotten kit twang, I think it's a combination of all purpose yeast, poor or no temp control and the processing of the sugars. I suspect there are unfermentables in the malt, intended to give body which compromise the flavor.

hopapotamus

thanks for all the replys , im slowly moving on to all grain , but i still have a soft spot for kits . im guessing i have to keep a closer eye on temp control ,far easyer in winter, and stick with better yeast . iv a few packs of gv12 in the fridge so will use them for now .
im sure that ac/dc yeast rocks tho lol

LordEoin

try the next one with US05/notty and DME.
if that clear us the twang, then do the one after with us05, DME, steeping grains and hops. Killer!