First batch tonight!

Hey guys,

I made my first batch tonight! I'm actually still boiling as I type this, and it smells gooooooood and malty. I used a coopers Real Ale kit (I know I know, I'm doing second batch tomorrow after stopping at LHBS for some hops etc). Anyway, I did fix it up a bit so it wouldnt be so plain and used:

the kit extract
1 lb golden yellow sugar
500g light DME

I got past the 'take it off once it boils so you dont scorch your extract' stage so I'm pretty proud of myself there

I'm excited for tomorrow, I want to move on to AG batches as soon as I can!

Woot! Congratulations!

Next thing you know it will be second nature

And you're off...Welcome to the hobby. I recently dove in myself; two extracts and one all-grain batch under my belt.

Luckily my wife loves the smell of steeping grains. I have since moved my operation outside.

Congrats. Welcome to the hobby. Enjoy

I'm excited for tomorrow, I want to move on to AG batches as soon as I can!

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Don't be in too big of a rush. Great beers can be made from extract and crappy beers can come from all grain. Learn the process, make good beers and then consider whether you want to go all grain. It isn't anything magical that will instantly make you the world's greatest brewer. In fact, I have made some pretty bad beers since I went all grain.

Congrats on the first brew.Don't let the idea of brewing allgrain intimidate you it's not hard,just need a little more equipment.

Is there any difference price wise with AG compared to extract? I also heard from brewers at my work that extracts can have some pretty off flavors.

I forgot to post this, my OG was 1.040. I did a partial boil of 2.5 gallons and it took sooooooo long to cool down! I'm not even sure I have exactly 23 litres either. Humble beginnings................. As long as I have a good OG, does it matter what amount of liquid I have?

Cheapo said:

Is there any difference price wise with AG compared to extract? I also heard from brewers at my work that extracts can have some pretty off flavors.

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It depends on what setup u want and the space available to you. Also weather you want to just buy all the equipment ready to go, or weather your good at DIY projects. I made my own mash tun and wort chiller. It saved me a lot of money.

Yeah, I've been looking at mash tun's today- they look very simple and inexpensive too! I may just go that route. Now, to come by a propane stove and stand...... :cross:

I just took a look, and the krausen is happily developing away I'll move it outside to the man cave tomorrow, and maybe give er a little tasting

Cheapo said:

Is there any difference price wise with AG compared to extract? I also heard from brewers at my work that extracts can have some pretty off flavors.

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Look at the price of kits from Midwest to compare the differences in price between extract kits and the same kit with all grain. (www.midwestsupplies.com) You'll see that the all grain kits are always cheaper.

Yes extracts can have off flavors. So can all grain batches. It depends on the freshness of the extracts and (mostly) your technique. The single biggest difference in the taste of my beers was when I learned to ferment cooler.

It doesn't have to cost a lot to brew all grain. In fact I was able to start for under a $30 investment by purchasing a cheap Corona style mill and a pair of paint strainer bags. Since I already had a 20 qt. pot, I used that and did 2 1/2 gallon batches to learn the process. After I found that I could do all grain and make it taste good, I bought a turkey fryer so I could do 5 gallon batches. Search BIAB on the forum for lots of info on all grain brewing on the cheap side. If you like doing the process and want to spend more money on it, there is a ton of bling you can get.

So I went to check on it last night, and it's doing well. Has that weak, flat taste, but I can taste a bit of malt. It definitely tastes promising for an end product after carbonation

Quick update: I checked both brews (of THAT weekend, ) tonight, and this one is sitting at 1.006 -down from 1.040. I'm interested in letting it sit a while, since it has that distinct....strange....smell. Definitely alcohol, but almost more of a fruity smell like making hooch outta store bought juice (if that makes any sense)

1.003, so it's slowing down...but not done yet. Check again tuesday

Cheapo said:

Is there any difference price wise with AG compared to extract? I also heard from brewers at my work that extracts can have some pretty off flavors.

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At my LHBS the difference between AG and Extract is between 7-10 dollars, the latter being the more expensive.

Hey union,

Yea I'm pretty sure I'm doing it right...I took the temperature and gravity of the beer, corrected for temp using the spreadsheet for excel that I found on here, and got the result. I read the gravity correctly, using the meniscus...can't think of anything that might have been off kilter.....

And staying at 1.003! I'm going to do my best to get bottling this weekend, but it looks like I'll more than likely be waiting a week or so. It'll just be better beer, and who can argue with that?