Several brews under my belt... now what?

[nhindian]

Hey all, I did a marathon brew session this weekend - 3 batches in two days. This brings my total up to around 9 different recipes. I am currently an extract brewer, but feel I should start adding. Any thoughts?

I think my equipment sort of leans towards the 'advanced' side of the beginner extract spectrum; I am doing full boils on propane, using an IC to chill, have a stir plate for starters, and a temp-controlled ferm chamber for when it is too warm to just put the carboys in the closet.

I do want to make the jump to all-grain but feel a little intimidated by it. I also want to start kegging.

What upgrade will give me the biggest bang for my buck for where I'm at now?

Thanks!

 

[freisste]

Search BIAB to decide if you like mashing and all the possibilities than opens up in the all grain world. It is a simple technique allowing you to do all grain with effectively no investment.

 

[Zubius]

Sounds familiar... Go all grain, brew in a bag.

 

[Yooper]

What upgrade will give me the biggest bang for my buck for where I'm at now?

Thanks!

It depends on your current beer, to be honest! If your beer is totally awesome, and can't be improved upon by things like proper yeast pitching and fermentation temperature control because you've got it nailed, then it's time to consider all-grain.

If the beer is "ok" but you don't have proper fermentation temperature control, that would be the first thing to spend money on to fix. That, along with the proper pitching rate, would be the #1 thing to improve any beer. If you can't make a really good extract beer, going all-grain will only make the beer worse as there are more variables to control.

Nailing extract brewing with specialty grains first by using good techniques will generally mean a successful transition to all grain brewing.

Since you are there now, I'd suggest kegging first. Kegging makes enjoying your beer so much easier, and is perfect no matter how you get the brew there- extract, partial mash, or all-grain.

If you haven't done much partial mash brewing, that is a great next step! You can take any recipe at all in the world, and convert it to partial mash and make great beers. That's what I'd do next, after kegging.

 

[brewguyver]

Biggest bang for your buck is to move 100% of your brews to temp control. You've got the equipment, so it'll cost 0. It's not about getting too hot ... it's about keeping things consistent. Maybe do some advanced recipes with multiple temp set points. If you can do this every time, you'll be able to dial in your recipes exactly.

Kegging would be the next big thing, assuming you drink enough to warrant it. Will save a bunch of time and effort.

If that's done, and you've got a good brewing area and procedure, all grain isn't bad at all. Just follow John Blichmann's advice - "Buy once, cry once." Get the right equipment you can build or afford, and plan it out. You'll save a lot of money (and sanity) in the long run.

BTW - nothing wrong with extract ... you can make some great beers that way, and it doesn't take 6-8 hours to brew them. Those of us who are extract challenged brew all grain .

 

[TANSTAAFB]

Check out Deathbrewers Partial Mash thread. I tried this twice and it helped alleviate the intimidation factor of AG. Jumped right in and never looked back. Much more control over the recipe, feels more like you are making the beer from scratch, and much cheaper for ingredients. Despite the tendency some of us have to keep growing our rigs (ask me how I know =] ), you can do this pretty cheap with BIAB or building your own cooler MLT.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/easy-partial-mash-brewing-pics-75231/

 

[Justdrumin]

I'm goin with Yooper on this one. If you can't make a fantastic extract beer then there's no point in trying all grain. I'm still doing extract for that reason as well. I have a fermentation chamber, an IC, I don't have a stir plate just yet but I am making starters and trying my best to pitch the right amount of healthy yeast, I'm most def still learning and trying to perfect extract. Me personally, I'd go with a keezer I started building one myself. It's almost there and I can't wait!! I've been doing partial mash as well trying to use less and less extract. I found my brews got MUCH better with more grains. You have MUCH more control and they become more complex. I hope that helps!