Whole grain

[Chris Honey]

I just started brewing and eventually want to get into whole grain. What are some good steps at doing this and to start actually making my own beer?

 

[davidabcd]

I just started brewing and eventually want to get into whole grain. What are some good steps at doing this and to start actually making my own beer?

Reading a book at some point. Many other, knowledgeable people on this site will tell you which one.
Start with something easy.
Of course you'll need equipment. Google "John Palmer Beer Book" will set you on the correct path.
Such a big question....
Good luck and welcome!

 

[GRJBowers]

There's a sticky thread in the All-Grain forum here that has links to the basics of all-grain brewing. If you're already doing extract brews the link "All-Grain Brewing with Extract Brewing Equipment (pics)" basically shows how to do small batch brew-in-a-bag (BIAB).

@davidabcd 's point about reading some books is also good advice.
How to Brew by John Palmer, The Complete Joy of Homebrewing and The Homebrewer's Companion both by Charlie Papazian are good starting points though the Papazian books are a little dated.

There's also fairly affordable electric options like the Grainfather and Robobrew.

 

[TGFV]

I would recommend looking into BIAB.

It's the cheapest, easiest and fastest way to get into good all grain brewing. If you want you can even use the same equipment to do extract, extract with steeping, and partial mash to work your way up.

Other than that, read, read, read. "Joy of homebrewing" and "how to brew" have already been mentioned but are in many ways essential reading..

 

[Jtk78]

The two sources I used for jumping to all grain was John Palmers "How to Brew" and the forums here. It seemed daunting when I first started reading. Once I broke it into sections in my head, and focused on that portion, I wrapped my head around it pretty quickly.

I decided on three vessel brewing for my process. So part of my research/development stage was building a mash tun and a hot liquor tank (btw, hot liqour literally means hot water in brewing, still blows my mind that water is called liqour).

I would definitely read up on brew in a bag (BIAB). It's the shortest, cheapest route to all grain.

At the end of the day, consider YOUR brewing space and the process that will work best for YOU. A lot of people will tell you what works best for them. Listen and learn from it, just understand it may not be best for you.

 

[BrewingAroundtheRrealm]

I watched a lot of YouTube videos before I made the jump to all grain.

BEER-N-BBQ by Larry: http://beernbbqbylarry.com/
Brew Dudes: http://www.brew-dudes.com/
Basic Brewing: http://basicbrewing.com/

Those inspired me to start my own site/YouTube channel where I cataloged my own brew sessions as I learned. I made quite a few mistakes along the way. https://brewingaroundtherealm.com/

Reading the forums here was also very helpful.

As the others above have said. Figure out what works best for you. You'll make mistakes. Not every batch is going to be perfect. It's part of the learning process.

 

[VirginiaHops1]

I just started and have done a few extract kits and I'm about to do a grain BIAB but I've learned an incredible amount in a short time by reading a couple books, browsing this site and the internet. Seriously there is endless articles and info on the internet. A lot of times I'll be here looking at a thread and will end up googling something that was mentioned to learn more and will end up down a long rabbit hole of info. Just today I was googling hops to figure out which ones I want to use in my BIAB recipe and ended up reading a really interesting article on whirlpool/late hops additions. It's amazing how complex brewing can be but equally amazing how fast you can learn and progress. Have fun

 

[RPh_Guy]

I started all-grain from my first batch of beer.
Looking back, a brew in the bag (BIAB) setup is easiest for small batches and is what I currently use for 1 gal batches.
For my larger 5-6 gal batches I prefer my 3-vessel system because I don't need to lift a large bag of hot wet grain (pulley or otherwise), and my cooler mash tun holds temps really well.
My 5-gal brew kettle for BIAB serves as my part of my 3-vessel system.

 

[urg8rb8]

I went from extract to Brew In A Bag In A Cooler. This is the cheapest way to go for all grain. Ever since I moved to all grain, my beers have improved SIGNIFICANTLY!

 

[balrog]

Wilser BIAB bag. BIAB using stepladder setup like Alton Brown for turkey fryer. You do have to move a 10G pot around with 7G water in it for a 5G batch, 'tis true, but it is pretty simple setup and low initial equipment capital layout.

 

[dstockwell]

Started with BIAB from day one.

 

[mongoose33]

Hard to tell if you've actually done a brew; assuming you haven't, if you can find someone who will let you watch a brew day, that investment would pay huge dividends. There's a certain amount of learning the language in brewing--terms like mash, tun, sparge, liquor, pitching, and 2-dozen more make it seem more daunting than it is. If you can watch a brew day, all the reading you do will make sense much, much faster.

I agree w/ the above people: from a simplicity and expense point of view, Brew-in-a-Bag is the easiest way to get into all-grain. Make sure, if you're planning to do 5-gallon batches with BIAB, that your boil kettle is 10 gallons or more.

I think there's value in doing 2 or 3 extract brews before attempting all-grain. There's a number of moving parts in brewing, and mastering the boil, heating the water/wort, adding hops, chilling, getting into the fermenter, pitching the yeast, maintaining temp control, monitoring fermentation, getting the beer bottled, and so on--there's enough to work on without worrying about the all-grain aspects of it.

There are a few things with which you need concern yourself in all-grain brewing, but here's why I advocate doing a few extract brews: if you jump right into all-grain and the beer doesn't turn out, was it the way you did all-grain? Did you not get the mash temp right, the crush of the grain wasn't right, the water wasn't right? The more variables you have, the harder to pin down the cause of a bad batch.

*************

All the above presumes you're doing it on your own. I taught a buddy to brew all-grain from the get-go, but we did it this way: he watched me do a brew day. Then he did one while I kibbitzed. Then the third one he did on his own, with a few texts to me to confirm things.

But here's the key: I made most of the decisions for him. I determined the water requirements, crushed the grain, specified things like preheating the mash tun (we didn't do BIAB at that time), when to add hops--basically, everything. I approved the recipes, and so on.

That way, he could focus on doing the process, not deciding what it should be.

While someone will no doubt chime in here that they started with all-grain and it worked out, IMO it's not the way to bet. Ask yourself where you want to be in 3 months and 6 months, and design a learning protocol that will get you there at that point.

Good luck, and welcome!

 

[Biscuits]

Lots of great advice here. I also urge you to get a few (read: 5 or 6) extract brews under your belt first. This will give you a solid idea of what the basic process is and it will also tell you whether or not you really want to commit to brewing. I know that sounds a bit dramatic, as if a hobby is a serious commitment, but it will better guide you on the path forward. Too many of us took baby steps along the way and it ends up costing more money than if you were to buy equipment with an end goal in mind...the key is to buy the right size kettle, the right size chiller, the right size mashtun, etc so that you don't have to buy these things twice when you eventually decide you want to scale up to larger batches. I see homebrew equipment posted on craigslist that never gets sold and I just know those people are kicking themselves for not buying the 15 gallon kettle instead of the 8 gallon.

 

[VirginiaHops1]

There are a few things with which you need concern yourself in all-grain brewing, but here's why I advocate doing a few extract brews: if you jump right into all-grain and the beer doesn't turn out, was it the way you did all-grain? Did you not get the mash temp right, the crush of the grain wasn't right, the water wasn't right? The more variables you have, the harder to pin down the cause of a bad batch.

I agree with this. Doesn't hurt to do an extract kit or two in the beginning, to start slow. It can help you dial in your process in the beginning with less moving parts. I felt quite overwhelmed with my first brew session just dealing with extract and it would've been even worse if I'd tried to do all-grain from the start, but you become comfortable very quickly. I said in the beginning I was just going to do extract for awhile for simplicity and had no interest in grain but now I'm doing a 2.5 gal BIAB for my 4th batch because, why not.

Also, as others have noted I'd be careful buying expensive equipment right off the bat, before you know what direction you want to go in with batch size. You could end up having under-sized equipment and regret or you could go in the other direction. I got a cheap 5 gallon starter kit but recently I've moved to making smaller batches(2.5 gallon), so I can brew more often and I'm the only big beer drinker in the house. I picked up a couple 3 gallon Better Bottles for fermenting but my equipment from the cheap 5 gallon starter kit still works and I can do full extract boils or BIAB now.

 

[mongoose33]

I agree with this. Doesn't hurt to do an extract kit or two in the beginning, to start slow. It can help you dial in your process in the beginning with less moving parts. I felt quite overwhelmed with my first brew session just dealing with extract and it would've been even worse if I'd tried to do all-grain from the start, but you become comfortable very quickly. I said in the beginning I was just going to do extract for awhile for simplicity and had no interest in grain but now I'm doing a 2.5 gal BIAB for my 4th batch because, why not.

Also, as others have noted I'd be careful buying expensive equipment right off the bat, before you know what direction you want to go in with batch size. You could end up having under-sized equipment and regret or you could go in the other direction. I got a cheap 5 gallon starter kit but recently I've moved to making smaller batches(2.5 gallon), so I can brew more often and I'm the only big beer drinker in the house. I picked up a couple 3 gallon Better Bottles for fermenting but my equipment from the cheap 5 gallon starter kit still works and I can do full extract boils or BIAB now.

I wonder if there's anyone who hasn't had some regrets as to the equipment they bought at the outset. It's so hard to buy higher-quality stuff because one doesn't have any idea if they'll stay with homebrewing. We want to get in as cheaply as possible so if we exit, the cost is as little as possible.

Except...if we get hooked, there we are. Hooked, and with limiting equipment.

I used to have regrets about this, but I've started to look at it differently. If part of the joy of brewing is the thrill of discovery, the learning, the feeling of accomplishment....then that initial equipment I bought served its purpose. Yeah, I "wasted" some money on equipment I wish I hadn't bought, but it was that very equipment which helped me learn about--forgive me, Charlie--the Joy of Homebrewing.

Heck, there are people who--I kid you not--will spend upwards of $20 just to go to a movie, after which they have no tangible reminder of the experience. Whereas my lesser equipment--well, I still have some of that. Some I've sold to help a newbie get into brewing.

I've bought some equipment whose purchase I regret--but I had fun learning with it, I still have the lessons which obtained, and I don't see that any differently than if I'd spent $20 to go to a movie. It's simply one way I entertain myself.

 

[VirginiaHops1]

I wonder if there's anyone who hasn't had some regrets as to the equipment they bought at the outset. It's so hard to buy higher-quality stuff because one doesn't have any idea if they'll stay with homebrewing. We want to get in as cheaply as possible so if we exit, the cost is as little as possible.

Yeah people probably have regrets sometimes, hindsight is like that. I think the cheap 5 gallon starter kits are the sweet spot for minimizing that. If you scale up or down you can often still use alot of the equipment. And even if some of it becomes obsolete, the cost is so minimal. I purposely have tried to avoid spending too much too fast though, like immersion chillers and kegging and mash tuns, because I'm still figuring out my ideal setup.

 

[Biscuits]

Yeah people probably have regrets sometimes, hindsight is like that. I think the cheap 5 gallon starter kits are the sweet spot for minimizing that. If you scale up or down you can often still use alot of the equipment. And even if some of it becomes obsolete, the cost is so minimal. I purposely have tried to avoid spending too much too fast though, like immersion chillers and kegging and mash tuns, because I'm still figuring out my ideal setup.

I think you're on the right track. I think my biggest regret, which is really not a regret as much as it is a "doh" moment, was not spending up front on things like my immersion chiller. I cheaped out and went with the 25ft coil when I should have went with the 50ft. I mean, there is no such thing as cooling too fast IMO and now if/when I do larger batches it is a point of annoyance for me.

On the other hand, I have seen people who have never so much as stirred in DME who have spent thousands on high-tech systems only to make mediocre beer at best and then be frustrated to the point they give up and are stuck with a behemoth of a brew system that they can't offload.

I feel that the excitement in brewing comes from the learning aspect and being able to put hypothesis to the test. Some people get into it because they think they will learn how to do it really quick and they can open a brewery and live the dream....but without the passion and excitement it's never going to stick.

 

[Tribe Fan]

My first beer was from extract, brewed in a thunderstorm with God only knows how much rainwater in the pot. Thunder Ale was one of the best beers I ever did.

But I've found mashing in grains to be one of the great small pleasures in life. I've done it at decent scale and on a stovetop, either way works. For batches 5 gal and under BIAB is the way to go. 10 gallons or more I'd rather batch sparge in a cooler than deal with the bag. Easier and more efficient.

My guess is you'll try a bunch of different ways as well.

 

[kh54s10]

I wonder if there's anyone who hasn't had some regrets as to the equipment they bought at the outset. It's so hard to buy higher-quality stuff because one doesn't have any idea if they'll stay with homebrewing. We want to get in as cheaply as possible so if we exit, the cost is as little as possible.

Except...if we get hooked, there we are. Hooked, and with limiting equipment.

I used to have regrets about this, but I've started to look at it differently. If part of the joy of brewing is the thrill of discovery, the learning, the feeling of accomplishment....then that initial equipment I bought served its purpose. Yeah, I "wasted" some money on equipment I wish I hadn't bought, but it was that very equipment which helped me learn about--forgive me, Charlie--the Joy of Homebrewing.

Heck, there are people who--I kid you not--will spend upwards of $20 just to go to a movie, after which they have no tangible reminder of the experience. Whereas my lesser equipment--well, I still have some of that. Some I've sold to help a newbie get into brewing.

I've bought some equipment whose purchase I regret--but I had fun learning with it, I still have the lessons which obtained, and I don't see that any differently than if I'd spent $20 to go to a movie. It's simply one way I entertain myself.

Fortunately I didn't have enough money to buy things without knowing I needed them. I started extract with a Northern Brewer Deluxe kit. It had everything needed and not much you didn't. It had a cleaner/sanitizer that I decided wasn't great at either and still have it 7+ years later. I guess I should use it to clean something. I had a 5 gallon aluminum stock pot ~$20, I still use it, for cooking mostly. While doing 4 extract and 4 partial mash recipes, I was researching and purchasing for a 3 tier gravity 3 vessel rig. I am still using all that equipment. I have a turkey fryer burner for my HLT and an SP10 for my BK. I would have loved to have Blichmann burners but my cheap ones have served me well, though they are loud and do burn more propane.

Next up is all electric inside an air conditioned brew space, when and if funds ever allow that.....

So going cheap, doesn't necessarily mean that you are going to buy something that you will regret.

 

[GoeHaarden]

I think one thing you have to realize is that it is the process that makes good beer, not the equipment. Took me a year of so to realize this myself. I have an issue with tinkering, and not letting things be like Tim the tool man. So when I started I was constantly tinkering with my setup and changing it nearly every brew-day, which I do not recommend. You can make your setup as simple or as complicated as you choose, but ultimately you're equipment just has to be able to hold your mash at a rather stable temp, boil, and cool. It's the details in your process that makes the difference...

A $5,000 Spike's System will make bad beer if your process sucks!

 

[TGFV]

Everything can have a use purchase wise (within reason).

Too small of pots can be used for HLT, sparge or other purposes.

A mashtun purchased before going BIAB can be used for kettle souring

A Corona mill can be used for hard grain cereal (looking at you corn and wheat berries).

As long as you don't spend money frivolously then there isn't any need to regret a purchase.

 

[kh54s10]

Everything can have a use purchase wise (within reason).

Too small of pots can be used for HLT, sparge or other purposes.

A mashtun purchased before going BIAB can be used for kettle souring

A Corona mill can be used for hard grain cereal (looking at you corn and wheat berries).

As long as you don't spend money frivolously then there isn't any need to regret a purchase.

A Corona mill can be used for milling all your grains - forever if you want....

 

[millatime]

I just started brewing and eventually want to get into whole grain. What are some good steps at doing this and to start actually making my own beer?

Hi There,

I used to brew some extracts years ago, and just recently, this week actually, got into brewing again. First time all grain. I don't think I would ever go back to extract. You will learn so much from the process and getting techniques down, I would totally recommend it. It feels so good to turn the grains intro a drinkable product.

I started with a simple IPA "kit" where they crush the grain for you, measure it out, etc. So all you really have to do is follow a simple recipe.

Once I get my techniques down, learn my equipment, etc, I will probably get a grain mill, etc.

I'm a former chef, so I think of brewing like cooking. If you can get the base techniques down and get confident, you can pretty much cook anything in the world.

Good luck!

 

[Tribe Fan]

Hi There,


I'm a former chef, so I think of brewing like cooking. If you can get the base techniques down and get confident, you can pretty much cook anything in the world.

Good luck!

Not a chef, but I that is exactly how I approach it. A well laid out, stocked kitchen is wonderful, but sometimes a campfire will do nicely.