From Extract to All-grain and back again!

[carlk47]

Hey gang!

After brewing all grain via BIAB for the last few years, I have recently started brewing with extract and specialty grains again. The first batch reminded of how much easier and time saving extract can be versus all grain.

As a result of the simplicity and shorter brew days I've also started feeling more creative with recipe design and less afraid to experiment. I've done a few 2.5 gal batches so that I can have more variety on tap vs sitting on one 5 gal keg for 1-2 months at a time. And brewing in less time I don't get concerned about spending the couple of hours brewing(don't want to mess up a 5 hour all grain brew!)

Now to be honest I haven't tasted any of my extract batches yet(other than out of the fermenter) so I haven't tested the "extract vs all grain" quality yet, but time will tell. So far what I've tasted has been good and I'm hoping for the best.

So long story short I'm curious to hear if anyone else had had the same progression and after all the work to design an all grain system decided to come back to extract. I don't hold myself to either process as I'm happy to do both but strongly leaning towards extract at this point.

Happy brewing!

 

[ncbrewer]

I brewed with extract (and specialty grains most of the time) for about 5 years. Then last year I went to all-grain in a cooler mash tun. I loved brewing from grain, but it turned out that I had some limitations. First, I'm 65 years old and have poor short term memory - keeping track of what I had going on was a real challenge. I made it more complicated by using a split boil. Second, my back isn't what it used to be. On one of my brew days it completely went out and left me incapacitated for a few weeks. I went back to extract brewing. I miss all-grain brewing, but as Clint Eastwood said, a man's got to know his limitations.

 

[Robotcrab]

Hear hear to that! I started on all grain (other than a few kits I did when I was a teen) but due to emigrating and not having all my gear/time available/wife just shot out twins I made the switch and am happy as Larry, it cheaper quicker and as you say f&@$ing up 25 liters of all grain is almost as bad as having to put your favorite dog down. I sometimes brew two or three times a week now, have a bus load of beer on the go, where I disagree is that 5 gallons doesn't sit around my house for a month or two...it does have its limitations though, want a good simple Belgian Wit extract recipe which I can't work out or find, so is there any extract guru out there who wants to share?


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[Sudz_Makenzie]

Robot, Here's one:
http://www.northernbrewer.com/documentation/beerkits/Witbier.pdf

 

[Tinpanharry]

I've been doing electric stove-top partial mash in my mancave, adding 3lbs of Marris Otter or something yummy like that. Just tested my Brown Ale yesterday. I didn't have a Fat Tire with me, but it tasted like just what I was going for. Man! Batch 86 and this is the best beer I've made yet, and I can be done inside of 3 hours.

Cheers!