Starting out with AG

Winston_Smith · 10-19-2007, 02:13 AM

I've been looking to get into home brewing for a few months now. The thing is I wish to skip the whole extract stage.

I've been doing a lot of reading on AG brewing, and I think I have a pretty good understanding of it. I'm going to join a local club and maybe get to watch a AG brew before I attempt one.

Did anyone else start right off with AG?

rich1852 · 10-19-2007, 02:22 AM

Where is Mid-Vermont? We have a place on Lake Dunmore (outside Middlebury). Otter Creek has some really nice MicroBrews at their place.

Winston_Smith · 10-19-2007, 02:29 AM

I'm about 20 minutes from Dunmore, small town called Rochester.
I have to say I've never been to the Otter Brewery, but i have driven past it a few times. As a matter of fact next weekend I'm hoping to get down to the Long Trail Brewery.

mr x · 10-19-2007, 02:35 AM

I started off with AG. Wasn't too bad at all. Lots of good info here to get things right the first time. I think the main elements (other than reading) are sanitation and having the right equipment.

rich1852 · 10-19-2007, 02:47 AM

I had a great aunt from Rochester. Over Brandon Gap, correct?

Otter Creek has some nice beers, very small facility though and sometimes tough to get a "special" price on stock there. We sometimes pick up the growlers and bring them back to the lake. They aren't cheap though and don't want to undercut the local distribition outlets.

I did the Catamount tour once (White River Junction?). Shame they went under.

I am in the process of brewing my first homebrew, so I guess we are both newbies.

Bosh · 10-19-2007, 02:54 AM

I'd probably recommend starting off with something a bit simplier, the more steps you do the harder it is to figure out where you screwed up if something goes wrong.

Alamo_Beer · 10-19-2007, 03:03 AM

Go for it!

Think they had extract back in the day? If you do enough research you'll be fine.

Brew a hefe...easy and done quick

Good luck! We're here if you need it

Jekster · 10-19-2007, 09:37 AM

I say go for it if you're willing to upfront the extra cost of gear. I personally did three extract batches and then moved to all grain. The process is a bit more involved, but it honestly isn't that complicated. If there is a local Homebrew chapter, go watch the process start to finish and ask a lot of questions. Then, maybe invite one of the seasoned members over to your place when you brew to walk you through the process. Heck, my girlfriend wanted to do a batch and I had her start with all grain. Just had to explain the steps and why we did them!