extract or all grain

[Diver165]

OK, I'm a noob

I want to get into home brewing. Do I try an extract kit or go for an all grain first batch. I've read the book, seen all the videos I care to see.

Which do you recommend for a virgin brewer?

 

[whatisitgoodfor]

Extract.

It'll taste as good and you get to skip the first 2-4 hours of brewing and get to the fun stuff faster.

 

[marubozo]

IMO, start with extract that includes steeping grains. This will allow you to practice many of the basic techniques and still create an excellent beer. Reading, watching videos, and all of that is great, but doing it is another. Once you get a few batches of this beer under your belt that taste good and you're happy with then consider if you want to step it up.

All grain isn't really that much more difficult, but it does require some additional outlay in equipment and there are some added steps in the process that create more room for error.

If you plan it out properly you can buy the right equipment for doing extract so that you'll be able to use most of it when you do step up to all grain and you can minimize what you need to buy or build when you decide to make the jump.

 

[Diver165]

OK, sounds good!

 

[ChshreCat]

If you want to hit the ground running, try a smaller partial mash. Otherwise just make it easy on yourself and go with extract plus steeping grains.

Just doing an extract batch, there are many variables and places to goof up things to get experienced right. Adding all-grain on top of that would just be too many things and if something goes wonkey it'd be that much harder to figure out what it was.

 

[wvlheel]

Extract with steeping grains. Its not particularly hard, but it does give you experience with all grain techniques.

However - don't do either until you figure out a way to control fermentation temperature. I recommend a swamp cooler unless you have a cellar. My first batch was disappointing (after all the trouble) due to high fermentation temps and a sweet/twangy taste. I admit that I thought, "I went through all that trouble for this?".

Make sure you figure out temperature control ideas first so you aren't disappointed in the final product.

 

[marubozo]

wvlheel brings up a very good point. You can have all the best equipment, have a perfect brew day, yet if you don't make an effort to control fermentation temps and/or not give the beer enough time you'll still have disappointing beer.

And really, that is the number one problem most new brewers have. They either 1. don't have the patience to get a beer down to proper fermenting temps after the boil and rush pitching the yeast, 2. they have no hope of fermenting anywhere in their house under 75 degrees and make no effort to keep it cool and then wonder why the beer is wild, fruity, and funky, or 3. they simply get impatient and rack their beer to a secondary after a few days for no reason or go straight to bottles after a week.

You can have a fully automated all-grain brewing system and if you ferment too warm or try to rush the beer you'll still have an end product that probably tastes worse than someone who brewed an extract kit on their stove but took care to keep temps down and give the beer enough time to finish.

 

[duskb]

And really, that is the number one problem most new brewers have...

2. they have no hope of fermenting anywhere in their house under 75 degrees and make no effort to keep it cool and then wonder why the beer is wild, fruity, and funky...

I used to think that ambient temp was impossible to control for brewing and I had to screw up a few batches (it was still drinkable mind you {by me anyways}) before I learned that even in the Sahara it's not that hard to deal with. I'm not the first guy in here to suggest putting your fermenter in a keg bucket full of water with frozen 2 liter PET bottles once or twice a day. I've fermented clean lagers here in LA in mid summer and had good results in the high 50's. You just have to stay on top of keeping a regular supply of frozen 2 liter bottles to swap out. The temp is incredibly solid.

It can be done and it's not that hard if you have extra freezer space.

 

[Diver165]

Well I've been scouting places out believe it or not. I have a half unfinished basement that stays around 65-69 deg in the summer. I got a thermometer down there monitoring various corners and areas on the basement to see where the best place would be to put the everything.

I don't want to over analyze things. But I certainly don't want to jump in over my head and not be prepared.

 

[ctufano]

craigslist a mini fridge thats large enoughto fit ur bucket/carboy and pick up a johnson controls thermostat controller -- thing works incredibly well