nuthin_original
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I may have missed something obvious, but why exactly is the all-grain method perferred by so many?
Why is AG better?
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aekdbbop
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I do it because it is more hands on and more satisfying. Everyone makes the comparison of fresh brewed tea to instant tea..
Not that AG is going to be any better tasting than extract..
plus, it gave me an excuse to buy more equipment.. lol
Not that AG is going to be any better tasting than extract..
plus, it gave me an excuse to buy more equipment.. lol
polecreek
Well-Known Member
Because you get to spend alot more money building cool stuff.
ohiobrewtus
Well-Known Member
+1 For me it's about getting more involved in the process as well. I made some good extract beers, but the process of brewing extract left me wanting more.
Gonefishing
Someday I'll stop procrastinating
It isn't always better. It requires more equipment, room, time and money. Many awards are won with extract and PM brews every year, so obviously those can taste pretty darn good.
That said, to me also it's the total hands on, and I'm still pretty amazed when those dry kernals of grain become transformed into good beer. AG also gives you better control of color, especially if you're aiming for a light colored brew.
That said, to me also it's the total hands on, and I'm still pretty amazed when those dry kernals of grain become transformed into good beer. AG also gives you better control of color, especially if you're aiming for a light colored brew.
I made some wonderful beers with extract and partial mashing, but they just seem to be a bit better with AG. They can be lighter colored, and less carmelized. I would never denigrate an extract brew, though- even some brewpubs brew only with extract and you'd never know it.
Jared311
Well-Known Member
There have definitely been several people on this forum who have won awards with extract brews. So I don't know if better is the appropriate word. I think more rewarding would fit the sentence a hell of a lot better. Its great being there for every step of the process controlling every little thing that goes into the beer.
TeufelBrew
Well-Known Member
Yep, you get to control more of the processes of making your beer. But the really big draw of AG is expressing your inner BrewGyver.
You get a chance to make way cooler stuff and use all those doodads laying around the house and still make beer from it!
You get a chance to make way cooler stuff and use all those doodads laying around the house and still make beer from it!
Malt extract has a level of processing done that I just don't care for. I wanted to take out the middleman. Some people use the tea analogy but I think it's more like spaghetti sauce. Is someone a better chef if they open a can of Ragu or make it from scratch?
EdWort
Well-Known Member
+1 Plus the fact that my all grain beers taste way better than any extract brews I have made.
Of course my extract days were almost a decade ago.
aekdbbop
Well-Known Member
+1 Plus the fact that my all grain beers taste way better than any extract brews I have made.
Of course my extract days were almost a decade ago.
lol.. your old.. jk
flyangler18
Well-Known Member
I'll admit, I don't like the term 'better' when discussing AG (when we invariably compare it to extract or extract + steeping brewing). I brew all-grain to be in command of the process; the experience of handcrafting a beer grain to glass is almost (if not, more) as satisfying as drinking said beer. However, I recognize that truly excellent beer can, and has, been crafted using extract + steeping grain using the freshest ingredients possible and being in command of as many brewing variables as possible.
I've choked down some god-awful AG beers (never mine of course
) because the brewer thought they were crossing some transformative threshold the minute they built an MLT and mashed in. In my view, it is the cumulative experience of the brewer that truly makes a beer memorable and less the method used in crafting said beer.
To the OP, there's no definitive answer as to why AG is 'better' (there I go using that word again); only individual perspectives. Being able to make an educated decision respective of your own position is where the proverbial rubber hits the road.
I've choked down some god-awful AG beers (never mine of course
) because the brewer thought they were crossing some transformative threshold the minute they built an MLT and mashed in. In my view, it is the cumulative experience of the brewer that truly makes a beer memorable and less the method used in crafting said beer. To the OP, there's no definitive answer as to why AG is 'better' (there I go using that word again); only individual perspectives. Being able to make an educated decision respective of your own position is where the proverbial rubber hits the road.
Laughing_Gnome_Invisible
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Noob AG brewer alert!
I've only done two AG brews so far, and to be honest, I have brewed equally good extract brews to those two. Having said that I can see from my AG brews that taking into account the mistakes I made on them that I will be able to brew better with AG than extract in the future when I have nailed the process.
Rather than the instant tea analogy, I prefer to liken extract to evaporated and powdered milk (evaporated=LME, powdered=DME) While these milk products are made from milk, they never taste the same as the initial product when re-hydrated. Now, you can cook excellent dishes with evaporated milk just as you can brew excellent beer with extract. However, with AG you are starting with the raw ingredient rather than a product that has been drastically altered by the extraction process.
You can brew similar brews with both methods, but I reckon youd be very hard pressed to replicate either version using the alternative method. In the end, it comes down to your personal tastes in the final product.
I've only done two AG brews so far, and to be honest, I have brewed equally good extract brews to those two. Having said that I can see from my AG brews that taking into account the mistakes I made on them that I will be able to brew better with AG than extract in the future when I have nailed the process.
Rather than the instant tea analogy, I prefer to liken extract to evaporated and powdered milk (evaporated=LME, powdered=DME) While these milk products are made from milk, they never taste the same as the initial product when re-hydrated. Now, you can cook excellent dishes with evaporated milk just as you can brew excellent beer with extract. However, with AG you are starting with the raw ingredient rather than a product that has been drastically altered by the extraction process.
You can brew similar brews with both methods, but I reckon youd be very hard pressed to replicate either version using the alternative method. In the end, it comes down to your personal tastes in the final product.
IowaHarry
Well-Known Member
More junk. More processes. More stuff to know.
Plus the opportunity to look down your nose at those lowly extract brewers secure in the knowledge that you have spent way more time and money to produce roughly the same thing they can with extract.
THERE! TAKE THAT YOU LOWLY EXTRACT BREWING BASTIDGES!! HA! IN YOUR FACE!
NANNER NANNER NANNER! NANNER NANNER NANNER! (You have to do that last part twice)
Plus the opportunity to look down your nose at those lowly extract brewers secure in the knowledge that you have spent way more time and money to produce roughly the same thing they can with extract.
THERE! TAKE THAT YOU LOWLY EXTRACT BREWING BASTIDGES!! HA! IN YOUR FACE!
NANNER NANNER NANNER! NANNER NANNER NANNER! (You have to do that last part twice)
Laughing_Gnome_Invisible
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What the hell? Another brewing post from Gnome? I think I liked him better when he was part of the extract/PM riff-raff. You're not one of us anymore.
Laughing_Gnome_Invisible
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DudeBrew
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Yea I definetly get the satisfaction of building cool beer equipment, as well as it's open to a little bit more tweaking I think..
wildwest450
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It's "better" because you give someone your homebrew, they taste it, they love it. Then you hold up a bag of grains and tell them that's where the beer came from. Then they look at you like your God(or at least Houdini). It's a total ego trip.
BlackCoffeeandBourbon
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Does AG give you better lacing on a glass than extract? Just wondering.
Laughing_Gnome_Invisible
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I got better lacing with extract when I did a full boil. Dunno if the full boil was the reason for that though. Lacing and clarity seems better overall to me based on just my two AG brews.
I've gotten some very nice lacing with certain extract beers (using caramel steeping malts, and of course wheat extract), but I can say with absolute no authority that extract beers can also have little to no head depending on process and ingredients.
I am going to AG for a few reasons.
1. Cool stuff. Yes, I like to build things when I can (as opposed to paying for them), so I am enjoying building a barley crusher and MLT and coming this spring a Brew Rig! (maybe).
2. Learn the process better. There are some very interesting (perhaps the most interesting) things going on when mashing. It's maybe the most finicky aspect of brewing and a step that can really affect the final outcome of the beer. how much grain, how much time, what temps, etc. Off a little and your beer might not be the way you expect.
3. Cost. Yes, you can save some pretty good money by going to AG IF you don't' factor the cost of the extra equipment (and it really doesn't have to cost much if you buy your grain pre-crushed, and you built your own MLT), and time. Check any of the online supply shops and compare AG kit prices to extract prices, then look up the cost of buying bulk grain...
So, when you add up the reduction in cost, the more-than-likely improvement in quality, and the fun factor, it makes sense.
But, I've made a couple of very tasty beers with extract, once I got on this site and started doing things the right way (being prepared, taking notes, following notes, and being organized for example)..
jds
Well-Known Member
For me, the great thing about AG brewing is the world of ingredients available to the AG'er that aren't very suitable for extract brewing. Rye, for example, isn't very easy for an extract brewer to work with, but has rapidly become one of my favorite specialty grains.
Also, I like the idea of controlling the entire process myself, and I still feel a bit like a magician when I open up what was once a cooler full of hot cereal to find a cooler full of sweet wort.
Remember, brewing is a craft, and there's no such thing as "best". What's best for me may not be what's best for you, or for anybody else.
Also, I like the idea of controlling the entire process myself, and I still feel a bit like a magician when I open up what was once a cooler full of hot cereal to find a cooler full of sweet wort.
Remember, brewing is a craft, and there's no such thing as "best". What's best for me may not be what's best for you, or for anybody else.
Several reasons for AG for me.
1) the process and control - I like the process and science behind mashing
2) Better beers - Not always but often I taste an extract twang in extract beers. I don't get this with AG.
3) Bulk buying and price - With AG once I bought my crusher I can get grains in bulk that will store for a long time. This is much cheaper than buying the ingredients on a batch by batch basis and I can make a beer whenever I feel like it, without needing to go to the store or wait for an order.
3 is possible with Extract but LME and crushed grains do not keep well once opened and DME is much more expensive than base malt.
Nothing wrong with extract but AG is not that much more difficult, and the equipment does not cost much if done on the cheap.
Craig
1) the process and control - I like the process and science behind mashing
2) Better beers - Not always but often I taste an extract twang in extract beers. I don't get this with AG.
3) Bulk buying and price - With AG once I bought my crusher I can get grains in bulk that will store for a long time. This is much cheaper than buying the ingredients on a batch by batch basis and I can make a beer whenever I feel like it, without needing to go to the store or wait for an order.
3 is possible with Extract but LME and crushed grains do not keep well once opened and DME is much more expensive than base malt.
Nothing wrong with extract but AG is not that much more difficult, and the equipment does not cost much if done on the cheap.
Craig
Another analogy (as if we needed more) is in the world of musclecars/racing. Back in my irresponsible days I built and raced a few cars at the dragstrip. You can buy a new car and drop it off at your favorite speedshop for performance upgrades, but I guarantee you appreciate racing the car more if you swapped out the cam yourself.
i think this article from BYO best sums it up Brew Your Own: The How-To Homebrew Beer Magazine - Brew Wizard - Is extract better than all-grain brewing?
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