Just tapped my first two AG beers...

And they first thing that comes to mind is damn they are much smoother. I brewed Edwort's Haus Pale Ale and a English Premium Bitter and to my surprise they are crystal clear.

I'm not sure if others noticed a difference (between Extract and Ag) but I did.

Living in Michigan I'm a little concerned when I won't be able to brew outside in the winter though. Any suggestions?

You can brew in winter...i saw a pic of a guy on these forums with a jacket on and pants and there was 2 inches of snow on the ground

Congrats! AG is the only way to go, a friend who still extract brews asked the other day about filtering, I sugested he spend his money on AG equipment. As far as brewing in the winter think of it as just a quicker way to cool wort.....no bugs

The only downside to winter brewing is hosing the stuff out in the cold/dark evening. Other than that, it's way more pleasant and chilling works quickly.

It's true, I'd rather huddle over my burner than have to be 30' away from my burner just 'cuz I'm getting too hot / dehydrated.

Nothin' like some long thick pants, a good coat, a Thermos of coffee, and your brew rig. I made my 1st batch of Hobgoblin outside in a snowstorm, in a parking lot, in 18*F high temps. It was delicious and worth every minute of shivering in a blanket. Lots of coffee. Lots and lots of coffee.

Back to the OT, I really enjoy all-grain beers, especially ones with no major defect, because they ARE such smooth, harmonious creations. I've had a few very good beers from club members who still brew extract.. But I've also tried a couple awfully twangy, thin, syrupy extract beers... I <3 my all-grain.

Brewing in winter is the best, it's the only time that its not ~98-100 degrees out

Yeah, I guess I'll have to just suck it up.

I could always make a fire in the fire pit to stay warm.

I saw a dramatic difference in the quality of my AG versus extract brewing, now I know people make good extract batches, I have too, but it seems like it's so much easier to make good beers with AG. +1 on brewing in the winter it's soooo much better than in the summer when it's hot, course I live in Oregon so it hardly ever gets really cold here just a lot of F'n rain.

Congrats! I hope mine turns out the same way!

I brew inside year round- my hose is frozen from about October-May anyway. I could go outside in the summer (and will with my 10 gallon batches) but it's just easier to do it inside so I don't have to haul all the stuff outside.

My point is- do what works for you! If my hose worked in the winter, I'd probably suck it up and brew outside all year round. And it's pretty darn cold outside here! I think Fingers talks about brewing outside in the winter, and he's in western Canada. You could mash inside, and just boil outside, so you're not out for long periods of time. It's definitely doable!

I brew in my garage with the door open in the winter. Keeps you out of the wind/snow, and it's pretty cozy standing by the kettle during a boil.

Congrats on the first AG. Make sure to let some of them age for 6 months or more. You won't regret it.