Switching From Extract to All Grain

[Andy_P]

I am going to learn how to brew all grain tonight, previously I was only doing extract recipes. What additional equipment would I need if I decide to switch over and start doing all grain myself?

 

[barnaclebob]

You basically just need something to separate your grain from your wort. This could be a bag, false bottom, or bazooka tube. Many people will buy a boil kettle but you can just collect your wort in a bucket then transfer back to a rinsed out mash tun for boiling.

 

[bberg]

Look up Brew In A Bag (BIAB). All I did was buy a large pot (my 2 gallon extract pot was tooooo small for the 5-6gal beers i wanted) and made a large mesh bag to take out my grains before boiling! Really easy. IMHO, easier/less messy than my extract gig.

 

[Andy_P]

What sort of propane set up do I need?

 

[Peruvian802]

Without knowing what equipment you have now, it's hard to say what you will need. Do you have a 8+ gallon pot? Strong burner or electric setup? Wort chiller?

I recommend looking through the BIAB forum as it's an easy way to get into all grain brewing without too much extra equipment.

 

[Andy_P]

I have a 6 gal brew pot now. No wort chiller, we were using an ice bath which worked very well for us. I will check out those forums, thanks.

 

[MichaelBrock]

As others have said, the equipment you'll need depends on what you already have. When I started extract brewing I bought a propane burner & 10g pot. When I switched to all-grain I went with batch sparging and all I needed to purchase was a rubbermaid 10g cooler and the parts to convert it to a mash tun (dozens of threads here and elsewhere cover that process in lots of detail). Total cost was like $60. I still have only 1 kettle. I just run off into buckets (with accurate volume markings) and when I'm done sparging I pour those back into the kettle which had held the sparge water.

 

[guitarguy6]

I have a 6 gal brew pot now. No wort chiller, we were using an ice bath which worked very well for us. I will check out those forums, thanks.

Definitely get a wort chiller. I built one for about $30 and I couldn't imagine brew day without one. The 6gal brew pot is pretty small but that will depend on what size batch you want to brew. The easiest and cheapest way for you to get into all grain would be BIAB. It'll cost you $20-30 (maybe less) for a good bag. You'll also want a good thermometer to accurately monitor your mash temp.


https://www.homebrewtalk.com/diy-cost-effective-immersion-wort-chiller.html

 

[Peruvian802]

You can BIAB 3.5 gallon batches in your brewpot. Your kitchen stove may not have enough BTUs to get 4+ gallons of water to boil though. Fill your pot with water and see how long it takes to boil.

 

[Andy_P]

I have been doing 5 gallon batches on my kitchen stove. It has the 2 burners with a bridge on one side so that seems to heat it up pretty well.

 

[ArizonaGoalie]

I found the two cooler setup has worked well for me, going extract to all-grain last January. I've done fly sparge with two coolers, I've also done batch sparge with one cooler. Both worked well.

One of the toughest challenges for me was getting the mash to 152 (or whatever temp you're looking for). Once I got my system down it was like old hat.

I thought my extract beers were good, but the all-grain brews blew them away. SWMBO even commented on the better quality of my beers now.

Lastly, the variety of recipes you can now tackle and create are almost endless. I love brewing as much, if not more, than drinking. :fro:

 

[Andy_P]

That is one of the reasons I want to switch to all grain. Better beers and I hear you have more control over over the process.

Thanks for all the suggestions, I am going to do 1 more extract and then look at making the switch.

 

[soccerdad]

When I switched I went BIAB and can't really see going beyond that because I see no need for batches bigger than 5G nor brews higher than 1060/1065. Even if I went to 10G I think I'd just go bigger kettle and bigger bag. If you have ever done partial mash, then BIAB is a super easy step up.