How to go from Extract to AG for < $10.00

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sharpstick

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(them's prolly aussie dollars)
in my research on AG, i came across this:
The Brewing Network &bull; View topic - How to go from Extract to AG for < $10.00
probably controversial, but a slightly easier way to make the jump to AG.
basically the same way i've been doing extract kits with half a pound of grain in a sock(well, it looks like a sock), but BIGGER. (just make sure that rope is tied to something solid overhead! looks like his is attached to his flimsy pool enclosure frame.)
it says no sparge is necessary, and the only liquid loss in this example was about 1/2 liter for a 7 gallon batch.
you might have to increase the grain amount for a lower efficiency, but it should be workable.
how would you determine that your mash has enough strength? if your mash efficiency varies, could you determine that before boiling and compensate with some malt extract syrup or powder? seems like you could work backwards from your desired SG and estimated evaporation. then again, maybe i'm just being anal again. (PUT DOWN THE KEYBOARD, BACK AWAY FROM THE COMPUTER AND GO FIRE UP THAT BURNER!)
then again, is it possible to adjust SG post-boil?
 
Denny Conn (dennybrew) has a tutorial on "cheap and easy" AG brewing. (Go down the page a bit) It might cost more than $10 if you don't have an old cooler to use, but I wouldn't think much more than that.

Even though some fancy equipment is fun, it's definitely not necessary! I have a jerry-rigged set up with a cooler, a kettle, and a brew pot.
 
So do I. I just use a 10g cooler and a keggle and I'm happy with the beers that I'm making. I don't see myself investing in a tier system anytime soon.

AG doesn't have to be ridiculously expensive.
 
AG doesn't have to be ridiculously expensive.

WHAT?!?!?! WTF?! Now you tell me!
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The Brew In A Bag system works, I've tried it.

I also tried the bag-in-a-cooler mash rather than a false bottom or braid.

I decided the braid was worth the few extra $$.

Cooler + braid is about all you need, shouldn't be too expensive and it's definitely the easiest cleanup IMO.

You'll make good beer however though, I've not had a bad batch any of these methods.
 
...I don't see myself investing in a tier system anytime soon.

AG doesn't have to be ridiculously expensive.

I bit the bullet and invested in a three-tier system. This was built from excess dimensional lumber cluttering up my garage so the price tag was $0. If I'd have gone to Home Despot it would have run me around $20 though so I would have blown the budget by 100%!

Super-Cheap Three-Tier System
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I use a 5 gal round cooler and a vegatable steamer as a false bottom. works great for me for 5 gallon batches. I also do split pot boil on the stovetop, so my investment was fairly small.
 
I just did a brew in a bag batch- it was my first AG as well. It works, though my efficiency was in the mid 50's- possibly 60 as I spilled some wort. Here's my take on it:

You need a 10 gal pot and burner anyway. You sew up a big bag anyway. Why not toss that big bag into a cooler and do a proper mash? Personally, I have an old 5 gal pot from doing extract batches. For my next brew, I'll use that 5 gal pot to heat sparge water, put the bag in the cooler (which I already had for camping) to mash, and use the 10 gal pot to boil.

BIAB is fine, and it works, but it seems just as easy and inexpensive to use a cooler and mash traditionally.
 
I did my first All Grain yesterday using DeathBrewers easy stovetop method and it worked great for me. I have a large pot, and Im stuck inside my apt since its freezing up here and I dont have a porch/balcony for a burner so Im considering making a heatstick to help with heating my sparge water, etc.
 
I've done my last 5 batches using the BIAB method. My efficiency is right around 71%. You really want to crush finer when using this method, I have had no issues with tannins or cloudiness in my beers. I won't be using it for large grain bills and have only used it for between 10 and 12# of grain in a six gallon batch.

I could see this method costing less than $10 if you were already doing full boil extracts with a boil kettle that can hold all of your grain bill and mash water (like a converted keg). The material for my bag was purchased from Wal-Mart for $6 and the wife sewed it up.
 

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