Denny said:This is a presentation I did at 2010 NHC about going all grain....
http://www.ahaconference.org/wp-content/uploads/presentations/2010/Moving_to_Mashing-Denny_Conn.pdf
Grain+hot water+time=wort
Wort+yeast+more time=beer.
And it really is just that easy.
zippyclown said:It's exactly like making french press coffee.
1. Grind the beans
2. Heat water to a specific temp
3. Add the beans, stir them, and let them steep for a while
4. Drain out the juicy goodness.
Steep for too long, or too hot, and you get bitterness. Keep your process the same only add more beans, and you get a bigger bolder cup of coffee.
I thought making french press coffee was intimidating until I did it. Now I can't imagine drinking coffee any other way. I still make coffee in my coffee maker when I don't have the time, but I can immediately tell the difference. French press coffee is richer and smoother. More flavorful and aromatic. Drip or "K-cup" coffee has a stale and bitter flavor that we've been convinced is normal, but fixable (add cream for the richness and sugar to neutralize the bitter).
As others have mentioned, there is also the added cost of additional equipment, such as the aforementioned thermometer, as well as a scale (for weighing grains), mill (for milling grains), campden and fermcap tablets, irish moss, gelatin or isinglass, a chiller capable of cooling 5.5 gallons of wort rather than merely 3 gallons, a mash tun, possibly an outdoor propane burner, and a bigger boil kettle. But those don't really add much in terms of difficulty - merely expense. To me, the only hard part is nailing that mash temperature.
zippyclown said:But hold on, there you go again (the royal "you"). Do I really need all that stuff? Or do I just need a big pot, a big grain bag and a thermometer? I can brew beer without tablets, moss, gelatin, isinglass, a chiller, a mash tun, and a burner. I don't even need a grain mill. What you're referring to is the stuff that comes later when you realize how to refine your own process and save some time. Which is what we're all constantly doing anyway, no matter what end of the spectrum we're at.
Great presentation Denny. To the point, simple and fun.. That's what brewing really is!
My first batch was an extract wheat beer while I was still assembling my all grain equipment. It turned out horrible. Maybe 1-2% alcohol. I drank a quite a bit of it and then only blew a .012 on my breathalyzer. I know I should dump it to make corny keg room for the other three that I have in the final stages of fermentation. However, my all grain batches have been great and I love drinking them.
In the pre-prohibition days, brewing was done by women as part of their usual household activities, using equipment that they had in their kitchens.
After homebrewing was legalized in 1978, men came along and added complex process and equipment, within the tolerance of whatever their wives allowed them to have.
I was an extract brewer for a bunch of years. Then I walked into the LHBS and asked the guy for suggestions on a recipe for all grain IPA, not realizing it required a separate setup from what I had. In front of several people in line, he laughed and started lecturing me on the equipment and the time involved, etc etc. "You just can't suddenly decide to brew all grain!" he hollered. Most of the people in line were laughing hysterically at me. I seem to remember even a man's german shephard laughing as well. I will never forget that sound as long as I live. I blacked out for the remainder of the hazing but do remember screaming "FEET DON'T FAIL ME NOW" as I sprinted from the store.
After 2 years and 4 Anothony Robbins courses, I decided to revisit, and have been all grain ever since.
And looking back now I have to ask WHAT'S THE BIG FRIGGEN DEAL?
I skim over the message boards and it confuses me. People seem scared or imtimidated by the concept. It's like these people are deciding whether or not to have another child. I see the YouTube videos... 30 minutes of a guy trying to explain in great length how to convert a 10-gallon igloo cooler to be a mash tun, which by the way is pretty much all you need (hmm that took me under 10 mins using a wrench and a valve I bought online). Then there's the 60 minute step-by-step guide on how to fabricate your own false bottom ($15 on Amazon). A 3 month course on the chemistry of water you'll need to take before you can make an IPA (you trying to win a beer competition or make some good beer for your friends?).
Always been confused about all that.
Ok, bye!
zc
The only pieces of equipment that separate an all-grain brewer and an extract brewer is a mash tun and a good accurate thermometer. Most brew kettles already come with thermometer installed so you can get away with that - I do. A mash tun is as simple as buying a cooler and installing a bazooka screen with a ball valve assembly. You should be able to do that for less than $100. The other equipment like a chiller can be bought later. You do not need a grain mill or gelatin or irish moss. As with everything in life you can make it as simple and complicated as you like. I try to tell people that if you can make oatmeal you can handle all grain.
LOL at the last sentence, but I think the equipment change and the improvement in homebrew quality were simultaneous and it had nothing to do with the gender of the brewers.
100% of my mistakes still made beer.
Actually, the increase in quality and availability of ingredients is what has been driving homebrew quality, not the equipment.
jwitt said:If someone in a shop copped an attitude like that, I'd run like hell. Some folks need to cool their jets and lose the attitude.
I think a lot of people (me too?) over-complicate AG brewing because they're people who really like tinkering...endless tinkering. Some people just want to make beer and don't enjoy building gizmos or solving puzzles. Tinkery people are attracted to AG. At the shop I part-time at, many or most of our AG customers are engineers, machinist/fabricator types, and the like. Many or most of our kit and extract customers are people who are more looking for fun and also hand crafted beer, but just don't care to fiddle with things to make 'em work. There's enough room in the world for all of us, and the world needs more homebrew!
I can see why some people just plain don't want to do AG- a bit more equipment (takes more space), full boil instead of partial, more wort to chill before pitching, more temp measurement, more calculations. Some people just don't want the fuss, which is fine. Buy an ingredient kit, throw the pot on the stove, and have an easy and fun time of it. The last time I helped a friend with an extract kit, it was easy and fun hanging out. It's exactly what many people are looking for in a hobby. It really didn't feel like "brewing" though...but that's because I really enjoy taking lots of measurements, scribbling lots of notes, and controlling every aspect of the final product.
It's kind of like bread from a bread machine and a mix or making it from scratch. Choosing proportions of different flours, perfecting kneading and rising, getting the texture just right- compared to "dump it in and turn it on." Both methods make tasty bread.
PuckX said:AG can be as easy (BIAB) or difficult (fly sparging, decoction, etc...) as you want to make it. There is just no need for some shop to be elitist about it. There is a new shop in my area and after about 5 minutes of spending time in the guy's shop I swore to never go back because I could tell he just had the stupid elitist attitude. Like he knew better than anyone else.
Just not enough time on this planet for me to care about tool's like that let alone give them my money.
I love beer, I make beer, and I love to share my love for beer with others. No attitude necessary.
I say AG all the way! Once I went to AG, I never went back except for a couple of times using some really old extracts I really enjoy being able to tweak my own recipes and going through all the steps... Crushing grain, mashing in, etc... Now that I keg, it's even better because I can have it on tap!
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