After a year of brewing AG I'm going back to partial mash

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sa1126

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Anyone ever make this move? There are a few reasons-

1) Inconsistency with AG quality
2) Less waste with PM vs AG (spent grains)
3) South Texas heat (this is the real reason).

I brewed Austin Homebrew's House IPA AG back in May and it turned out amazing. I'm going to give some mini-mash brewing a chance again and see if I can get in the ballpark. It will be nice to brew indoors again :)

Any other AG guys experiment back to mini or extract?
 
A lot more AG brewers do this than were led to believe . There are a few brewers in my brew club with the nano type brewery's in there basements or garages who now do partial mash or extract. When I asked why? They stated the same reasons you give along with life getting in the way.
 
Right on...glad to hear more people are doing this. I've done 8 different all grain batches and I'd say only three were where I wanted them to be. All of my PM batches have been great and I really want to see how much better they are with the fridge and the kegerator.
 
I brew whatever I want whenever. I don't go to the school where I'm only XXXXXX type brewer and can only be that.
 
Anyone ever make this move? There are a few reasons-

1) Inconsistency with AG quality
2) Less waste with PM vs AG (spent grains)
3) South Texas heat (this is the real reason).

I brewed Austin Homebrew's House IPA AG back in May and it turned out amazing. I'm going to give some mini-mash brewing a chance again and see if I can get in the ballpark. It will be nice to brew indoors again :)

Any other AG guys experiment back to mini or extract?

I bounce back and forth between all-grain (BIAB) and partial mash (also BIAB). The method I choose depends on the beer. In general, higher gravity brews I do as partial mash.

Although last month I did an extract (all DME) orange kolsch. I wanted to brew, but didn't have as much time to fit it in.

I like having the flexibility to use different methods...
 
I brew more extract in the summer. Things are just too busy for me to have a day to dedicate to brewing AG. In the winter, I seem to have more time.
 
Gringo_Bandito said:
I say do whatever works for you and makes you happy.

^^^This... I agree! . I do all grain when convenient and whenever a good PM or extract kit is on sale, I buy it.
 
I only have 3 AG batches under my belt, but sometimes I kind of want to do a quick extract batch just to have some beer on hand. Have not done it yet, but it might happen soon.
 
Every now and them I do a extract batch. It's fun to bang out a easy brew day from time to time.
 
I like the extra time that AG requires. It's that much more time that nobody is ****ing bothering me (wife, kid, housemate, housemate's kids, neighbors, neighbor's kids).

Just me, the wort, a book, and some tunes for 6 hours.

I also never enjoyed the 200% humidity in the house after doing a 60 minute boil on the stove.

All my AG drama is mostly equipment drama, like having my manifold seperate in a 150F mash rest or my drain valve popping off. Those stung a bit while fixing.
 
Does doing a partial mash really save that much time? Some sparging, but where else?

I always figured that if you're going to do a partial mash, you might as well mash it all. If there's not time, then steep and extract.
 
I do almost all AG/BIAB brews about every 2-3 weeks. I only do it when I have more than enough time. I actually enjoy the brewday. Sometimes, I invite friends over to watch and help and learn.
But, I've not done all extract in a long while though I've done a partial when it's time sensitive.
 
Does doing a partial mash really save that much time? Some sparging, but where else?

I always figured that if you're going to do a partial mash, you might as well mash it all. If there's not time, then steep and extract.

Cool down. It takes me about 30-45 minutes to chill a full boil with a wort chiller and a pre-chiller. Again this has to do with the summer heat here. It is usually still in the mid-90's when I'm wrapping up.
 
I have come up with an ingenious plan for me to keep brewing AG. I get up at 5AM and start brewing. Done by 9 or 10am. Ready to start the day.

My best brew days go this way. Also cuts down on the number of pints I drink while brewing...who'da guessed that leads to a smoother brewday. :D
 
"South Texas heat?" This is your reason for going back to partial mash? Because it takes less time than AG?

Sissy. I thought that they were tough down in Texas.
 
I say do whatever works for you and makes you happy.

+1

I only have a few ag brews under my belt but find it more relaxing to do ag brewing outside. Due to a back injury I haven't brewed anything since July 9th. My 18 year old son will be helping me brew once I can move around w/o pain. Cone winter, if I can handle the lifting or if my son helps I expect to be back to mini mashing in the house and back to ag in the spring, weather permitting. The worst thing I find with ag brewing is coordinating the weather w/ my brew calender.
 
"South Texas heat?" This is your reason for going back to partial mash? Because it takes less time than AG?

Sissy. I thought that they were tough down in Texas.

:)

I always find it interesting that people really think all grain brewing takes so much more time than partial mash or extract. And this is why they don't want to brew all grain, so they can limit their fun with the hobby.

I mean come on guys, all grain is way more fun. In spite of the heat that OP can't take.
 
:)

I always find it interesting that people really think all grain brewing takes so much more time than partial mash or extract. And this is why they don't want to brew all grain, so they can limit their fun with the hobby.

I mean come on guys, all grain is way more fun. In spite of the heat that OP can't take.

all depends. i'll be switching back to extract come winter. i don't enjoy being outside with bare hands when it's -20F or colder and the wind is howling.
 
you don't have to do AG outside, you choose to do AG outside - plenty of E-brewing options to keep you indoors year round.

I currently do AG on the stove top, *full boil (across two pots).

That stated I go back and forth between AG and PM, depends on the mood and what I have around for ingredients, but until this bag of 2-row is gone it's AG all the time.

Do what you like, that's what this home brewing thing is all about right?
 
i don't like the condensation in the house or garage. even with the exhaust fan. i'm in northern ontario and burn wood and if i had that much water boiling away i wouldn't be able to see out any window. but your right, homebrew however you can!!

Right now i'm stocking up like a squirrel. brewing all 10gal batches and bottling like crazy. LOL

Cheers
 
I do partial mash, and don't see myself doing AG any time soon. I just don't see the point.

I can go the the homebrew store after work for ingredients, and bang out a killer PM in an evening.
 
Just AG for me. I have considered doing extract batches in the winter when it's less than 20F out, but then I price the ingredients and just cannot pull the trigger. If I were desparate for beer or brewing I might do it some day, but I've always been able to keep my kegs full for the 2 months I can't brew outside.
 
I've always been tempted to do an extract batch. I started with partial mash, then went up to all grain; I skipped that beginning step of extract that most people take, but I've always been curious about it. I've tasted extract beer before, but the brewer told me it was a "crowd beer" it was a recipe he specifically made for college parties, so probably not the best to judge by. One of these days... heck I can do 10 gallon batches of PM on my stove, I could probably do 15 gallons of extract at one time if I really wanted to, possible more... oh the
 
I have made some great extract/specialty grains. I've had many non home brewers tell me my IPA is the best IPA they ever had. Also many have said my vanilla bean and bourbon smoked porter is the best beer they ever tasted.
 
I just made the same move from a 10 gal ag kegging system to a 2.5 gal partial mash partial boil bottling ... So far I couldn't be happier
 
Everyone's got their own reason why they brew. Everything from cheaper beer to impressing friends to just enjoying the process.

When starting to ride a bike, a lot of kids use train wheels. Not too many put them back on after they've mastered balance.

Personally, if I can't fit in an AG batch, I'll buy my beer.
 
What exactly is all that different about partial mashing vs all grain, in terms of time spent, heat produced, etc. Its eaiser to do higher gravity beers when you are just dumping in some extract.

Are you really talking about doing extract brews with steeping? Personally I find most of the heat produced is from the boil, not the mash.
 
I live in South Texas. I have a few acres to mow and weed eat every week. I'm from Canada and and find ways to work in the heat of summer. Why don't you plan your brew day so that your boil starts close to sunset? I find the temperature has dropped about10 degrees F by that time.
 
I live in South Texas. I have a few acres to mow and weed eat every week. I'm from Canada and and find ways to work in the heat of summer. Why don't you plan your brew day so that your boil starts close to sunset? I find the temperature has dropped about10 degrees F by that time.

I usually start around 6pm and end around 10-11. I ordred three mini mash kits yesterday but will move back to AG in a few months. A good friend of mine is moving to AG and I want to see how his system works.
 
Well now I know who to go to for some PM recipes!!! Just starting out. I haven't yet done extract, PM, or AG. But I am plotting my course. Why just yesterday i jotted down this little note:
note to self said:

That Cherry Dubbel will probably get bumped up in the line up. I've invested so much time thinking about it as my first brew. Now I've gotten a little gun shy and decided to just do a couple extracts first.

My current set up will only permit me to do PM and stove top AG. Though even the stove top AG would require some new equipment. I'd at least like to give it a try anyway.

My problem is that I keep finding all of these awesome sounding recipes!!
 
Everyone's got their own reason why they brew. Everything from cheaper beer to impressing friends to just enjoying the process.

When starting to ride a bike, a lot of kids use train wheels. Not too many put them back on after they've mastered balance.

Then your friend blows past you on his mini bike

Personally, if I can't fit in an AG batch, I'll buy my beer.
Wow, let me guess. You haven't brewed a extract batch in 10 years ?

:mug:
 
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