When did you make the switch to AG?

I'm still a noob, having brewed 7 batches so far(all extract and 1 AHS mini mash). All of my batches have been full boils. I was just wondering when most people make the switch? I have by no means perfected extract brewing, but would like to venture into AG. I'm the type of person who would rather do the best I can and have not as good beer, than make great beer knowing that I'm taking the easy way out. Is it mostly space/money that prevents people or is there some other logic to it? I hope that makes sense.

If you have the means (money) and space go for it. You have a good understanding of the process but it does take a bit more time to your brew day.

I think I did 9 extracts before my first PM. Then I only did one PM before going AG

I am planning my first extract since I made the switch. The wife wants to start brewing what she likes, so she is going to start with a few extracts.

It took a while for me to get over the fact that it wasnt that hard to do and build a MLT. I made the switch once I felt comfortable enough

I did 5 extract batches before I did an AG on borrowed equipment for a club collaboration. I still had one extract kit left, so I did that last one after. Now I am doing AG only.

Thanks for the replies. I'm moving soon(maybe a month or 2), so after that, I'll jump in. Til' then, I'll keep re-reading how to brew and do as much research as possible to prepare

my first mini-mash was 40 brews in.

It was sooo long ago But I think I did 3 partials maybe 2 then jumped in head first. No turning back now!!!! Wouldn't even think of it.....
JJ

2 extract brews and then I went straight into AG. My first AG is currently sitting in the carboy.... I hope it turns out OK.

My advice is to research AG extensively before jumping in. It can be a tad overwhelming at first, considering the added cost of equipment and a more involved brewing procedure, but I think it is ultimately worth it. You get the freshest beer possible because you are making everything from scratch, and your brewing will actually be cheaper in the long run. Extract is expensive to make so it is expensive to buy. An extract kit that would normally cost $37 dollars might be as cheap as $21 if you do an all grain version.

In my case, far too long.

A few years ago I brewed two or three great extract batches. I then tried an AG and it was a disaster from brew day on; didn't brew again for several years. Since starting back up I've made six extract (with grain) batches, and plan the next to be a partial mash using the method described on the BYO site (recently saw the link posted here on HBT): Countertop Partial Mashing. I brew inside, so when I do finally venture into AG, it'll probably be a variation of the Texas Two-step or some such.

Rick

Bout 15 extract kits before I made the move... 20/20 hindsight, probably only need 5 or so extract brews to understand the process before moving on.

I also did 9 extract batches before my first AG (not counting an attempted partial mash that ended up being 5 gallons of malt vinegar). My first AG was also my first full boil.

I did about 8 Mr. Beer recipes before jumping to AG. After reading about AG on this site I knew that I had to go straight to AG.

I did one extract w/ speciality, then a single PM. I was prepared to stick with PM for a while until I actually played 'fly on the wall' with an AG brew day- and I saw that it is far simpler than descriptions about it sound. I'm rounding up some gear- so my first AG brew day is a couple of weeks away.

I did one extract batch and then decided to make the switch... no regrets; its so easy.

I made 3 extract batches and then went to partial-mashing. After about 10 partial-mashes, I went AG. I love AG and prefer it 9 times out of 10, but I'll still brew some recipes as extract to save time...

10 extract, then jumped into AG with a 2-bucket $40 "system". Really enjoy it. It really is a lot easier than it sounds, you can just jump right in. No need to "master" extract or partial-mash (unless of course, you want to).

Man I brewed extract and partial mashes for 8 years. Just switched this spring. Should have done it a lot sooner.

0 extract batches, then straight to AG

But that's just me. I'm a "from scratch" kind of person. And I didn't just jump right in. I took months to research and build a brewing system (which was fun in itself) because I had a hunch I would be in it for the long haul. (Thank God I was right!)

AG's not for everyone just like extract isn't for everyone. But I always figure, if your curious enough to ask about AG, your answer is in the asking. So, go for it!

I think I did 3 extracts then I made the switch. I find the freedom of AG a lot more fun than the kits.

2 extract w/steeped grain.
1 P/M.
Went to AG after that.

4 Extract partial boils, 3 Extract full boils, then all grain all the time.

Once you can handle full boils, you're a cooler conversion away from all grain. Literally.

1 extract and 2 partial mash before I went all grain.

Probably four or five extract batches, a couple mostly-AG batches (really, big PMs), then AG.

I did 5 extract and 3-4 PM brews. The 3-4 PMs I used as a test for AG and time to get the necessary equipment.
In my opinion, getting the equipment together and figuring out what type of system you would like is the hardest part of AG.
I also think doing a few PM batches helps for an easier first AG brew.

My third real batch was AG, but I do as many PM as AG and even an occasional extract/steep. Price really isn't a consideration, since I'm not brewing every week. Too many good brewpubs around here.

First batch was AG on our current system.

iirc, I did 4 or 5 extract partial boils, then another 10 or so PM's w/steeping grains before I went to AG.

I made the switch at batch 20 to AG, but started PMing after the 4th. I had some serious space constraints before.

I started with AG a few days before my 21st bday. In retrospect I had no idea what I was doing and if I had brewed extract before that and had a better understanding of brewing in general I would have never had the courage to jump in head first, but every batch ive brewed including that first pale ale came out great and I have no regrets.
About equipment and knowhow, the first AG batch I did I used a 12" plastic funnel with a screen at the bottom to sparge it only held about 1 gallon of grain at a time and I just poured hot water over it until I had what looked like 5 gallons. the beer still came out great in fact people have said it was one of my best batches. so dont get too obsessed with equipment and stuff for your first batch, although I would recommend something better than a funnel with a strainer for sparging.

I did 2 extract batches, then watched/helped an AG once and saw how easy AG was.

I did 3 Muntons kit&kilo batches, then 3 extract w/ steeping grains. I then did a PM which was really just a test of my MLT and then I went all grain. I barely count the Muntons kits because that was basically an exercise in sanitation and all 3 batches disappeared on a poker night (which is what I made them for anyway).

I knew I was going AG from the beginning, I just wanted to get my feet wet, get some homebrew in stock and ready to drink and take my time building up my equipment.

I brewed 6 batches of extract and decided that I wanted more of a challenge and switched to AG. Not to cheapin' the skill of brewing extract, but I just wanted to try something different. I think the biggest challenge is the larger equipment necessary. As far as time comparison, I have done 2 batches of AG and I running at about 4-5 hours with clean up. I was down to 2 hours with extract. So not too much of a drastic time difference. I have a 1 year old boy, so time can be a factor. The brewery opens at 9:00 p.m. and closes around 2 a.m.! Good luck!

I was really concerned about the cost involved in going AG. I saw the AG kits and the pre-made Cooler Mash tuns and thought...I can never afford that....
Then I quit being a sissy, added up the cost of building my own.
Cooler - $18
Parts for Bulk Head - $14.00 including ball valve.
Copper Manifold - $3.00 and junk out of the Basement
WAL Mart Turkey Fryer - $40.00

Total to go AG...$75.00

Wish I wouldn't have waited till #37 to switch.

Four Extracts with steeped grains...my fourth batch being a twangalicious CCA.

All grain brewing is simple.

• Get some crushed barley
• Add some hot water and make an oatmeal like mash
• Let it sit for an hour
• Drain it.
• Rinse it with hot water.
• Boil the liquid for 60 minutes and add some hops along the way.
• Cool it and add some yeast.

Simple huh?

BierMuncher said:

...my fourth batch being a twangalicious CCA.

Click to expand...

I think everyone has done that one....once

Chimone said:

I think everyone has done that one....once

Click to expand...

That was one of my extract batches (my last before AG in fact). I only drank one and the rest went to my sister's university friends (who loved it).

I started brewing january of this year. After 21 extract with steeping grains batches, I switched to all grain the weekend before this past one. I still have 17 lbs of DME so I will probably do 2 or 3 more Extract batches. I won't rule out doing extract every again. I can foresee my mother or my SWMBO buying me a kit from the LHBS not knowing the difference. Seems like it would be a waste to not make it just cause I switched how I brew.

I can see why some people like extract, but I never had any interest in doing things that way. My first brew was AG with a buddy who had been brewing for a long time. We mashed in a cooler, used a bucket-in-bucket lauter tun, and boiled in two 3 gal pots on the stove.

I saw all kinds of ways to improve things so I immediately went out and bought a turkey fryer to do the boils on, and I've been upgrading ever since. I built a really nice 3-tier, 3 keg sculpture, but that wasn't good enough so I recently built a new single tier stand. I think that's about all I'm going to do, though. I don't really have any interest in automating my system.

bradsul said:

That was one of my extract batches (my last before AG in fact). I only drank one and the rest went to my sister's university friends (who loved it).

Click to expand...

This was my only extract batch...