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BrewRick

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Hi all,

I've just entered the world of brewing after many years of enjoying fine craft brews.

I've only made one home brew at the moment. A Coopers Dark Ale straight from the tin to fermenter. While this was OK for my first, I want to move on to bigger and better things, with the aim to becoming an all grain home brewer, before looking into starting a small nano-brewery in the future (maybe ten years away). Yep, I know we all want to do it, but it's a dream I want to work hard at making a reality.

So, I want to take the next step from can to fermenter brewing, and start extract brewing. I'm wondering where I should post to get some help regarding equipment I need to get started on this. I'm going to post in the extract area, hoping someone may be able to give advice on what equip I need to get started, and a basic run through of what to do.

I'm looking forward to posting and joining threads as my experience grows!
 
Welcome Rick. In many ways extract brewing is more of a sideways step from kits but can give you experience in hops, sanitising, fermenting etc. However nowadays it's a lot easier to start All Grain brewing, which is where you need to be if you would like to brew something like those craft beers you have been enjoying - what area are you in?
 
Bribie G said:
Welcome Rick. In many ways extract brewing is more of a sideways step from kits but can give you experience in hops, sanitising, fermenting etc. However nowadays it's a lot easier to start All Grain brewing, which is where you need to be if you would like to brew something like those craft beers you have been enjoying - what area are you in?
+1. The man's right. If I had my extract (or K&K) days back again, and this forum, I'd have jumped straight into BIAB. No more work than using grain in extract/partial mash (given you've got to mash anyway with partials), and far more flexibility.

2 things that mean the most to me brewing wise are the same whether you're a kit brewer or an AG brewer - sanitising and yeast handling. You can learn that extract brewing or AG brewing, so (IMHO) extract is superfluous in that instance.

However, I also understand that some like a safety blanket - I don't think it adds to anything brewing wise - but it might be a confidence booster until you're ready to take that jump. It's only after you take the jump, you realise it wasn't that big to start with.

Goomba
 
Thanks Bribie G.

I'm in Hobart. For a small state, there are some great microbrewerys in Tas and I'm hoping to squeeze my way into some work experience at a couple.
Since I've only just started, maybe extract brewing will help me grow confident in the things you said above (hops, fermenting etc). What do you think?
If I go this way what equipment would I need that I can still use when I progress to the next step (which would be partial mashing, i assume?)

Thanks again for replying and the welcome!
 
Thanks for the reply Goomba.
After reading the first post, my thoughts were to try some extract brewing, so I can get some confidence in using hops, sanitisation and fermenting. But I'm keen on a steep learning curve, so would love to step up to the next level quickly.
What is involved with BIAB, without going into detail? I guess I need to surf the net a bit more, and these forums. But there's so much information, it's hard to get a grasp when you're just beginning.
 
BrewRick said:
Thanks for the reply Goomba.
After reading the first post, my thoughts were to try some extract brewing, so I can get some confidence in using hops, sanitisation and fermenting. But I'm keen on a steep learning curve, so would love to step up to the next level quickly.
What is involved with BIAB, without going into detail? I guess I need to surf the net a bit more, and these forums. But there's so much information, it's hard to get a grasp when you're just beginning.

Depends on your budget and equipment.

BribieG is the king of the urn and has won awards. There is Nick_JD's stovetop method (which is a $20 19L big w pot - damn shame there isn't any up here in the NW - and a bit of curtain fabric from spotlight).

In Brisbane I had the 2 pot stovetop method, and I used a 25L esky as a mashtun, with 2 x $9 food grain buckets from bunnings with a tap in it for a lauter. I did a forum topic with piccies. I have won awards with this method. It cost me an extra big w pot, and a couple of buckets and a tap from bunnings, as I had the esky and of course, the stovetop.

At the moment, I'm about to restart brewing here in Tas, and it'll be a 50L keggle, with a BIAB in it, atop a 3 ring burner with a gas bottle, because that's what I've sourced.

The thing is, once you get your head around 'soak grain at a certain temp' and 'boil for an hour (or 1 1/2 hours)' and 'boiling hops for this long, adds this effect' - the equipment issue isn't that much an issue, more a 'what can I source' and 'what can I afford'.
 
Just noticed your link there (HOWTO - 2 pot stove method).

This is the sort of thing I was looking for. I'll have a good look over it and I'm sure I'll have a good starting point based on your guide. Cheers for that Goomba, you've been a great help.
 

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