brewed extract kits ... what's next?

So.. I've done about 5 or 6 extract kits. Where do I go from here? Do I continue brewing extract and start trying to make my own recipes? If I do that, how do I know what to put in them? -- If I don't start trying to make my own recipes, do I try to move up to partial mash? ..I guess I'm confused on the what most people take as the "next step" in the brewing process. thoughts?

I would say that you should pick several styles of beer that you like. Now work on making your own recipes of these styles. Like this...my favorite porter is (insert brand name here) porter. I like it but I wish it was a little less roasty and a little more chocolatey. That would be a London Style porter. Make a London style porter kit as is and if it is close then tweak the recipe until it is your porter recipe. Now move on to a new style.

Take lots of notes. Pretty soon you will have a recipe book to refer to when you want to brew.

Forrest

I think the "normal" (there's no such thing) progression would be to go to partial grain. The reason I say this is because you will have to use grains, sparge, etc. and it is still a little more forgiving than AG. I did partial for years and always enjoyed it. Also, there is more latitude for you to develop your own recipes. Finally, if I maybe so bold as to offer advice, REALLY learn the fundamentals like holding temps, using hydrometers, mash temp, strike water if you haven't already. Luck - Dwain

I am in the same boat as you, as far as our progress in the art, but I decided to go with proven recipes in all grain. I have no idea how to do a partial mash, but I've studied all grain inside and out. If that is something your interested in do a search on a thread I had titled "Is all grain really this easy". There was some excellent videos posted. For my recipes I got a copy of the book "A Year of Beer". It is full with award winning recipes of every style you could dream of with judges comments on what was wrong (there is no perfect beer). I plan on tinkering a bit with those before trying to make my own.

In the end though it is your hobby. Heck, you could make a wine or mead kit, go all grain, partial mash, stay extract, design your own, build a Son Of A Fermentation Chiller or Low Tech Lager chiller and lager (extract, mini mash, all grain- they have them all) or sample the wide world of kits out there (and there are now tons of different ones out there). Personally I went all grain just so I could make a lot of different beers at low cost per brew and I love to read so I had the time on my hands to learn it. All grain, from what I have read and seen isn't that difficult and you can make the jump for a little money if you watch for deals, really look at your options, and decide what works best for you.

Theslink

I would suggest picking up a copy of "Brewing Classic Styles" by J. Zainasheff and J. Palmer. Whole lot of info on the styles and extract/AG recipes are really good. Well worth the money whether you go AG, partial or stick with extract. Also check out the brewing network for all the great podcasts by these guys. I hear you can get a signed copy from the brewing network website.

Partial mash(Mini mash for AHS)

Great suggestions everyone. I suppose my ultimate goal is to be able to build my own recipes (or at least, know how to modify one to my taste), and it's difficult to tweak extract kits because they come with everything you need already. I suppose I'll try a partial mash and see how it goes.

boogyman said:

Great suggestions everyone. I suppose my ultimate goal is to be able to build my own recipes (or at least, know how to modify one to my taste), and it's difficult to tweak extract kits because they come with everything you need already. I suppose I'll try a partial mash and see how it goes.

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I started crafting my own recipes (or at least tweaking others' recipes) at the same time I went to a partial mash. I have really enjoyed it and have made, IMO, some great brews. I use BeerSmith to help craft the recipes - along with LOTS of help from this site. You can download a free trial of the software - BeerSmith Brewing Software, Recipes, Blog, Wiki and Discussion Forum. It has way more than you need (or at least way more than I need at the moment), but the recipe generation part is really helpful.

I'd recommend moving on to DB's partial mash method: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/easy-partial-mash-brewing-pics-75231/

It's a great way to start developing your general technique, and since you can actually use that method with a fair amount of grain, it's not so difficult to start putting together your own recipes. Plus you don't need to buy any extra equipment.

My guess is that you'll start to see the quality of your beers rise dramatically.

Palefire said:

I'd recommend moving on to DB's partial mash method: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/easy-partial-mash-brewing-pics-75231/

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Yea, I found that thread when searching around. I wasn't sure if that was an appropriate "next step" up from extract, or if there was something in between.

boogyman said:

Yea, I found that thread when searching around. I wasn't sure if that was an appropriate "next step" up from extract, or if there was something in between.

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My partial mash procedure is a bit smaller and perhaps simpler (?). I only mash about 3-4 lbs of grain and don't use the bag. I preheat my oven to 200 degrees and then cut the heat when I place my mash pot in - the hot oven acts as a great insulator and keeps the mash at a more-or-less constant temp. I then pour the mash through a small mesh wire colander.

You can then pour your sparge water over the grains in the colander or, even better, dump the grains into your pot of sparge water, let them sit for 10 minutes or so and then restrain. I end with ~3 gallons of liquor to use to make the wort.

boogyman said:

it's difficult to tweak extract kits because they come with everything you need already.

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I only bought one pre-configured kit. Then I just started buying the ingredients I wanted. The cool thing about brewing is that it's like baking - all you need is a couple foundational ingredients (LME/DME), a couple variants (yeast, hops) and you can come up with almost endless variations. I generally buy ingredients with a recipe or two in mind, but you don't need to. For instance, you can buy corn sugar in a 1 or 2 pound bag rather than pre-sized 5 oz packages.

The main thing to watch out for with extract is that the quality degrades with time. So just because the LHBS offers you an 85kg drum for $150 don't pick it up unless you are ready to go on a rampage.

I have also only bought yeast twice so far. I just keep harvesting and reusing it. I know I should (and will) branch out a bit, but so far I've just been making lagers and hefe variants and I am happy with that. My average cost right now is about $18/batch doing it this way.

That said, there is no reason why you can't jump to mini- or all grain. Some people never do extract. But if you want to take a step before you start running I would suggest doing some extract recipes first. It's a lot of fun and a great learning experience.

But no matter what, BREW ON!

You can create your own kits with stuff from the store, or buy AG kits already put together by the store. It can go both ways.

I'd consider going to AG if you want to spend a little $$ making a couple of items. Mash Tun, Burner and larger kettle if needed, etc. It's not really any harder than PM once you have the equipment. You won't even need a crusher if you buy your grains pre-crushed.

I've had a lot of fun building my stuff and trying different recipes. I ended up building my own crusher and buying my grain in bulk and it's saved a lot of money.

If expanding your creativity with new recipes is the ultimate goal for you, then you can do that with extract now. The options are limitless.

Homercidal said:

If expanding your creativity with new recipes is the ultimate goal for you, then you can do that with extract now. The options are limitless.

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That may be an easy thing to start with before trying a parital mash. Question is, how do I know what goes with what? There are so many options for extract, hops, and yeast that I really have no clue how to piece something together. -- maybe I need to just study some kits out there and get a copy of brewsmith to play with.

If there is a style you like (and you have probably brewed 2-3 kit batches in that style), then build your own recipe or brew someone else's recipe. There are some great extract recipes in the HBT recipe database (sort past all the AG stuff). You can also try a PM, but I think it helps to have some software (e.g. Beersmith) so you can get a good idea of expected OG and figure out your efficiency. Software is also great for creating your own recipes within a style.

It's a simple thing, but, for me, I enjoy putting the recipe together and identifying what I like/don't like in a beer. With a kit, you don't always know exactly what you have (steeping grains) and don't know what it would be like with more/less of this/that.

Cheers!

boogyman said:

I really have no clue how to piece something together. -- maybe I need to just study some kits out there

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I started by looking at the kits from Northern Brewer. They all have a "kit inventory" link at the bottom pf the page that tells exactly what's in them. You can just use them as it, or start playing with them as the foundation for your own special concoction.

DNW said:

I started by looking at the kits from Northern Brewer. They all have a "kit inventory" link at the bottom pf the page that tells exactly what's in them. You can just use them as it, or start playing with them as the foundation for your own special concoction.

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bingo. that's what i'm looking for. I started ordering from austin homebrew and northern brewer after i figured out that williams brewing doesn't give out the ingredients.

I think I have a pretty good idea now.. I'll start by tweaking/making some of my own recipes with extract, then try doing partial mash once I get the basics down a little bit more. I'm afraid that if I moved up to partial mash without knowing how to construct a beer that I'd be in the same place I am now -- just following the directions -- without learning in depth what's going on.

Edit: thanks for the help everyone!

boogyman said:

Edit: thanks for the help everyone!

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Hey, that's what this is all about, huh?!!

Without the internet and forums like this I would have never even thought about brewing!