All Grain Or Extract

[devo]

I have been getting the vibe lately that some extract brewers seem to feel a little confused/intimidated by the AG brewers on this site. Hell I remember the days when I was a kit brewer and the murky lead up to my eventual conversion over to the dark side of AG.

I'd admit that some AG folk on this forum tend to rabbit on a bit about this or that hop, temp and yeast strain or whatever...and end up confusing the crap out of the kit brewers. Personally I think we can tend to get a little caught up in details (which I can be guilty of) and stray away from some of the basics of AG when followed to the letter will consistently produce exceptionally superior beer to the kit variety. But then again extract brewers have to understand that it's sometimes necessary so that we can feed our thirst for knowledge for making a better beer.

I went AG because I was tired of spending so much time and effort attempting to get a kit beer to taste like commercial beer only to find that in the end I was only kidding myself. I then did plenty of research and reading and found that all this reading would only take me so far. It all eventually fell into place once I went to a couple of AG demos.

The point I'm trying to make is that extract brewers shouldn't be put off AG because they see it as difficult or daunting, it's only as hard as you choose to make it. And you don't need to weld up a brew stand and get big shiny SS pots. I've seen simple and effective set ups with 2 plastic buckets, some hosing and a big aluminium stock pot.

Final note, for the results you get with AG it's well worth it looking into making the step. B)

 

[tangent]

hear hear!
agree totally

(i think the AGers should be in a seperate sealed section for HardCore brewers )

in the end I was only kidding myself

What really confuses me is why you would want to get a perfectly good beer and put extract in it at all. Why do a quick partial when you can do a real beer with not much more hassle? Tins are a great way to start but why keep them in your recipes when you've tasted what an AG brew is really like?
Sorry guys, hope this doesn't offend the K&Kers.

 

[colinw]

I must say that once I got over the initial intimidation of AG, I have found it easier to consistently brew good beer than I could with kits or extracts.

Some of my kit and extract beers were fantastic, but repeatability seemed to elude me.

With all-grain, after an initial rocky start I have found that when I set out to brew a beer I am confident it will be at least decent.

I am, however, contemplating returning at least partly to extract or kits due to the drought and water restrictions, the time all-grain takes, the time demands of family life and also wanting to devote considerable time returning to my old hobby of control line aeromodelling.

 

[Airgead]

Methinks its just us AG'r here at the moment...

I went AG a year ago and have never looked back. Much easier than I though it would be (mostly due to excellent advice from here).

Cheers
Dave

 

[Batz]

(i think the AGers should be in a seperate sealed section for HardCore brewers )

It was like that here once

Batz

 

[barls]

extract all the way for me i dont have the time and the money to set it up as my other hobby takes too much time

 

[Samwise Gamgee]

My first 2 brews were K&K, then 1 extract brew, then 1 partial, then AG.

I found AG a lot easier to fathom after watching a couple of demo's and have never looked back.

I think the main reason I moved onto AG so quick was that I wanted to have a lot of creative control over my brews, and after the 2nd K&K I was bored. As I was never really brewing to make cheap piss, I wanted something a bit more stimulating hence to move to partials then AG.

 

[Bobby]

Ag seemed so daunting to me at first. But really it is dead easy and bloody fun. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys there beer. its well worth the effort.

 

[normell]

I voted AG, but I lie
all my brews now are fresh wort packs, since finding out that they are as close as AGing, without the effort, I could not be happier with them
Used to K&K for years, kept computer records of each brew, but could never get 2 brews the same.
Now I know that if I find a fresh pack that I really like, I can replicate it with no problems at all


Normell

 

[timmy]

K+K for about 2 years, then 1 partial and AG ever since. A quick demo from Doc got me going. Was much easier than i thought.

Never looked back.

Barls, noone has the time or the money, we just make time...............

BTW, in case anyone is tempted, don't mention AG brewing on another forum with a green background.

 

[bindi]

BTW, in case anyone is tempted, don't mention AG brewing on another forum with a green background.
[/quote]

I can't stop laughing

 

[berazafi]

I came to this site as a kit brewer, probably done around 6 kits, came to learn about kegging.

My experience of the site is that there wasnt alot of info for improving kits, then as soon as i found out that the kit is just a boiled down version of the final all grain wort, nothing more nothing less i decided i had to give it ag a go

My thoughts were that i dont mind canned soup but condensed soup is not very good, and sort of thought that maybe beer is similar

Anyway i gave it a bash i bought a kettle (50l) and a esky and a bit of stainless braid and a burner total cost was under $130

A brew day takes under 4 hours ussually, and i can do other things in between (you do not have to stand there for 4 hours once you know whats going on and how long things take.

I dont think i would ever do an extract, just because if im going to setup and clean up all the stuff, you may as well just do a mash and be done with it

You see some nice bits of equipment on here and recipes that seem so complicated, however you can make very good beers from very simple things

Dave

 

[barls]

Barls, noone has the time or the money, we just make time...............

you were in the navy so you know where im coming from with not having the time.
plus when you spend 2 1/2 years, so far and still going, rebuilding a car this time around, it was 5 years last time. cars they are the whole in the road that you pour money in to but at least ive got it the way i want it this time around

 

[Jazman]

As an ag brewer i still thry make my recipes simple as i find they suit my needs and still make good beer ag brewing doenst have to be complicated it is easy and better if u get to a brew day

 

[bindi]

Barls, noone has the time or the money, we just make time...............

you were in the navy so you know where im coming from with not having the time.
plus when you spend 2 1/2 years, so far and still going, rebuilding a car this time around, it was 5 years last time. cars they are the whole in the road that you pour money in to but at least ive got it the way i want it this time around

You know I am ex pussers.. Still laughing . Sorry [Off topic] Excuse me.

 

[hughman666]

i'll probably get around to ag one day but to tell you the truth, i dont know if i want to spend 4 hours of my weekend housebound.

at least with kits & a few additions in the keg, i get beer that still tastes better than the megaswill from liquorland and it only takes 15-30 minutes which means i can do it at any time of the week.

sure, i dont deny that AG would probably yield a better beer, but i can't be bothered at the moment B)

 

[DJR]

I think the poll here somewhat reflects really what people do on the site. But really, only the AGers are crazy enough to keep visiting the site again and again

I've done about 20 kits so far, last 4 of them as partial mashes. Did some really bad brews for a year or two (kit yeast, no temp control, lots of sugar, lager yeast at 16C) then i've done about 10 kits in the last 6 months and started seeing good results. The best results were when i really started doing my research into what makes a good beer, and this site was one of the best resources i found with good advice. Since coming i've realised what a difference temp control, good yeast, fresh ingredients can make. Recently taken the step of doing AG with some advice from here, so far so good, it's bubbling away and the taste from the fermenter is awesome, much fresher and authentic than any kit brew i've done.

I think there is a time and a place for kit brewing, and i might still do a couple more, but really AG is cheaper once you discount the equipment purchasing, and the equipment costs works out to be only a few commercial cases anyway, or 2 cases of Belgians :chug:

 

[dicko]

As an ag brewer i still thry make my recipes simple as i find they suit my needs and still make good beer ag brewing doenst have to be complicated it is easy and better if u get to a brew day

Yes, I agree with Jazman.
I have been AG brewing for a while now and I found I was trying (without trying) to make more and more complicated recipes with a variety of grains and varying hop additions.
I have just gone back to basic recipes (to relive the past) and I am finding that simple basic recipes are just as good, if not sometimes better than all the super additions and mutiple malt selections that we are all bombarded with from time to time.
Most of us came to this site as kit brewers, some are happy with kits others move on to extract, AG etc.
I always say just find your own level and "do what you do do, well!"
Cheers

 

[wee stu]

Believe me, all graining is not hard, and it certainly ain't rocket science. And, ghetto breweries can be remarkably cheap.

It is time consuming (relatively), but coming up with a recipe and producing the beer that you envisaged, not some dude in a gloop factory, is very, very rewarding. (he says, supping on his Amarillo wheat with a grin factor of 9.9 )

Mind you, if I ever do find that misplaced tin opener, my mind might change

awrabest, stu

 

[dicko]

Believe me, all graining is not hard, and it certainly ain't rocket science. And, ghetto breweries can be remarkably cheap.

Mind you, if I ever do find that misplaced tin opener, my mind might change

awrabest, stu

Hi Stu,
Have a look on that hook on the wall in the brewery, that where mine is, - slowly rusting away!!
Cheers