Timing on going all grain

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

wlssox524

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 1, 2012
Messages
106
Reaction score
2
Location
Boston
Hello--
I recently started brewing and have one batch under my belt--extract with steeped grains. My question is this: if I want to switch to all grain and have access to the equipment should I do it right away (for my second batch)? Or is there any purpose in doing a few more extract brews? I feel like I have the extract process down pretty well but don't want to jump ahead if it's a bad idea
 
It sounds like something you want to do. Go for it. You will have some head scratching moments. But you will learn a lot about the process very quickly.
 
I did maybe 6 extract batches before I moved to AG. Nothing magically about that number. Just how long it took me before I could get setup for BIAB. Love the AG brewing. Just take good notes and learn from the mistakes you will make. Move on to AG!
 
If you have read up on the procedures for all grain and you are not intimidated, go for it.

I did 4 extract and 4 partial mash before all grain. The only reason it took that long was the time and expense to gather all the equipment.

There is a lot involved, it takes longer, you have more to pay attention to, but it is not really very difficult.
 
I studied this forum, watched a ton of YouTube videos a started with AG out of the gate. Never brewed an extract batch and never looked back. The recipe database is awesome and I've always been happy withe the outcomes.

Go for it!
 
I did one extract batch and a year later did my second brew and went all grain, got me hooked now I brew a lot lol go for it!
 
Only you know when you are ready and it sounds like you are. If you can make oatmeal, you can brew all grain. Just have a detailed list of your steps, don't panic if something doesn't go to plan, measure your pre-boil gravity to calculate efficiency, and keep some dme and extra hops on hand in case you under or overshoot your projected efficiency.
 
Go for it! I did one canned extract kit, one dry extract with grain kit, straight to stove top biab with my own recipie, to about 15 all grain with a cooler mash tun and Turkey burner, now I'm back to biab but now in a electrically charged recirculating kettle. Only you know what's right for you.
 
Hello--
I recently started brewing and have one batch under my belt--extract with steeped grains. My question is this: if I want to switch to all grain and have access to the equipment should I do it right away (for my second batch)? Or is there any purpose in doing a few more extract brews? I feel like I have the extract process down pretty well but don't want to jump ahead if it's a bad idea

I switched to BIAB/all-grain after four extract batches. Best decision I've made since I started brewing.
 
I studied this forum, watched a ton of YouTube videos a started with AG out of the gate. Never brewed an extract batch and never looked back. The recipe database is awesome and I've always been happy withe the outcomes.

Go for it!


+1 to this, I also read "The Everything Homebrewing Book"
 
…If you can make oatmeal, you can brew all grain….
Classic!

I was all-grain from the get-go. At this point I literally think extract brewing is more complicated – trying to convert recipes and such.

The only recommendation I have is get BeerSmith or ProMash. I was a hard head and built spreadsheets and wanted to calc everything from the ground up and made everything way too complicated. Somehow I saw that effort as part and parcel to the all-grain purity. Don't do that.
 
Classic!

I was all-grain from the get-go. At this point I literally think extract brewing is more complicated – trying to convert recipes and such.

The only recommendation I have is get BeerSmith or ProMash. I was a hard head and built spreadsheets and wanted to calc everything from the ground up and made everything way too complicated. Somehow I saw that effort as part and parcel to the all-grain purity. Don't do that.

Totally agree and good advice. Watched father in law brew extract with grain and it was too much of a circus. Then I priced out DME up here ($15/kg!!) and decided all grain was the way to go. My only beer thats disappointed me was a kit beer I tried to tweak- never again. I use beertools.

Full wort boils, big starters= great beer.:mug:
 
Wow! Not much to add, it's pretty much all been said. Partial mashes just confuse the crap out of me, extract is boring. That's just me, I'm not judging anybody.

All grain is a lot of fun and not hard to do. As others have said, just school up a bit before you go for it and brewing software is a big plus!
 
ipso said:
Classic!

I was all-grain from the get-go. At this point I literally think extract brewing is more complicated – trying to convert recipes and such.

The only recommendation I have is get BeerSmith or ProMash. I was a hard head and built spreadsheets and wanted to calc everything from the ground up and made everything way too complicated. Somehow I saw that effort as part and parcel to the all-grain purity. Don't do that.

At very least use an app on your phone. I've done that so far as I have an iPad. It's helpful for the calculations.
 
My brew partners and I screwed up our first few all-grain batches, but each one was a learning experience and we were just more determined to get the process right instead of going back to extract batches. You'll probably mess up a few things, but as long as you realize what went wrong then you can research how to fix it. I don't think you're going to regret moving to all-grain.
 
As others have said, if you're not intimidated, go for it. A couple pieces of advice from a recent all-grain convert:

1) It definitely takes longer, especially the first time. Plan for 3 or 4 extra hours over an extract brew, although you will be able to cut that down once you get the hang of it.
2) Don't try a crazy mash procedure your first time. Aim for a middle-of-the-road mash temp (say, 154 F).Your first time with the all-grain equipment you're almost certain to be off by a few degrees. Make notes, and have hot and cold water handy to correct.
 
I would suggest you make sure you can control proper fermentation temps and understand proper yeast pitching before you go all grain. Just saying that those are the two biggest things that can ruin beer in my opinion and I'd hate to see you get discouraged if you get a bad batch on your first all grain attempt. If you've got those things under control and the right equipment then I say go for it.
 
Back
Top