extract vs partial mash costs

[taintedplay]

I have done three batches, all extract. I am in college and drink probably 60 beers a week, so cost is a main concern for me. Between extract and partial mash, which is cheaper (if either)?

thanks in advance

 

[Yooper]

Partial mash would be cheaper- extract is expensive! Grain isn't exactly cheap (unless you buy in quantity) but it's a lot cheaper than extract.

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

Grains are a buck or two/lb, extract is $10-$15 for 3-4# cans or areound $10 for 3# bag. Even buying grains for just the batch you're planning should save a bit. Say you replace a 4# can of Alexander's ($16) with 4.5# 2-row at $2/lb (it's cheaper than that usually. Quick search for 10# bags for $14). Saves around seven bucks a batch.

 

[taintedplay]

wow thats definitely enough savings to make me switch considering. so should I do partial mash or jump to full grain? ive only done extract.
also id like to brew larger amounts, say 15 gallons (id like to be able to use a 15gal sanke keg) does this require anything else other than more/larger fermenters?

 

[Yooper]

wow thats definitely enough savings to make me switch considering. so should I do partial mash or jump to full grain? ive only done extract.
also id like to brew larger amounts, say 15 gallons (id like to be able to use a 15gal sanke keg) does this require anything else other than more/larger fermenters?

Well, you'd need a bigger burner if you're brewing indoors now- like a turkey fryer burner. And a chiller of some sort, to chill the wort. It's easy to chill 3-5 gallons in an ice batch, but can't do that with 13 gallons of boiling wort! With a sanke keg, you can boil about 12-13 gallons if you're careful to not let it boil over (or use something called "Ferm-cap).

 

[taintedplay]

could i make three 5 gallon batches at a time (like one after the other) and add them to the keg? so every hour id add 5 gallons to the sanke keg, or is it once you fill it it cant be filled more?

 

[badbrew]

I have done three batches, all extract. I am in college and drink probably 60 beers a week, so cost is a main concern for me. Between extract and partial mash, which is cheaper (if either)?

thanks in advance

Goodbye grades!:rockin:

 

[Yooper]

could i make three 5 gallon batches at a time (like one after the other) and add them to the keg? so every hour id add 5 gallons to the sanke keg, or is it once you fill it it cant be filled more?

You boil for an hour, typically. But you can do a 10 gallon batch in a sanke keg, no problem.

 

[taintedplay]

what is a good partial mash kit i could get? i love shiner bock so anything near that im willing to try (and most anything anyway)

 

[Yooper]

what is a good partial mash kit i could get? i love shiner bock so anything near that im willing to try (and most anything anyway)

Why not get a Shiner Bock kit from Austinhomebrew.com? The thing is, it's a lager so it needs to have some special treatment like fermented at 50 degrees. If you can't ferment at 50 degrees, you can make it as an ale but it won't be the same.

Can you control fermentation temperatures, say at 50 degrees? Or at 62 degrees? That would make a difference in the beer you could do.

 

[taintedplay]

no i cant. putting it in my closet is the best i can do at the moment unfortunately. so that knocks out lagers as potentials? what else can i not do if i cant control temps when fermenting?

 

[homebeerbrewer]

60 beers a week? When are you sober enough to study?

 

[MrManifesto]

probably not doing lagers unless you live in like...michigan and don't mind have a 50 degree apartment while brewing.

60 beers a week?

 

[taintedplay]

still have a 4.0 gpa and 60 beers not considering liquor haha.

 

[redm18]

Check out cream of 3 crops in the recipe database its super cheap to make and is about as close as you can get to a light lager while still being an ale that you can brew without or with limited temp control.

 

[taintedplay]

the cream of 3 crops is full grain, which ive never done. I will give it a shot though.

can i do a 15 gallon batch on a stove top?

 

[weirdboy]

. Say you replace a 4# can of Alexander's ($16) with 4.5# 2-row at $2/lb (it's cheaper than that usually. Quick search for 10# bags for $14). Saves around seven bucks a batch.

Hang on a second...I may be mistaken, but I am pretty sure those are not 1:1 replacements.

I thought the ratio was more like 3:2 LME:grain in terms of gravity for e.g. one pound of each. So a 4# can of LME would actually require more like 6 lbs of grain to replace, I think. It's still cheaper to replace extract with grain regardless, but I don't want people to get the wrong idea, either with recipe formulation or with costs.

 

[redm18]

almost no chance that you can do 15 gallon batchs on a stove top honestly you would be lucky to be able to do five gallon all grain batch on your stove top. I just really doubt you be able to do a 15 gallon batch without a lot of equipment costs. Ten gallon batches seem to be somewhat easy to do with a turkey fryer a big pot and a cooler.

 

[taintedplay]

ill stick to 5 gal batches then. is there a partial mash version of the 3 crop? i have only done extract so id be more comfortable doing partial mashes.

 

[kevokie]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f62/cream-three-crops-cream-ale-66503/

IIngredients:
------------
2.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM)
4.00 lb Corn, Flaked (1.3 SRM)
1.00 lb Minute Rice (1.0 SRM)
6 lbs extra light DME
or
7lbs light LME

1.00 oz Williamette [5.20%] (60 min)
1.00 oz Crystal [3.50%] (60 min)

Follow the mashing as the above recipe and you should get something pretty darn close i would think.

 

[jonmohno]

Partial will be your cheapest route,unless you want to invest in some all grain equipement, but for the time being without spending money on all grain equipment supplies,if you dont have the knowledge or equipment to make them cheaply yourself. Then you will end up spending more.
So if you consider buying things like turkey fryer and whatever else for full all grain batches. Short term its cheaper sticking with the partial mashes unless you have the equipement or means to conjure up your own set up without buying much of anything.
Although it is cheapest to buy in bulk and do all grain in the long run with equipment investment.

 

[Yooper]

Keep in mind that if you're fermenting in a closet, it's probably way too warm. You'll want to work on a way to control fermentation temperatures before making bigger batches.

A water bath with a few frozen water bottles in a tub around the fermenter can work well, as you want to keep even ales under 70 degrees during fermentation.

 

[taintedplay]

ill stick to partial mashes then. and yooper if i do 5 gal batches, is my closet still to warm to ferment?
i use my shower so i dont want to have my bathtub taken for the length of fermentation

 

[Yooper]

ill stick to partial mashes then. and yooper if i do 5 gal batches, is my closet still to warm to ferment?
i use my shower so i dont want to have my bathtub taken for the length of fermentation

It depends on your temperature in the closet, but generally any room temperature over 64-65 degrees is too warm. But like I said, a bin or cooler with a water bath for the fermenter with a frozen water bottle or two added to it would easily keep the temperatures where you need.

 

[taintedplay]

so if i get a big bin and fill it with water i can put my bucket/carboy in it with some frozen water bottles?

i have always bottled in the past and gone by the rule:
1 week primary, 2 weeks secondary, 3 weeks bottles

now that i am going to keg, what should my times be? (ie how long do i need to keep it in the cold water in bucket bath?)

 

[kevokie]

You should be able to keep it in the cool water bath while it is in primary. Secondary fermentation shouldn't matter as all or most of the fermentation should be finished by then.

 

[taintedplay]

now that i am kegging how long should i keep it in my primary, secondary, and in my keg before serving?

 

[Yooper]

now that i am kegging how long should i keep it in my primary, secondary, and in my keg before serving?

I don't do a 'secondary' typically. I leave the beer in the fermenter for about 10-14 days or so, until clear, and then dryhop or keg then. If I'm dryhopping, I dryhop for about 5 days and then keg.

 

[taintedplay]

so 2 weeks in primary, then strait to keg. since ive never kegged, anything else randomly you think would help me?

 

[Yooper]

so 2 weeks in primary, then strait to keg. since ive never kegged, anything else randomly you think would help me?

Well, keep in mind that carbonation is temperature dependent so you'll need to adjust your regulator based on the temp of your kegerator. If you're just building the kegerator now, make sure you order longer lines than most people think you need- 10' is not too long (per tap) as it reduces foamy pours.

I like having at least one more keg than faucet- since when one keg is kicked, the next one goes online. But sometimes that's not possible when you're on a budget.