Can someone help me transfer from kits to all grain?

I want to stop using kits and extracted ingredients. I would like to use fresh ingredients eventually, that I grow on my farm, but I am confused with the transformation from kits to buying my own ingredients( not extracts)... Any reading recommendations?

Well first I guess would be to read up on the common techniques and decide which one sounds best for you.

There are:

Single vessel system (BIAB)
2 or 3 vessel Batch Sparging
3 vessel Fly Sparging

2 Things you might want to keep in mind are whether you plan on brewing inside vs outside and the size of batches you will likely be doing.

From there you will start to understand what to look for as far as equipment and we can help with that.

When I switched to all grain, I purposely used kits - just all grain kits instead. The switch takes a lot of getting used to, so I wanted to minimize other changes until I got the hang of it.

I'd reccomend something similar, once you have your all grain feet under you, you can start experimenting with your own recipies. If you get your stuff online, there are a ton of great kits available.

I will be brewing inside, and for now, just 5 gallon batches..

But where can I find the all grain kits? Any recommendations?

can you boil 7 gallons on the stove top or are you using more than 1 pot? most online places have all grain kits...

I have a 20 qt enamel pot that I have been using on my stove top.

ToddPacker69 said:

I will be brewing inside, and for now, just 5 gallon batches..

But where can I find the all grain kits? Any recommendations?

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Austin Homebrew, Northen Brewer, Midwest all have a good selection. Brewmasters Warehouse has a ton of user supplied recipe kits.

If you want to get away from using kits, then you'll need to learn what the different grains, hops, and yeasts add for flavors and such. I would start by getting the gear you'll need to start brewing all grain (pick your method first) and then start making recipes. There are plenty of sources out there that will tell you what a specific grain will add for flavor, character, etc. to a brew. Same thing with yeasts (look to the lab's sites for best info) and hops. You can also start by looking up recipes of brews you already like and seeing how much of each grain is used in them.

Personally, I went from my first two batches (slightly modified kits from the LHBS) to the third heavily modified 'kit' from the LHBS to making my own recipes.

I would also heavily advise using software when you're putting together a recipe. I've been using BeerSmith for some time now (since before it went 2.0) and really like how I can adjust a recipe almost on the fly and see what the results will be (before crushing the grain).

Depending on which type of method you go with, you'll need to calibrate the results from said setup. I know a lot of people are lauding BIAB as the new coolest method. Personally, I see it as having far too many limitation, at least for me. With a three vessel setup (propane burners) I can easily mash about 30 pounds of grain without worrying about the grain bag ripping, or getting hurt lifting (and then holding) it up to drain. As I see it, BIAB is viable for 5 gallon batches, of moderate strength. Once you get to something stronger, or larger batches, it quickly becomes an issue. But, with how little you can spend initially with it, it's not a bad start. I used it for several batches before moving to a cooler based mash tun, then finally transitioning to a keg mash tun.

As for using ingredients you actually grow yourself... You can easily grow hops to use. Trying to use your own grain can present you with a entirely new set of issues. IMO, better to purchase the malted barley already ready for use. Get involved in a local HBC (HomeBrew Club) that does periodic group grain purchases. Or get into one of the group buys from HBT members that gets posted. Depending on how much you brew, you might be able to purchase most of your grain at one shot. Just get the grains you know you'll use enough of.

You're asking two questions and have gotten answers to both. Moving extract to all grain is one thing, making your own recipes is another.

The search feature is your friend. For recipe formulation: go to the top and look in the recipe section to see what a recipe of a style you'd like to do actually consists of. Compare a few well-received examples of the same style to see what the common elements are, what are the proportions of ingredients (5% caramel malt or 15%?), and what the statistics are. Then tweak what you want. Also, consult the recipe and ingredient forum.
For technique, read the all-grain forum and technique forum.

Great advice thanks. I am probably going to stick with doing 5 gallon batches until I get it done a little better. I eventually want to sell my product. I guess I will try an ALL GRAIN KIT first.

Mashing does sound really interesting, I guess I will have to read up on the process.

Im guessing Partial grain kits is a step before ALL GRAIN? is all grain a lot more difficult than the extract kits?

The kits also say additional equipment needed. So could someone direct me to a link where I can find this additional equipment? I know I will have to choose a method, but maybe a link on three methods will be helpful. Thanks!

Im looking at Northern Brewers website by the way...

Look at the stickies at the top of this thread. Lots of good starter info to introduce you to the different methods.

You can try the link below, it may be of use to you :cross:


http://lmgtfy.com/?q=what+equipment+is+needed+for+all+grain+brewing?

Seriously though, there is a ton of info on this forum. Just spend all day on here like I do while ignoring my kids and looking for new and better brewing info

John Palmer's book, How to Brew would be a good place to start. He explains all grain brewing and a lot of other things that are important for new brewers to know. There's an online (free) version but it isn't as good as the book, as the website isn't updated when new editions of the book come out. It's a fun hobby and there's lots to learn, enjoy!

el_kirk said:

John Palmer's book, How to Brew would be a good place to start.

Click to expand...

+1

Amazing book, something to learn for people at all levels ESPECIALLY noobs.

I bought the book after I did 4-5 AG brews, and it really opened my eyes and helped tighten up numerous parts of my process. The beer has never tasted better, so this has been my best "equipment" purchase so far.

Check out the free web content for a taste, but you really should get the book.

Another good read is Brewing Classic Styles. Does not go over the process in as great of detail as How to Brew, but it includes 80 recipes for extract or all grain and some even have partial mash which is a good stepping stone. You can pick up the digital version from Kindle for like $10 and if you don't own the Kindle you can download Kindle to your computer.

I do BIAB (see stickies), but usually do only 2.75 gallon batches. Partial mash is doing grain for half and extract for half--it gives you a lot more flexibility, and doesn't require the extensive equipment traditional all-grain does, since you only are dealing with a little bit of grain. Check out Deathbrewer's threads on PM and stove-top BIAB--both require minimal equipment and are basically the same idea, just with some extract thrown in in one case. You could do stovetop BIAB 5 gallon batches as long as you limit yourself to medium gravity brews, and just add some DME if you want to do something bigger.

Get your equipment and method nailed down (BIAB or traditional mashing w/cooler type mash tun), watch some videos either on this site or youtube, then dig into the recipe database on this site and go for it. I did one AG kit and then went directly to the recipe database. Saved $$$ on ingredients, having lots of fun and haven't brewed a bad batch yet. Some of the best beer I've had!

First, you need to go all grain, which is what it sounds like you want. Which is far easier than it sounds. The science, there is a bit to learn, but you dont have to learn it to do it. Just like you dont know what extract really is (but we kind of do), you dont need to do exactly what happens during an all grain brew. You just need to know what to do. Eventually you need to know the science to dial in your system (not all buy some), but that's half the fun to some of us.

From there, still, rely on true recipes. Brewing classic styles is great. Everyone should own that book. It provides a base for every example. From there you tweak, make adjustments, etc, experiment.

Biggest thing is to take notes, so you can learn what works on your system and what doesnt.