Well, I’ve been brewing consistently all year, with about 10 batches behind me. Everything I have cooked up has been from malt extract/DME. I’m thinking about getting my feet wet in the all-grain world. But, I don’t really know why? I’ve heard that all-grain brewing, though more complex than extract brewing, provides for more control and makes a better beer? Is this true? Also, what are the cost differences? Thanks much.
You’re likely to get many opinions on this but yes, you do have more control. Mash temperatures at 149 will give a different mouth feel than say, 155. Hop utilization is likely better.
But, extracts are so much better than even 10 years ago that you can make great beers with extracts. Then there’s partial mashing (a great way to get into AG brewing).
I’d say to get good at what you are brewing now, get the brew day down and start feeling comfy then slowly go into it and give it a try.
95% of what I do is AG brewing (BIAB for me) but when I don’t have time, I do a partial mash and am usually very happy.
Yeah, Beer-Lord, I thought about the partial mashing thing, and may go that route first. I’ve been educating myself on mash tuns, sparging, etc. Gotta build or buy a nice mash tun. Really don’t want to go the plastic cooler way as I don’t like plastic touching my beer (whether fermenting a bucket, plastic carboy, or from a mash tun). I’m probably OCD on that, but that’s how I roll. I saw one guy who built his mash tun from a keg. Pretty intersting.
Doesn’t malt syrup come in a food grade plastic package? Plastic is in contact with your beer all through the process. As long as it’s food grade and in good condition it will leach less into your beer han you likely pick up in your packaged goods from the market. Best to just get over it and move on with your mashtun.
The coolers used in brewing are made from HDPE, which doesn’t leach AFAIK.
You are just making getting into all grain that much harder by not using a cooler.
this…
and this.
I started AG after 13 years of using extracts. I wish I’d jumped in AG 13 years ago, FWIW.
I sure hope it’s better as I just spent a bunch of money on new stuff to go AG. Bigger pot ($80 - $300) depending on the size, Cooler and fittings ($60), hop spider ($15) could have used this before, but did not until now, IC ($30 used), burner for outside and bigger pot ($50), It all keeps adding up…
If this does not start making better beer I’m in trouble. 
[quote=“GarretD”]I sure hope it’s better as I just spent a bunch of money on new stuff to go AG. Bigger pot ($80 - $300) depending on the size, Cooler and fittings ($60), hop spider ($15) could have used this before, but did not until now, IC ($30 used), burner for outside and bigger pot ($50), It all keeps adding up…
If this does not start making better beer I’m in trouble. [/quote]
Beer is not made by equipment, it is made by the brewer. If you did not make very good beer using extracts, then going all grain will likely present more opportunities for problems. :cheers:
I dont care what anybody says, you dont need anymore really besides a cooler and muslin bags to do all grain. I personally use a three gallon pot on stove top, I make some pretty good beer, rescourcefulness people. when i first started making all grain I would put mash in panty hose, put the mash filled panty hose in rubber made container, poured my water over it let it sit over night, on cold nights i would wrap rubber made with blankets so it didnt lose heat to fast. here lately I treated myself to a ten gallon cooler, it has made the process easier but i wanted to do all grain on shoe string budget so if i couldnt make a good final product i was not out much. my soul hurts when i hear of people spending exorbanant amounts of money to start a new hobby just to find out they dislike hobby or arent any good at it then give it up.
Most of my (8) all grains have been really good. A couple were off.
I feel like taking it easy right now, so I’m going to do a couple easy
extract/specialty grain batches. Those are good also.
[quote=“560sdl”][quote=“GarretD”]I sure hope it’s better as I just spent a bunch of money on new stuff to go AG. Bigger pot ($80 - $300) depending on the size, Cooler and fittings ($60), hop spider ($15) could have used this before, but did not until now, IC ($30 used), burner for outside and bigger pot ($50), It all keeps adding up…
If this does not start making better beer I’m in trouble. [/quote]
Beer is not made by equipment, it is made by the brewer. If you did not make very good beer using extracts, then going all grain will likely present more opportunities for problems. :cheers: [/quote]
I have to disagree with this statement. The reason I said it this way is because I started like most if not all people do, partial boil extract, and that means less equipment, as in smaller pot so no full boil…the list goes on and on… You will make better beer with a full boils, no doubt in my mind.
I made beer, some good and some bad. But all grain will give you so much more control and the tastes will be closer to the real beers IMO. I did extract’s that were “supposed” to be “close” to the beers, as in Bells two hearted…tasted nothing like it. Extracts are beer and drinkable, but I have made no extract that taste like a beer bought in the store except 1, and that was my black IPA kit.
The more money you spend on equipment your beers will get better IMO. Now whether extract or AG who knows, but you need larger and more equipment to make better beer if you started like I did with just a standard kit. I guess that is the point I was trying to make.
You could have identical golf clubs to Tiger Woods, but if you don’t have the swing, you are still gonna suck.
Similarly, you could put a crappy guitar in the hands of a great player and he will still sound great.
That is my point. Having lots of shiny new equipment does not a great brewer make.
[quote=“560sdl”]You could have identical golf clubs to Tiger Woods, but if you don’t have the swing, you are still gonna suck.
Similarly, you could put a crappy guitar in the hands of a great player and he will still sound great.
That is my point. Having lots of shiny new equipment does not a great brewer make.[/quote]
I agree, but having the proper equipment does help. That is all I’m saying.
Now back to the original question, I believe AG will be better and yes you need a few more things in order to do AG. A cooler and if you do not have a 7-10 gal pot for full boils I suggest you get one.
Yup, if you use it properly, the right equipment makes a huge difference.
Here is a similar thread on the general forum that may have some info for you too.
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=114049I agree with the above - all grain is more fun, more control, more interesting IMO. Yeah, there is added cost - you can make it as expensive as you want. But you can also make damn good beer on basic stuff too. However, all things being equal, I agree that having better equipment will either make your brew better or your brew day more efficient, or both. But, there is no substitute for perfecting your methods regardless of your equipment.
Thanks, Braufessor. I’ll take a closer look at that. And, I agree. I feel that usually in life, better quality comes from higher costs - in most cases, that is. I don’t usually like doing something right the second time around, but I do understand that it would be beneficial to do so in the home brewing scene. So, I think I’ll give the cooler mash tun a go.
All grain will get you better and more flavor - only if done well of course - and if you don’t factor in the extra time it takes is definately cheeper.
When you don’t have as much time to brew as you used to, you do start seeing the value of extracts again.
If you have the time to go all grain Do It!
[quote=“muktuk31”]I dont care what anybody says, you dont need anymore really besides a cooler and muslin bags to do all grain.[/quote]You don’t need the cooler either, just 5-gal paint-strainer bags and a kettle, to brew AG. Everything else is just a luxury item and will not improve the beer one bit simply because you use it.
[quote=“Brew Meister Smith”]All grain will get you better and more flavor - only if done well of course - and if you don’t factor in the extra time it takes is definately cheeper.
When you don’t have as much time to brew as you used to, you do start seeing the value of extracts again.
If you have the time to go all grain Do It![/quote]
Thanks, Brew Meister Smith. I’m getting excited now about all-grain brewing and can’t wait to get started.
