Hall of shame

[Old_el_Paseo]

I started brewing in February 2015. I started with a couple of coopers extarct kits. I was proud of them. Now in may I bought all grain equipment. I have brewed 3 batches so far (red ale, Porter, blond ale).
Wow ! The difference ! I'm now ashamed of my extract kits. Can't wait to have them all gone. The difference is amazing !
Just felt like sharing my opinion on all grain taste. Damn it's good.
OK I gotta go pee again. Damn beer.

Mmmmm beer !

 

[day_trippr]

I used to totally knock the socks off a BJCP muck-a-muck with extract brews...

Cheers!

 

[catdaddy66]

My brother and I made extract kits for 15 years before I decided to go AG. My next 6 beers convinced him to try it also.

He asked "so, do you think your beer is better now?" As he drank a Two Hearted Ale clone I made. I said "Yes, it certainly has." His reply?

"Damn! Now I have to go all grain..." LOL!

 

[didinho]

I started brewing in February 2015. I started with a couple of coopers extarct kits. I was proud of them. Now in may I bought all grain equipment. I have brewed 3 batches so far (red ale, Porter, blond ale).
Wow ! The difference ! I'm now ashamed of my extract kits. Can't wait to have them all gone. The difference is amazing !
!

i made beer with extract kits more than ten years ago, and then I evolved to all-grain in few months.
but when I think about my kit beers I still feel ashamed!

 

[agrazela]

Shame?

Come on now, do you feel ashamed that you used to wear diapers? Everyone's got to start somewhere!

(Edit: no offense intended if you still wear diapers. To each their own, you know!)

 

[d_boosh]

I made 2 kit beers over the winter because my setup isnt workable with Michigan's -40 winter we had last year... one was a dumpster fire the other was drinkable. This years plan is to brew A LOT in the fall... stock up

 

[Bellybuster]

This right here is why I always recommend new guys go straight to all grain instead of having to do the inevitable switch anyway.
Making beer doesn't have to be learned in baby steps

 

[WaltG]

You'll also notice a huge difference in cost, especially if you build your own instead of buying kits.

My brewing experience (except Mr beer) started with a Brooklyn brew show all grain kit, never looked back.

I get 75% or better efficiency on a setup I have less than $150 into.

 

[Spinout]

When someone offers a deal on kits, I have no problem picking up a few. They turn out good and take less time to make, I also have no shame though.

 

[kaconga]

Brewing extract is not inferior brewing. It is just less controlled brewing. Brewing all grain won't make you a better brewer if you lack the capabilities to manage fermentations properly. If you buy some deeply discounted extract kids that are over a year old then you are asking for bad beer. But buying good extract and controlling temps can make beers that are truly award winning.

 

[WaltG]

All grain has more instances of " hey, I can do this better next time." To me more ability to improve over time with all grain.

 

[TheBeerGuy]

I started with extracts for over 10 years, moved to BIAB for about 6 months and found a big difference in taste, flavor and variety. I then jumped very quickly to all grain and have been brewing that way for 2 years and I have awesome beers now. I have been getting better and better scores when I submit them for judging and also it is so much easier to drink better tasting beers.

 

[JGF]

No shame in brewing extract. We made some very good beers with extract and generally still made our own recipes. I prefer the increased control and ability you have to experiment with all grain but there is nothing wrong with good extract beers.

I've got a friend that has been extract brewing for a long time that makes great beers. He stays with it because the beers are good and it takes less time.

 

[signpost]

Brewing extract is not inferior brewing. It is just less controlled brewing. Brewing all grain won't make you a better brewer if you lack the capabilities to manage fermentations properly. If you buy some deeply discounted extract kids that are over a year old then you are asking for bad beer. But buying good extract and controlling temps can make beers that are truly award winning.

+1 to this

If you can't make a good beer with extract or kits, then you probably won't be able to make a good beer starting from all grain. With either method you have to have quality ingredients and a good process.

 

[sudbuddy]

Brewing is all about the skills of the brewer and the quality of the ingredients. I don't think it matters if you brew extract or all-grain. You can brew a phenomenal beer on your stove-top with a 5 gallon pot and a bunch of extract and steeping grains, and you can brew a really sh!tty undrinkable beer on your pimped-out SABCO system. Gear and style don't matter as much as skill and ingredients.

I brewed an all grain batch today, but I brewed an extract batch yesterday and the Wednesday before that. My extract batches routinely fool BJCP National judges into thinking they're all-grain, and my all-grain batches are more fun to brew and very well-received too.

At the end of the day, who cares? As long as you're brewing and you care about beer, and more importantly the beer that you are brewing, you should be happy. Just have fun and RDWHAHB

 

[WaltG]

I think either way one of the keys is you have to be anal retentive about everything. Times, temps, especially sanitation. If something goes wrong, find our what went wrong and why. I've only been brewing about 2 years but it's the only thing I'm anal about and I've never had an infection or a truly bad batch, a few I didn't quite like as much as others, but never something undrinkable. Now that I said that this weekends brew will probably fail.