How much better is all grain Vs. Extract brewing??

I can still remember the feeling I got when I took my first gravity reading of AG wort and knew it was going to make beer (A Bass pale ale clone which I mashed too high and was too sweet) and its really been no looking back since then.

Percentage wise I made more good extract beers than AG but with a fermentation chamber and immersion chiller my AG is getting really good

Even with my equipment upgrade, which isn't that bad especially if yo use craigslist I save money on beer. Fixed costs be damned. Especially if I'm buying bulk hops, saving my yeast and doing all-grain saves me a crap ton of $ on beer. I've made 5 gallon batches for around $20, some less. Do the math, it doesn't take long before you recoup the costs of a mash tun. Even more so if your using minimal equipment like just a kettle and a mash tun.


Nothing wrong with extract. You can make great beer with it. The thing it doesn't give you, that all-grain does, is control and greater grain options. Through mash temp I can control fermentability to a level I can't with extract (its already mashed and ready). Through more grain options (that don't exist as extract) I can play with all kinds of flavors.

Plus the process is fun and gives you the opportunity to dive deeper into the science of brewing.

Extract brewing is like this...


Whereas all-grain brewing is like this...

All-grain can actually make your beer worse initially... Water chemistry comes into play with the mash so it will depend on your water source. I found all my IPAs were harsh and astringent after changing to all grain. Had to build a water profile by starting with distilled and adding calcium chloride, magnesium, etc, for all my beers without dark malt in them (dark malt has the acidity needed so I could still use tap water for those)

All-grain: Better control, cheaper and more flexibility in style...that is all.

Calichusetts said:

All-grain: Better control, cheaper and more flexibility in style...that is all.

Click to expand...

Agreed. And for me, I take more pride in the finished product since it was all my own hard work. I seriously have nothing at all against extract- you can make great beer with it! In fact, the best beer I've made to date was an extract batch. I just enjoy the feeling of being more connected (IMHO) to the finished product with all-grain.

I liked the control aspect of all grain brewing vs extract. The labor costs (roughly double the time) weren't bad IMO. I knew I was onto something when my brother drank my first IPA and loved it! He asked if I thought AG made a better product and I thought it did. My beers were clearer, tastier and higher in abv as well as a bit cheaper for ingredients.

What's not to love?

Some of the best beers I've made were tweeked extract recipes. The worse beers I've made were BIAB. All of my 3 vessel AG beers fall somewhere in between those... mostly because I try crazy ideas with my AG brewing. Lol!

BIAB is great for getting into AG, but I don't recommend it for the long run. Just a personal preference. To me, color, clarity, and overall mouthfeel/experience for standard AG is far superior to BIAB. If I want to save a couple hours, I'd pick extract over BIAB too.



3 vessel AG is more fun too, in my opinion. I'll go run and hide now...

More control and less expensive. But you're trading time for that money. You can brew great beer with both.