To turn to the dark side or not?

[mwmoose152]

Also note the "antsmarching" in there... I hear ya though.

how the hell did it think I said ants marching??? sparging!!! technology sucks

 

[mwmoose152]

Last question, I think...my LHBS has all grain classes for $75 for a 5 hour session with lunch. They have a live brewing demo, and basically discuss all things All Grain.

Would this be worth the $75 investment, or would I learn just as much online?

Thanks!

 

[kpr121]

Does that come with a brew kit or beer you can take home? I think either way it might be a good investment. I know I didnt truly understand all grain brewing until probably my 2nd or 3rd batch. Some things you just have to see or experience to 'get'.

EDIT: The other thing you have to weigh is whether this LHBS knows what the HE** they are talking about. There are some shady ones out there.

 

[mwmoose152]

No kit, and definitely a legit shop. One guy is opening his own brewery and others there have been featured in home brew magazines.

 

[kpr121]

No kit, and definitely a legit shop. One guy is opening his own brewery and others there have been featured in home brew magazines.

If you have the extra cash it might be worth it. My cheap nature/stubbornness would probably not let me spend money that could be used on extra fermenters, ingredients, a fermentation fridge, etc etc.

A better bet would be to find someone in your area that is a homebrewer (sorry I am not an Eagles fan), and learn from him/her. Joining a homebrew club is usually free or very cheap.

Or you could do what a lot of people here (including me) do and learn the ropes on your own. There is so much information here and people are almost always available to answer quick questions or ease your mind about your lastest 'infected batch'!

 

[rico567]

I brewed extract with steeping grains, mostly kits, for a year and a half. Then I switched to AG. It was no more difficult than the literature and various threads on this forum had led me to expect. I had the additional advantage that our eldest son, while we were on a visit, did an AG batch so I was actually able to participate in the brewing of a batch. I got the equipment needed, and have never looked back.

 

[chthonik]

The only down side is that we don't brew after work anymore, just on weekends or when we cut work since we know we'll be brewing for a couple hours longer.

 

[BrewNow]

Hey mwmoose - You may want to save the $75 and go to the home brew club meeting on the 3rd Thursday. . .A long chat with club members may serve you better. Plus you can probably join them in a brew session or 2.

 

[Bezel]

My first batch was all grain...turned out great!, have been brewing for about 2 years and have since done some extract with friends just due to time. Last two have been BIAB. My recommendation is to start BIAB and build a system if you want later...i built a three tier and just finished a 2 tier, BIAB is such an easy, efficient way to brew with outstanding results... Last batch was 81%

 

[norsk]

My general arrogance would prevent me from taking a class....wish it weren't so. Have always been an autodidact...never took a sailing lesson and have sailed around the world. Ditto with numerous hobbies, jobs, etc. Wife complains of all the books and magazines. Went from helping a buddy with his extract kits to brewing one or two kits and then going all grain. But I read several books, too many articles to count, and thousands of blog comments before I did....Come to think of it...it would have been cheaper to take a class.

 

[seabass07]

My general arrogance would prevent me from taking a class....wish it weren't so. Have always been an autodidact...never took a sailing lesson and have sailed around the world. Ditto with numerous hobbies, jobs, etc. Wife complains of all the books and magazines. Went from helping a buddy with his extract kits to brewing one or two kits and then going all grain. But I read several books, too many articles to count, and thousands of blog comments before I did....Come to think of it...it would have been cheaper to take a class.

There is a sense of pride that comes with doing all of the research yourself and learning how to do something vs taking a class.

Reading all of those books probably taught you much more than if you had taken a class though.

 

[danorocks17]

i've been brewing for almost 3 years now and I'm finally getting ready to make the switch to AG. This summer i have purchased a 50' copper IC and a turkey fryer, now all I have to do is build a Mash/Tun which shouldn't be a big deal. I would go ahead and do it, but I want to brew my last extract/grains batch (a barley wine) this weekend and then get into the M/T build. It's encouraging to hear that AG is worth it. I don't think that going AG will add much time, if any time, to my normal brew day before I got the fryer and the IC. I was averaging about 5 hours beginning to pitch.

 

[Junkster]

I never learned how to brew with extract - I jumped right in with all grain and enjoyed building all of the equipment along the way... DON'T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK!!!!

 

[rycov]

only set back for me was time. I enjoy the extra steps, so if I had more free time it wouldn't be an issue. as is I brew all grain when ever I can, otherwise I try to squeeze in an extract batch. I don't think its too much more effort though, just the extra time.