Moving From K&k To All Grain

[buttersd70]

Wort production is only half, if that, of the equation. Just because a beer is all grain doesn't mean it is a good beer. I've tasted plenty of poorly brewed all-grain worts which have then been poorly fermented. Typically the brewer has tried to brew more than what their equipment would properly allow because they have the stupid idea that anything less than all grain is inferior. The key to good beer is yeast and fermentation.

Yep, one of the worst beers I've ever tasted was AG. Actually, no....two of the worst beers I've ever tasted were AG. One was by an experienced brewer...it was infected. normally he does really good beers, from what I've heard. Sods law; it happens to us all. The other was from a brewer that jumped straight to AG. This guy did a lot of research....he spent months reading up on things. He went to brew days with another brewer, before he started. But he still manages to make consistantly bad beer.....and it comes down, not to the 'hot side' (ie the mash/boil), but to the cold side (ie, yeast handling/fermentation).
Not wanting to put you off, here....but fwiw, imho, I think you should do at least half a dozen to a dozen K&K, K&B, or extract brews, minimum, to get your routine in, to get to grips with basic principles like yeast health, temp control, etc....in the meantime, go see other AG brewers in action. Question them about every stage of the process. Get the knowledge, get the practice...then put the two together.

2c.

Take the volume of the largest pot you have and divide it by 8 and this will give you the amount of grain in kgs you can comfortably mash with a mini brew in a bag technique.

Just looking at doing mini batches for recipe development, using biab (currently using conventional tun for full size)......I ran the numbers last night, and yep....1/8th pot size in kg of grain, or as close as dammit. Wish you'd posted that gem last night, pat, would have saved me some number crunching. :lol:

 

[thylacine]

Hi Guys, im a relatively new brewer, i have put down 3 brews so far, is it to early for me to move onto all grain or should i keep going with kits?

I frequently read that consistent temperature control should be any brewer's initial provision. Whether it be for kits, extracts, partials, BIAB, AG.