Cost: Extract vs. All Grain $$$$

Ok, I've been told all grain requires a mashtun and and extra pot for sparge water.

Once these pieces of equipment are bought, the price of producing a batch of beer is reduced.

For me I dont believe I have a brewstore nearby, so I guess what I'm trying to figure out is:

Will the shipping costs absorb any gain by going all-grain?

Does the grain have to used within a given period of time (crushed vs whole)?

Does all grain taste better?

Thanks

Boy we've never had this discussion before....at least in the last hour...

Sorry, for the sarcasm but there's certain topics that get done to death here...and all the info is really one search function away already.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f36/cost-all-grain-vs-extract-80526/

Here's what search has to say about it the rest of them....

Search Results for all grain vs extract

Don't try to justify it economically. Yes, your ingredient costs go down, but you're only going to get sucked more into obsession. Once you do...

Chest freezer $100
cornies 5@35= $175
double body regulator $135
Pump $137
Mat'ls for brew stand $200+

It never stops man. I'm not saying don't do it, I'm saying don't do it because you think you're getting a bargain.

I've decided NOT to purchase bulk ingredients. While the ingredients are considerably cheaper that way....I can see myself brewing 5x a week if I've just got all that grain and hops laying around.

I don't know about the shipping costs, as I have not proced that out. No doubt, you get more bang for your shipping buck with DME over grain, but I don't know how the pricing works out in total.

Crushed grain should be used with in a few days or so, but that does depend a bit on the humidity in your area and how you store it. I'm in Houston, so the humidity is high. However, I've vacuum packed crushed grain before, and it kept just fine. Uncrushed grain lasts until the weevils start hatching.

Does all-grain brewing taste better? Well, typically, yes. If you can get some good quality extract that is fresh or well-kept, and if you do a full wort boil, and if you brew a beer that does not call for anything too fancy in the mash, then you really shouldn't be able to tell the difference between an extract beer and it's all-grain analog. However, those are some big "if"s up there, and it is hard to get all those tumblers to spin into place at the same time. It happens, but you don't bet your brewing on it.


TL

Also, "taste better" is a subjective thing....It's not the method you use, it's your skills as a brewer that makes good beer.... Plenty of extract batches have one awards...

It's not a "holy grail" of beery perfection unless you have your process down...I've choked down some foul AG batches (including some of my own) and tasted and made some awesone extracts....

Read this,

http://blogs.homebrewtalk.com/Revvy/Why_cant_we_all_get_along/

You guys Rock!

Thanx

A quick look in Northern Brewer showed the cost of the same batch of beer (kit) for

Extract = $43
AG = $30

And they have a flat shipping rate. Now that is not buying bulk grain, where you can also save even more, especially if you crush your own.

But I also agree that the savings is merely a bonus. If you go to AG you should be doing it for the experience and improved process, not for the cost.

The one thing I found was the extra time it takes for AG - two more hours???

The "taste" thing always comes back to haunt me though - I have never gone AG but would LOVE to see a comparison between two recipes one AG and one Mini Mash.

BTW - I looked at a Mini Mash recipe vs. AG and it was about $7 cheaper AG - just one example.

All things being equal, I'm guessing that all grain would be cheaper over the long haul. But of course all things AREN'T equal, and generally going all grain represents a committment and obsession that will ultimately cost MORE as a result as one continually seeks out gadgets and equipment to perfect the process even more.

Or so I think.

Doesn't matter though. Anyone who takes up a hobby like this under the pretense that it'll somehow save money is either trying to fool a spouse, or themselves. But whatever works.

I've said this before, but my total cost on some 5 gallon batches is around $12 (buying grain and hops in bulk, washing yeast, mid-gravity beers). If you are not interested in buying bulk grain, even your average AG batch in kit form will be approximately $5-7 cheaper than an extract + steeping kit and a little less for PM kits. The reason for this is simple- less manufacturing processing. Extract is far more expensive compared to malted grain- and the less the manufacturer gets involved, the cheaper the cost.

You will add several hours to your brew day, but I think the added cost equipment is relatively minimal if you take time to assemble your brewery with an eye to frugality. Converting a cooler to a mashtun can be done for approximately $20 if you already have a large enough cooler, for example.

Quality is indeed VERY subjective, and it doesn't factor in the most important variable- YOU as the brewer. Like Revvy, I've had some terrible AG brews (my first was an absolutely hellacious oatmeal stout where everything went wrong- missed temps, stuck sparge, boilovers, etc) and some incredible extract ones. I don't buy into the notion that AG is inherently better in terms of flavor, etc- that comes from the brewer's process and ability to select quality ingredients.

It's still cheaper at the end of the day.

I did 2 batches this Sunday - the first was an extract -- MAN was it easy ! I FLEW through it in so little time ...

The second batch was an AG Red Ale kit (NB) .. took much longer.

I an sure both batches will be fine, but the time factor is something that you should consider, if you are concerned abt cost -- time is a cost as well..

I started wondering why not just do partial boils the rest of my brewing days, but then I won't be motivated to save up for all that cool equipment !

Cost savings should be just one of the reasons to goto AG .. you can learn more abt what goes into beer when going to AG whether bulk or kit.

Just my $0.02