Beer

[jbeauchamp]

Okay, I have to say that the first two batches of AG that I did turned out really well. The first was a brown ale and everyone seems to like it. The second was a Sierra Nevada PA clone and I must say, I really really like it. I have two brews scheduled for this weekend. A Porter and a Fat Tire clone. I can't wait to brew again because it has been almost two months. Moving to AG was the best thing I ever did. I love homebrew!!!!!

 

[WBC]

Now you know. Happy fermentations are cooler fermentations.

 

[Beer:30]

Congrats man; just remember, keep taking notes!

 

[Denny's Evil Concoctions]

Welcome to the dark side. Are you using beersmith etc or are you doing it by hand?

What are you using to do AG?

 

[jbeauchamp]

I use Beersmith to keep all my recipes and such in. It is nice to be able to have it do the calculations for you. My MLT is a round 10 gallon Home Depot cooler with a SS braid as the filter. It seems to be working really well. My mash and my sparge all seem to drain very well and pretty completely. Not sure what I am getting for efficiency at this time though. I have never really thought about it until it is to late.

 

[Lil' Sparky]

All grain brewing IS fun, isn't it. I get a distinct sense of accomplishment when I take those raw ingredients and brew a really good beer.

BTW - Beersmith will do the efficiency calculations for you if you plug in your final volume.

 

[Hokie]

Quite a descriptive subject line.

 

[chumprock]

All-Grain was such a voodoo like process for me looking in from the outside.
I was full of fear about step mashing, decoctions, etc, etc... Then watched a friend brew a batch (single infusion) and couldn't believe how easy he made it.

Now after 5 AG batches, I'm hitting all my numbers, making great beer, and wondering why I feared it for so damn long...

 

[jbeauchamp]

Exactly, AG really is not that much harder then extract. You just have to have more time and some additional equipment. I love it. I brewed two 5 gallon batches last Saturday. It took most of the afternoon and early evening, but what else is there to do on a rainy Saturday. Drink Beer and Brew Beer.

 

[skeeordye11]

Just made the jump this Sunday, and it's got me addicted all over again. All I've done since Sunday is wonder when I can brew again. (tonight hopefully) As silly as it sounds, I now feel like I belong in the All-grain/PM forum, and I love trolling here! WooHoo for All-grain!

 

[lostspring]

I made my first AG brew on Monday. It is so much easier then it appears on paper. After reading many posts from here about having a good game plan and a written schedule to follow it really went well. Now the satisfaction of making something from scratch is great, already planning the next one.