Is AG reaally worth it?

[Nyxator]

It seems to be like there is a certain elitism about brewing all-grain. I wouldn't really know what AG beer tastes like, but the extract brews I have been making over the last year-and-a-half have been spectacular. There is no doubt in my mind that brewing AG puts you in the driver seat, but I think sometimes not enough credit goes out to those of us who can only afford--for a number of reasons--to brew with extract. I know I often get some of the freshest extract going, either from listermann's or elsewhere--and my brews taste fresh, rarely have any sort of twang and are well-regarded by those who try them. I, however, would be remiss if I didn't mention the envy I have for those of you who can brew AG. I really think you guys are artists in a lot of different ways, from the way you set up your breweries to the recipes you concoct.

Just my two cents, but I often feel marginalized for being an extract brewer.

Well, for what it's worth, I think that extract beers can be every bit as good as AG beer. I did extract for 2.5 years before moving to AG. I never noticed an extract twang in my beers, either.

I tend to agree about your elitism comment, and anyone that thinks that extract beers aren't as good as AG beers needs to reread the Malt section of the Home Brewer's Companion (as every self respecting AG brewer no doubt has in their brewing library ). Specifically, reread the part that talks about the CAMRA blind taste test in which the panel showed no preference between the extract brew vs. the all grain brew. I still brew an extract beer every now and then when I'm crunched for time.

Also someone commented on English ales being the only extract beers that are worthwile, and that's nonsense, with one example being hefeweizens. Extract hefes are easy and extract beers make it into the NHC finalists all the time. To reference Designing Great Beers, over 1/4 of the NHC finalists that year made hefes with exclusively extract, and Mr. Daniels also cites that he once made a partial mash hefe that won first place, beating out two AG hefes he made for the same competition.

That being said, I have to agree that AG brewing is much cheaper. You can buy grain at a much lower price than extract, and the cost of materials will be paid for quickly in the money you save on grain. From the sound of your setup, BangorBrewer, all you need is a Rubbermaid 10g cooler from Home Depot, and a false bottom from morebeer.com to go AG.

 

[BierMuncher]

...Just my two cents, but I often feel marginalized for being an extract brewer...

If I couldn’t do all grain…I’d certainly do extracts.

And as for feeling marginalized…don’t. The brewing brotherhood (and sisterhood) is for all brewers interested in doing it themselves. Trust me…your extract brew would be welcome in my house anytime.

No really…I mean it…I’ll PM you my address…really…S E N D…M E…S O M E…B E E R !!