I made the switch to all grain and I'm never looking back again

Hi Folks!

I used to be an extract brewer for about 2.5 years or so and made approx. 15 kits. I've suffered from all the typical dreaded extract issues: stuck FG at 1.020, beers darker than expected, all the beers having a similar taste with the twang, etc, etc, etc...

I recently switched to all grain and I am telling you that all those extract issues I have been experiencing have been completely eliminated. I have made two AG beers so far: a hopslam clone and a dunkle weissen bock. They are both hands down the best beers I've made to date.

I've always wanted to switch to AG but I think two of the biggest factors that detracted me were cost and time. But after doing some research I've been able to minimize the cost while not having to take too much of a hit on time.

I only added three pieces of equipment to my brewing arsenal: a 10-gallon Igloo cooler ($40), a 10-gallon aluminum stock pot ($50), and a jumbo grain bag ($6). Total cost: $96

I didn't bother putting together a manifold in the Igloo cooler and just used the jumbo grain bag instead to act as a filter. I figured if people used BIAB for mashing, why wouldn't a grain bag work in a cooler (to maintain the temp)?

Then I started learning about water chemistry. I was originally overwhelmed a bit with all the info but after a little bit of reading, its really not that difficult when you use the provided spreadsheets. I just buy cheap reverse osmosis water from the local grocery store and spoon in two or three different salts that are cheap as dirt and you're done.

The only additional time hit you get from AG is the mashing time, but its really just an additional 1.5 to 2 hours more. Not a big deal when you consider that you will be making a far better beer than from extract.

Maybe I was doing extract beer wrong, but now I am getting much better flavored beer that tastes more crisp, malty, hoppy, and true to style that just POPS!

The best part of switching to AG is that the ingredients are cheaper and after maybe 7 kits, the equipment I mentioned above would get paid off.

I'm not writing this to come off as being superior to extract brewers or anything like that. I'm just sharing my experience and how I eliminated my frustration of repeatedly making beer that generally tasted the same no matter what style they were.

I felt the same way!

Congratulations!

I just started to do BIAB as well and am waiting to taste the first beer, maybe in a couple days. But I feel the same way, glad I got a bigger kettle and will be paid off as well in a few more batches.

Cool! Im taking the plunge this spring. My brother in law and I started doing BIAB last summer at his place. For a couple hillbillies throwing together grains and hops, the beer is great. We sampled a batch we brewed in November a couple days ago and it was magnificent. I'll still do some extracts to keep my inventory up, but spending a full afternoon brewing with friends every few weeks is a damn good thing! Prosit!

Welcome to all grain, tear the rear view mirror off !

Welcome to the madness!

Awesome! I'm about to make the plunge into AG as well. This past weekend I made my own voile bag from Walmart curtains. I will be going to same route as you, BIAB in a cooler. I hope my experience is as great as yours.

urg8rb8 said:

Hi Folks!

I used to be an extract brewer for about 2.5 years or so and made approx. 15 kits. I've suffered from all the typical dreaded extract issues: stuck FG at 1.020, beers darker than expected, all the beers having a similar taste with the twang, etc, etc, etc...

I recently switched to all grain and I am telling you that all those extract issues I have been experiencing have been completely eliminated. I have made two AG beers so far: a hopslam clone and a dunkle weissen bock. They are both hands down the best beers I've made to date.

I've always wanted to switch to AG but I think two of the biggest factors that detracted me were cost and time. But after doing some research I've been able to minimize the cost while not having to take too much of a hit on time.

I only added three pieces of equipment to my brewing arsenal: a 10-gallon Igloo cooler ($40), a 10-gallon aluminum stock pot ($50), and a jumbo grain bag ($6). Total cost: $96

I didn't bother putting together a manifold in the Igloo cooler and just used the jumbo grain bag instead to act as a filter. I figured if people used BIAB for mashing, why wouldn't a grain bag work in a cooler (to maintain the temp)?

Then I started learning about water chemistry. I was originally overwhelmed a bit with all the info but after a little bit of reading, its really not that difficult when you use the provided spreadsheets. I just buy cheap reverse osmosis water from the local grocery store and spoon in two or three different salts that are cheap as dirt and you're done.

The only additional time hit you get from AG is the mashing time, but its really just an additional 1.5 to 2 hours more. Not a big deal when you consider that you will be making a far better beer than from extract.

Maybe I was doing extract beer wrong, but now I am getting much better flavored beer that tastes more crisp, malty, hoppy, and true to style that just POPS!

The best part of switching to AG is that the ingredients are cheaper and after maybe 7 kits, the equipment I mentioned above would get paid off.

I'm not writing this to come off as being superior to extract brewers or anything like that. I'm just sharing my experience and how I eliminated my frustration of repeatedly making beer that generally tasted the same no matter what style they were.

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I've been preaching that all grain isn't really any more difficult than extract and that the difference in the cost of the raw materials quickly offsets the cost for equipment but I'd suggest that the new all grain brewer cuts the cost of equipment even more. Get a bigger kettle and a filter bag that is large enough that you can put the kettle inside it. That will make it big enough that it doesn't constrict the grains during the mash. Get a mill of your own so you can mill the grains fine. Corona type mills work good for BIAB and are cheap. You can't depend on the LHBS to mill fine enough to take advantage of the bag. Once you have the grains milled fine, you can reduce the time for the mash and if you make the mash looser by using a higher water to grain ratio your conversion will improve too. Now you will have a higher gravity first runnings since the finer milling of the grains will increase your efficiency so you don't have to sparge with as much water to hit your predicted pre boil OG. With more water in the kettle, the temperature loss during the mash will not fall as much as you might think and if your grains are milled fine, you can reduce the mash time.

With reduced mash time I'm finding that I can make all grain batches in about the same amount of time that it took for extract with steeping grains.

But but but ... extract beers have won medals in competitions! Extract twang is a myth!

I had a similar experience as the OP. My first all grain batch was a quantum leap better than my extract batches. You can say that's because I was simultaneously improving other aspects of my process, maybe my extract ingredients weren't fresh, or whatever, but I know what I did and I know what I tasted. My last extract batch was over 100 batches ago. All grain, all the way, baby.

I've been an on-and-off brewer for about 4 years. In 2015 I brewed 5-6 batches and built a kegerator (best investment yet, as I hate bottling).

So far in 2016 I've brewed 4 batches, one of which was my first ever AG. It's still fermenting, so I can't comment on the taste differences, but the process wasn't as hard as I thought it'd be, nor as expensive. I'd bought a 60qt Igloo cooler and 10ft of CPVC piping and elbows, built a mash tun and manifold for under $50 that should be big enough for low-mid abv 10gal batches or higher abv 5gal batches. Thankfully, I'd gotten a great deal on an 8gal Polarware kettle from a local homebrewer who was getting out of the hobby, so my extract batches prior were full boils where I learned a lot about boil management.

While I have a few extract kits left that I'll brew through (cuz why waste beer?) I plan on purchasing nothing but all grain ingredients from here forward. My only remaining use for extract is in starters.

urg8rb8, I may be a new member myself, but welcome to the all-grain club! May your brews be everything you plan/hope for!

theCP015 said:

I've been an on-and-off brewer for about 4 years. In 2015 I brewed 5-6 batches and built a kegerator (best investment yet, as I hate bottling).

So far in 2016 I've brewed 4 batches, one of which was my first ever AG. It's still fermenting, so I can't comment on the taste differences, but the process wasn't as hard as I thought it'd be, nor as expensive. I'd bought a 60qt Igloo cooler and 10ft of CPVC piping and elbows, built a mash tun and manifold for under $50 that should be big enough for low-mid abv 10gal batches or higher abv 5gal batches. Thankfully, I'd gotten a great deal on an 8gal Polarware kettle from a local homebrewer who was getting out of the hobby, so my extract batches prior were full boils where I learned a lot about boil management.

While I have a few extract kits left that I'll brew through (cuz why waste beer?) I plan on purchasing nothing but all grain ingredients from here forward. My only remaining use for extract is in starters.

urg8rb8, I may be a new member myself, but welcome to the all-grain club! May your brews be everything you plan/hope for!

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Thank you!!

I switched to all grain a couple of years ago.

I started with Cooper's cans and then started doing BIAB partial mashes using canned kits (Cooper's stout kit + 5lbs of 2 Row for instance). I realized that by gearing up to do partial mashes I now had everything I needed to do 3.5 - 4 gallon all grain batches and the process would be the same minus adding extract after the boil.

More recently I built myself a plastic electric boiler so I can do 5-6 gallon batches.

I truly enjoy the process of brewing all grain and believe I now make better beer but...

If all grain brewing was the only option for making beer at home most likely I would never have started. The equipment and (seemingly) complicated process would have deterred me. Back in 2012 I came across the CraigTube easy home brewing videos and went from there. It was easy and fun and for the most part I enjoyed the beer I made.

I'll probably never go back to extract brewing but I don't regret starting there.

I too want to make the switch to all-grain, hopefully before the summer. I am a new brewer with 3, going on 4 extract brews under my belt. So far I have done a fairly good job of hitting my target OG and FG, improved my skillset and knowledge on each brew, and gained a huge appreciation for home brewing.

With that said, I think with some decent research, any extract brewer can make their beer leaps and bounds better by doing just a few simple steps such as learning how to make a starter, possibly using distilled or RO water, and trying your absolute best to ferment at the APPROPRIATE temperature for the style of brew.

But as we all know, once you get into the world of homebrew, you always want to explore new ways of doing things and buying new toys!

don't look now but Lowe's is selling the 10 gallon coolers for only $19ea.

cheap way to convert a couple of them and try out going all-grain without spending lots on equipment right away.

grassfeeder said:

don't look now but Lowe's is selling the 10 gallon coolers for only $19ea.

cheap way to convert a couple of them and try out going all-grain without spending lots on equipment right away.

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I looked at the Lowe's in my area and they are $55.

I am about to go all grain after extract brewing for about a year and half. I had a cooler my old roommate left that I have had up in the attic for about year. I pulled it out and it is a 70 qt cooler! I got the fittings to turn it into a mash tun and will try my first AG batch this weekend.

urg8rb8 said:

I looked at the Lowe's in my area and they are $55.

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perhaps is a YMMV situation. I just picked up two of them for a MT and HLT and paid $32 for both of them after an extra 10% coupon was applied.

for that price I feel no shame in just tossing them for better equipment if I feel the need.

VolDoc said:

I too want to make the switch to all-grain, hopefully before the summer. I am a new brewer with 3, going on 4 extract brews under my belt. So far I have done a fairly good job of hitting my target OG and FG, improved my skillset and knowledge on each brew, and gained a huge appreciation for home brewing.

With that said, I think with some decent research, any extract brewer can make their beer leaps and bounds better by doing just a few simple steps such as learning how to make a starter, possibly using distilled or RO water, and trying your absolute best to ferment at the APPROPRIATE temperature for the style of brew.

But as we all know, once you get into the world of homebrew, you always want to explore new ways of doing things and buying new toys!

Click to expand...

Did you realize that this next weekend is before summer? There is no time like now to try a batch. Buy a paint strainer bag, some pale malt, hops and yeast and make your first batch in the kettle you already have. If your kettle is less than 8 gallons, cut the recipe in half. 2 1/2 gallons gets you about a case of bottled beer.

I initiated the move last week. Bought a 12.5 gallon kettle, ordered a brew bag and bought a propane burner off of Amazon. Can't wait for this weekend.

I went all grain after about a year or so of extract and also haven't looked back either. I went BIAB and It was an easy transition into AG.

I enjoyed extract and it was a great stepping stone to nail down the brewing fundamentals like pitching rates and ferm temp control.

I agree with RM-MN and just do it! If you are thinking about it stop thinking and just do it. If it's the added cost of making the switch you will find that AG is cheaper to brew and that savings can be what paid for the initial investment.

Hi folks. We just brewed our first extract kit last weekend. All in all everything went pretty smooth. We actually bought a brewer's kit that came with 2 buckets and then we bought a fast ferment conical. So, we didn't use the buckets for anything yet. We have a nice propane burner and an aluminum boil pot that came with the kit. My friend is giving us another 5 gallon SS pot.

I have 2 questions. 1st we have some locally grown cascade hop whole cones that we picked last summer then froze them. We were going to put some in the fermenter this Saturday to dry hop our amber ale. How many whole cones should we put in the fermenter?

Next question. What are the next steps for us to move into AG brewing?

Thanks!

I have a slightly different experience going to all grain. My first 4 beers were extract kits, my next 4 were partial mash. I then went all grain, did a kit then went to recipes.

My extracts are equally as good as my all grain. And that is not saying that my all grain is not good. I guess that my water has something to do with that, my town rates as some of the best water in the state.

And my friends rave about my beers - whatever style of brewing. And most importantly, I most often prefer to drink my homebrew over commercial beers. I think mine are better than most of the median priced commercial beers. I don't buy the ones that cost $15 for a bomber, so I can't compare there.....

In colder weather when I don't want to brew all grain outside I still brew extracts inside on the stove.

It is the expense of extract that gets me back outside brewing all grain. I also like the control (you are never totally sure what went into the extract).

So I brewed my first all grain this weekend. Did a porter using the BIAB method. It took longer, but I really appreciate the control I get over what I am doing. I brewed 3 patches of extract before I made the job to AG (have two more kits in the closet, which I will probably figure out the grain bill to make them AG) I will not go back. I very much notice the extract twang in the finishes of my 3 batches. In all honesty, if I had never gotten on HBT, I probably would have never picked up the TWANG, however, I probably would have given up eventually saying to myself that my beer was not all that great.....

jimmerz said:

Hi folks. We just brewed our first extract kit last weekend. All in all everything went pretty smooth. We actually bought a brewer's kit that came with 2 buckets and then we bought a fast ferment conical. So, we didn't use the buckets for anything yet. We have a nice propane burner and an aluminum boil pot that came with the kit. My friend is giving us another 5 gallon SS pot.

I have 2 questions. 1st we have some locally grown cascade hop whole cones that we picked last summer then froze them. We were going to put some in the fermenter this Saturday to dry hop our amber ale. How many whole cones should we put in the fermenter?

Next question. What are the next steps for us to move into AG brewing?

Thanks!

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Emphasis on yet. You have the Fast Ferment Conical filled so you can't use that for your next batch so make another and put it in the bucket fermenter so you get a pipeline started.

I think it is a good plan to use the Cascade hops for dry hopping as you don't know the alpha acid so you can't calculate how much bittering they would cause if you used them for bittering hops. I've used only an ounce of Cascade for dry hopping and liked the results but others might want 2 or 3 ounces. Your choice!

What steps do you want to take for AG brewing? Cheapest and simplest is Brew in a Bag (BIAB) where you use the kettle for your mash tun. If you want a 5 gallon batch, you need a minimum (bare minimum!!!) of 7 1/2 gallon pot. There isn't any law that says that you have to make a 5 gallon batch though so if you only have a 5 gallon pot, make a 2 1/2 gallon batch. For that you would put about 3 1/2 gallons of water into the pot, heat it to about 160F and put the bag in (the bag should be big enough that you could put the pot inside it). Stir in your milled grains and put the lid on, then insulate the pot a bit with a big towel, or a coat, or a sleeping bag, or..... Wait an hour, pull the bag of grains out and let them drain. I then set my bag of grain into a colander that is suspended over the pot or put into another pot and squeeze out the wort which is then returned to the boil pot. Bring it to a boil and when the hot break (watch that, it likes to spill over) settles add the hops and you are on your way.

TorMag said:

So I brewed my first all grain this weekend. Did a porter using the BIAB method. It took longer, but I really appreciate the control I get over what I am doing. I brewed 3 patches of extract before I made the job to AG (have two more kits in the closet, which I will probably figure out the grain bill to make them AG) I will not go back. I very much notice the extract twang in the finishes of my 3 batches. In all honesty, if I had never gotten on HBT, I probably would have never picked up the TWANG, however, I probably would have given up eventually saying to myself that my beer was not all that great.....

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With practice you will be able to shorten your brew day with BIAB. I now take about the same amount of time for my AG batches as I took with extract plus steeping grains but I have more fun with making my beers.

RM-MN said:

With practice you will be able to shorten your brew day with BIAB. I now take about the same amount of time for my AG batches as I took with extract plus steeping grains but I have more fun with making my beers.

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It was definitely a learning experience. I can see getting some markings on my kettle for water level will help. Maybe a ball lock too. Could not believe how slow it was to auto siphon the wort into the fermenter. I realized with my extract patches, I just lifted my pot and poured it into my bucket. I am sure i will be able to cut time off.

For sure, I had a great time.....

TorMag said:

It was definitely a learning experience. I can see getting some markings on my kettle for water level will help. Maybe a ball lock too. Could not believe how slow it was to auto siphon the wort into the fermenter. I realized with my extract patches, I just lifted my pot and poured it into my bucket. I am sure i will be able to cut time off.

For sure, I had a great time.....

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I just dump my kettle into the fermenter, including that thick green stuff in the bottom. It settles out when the ferment is over.

I first brewed in '94. a couple 5-gallon extract batches, then did a 15-gallon all-grain batch for my brother's wedding, which was the only beer at the reception. a resounding success

then I quit for 17 years; lack of storage/brewing space, but was able to keep my equipment at my dad's house. so, got back into it 3&1/2 years ago, started with a couple extract batches, then back to all grain

have brewed 20 batches, some were awful, mostly were "meh" so I started getting disillusioned. that and some financial problems and I didn't brew for over a year. I didn't want to give it up, so I figured I'd stay in it and used the time off to build my BrewPi so I could start controlling fermentation temperatures.

finally brewed again in January. started with an extract (fresh DME) batch and, dang, it turned out to be the best firkin beer I've ever made. tastes good to me, tastes good to some really picky palates in one of my brew clubs, finally placed in top 3 in competition at other brew club.

so, yes, extract twang is real, but is easily avoided to make some very tasty beers

I built AG up in my head like it was some sort of fictitious monster but after my first AG brew last weekend, I honestly sort of wish I just started there. I got into extract to really get the process down-mainly sanitation. Once I had a grasp on that, I felt ready. I made an Amber Ale last weekend and kept thinking how easy the whole process was. I came to HBT for some advice on topics I really didn't need to bother myself with, calmed down a tick, and had a really enjoyable brew day. The problem, now, is that I want to make beer every day. My wife loves that.

MarkZ56 said:

I built AG up in my head like it was some sort of fictitious monster but after my first AG brew last weekend, I honestly sort of wish I just started there. I got into extract to really get the process down-mainly sanitation. Once I had a grasp on that, I felt ready. I made an Amber Ale last weekend and kept thinking how easy the whole process was. I came to HBT for some advice on topics I really didn't need to bother myself with, calmed down a tick, and had a really enjoyable brew day. The problem, now, is that I want to make beer every day. My wife loves that.

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all-grain monster. lol

really no different from making oatmeal, pasta or rice. you're heating up grains.

except with the rest, you're taking the grains out and eating them. with This Thing of Ours, you're leaving the grains behind, using the liquid

Up until this year, all my beers were extract, most with some sort of partial-mash, but not always. Most were good, a few really good, a few not so much. Despite good fermentation control, yeast pitch-rate, and aerating all my wort, I had a couple come out with the dreaded extract twang, one had no LME at all but DME with a mini-mash. Strangely enough, the couple that the twang were darker beers - I made BM's Centennial Blonde twice (one as directed for extract with a mini-mash, the other was a true partial mash, with a few pounds of grain) and it was awesome both times. I thought for sure the lighter beer would show "twang" but it didn't.

My past two beers have been AG. I can say that I probably will not brew any more extract batches, as AG appeals to the cook/chef in me. (It's like making a big pot of chili or spaghetti sauce.) I don't mind the extra time, I don't mind the lower cost, and I certainly don't mind the way the beer tastes!!!

slym2none said:

Up until this year, all my beers were extract, most with some sort of partial-mash, but not always. Most were good, a few really good, a few not so much. Despite good fermentation control, yeast pitch-rate, and aerating all my wort, I had a couple come out with the dreaded extract twang, one had no LME at all but DME with a mini-mash. Strangely enough, the couple that the twang were darker beers - I made BM's Centennial Blonde twice (one as directed for extract with a mini-mash, the other was a true partial mash, with a few pounds of grain) and it was awesome both times. I thought for sure the lighter beer would show "twang" but it didn't.

My past two beers have been AG. I can say that I probably will not brew any more extract batches, as AG appeals to the cook/chef in me. (It's like making a big pot of chili or spaghetti sauce.) I don't mind the extra time, I don't mind the lower cost, and I certainly don't mind the way the beer tastes!!!

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question: your darker beers... did you use darker extract? or lighter extract and rely on specialty grains for color?

Interestingly enough, the stout I made with dark LME came out fine. The Irish Red was all light DME with steeped grains for colour & flavour and it had the twang. The dark ale I made was dark LME and had the twang.

I am chalking it up to old v/s fresh extract, but I am in no way certain of that.

I Read this and good for the OP, but, I have no intention of ever going all grain.

I am a very happy Extract brewer at this point, but yeah, that might change in the future, when I cannot do what I want to with extract.

Currently only started in January of 2015, and have completed only 32 5 gallon batches (160 gallons) tho 4 (20 gal) are still in the primary/secondary.

I have had good ones, bad tasting ones, and really really good ones. I have never had an infection, stalled fermentation, bottle bombs, etc.

So more power to the extract brewers. Where else can you get home at 6:30 in the evening, call your brother in law and say "hey, want to come over and pop out 10 gallons?" and be done by 9:30 including clean up? You just can't do that with all grain.

now, doing my first partial/biab batch because you cannot clone spotted cow with extract......

Why not do both? No reason to limit your beer potential.

Yeah, I do both extract and AG (BIAB). Most are AG but 3 or 4 times a year I'll do an extract because I want to squeeze in a brew and just don't have the time for an all grain batch.

myelo said:

Yeah, I do both extract and AG (BIAB). Most are AG but 3 or 4 times a year I'll do an extract because I want to squeeze in a brew and just don't have the time for an all grain batch.

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That's a logical fallacy. With some practice and grains milled fine for your BIAB you should be able to brew an all grain batch in about the same amount of time as an extract with steeping grains batch. I do it all the time now.

I kept telling you guys it was easy, but did you listen?? Noooo!

All grain is easy and fun. I get a nice satisfaction of knowing I made my beer from "scratch".