All-Grain Brewing Vs. Extract Brewing

Papazian makes some great points in his books about the pros & cons to both AG & E/SG Brewing, and even admits that AG is not the end-all-be-all of beer making techniques; E/SG can make an equal and sometimes better brew.

We all have our opinions on this one, so let 'em fly, but try to explain your responces to the poll.

5gB

I have done one all grain and mostly PM and extract. Depending on the time that I have to brew, I will do either or. Although I am still learning the AG stuff too

Im just breaking into AG. I have done two extract only batches, plenty of extract with steeping grains and around 15 partial mashes.

I think from a recipe formulating standpoint AG wins hands down, also from the standpoint of saving money (after the initial equipment cost).

Extract comes out ahead for a nice easy learning curve, and for saving time on brew day.

Ive made some great beer, and some not so great beer with extract, and I imagine that will be the same with AG.

I voted all of the above, although I doubt I will ever do another extract only brew.

- magno

Nothing wrong with extract, and lots of people are content making very good extract brews for years and years and years.

With that said, I have never ONCE heard anyone who "graduated" to AG brewing ever, ever say that they regretted it. I know some AG folks will continue to make an extract brew on occassion, but I don't know of anyone who has ever gone back to extract.

If you love making beer, you will LOVE doing AG, how much flexibility and control that you have in the process.

Mostly I do partial mash (which wasn't a choice). I'm most likely to do AG for a recipe that has a high percentage of specialty grains that require mashing.

All grain brewing just adds another dimension of control that is only needed for certain styles. The mash temp. knob on fermentability / attenuation is a big one for Belgian styles. I have not had an acceptable Saison made from extract. For typical American style ales though, there are lots of folks making them every bit as good with extract. As long as you have fresh extract, the possibilities are endless. In the long run, all grain is much cheaper but more time consuming and addictive. I guess I should get a penny back for my two cents but there you have it.
Cheers,
EMB

To me, making beer is a lot like making food. I really enjoy cooking (and brewing!), and if I have the time, I really enjoy spending an evening in the kitchen doing either. Almost always, the results are worth it.

But if I am pressed for time, I will still cook instead of ordering take-out (gets expensive). But I will cut corners and use a lot of ready-to-go ingredients instead of making them myself. Almost as good, but not as satisfying.

To me, AG brewing is similar. I like making my own recipes or tweaking ones I find. I like the control I get to make exactly the beer I want. I also get great satisfaction out of making something from scratch. Plus, for me, the beer is far better, and far cheaper to make.

But if I am pressed for time, I will still do an extract batch. I just don't enjoy the process or the beer as much.

To me, doing AG is a lot of fun. It's all about the process from weighing out your grains, to crushing them, to doing the mash that I find interesting. I'm not doing it just to create a finished product.

I've only ever brewed AG. It's fun, simple enough, and makes great beer. I've got no reason to ever brew w/ extract.

Like other who have already posted I love the process of making AG. For me this is a fun hobby so I enjoy spending 4-5 hours making a batch of beer. That said if I'm in a hurry or an extract recipe catches my fancy I'll brew that too and am pleased with the results. For those of you just starting out in this hobby we are in the "Golden Age" with access to a huge variety of good quality ingredients for either extract or AG. Enjoy!

I usually brew AG. But I have two small kids and finding time to brew can be problematic. So I will sometimes whip up an extract + steeped grain ale of some kind just to keep the carboys full. Compared to AG, doing an extract batch is like a half day of school. Plus it fills the house with that warm beery smell that SWMBO loves so much (for real)

I enjoy the difference AG brewing has made in my finished product. I have no reason to go back to extract brewing. I just make time to do it.

I'm moving up to AG but plan to do some extract also. I'm thinking I may do an extract brew while I'm mashing my AG brew. I have enough pots/burners and buckets I could do this very easy and it would give me more to do while the mash is doing it's job plus give me more to drink.

All-grain all the way baby!!!!! I did one kit and made the move when I was 14 and have been brewing off and on since then. I love all the work that goes into it and when bulk brewing saves a butt-load of cash. Some of my 1/2 bbl kegs cost me $30-$40 per batch, now that's savings!!!! When I teach people I only mention the other types of brewing, but I show them AG. I do mention the added expense of equipment for AG over other types though. I think they all enjoy showing up when I am ready to strike and drinking good beer until the end of boil, they all "have something to do" when I start cleanup though......hummmmmm.

One of the best quotes I can remember reading here was You can either make a spaghetti sauce from scratch, or you can open a jar of Ragu. Both are great products, but Ragu will never have the same flavors of scratch made. I have made several excellent extract brews, but they are pale in comparison to my AG's. In all fairness I only brewed about 6 extract batches before going to all grain, but looking back, if I am pressed for time, I would still rather wait than make an extract batch.

i mainly do extract with specialty grain. i have a few partial mashes under my belt, but just don't see all-grain in my future until i move out of the apartment (although my friend just got a house, so i may try to convince him to get set up )

Having 2 kids under 4 years, old I'm pressed for time and I usually only get a chance to brew once or twice a month. But after 10 extract w/ grains batches and 53 all-grain batches that take me on average 4 hours to complete, I haven't found a reason to go back to extract.

5galbrewer said:

E/SG can make an equal and sometimes better brew.

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How so? Not trying to bash extract brewers or start an extract vs. all-grain war as I've drank many extract brews that were outstanding, but all things being equal I don't understand that can be possible.

I understand the the time constraints, but now that I have the equipment to do AG, I'm not going to spend close to $50 for a brew when I can do it AG for half that.

FireBrewer said:

How so? Not trying to bash extract brewers or start an extract vs. all-grain war as I've drank many extract brews that were outstanding, but all things being equal I don't understand that can be possible.

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my biggest problem with extract is unfermentables leaving unwanted flavor in the brew...also you are limited to what you can make, as certain malts and adjuncts require mashing.

however, you could have two people make the same brew, one all-grain and one converted to extract and the extract could come out better. it depends on the type of brew and the flavor your looking for. of course, most of it comes from the individual and their process, as well, and i know there are some extract brewers out there that put out better beers than many all-grain brewers.

all-grain is definitely more cost-effective and gives you more versatility with your brews. i personally would be doing all-grain i could manage it in my little apartment, but it just isn't realistic, unfortunately.

I started brewing not just for the cheaper beer but also for the hobby. I started with extract to get the hang of the processes of sanitation etc. My ultimate goal was always to go to all grain brewing.

For me it's not about the time it takes, it's about the time I can spend enjoying the craft. That said right now I have no SWMBO or kids so I can do such things without worry over time constraints. My only concession (besides weather) is I have to give up fishing time to brew and vice versa.

Bernie Brewer said:

I understand the the time constraints, but now that I have the equipment to do AG, I'm not going to spend close to $50 for a brew when I can do it AG for half that.

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Or $7.85 for a batch of Haus Pale Ale and that's paying retail for yeast & specialty grains.... Sweet nectar of the gods for about 14 cents a bottle..:cross:

Buying bulk grain & hops rocks!

When you’re scooping grains out of a bin to crush and mix together…then adding hot water to mash the grains and convert the starches to sugar…then straining off the newly created sweet wort into a huge pot, setting it aflame and tossing in various hops to boil…it doesn’t get any better than that.

Same way they’ve been doing it for hundreds of years…except now we have Fed Ex. :cross:

Besides, ever since I switched to all-grain brewing, the expressions on peoples faces have been much more of a delightful (“wow…this really is good beer&#8221 surprise…than a polite (“so this is homemade beer huh?&#8221 smile. (Course...maybe I just wasn't a very good extract brewer)

And this...is more fun on a nice spring day than standing over my stove.

I prefer all grain brewing. I like to have as much control as possible and ag helps me achieve this.
Also, my ag beers have all been much better than my extract brews.

I have just started into brewing and am very excited about it from the 1st batch I took the extract kit and started altering the recipe. brewing second batch a week later with steeping grains and picked out all ingredients. That said it is nice to have a base that is easy to start from and tweek. However I do look forward to the day I know enough to start from scratch.

The switch to AG brewing for me, was that it produced better beer.

When I did Extract, batch after batch came out terrible. They all had this terrible off-flavor. The same terrible off-flavor.

I switched to AG, and I dont believe I have made one terrible batch of beer, no off-flavors. All very drinkable.

I would never go back to extract.

I chose "all of the above", but I would like to clarify

If I have the time/space to do all grain, that is what I will do every time because I can control the wort quality to a much higher degree.

I will do extract only or extract and steeping grain if I am in a bind for time and have to whip out several beers for an event OR if I am in a living situation where I don't have the space, etc for my all grain stuff.

I never partial mash. Seems kind of a pain to me, if I am going to mash, I am going to MASH LOL if it works for other people, go for it, not disparaging... just isn't my bag

I moved to AG recently after doing extract for years. I find AG a much more relaxing experience. Extract was always a rush for the next step, having to wash and sanitize everything quickly, and generally a fun procedure but more like a saute chef in a restaurant. AG has large blocks of time waiting built in. This has let me relax and take my time (still get a batch done in five or six hours). That said, I still brew one extract, my pale ale, simply because people ask for it. I have tried converting the recipe to AG but have not nailed it yet. I'll keep trying to get it but until then I'll happily brew it extract - especially because I can brew it at the same time as an AG batch and in about six to seven hours have two 5 gallon batches.

divethewetrocket said:

I have just started into brewing and am very excited about it from the 1st batch I took the extract kit and started altering the recipe. brewing second batch a week later with steeping grains and picked out all ingredients. That said it is nice to have a base that is easy to start from and tweek. However I do look forward to the day I know enough to start from scratch.

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Wow, a 6 year old thread? I'm sure there's poll threads about the exact same subject a lot more recent than this.

Old threads rule.

I dunno, some brew days I think I'd like to return to the ease of extract brewing. Then, other brew day's I marvel at how the entire day went into the past so quickly. There are those brew days however that I fool myself into thinking "this batch will be very, very good", like my next one will...