Just curious - Extract vs. All grain

[WhineinAlbany]

I know the eventual goal of homebrewers is to move from extract brewing to all grain. Is this the case for most people on HBT?

I find myself completely satisfied making extract kits. Of course, I've only made 5 batches so far. I have a neighbor that does all grain, and it takes him entire day to go through the steps. He says he does it, because he wants full control of all his ingredients. Maybe my palette isn't sophisticated enough, but I notice very little difference in quality of one of my extract brews versus his all grain. I haven't notice the infamous extract twang (yet). Maybe it's because I've been spoiled by Austin Homebrew's kits?

Just seeing what everyone's opinion is on this.

 

[RobWalker]

Not for me. I think you have to find what works for you in terms of your goals and commitment to the hobby in terms of time and finance - partial mash offers plenty of flexibility and is much easier than AG because you can do it in a saucepan, essentially. That suits me just fine and i have no desire to move to all grain!

 

[twelvelookslikex]

All grain makes you feel more involved. The final product is all you! Thats a guess of course. I'm still on my first brew ever and its extract.

 

[birvine]

I did my first Ag a few weeks ago and am doing my second tomorrow. Either method is good since the final product is beer. It depends on how much you want to do. I also grow hops and think it's neat that I use them in most brews for bittering. But it doesn't make my beer better than otherwise. To each... his or her own!

B

 

[DoubleAught]

Me personally I always like a challenge. I started with Coopers kits, completed 2, then moved to extract with specialty grain. I've done about 10 of those and feel I have the process down so next weekend I'm doing my first PM. The only thing that keeps me from taking the leap to AG is the cost of the equipment. I'll probably piece it all a little at a time until I have all I need.

 

[david_42]

Maybe my palette isn't sophisticated enough, but I notice very little difference in quality of one of my extract brews versus his all grain.

Well-made extract beer, using fresh ingredients cannot be distinguished from well-made AG beer, using fresh ingredients.

 

[CompassBrewing]

One year with 8 extract batches under my belt and i'm starting to piece together my equipment to make the move to all grain. I have my eye on a couple more kits that i want to do for the holidays that I don't want to risk screwing up but after that i'm hoping for my first all grain batch.

My main motivation is that I enjoy brewing enough that I welcome the additional involvement.
Plus the cheaper cost of ingredients is appealing.

 

[Celticway]

It's all up to each person. Some people love extract and go no further. Noting wrong with that. For me it's about the whole process. I love spending the whole day making beer. I love that I have been doing all grain for 16 years and there is still stuff I learn on a regular basis. That's what's great. It can be simple and it can be rocket science. It is all about your personal preference.

 

[waldoar15]

Not everyone has the time, space or equipment to brew AG. I do, and the money savings from buying bulk grains made it worth my while. My last 50 lb. sack of 6 row base malt cost $37. 2 row costs a little more, but it's pretty much always under $50.

Time is 3 1/2- 4 hours normally. Lot of dead time in there, I cut the grass or something during the mash.

 

[BrewKnurd]

I feel like one of the biggest differences is going to be the fermentability of your wort, which will effect final gravity. If you want a fuller bodied, you make your wort less fermentable by mashing higher. If you want a lighter bodied beer, you make your wort more fermentable by mashing at a lower temp. If you're not concerned about that, then that removes one of the advantages of all-grain.

I do both, and I honestly enjoy the process of all grain. But if I didn't, I would probably just do extract, because if you get good quality extract, you'll be able to make stellar beer with it.

 

[BulldogBrewer]

It's all up to each person. Some people love extract and go no further. Noting wrong with that. For me it's about the whole process. I love spending the whole day making beer. I love that I have been doing all grain for 16 years and there is still stuff I learn on a regular basis. That's what's great. It can be simple and it can be rocket science. It is all about your personal preference.

This. I really enjoy a long brew day. I've done double batch days before where I start at 6 or 7am and finish later in the evening... fun days...

 

[Barnzy02]

I brewed extracts for a bit over a year, did one partial mash then decided to make the jump to all grain


I had nothing but great results making extracts, but for me it always left me feeling like I cheated.


Its same idea to me as cooking from scratch as opposed to out of a box or can.


Ive been really enjoying starting from scratch and ending up with beer. It's a whole new challenge and learning process.

 

[Golddiggie]

For me, it's more about total control over what goes into my brew. I know what grains, and how much, is going into the batch. I also know what temperature the mash was done at, so I know what the body of the brew will be.

I did just three extract batches, before one partial mash (BIAB style) before going to all grain. Several BIAB batches later I moved to using cooler mash tuns. Most recently, I converted a keg into a mash tun. Looking forward to dialing that in.

9 months into my brewing life, and 18 batches (of beer) so far. I already have some recipes that I'm working on perfecting, but they've all been great. Of course, after picking up better methods here, and such, my batches got better (no racking unless you have a damned good reason).

There's plenty of things you can do with either method to get great brews. It really comes down to how much of the batch do you want to be your own. Just like some people use kits for years, while some (like myself) only use them briefly before making their own recipes. Even my first two kit batches were altered. After that, I was making my own recipes.

The way I see it, it's very similar to how people cook. Some will just toss their meal together from cans and jars, nuking it. While others make as much as they can from scratch. I do hope to eventually grow hops, but I suspect I'll never be in a position to grow, and malt, my own grain.

 

[Lost]

Good beer can be had either way. That said, you have more control with all grain and it is cheaper to boot. Plus it's pretty cool and gratifying when you can tell guests that the beer on tap you made with a bag of grain, hops, water, and yeast.

I do also love brew day, I chill in the garage and drink homebrew while making homebrew.

I am the sort of person who relishes doing things ' right'. I did one batch extract, one partial mash, probably 5 all grain batches with a turkey fryer, then I got my hands on a sanke keg and have been doing 10 gal batches in the years since.

 

[TromboneGuy]

I like knowing how to do these basic sorts of things that most people have no clue how to do anymore. Like make my own beer, or bread, or cheese, or shave with a straight razor, or write with a fountain pen.

Extract brewing makes good beer. But you're mostly relying on someone else to do all the hard work. And if you go the Brew In A Bag route, all-grain really doesn't require any more equipment than extract or partial mash. The bonus is it's a heck of a lot cheaper to get all-grain ingredients than extract. You pay a premium for having someone else do the work.