Time or lack there of.....

How many of you out there throw in an extract batch or two once in a while? I have had no time of late so committing the better part of a day to all grain brew has been impossible to fit in. I'm thinking about maybe doing an extract batch due to how quickly you can bang it out. I'm a bit conflicted though because I feel like it would be cheating. Do I just need to get over myself? I don't like buying beer.....

Get over it, brew however you can. Extract brews can still be awesome if done well.

Just make an extract batch man. You're still making beer, can't see why you'd be conflicted about it. I have the ingredients coming for an all grain and an extract recipe. I have a killer Weizenbock extract recipe I made that the wife wants me to brew up again so we don't run out. Eventually I will convert that one to all grain but for now it's a solid recipe that works so I'm doing it again as extract. Do AG when you finally have the time.


Rev.

I do mainly AG, however during the winter I'll usually do at least a couple of extract brews because I can do the entire process indoors. Last year two of my extract brews (Munich Dunkel and Oktoberfest) won 1st and 2nd place at our State Fair, so I'd say don't feel conflicted about making quality beer with extract.

When I'm really squeezed for time and want to get something fermenting, I do an extract batch with a 15 minute boil and hop burst it. This way I can brew something super quick.

If you have lots of time, brew AG. If you have a little time, brew extract. If you have no time, just go buy some good beer and enjoy it.

Moral of the story - there's always time for beer.

IffyG said:

When I'm really squeezed for time and want to get something fermenting, I do an extract batch with a 15 minute boil and hop burst it. This way I can brew something super quick.

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Elaborate please. I've got 2 empty fermenters and will be brewing up an AG batch this weekend to fill one of them. If I could fill the other while mashing the first, I'd be in heaven.

I can't take credit for it, I learned of the idea on Basic Brewing Radio. Follow the recipe found in this thread ( https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/15-minute-amarillo-ale-58866/ ). If you have a gas burner and a good chiller it can be done really really quickly and the end result is a fantastic pale ale. I've also done this in a partial boil, but I had to tinker with the hop additions to get the desired IBUs out of it.

I've done this with cascade, simcoe, amarillo and centennial hops. They were all really good beers.

Edit: Here's a video that covers the topic as well. James said it took him 2.5 hours start to finish including clean up. I've gotten it under 2 hours with a partial boil to help speed up the cooling process at the end. http://www.basicbrewing.com/index.php?page=october-10-2007---15-minute-amarillo-ale

You can always do some interesting no boil wines as well. Apple wine and mead come to mind...

Geez..

I'm sure you could push something to the side and make room for some All Grain brewing if you put your mind to it.

Something like girlfriend/wife/kids/eating/sleeping.

There will always be more of that later. Well, maybe not the wife/girlfriend/kids, but you gotta look at your priorities.

Sometimes I still do a partial boil extract batch on the stove. Please don't tell anyone!

When I really want to get a brew in, I just wake up a couple hours early. I am usually done before everyone else wakes up to complain about the smell.

Great advice everyone. Thank you. I've got one all grain batch ready to go ingredients wise. Gonna bang that out and then may contemplate an extract batch. I have a cider going and also have a wine kit coming. Maybe I'm softening in my old age.

I did an extract brown ale earlier this year. Yup, I felt dirty about doing that I never told anyone about it, but it turned out to be one of the greatest brews I've made. So now, I have no reservations about doing an extract (not that I ever really did).

I haven't brewed an extract batch in years, but I'm a cheap bastid, and AG is less than half the cost.

I brew 10 gal in about 4 hours. Cut your time in half by doubling your batch!

You could also consider the no sparge, no chill methods, which can cut your brew time by a decent amount. Might be a bit radical, but it certanily is an effective time saver.

Time isn't my problem. I work for 7 days; then I am off for 7 days. Budget is my problem, and since AG is so much cheaper, that's what I do.

I have brewed nothing but AG since switching from extract 2.5 years ago. That being said, I would not hesitate for a second to brew extract if I needed to. The suggestions about apfelwein/cider or mead are good, too.