66 replies to this topic

[Mynameisluka]

so, i'm still a newbie, and i know this is an age old question that has been addressed. but, i'm hoping for some additional insight that i have not yet found that may sway my decision. i am currently doing extract brews with steeping grains. i have considered moving to all-grain, but i am not sure if it's worth it...at least not for 5 gallon batches. it seems like the biggest taste difference, from what i have read, comes when brewing high gravity beers. since i am no fan of high gravity beer, i am unlikely to brew any. i realize the fact that you can have a lot more control over the final product using all grain. but, is it really worth it considering the large number of various extracts that are available?also, something that i wonder about...how many of you do all-grain for 5 gallon batches? how many of you began doing all-grain for 5 gallon batches and then bumped up to 10 gallon batches? if i ever do move to all-grain, i think i am going to go for a batch size larger than 5 gallons just to help make the additional time required for all-grain more worth it. right now, i can do 2 5 gallon extract batches in about 6 hours, start to finish. from what i have read, i should be able to to 1 10 gallon batch using all-grain in about the same time. that, to me, makes it worth it. especially when you factor in the additional cost savings of doing all-grain.i have considered partial mash, but it seems to me that if i am going to do that i might as well go ahead and do all-grain.what say you brews-bros?

[chadm75]

Six hours to do a extract brew?! Holy brew balls, what is your process? It shouldn't nearly take that long. You should be able to brew an extract in two hours flat so I'm wondering why it's taking you so long?Go all-grain! The possibilities are endless and you will get sooooo much more enjoyment out of the process of making your own beer. Any moron (no offense to you because we were all where you are at some point in our careers) can throw some extract in some boiling water, chill it, add yeast and call it beer. That to me isn't brewing, it's following some instructions in a kit which a 2nd grader can do. AG is more work, yes. It's more time, yes. It's more complicated, yes. It's 10 times more fun and satisfying....YES!

[Mynameisluka]

Six hours to do a extract brew?! Holy brew balls, what is your process? It shouldn't nearly take that long. You should be able to brew an extract in two hours flat so I'm wondering why it's taking you so long?

lol...no...it takes 6 hours for me to do 2 batches back to back. that is from the time i grab the kettle out of the garage until the time i put it back in storage, with a little break in between the two batches. i would quit if it took me 6 hours to do 1 batch. my point in saying that is from what i have read, i could brew one 10 gallon batch all-grain in about 6 hours from start to finish...which would be about the same amount of time for the same yield. Am I correct in the time it would take to brew a 10 gallon batch?ETA: Sorry, i should have been more clear about that.

[chadm75]

lol...no...it takes 6 hours for me to do 2 batches back to back. that is from the time i grab the kettle out of the garage until the time i put it back in storage, with a little break in between the two batches. i would quit if it took me 6 hours to do 1 batch. my point in saying that is from what i have read, i could brew one 10 gallon batch all-grain in about 6 hours from start to finish...which would be about the same amount of time for the same yield.

Oh gotcha...I was going to say! Jesus!My $0.02 is to go AG. Especially if it's going to yield you the same amount in the same amount of time. I'm an AG brewer who brews in 6.5 gallon batches. I keg 5 gallons and bottle whatever is left (if there is any after the transfer losses). I know that with a little more effort, I could brew 10 gallon batches. Honestly though I like to rotate my beers pretty quickly so after drinking 5 gallons of a certain beer, I'm ready to rotate another style into the kegerator.

[Mynameisluka]

chadm - how long does it take you to brew a 6.5 gallon batch all-grain?

[chadm75]

Uh, that depends! Am I drinking? Do I have buddies over? Or am I alone and focused on what I'm doing?If I'm organized and efficient about what I'm doing, I can be done in 4 hours. I used to be at about 5 hours until I recently added a Shirron Plate Chiller to my regimen which took almost an hour off my brewday.

[Mynameisluka]

I used to be at about 5 hours until I recently added a Shirron Plate Chiller to my regimen which took almost an hour off my brewday.

interesting...i have been considering getting one of those.

[Deerslyr]

If I am super efficient and crush my grain the night before, I have been able to go from start to finish in as little as 4 hours. Typical though is just under 5 hours. I only brew 5 gallons at a time (I'm the only one in the house that drinks beer and 10 gallons of one style gets me to the point where I'm tired of it). If you don't consider the cost of equipment, the cost of brewing a batch of ingredients drops significantly. The ingredients for grain are less than extract and grain. Then, if you buy in bulk, it really drops the price. My last batch, a wheat beer that was 50% 2 Row and 50% Wheat Malt, cost me about $7 in grain. 2 ounces of hops cost me about $4. A packet of US-05 was around $4. Total ingredient cost: $15. If you figure a 6 pack of comparable beer is $8 in the store, and I get the equivalent of 48 bottles, I just saved $49. One of the other cool things about AG is tinkering with the equipment. If you like building things, then this will definitely appeal to you. Those are just a few thoughts.

[Mynameisluka]

If I am super efficient and crush my grain the night before, I have been able to go from start to finish in as little as 4 hours. Typical though is just under 5 hours. I only brew 5 gallons at a time (I'm the only one in the house that drinks beer and 10 gallons of one style gets me to the point where I'm tired of it). If you don't consider the cost of equipment, the cost of brewing a batch of ingredients drops significantly. The ingredients for grain are less than extract and grain. Then, if you buy in bulk, it really drops the price. My last batch, a wheat beer that was 50% 2 Row and 50% Wheat Malt, cost me about $7 in grain. 2 ounces of hops cost me about $4. A packet of US-05 was around $4. Total ingredient cost: $15. If you figure a 6 pack of comparable beer is $8 in the store, and I get the equivalent of 48 bottles, I just saved $49. One of the other cool things about AG is tinkering with the equipment. If you like building things, then this will definitely appeal to you. Those are just a few thoughts.

yeah...building the setup is one of the factors really drawing me to it. my wife makes fun of me for getting geeked out about things like that. my plan would be to do a keggle. also, the cost savings makes it attractive. with my current setup, i need to brew about 10 batches to pay for it. i'll probably wait until after that to go for the all-grain setup, if i do. that's just the accountant in me. plus, that will give me a lot of time to research and design it right the first time.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

so, i'm still a newbie, and i know this is an age old question that has been addressed. but, i'm hoping for some additional insight that i have not yet found that may sway my decision. i am currently doing extract brews with steeping grains. i have considered moving to all-grain, but i am not sure if it's worth it...at least not for 5 gallon batches. it seems like the biggest taste difference, from what i have read, comes when brewing high gravity beers. since i am no fan of high gravity beer, i am unlikely to brew any. i realize the fact that you can have a lot more control over the final product using all grain. but, is it really worth it considering the large number of various extracts that are available?also, something that i wonder about...how many of you do all-grain for 5 gallon batches? how many of you began doing all-grain for 5 gallon batches and then bumped up to 10 gallon batches? if i ever do move to all-grain, i think i am going to go for a batch size larger than 5 gallons just to help make the additional time required for all-grain more worth it. right now, i can do 2 5 gallon extract batches in about 6 hours, start to finish. from what i have read, i should be able to to 1 10 gallon batch using all-grain in about the same time. that, to me, makes it worth it. especially when you factor in the additional cost savings of doing all-grain.i have considered partial mash, but it seems to me that if i am going to do that i might as well go ahead and do all-grain.what say you brews-bros?

5 gallon AG batches here. it's worth it not just from cost savings but from the quality bump you'll get. it's hard to gaurantee that extract is fresh but grains you can readily know ahead of time. I also think it's more fun to brew AG. I try to keep my equipment as simple as possible although things continue to get more complicated despite my best efforts.

[Deerslyr]

yeah...building the setup is one of the factors really drawing me to it. my wife makes fun of me for getting geeked out about things like that. my plan would be to do a keggle. also, the cost savings makes it attractive. with my current setup, i need to brew about 10 batches to pay for it. i'll probably wait until after that to go for the all-grain setup, if i do. that's just the accountant in me. plus, that will give me a lot of time to research and design it right the first time.

Do me a favor and list the equipment that you use. I just want to see the makeup of your current setup. It's possible that you could jump to AG now (or relatively soon). You are already doing full boils, correct? So clearly you have a burner and pot that can handle it. Let's see what else you got!I'm not a huge "builder", but it was certainly a lot of fun to do.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

Do me a favor and list the equipment that you use. I just want to see the makeup of your current setup. It's possible that you could jump to AG now (or relatively soon). You are already doing full boils, correct? So clearly you have a burner and pot that can handle it. Let's see what else you got!I'm not a huge "builder", but it was certainly a lot of fun to do.

yeah - I'm guessing the only major purchase required is a mash tun. get a nice big cooler and you can eventually go to 10 gallons if you want but for now you could make a few 5 gallon batches. the one problem when you get to 10 gallons is now you can't readily lift things anymore.

[Mynameisluka]

Do me a favor and list the equipment that you use. I just want to see the makeup of your current setup. It's possible that you could jump to AG now (or relatively soon). You are already doing full boils, correct? So clearly you have a burner and pot that can handle it. Let's see what else you got!I'm not a huge "builder", but it was certainly a lot of fun to do.

basically, i have a:burner9 gallon pot. it doesn't have a spigot, so i have to siphon.2 7 gallon fermenting buckets, 1 with a spigot (was supposed to be a bottling bucket, but i don't use it as such) 1 without a spigot.other than a stirring spoon, hyrdometer, etc...that's about it.if i built a mash tun, that's probably about all i would need to do 5 gal batches, right?

[Mynameisluka]

the one problem when you get to 10 gallons is now you can't readily lift things anymore.

yeah, 5 gallons is enough to suck when you're trying to lift without splashing. if i move to 10, i would probably build a stand of sorts that would hopefully eliminate heavy lifting.

[ChicagoWaterGuy]

Any moron (no offense to you because we were all where you are at some point in our careers) can throw some extract in some boiling water, chill it, add yeast and call it beer. That to me isn't brewing, it's following some instructions in a kit which a 2nd grader can do. AG is more work, yes. It's more time, yes. It's more complicated, yes. It's 10 times more fun and satisfying....YES!

Kinda sh!tty thing to say. All Grain or extract, brewers can develop their own recipes. Good sanitation practices and controlling fermentation temps are at least as important to making good beer as going to all grain. I started all grain with a 5 gallon Gott cooler rig and 10 gallon pot for 5 gallon batches, then upgraded to turkey fryers, cut kegs and a larger cooler for 11 gallon batches. The 11 gallon set up is nice to brew with friends, do split batches with different yeasts or brew up a bunch of beer for parties. I usually brew with the 5 gallon set up. I like to brew more often and have different beers on tap.My first major brewing upgrade before going all grain was a kegging set up. It was worth the money.

[Mynameisluka]

All Grain or extract, brewers can develop their own recipes. /snip/My first major brewing upgrade before going all grain was a kegging set up. It was worth the money.

yeah, i have already started developing my own recipes. i have currently perfected a blonde ale that is loved by many, including me. if i go to all-grain now, my first goal would be to convert this recipe as closely as possible.yeah...i started kegging out of the gate. i had helped enough friends brew back in college that i knew i didn't want to mess with bottling.

[Deerslyr]

basically, i have a:burner9 gallon pot. it doesn't have a spigot, so i have to siphon.2 7 gallon fermenting buckets, 1 with a spigot (was supposed to be a bottling bucket, but i don't use it as such) 1 without a spigot.other than a stirring spoon, hyrdometer, etc...that's about it.if i built a mash tun, that's probably about all i would need to do 5 gal batches, right?

What is your current chilling method? I think that's the only thing that I don't see, along with the mash tun, that is missing. Since you don't have a spigot, you could use an Immersion Chiller. Install a spigot and either a CFC or Plate Chiller is an option. You can build a CFC, but you might get frustrated. See DJ's Thread.You can build a super quick mash tun for batch sparging with a cooler and a braid hose. Personally, even though I knew I was going to start out batch sparging, I built a manifold out of cpvc. I was able to convert to fly sparging. But a mash tun will not be expensive at all. I think one of big "leaps" is ensuring that you have a pot and burner that can handle full boils. You already have that and should be good to go.

[Mynameisluka]

What is your current chilling method? I think that's the only thing that I don't see, along with the mash tun, that is missing.

lol...you'll like my chilling method (but it works fairly well). i have a very large aluminum washtub. i put the kettle in it and fill it with water until the kettle barely floats...i spin it to get a whirlpool and keep it spinning until the water in the washtub gets warm. about 5 minutes. i then take the kettle out, dump the water, put the kettle back in, fill washtub with ice, then fill with water until it floats again. i spin the kettle, wait until the water gets warm again. then i repeat the ice/water combo one more time. i can cool 5 gallons in about 25-30 mins like this.but, having said that, i will invest in some sort of cooling system soon. i have looked at plate chillers, but for various reasons, i don't think i'm going to take that route...first, it seems like it would get clogged easily, and second, it seems like the cold break would happen in the fermenter rather than in the kettle. i would prefer to have that happen in the kettle. i will probably end up with an ic.

[ChicagoWaterGuy]

yeah, i have already started developing my own recipes. i have currently perfected a blonde ale that is loved by many, including me. if i go to all-grain now, my first goal would be to convert this recipe as closely as possible.yeah...i started kegging out of the gate. i had helped enough friends brew back in college that i knew i didn't want to mess with bottling.

Cool. This guy has a great basic tutorial for all grain brewing. You can use any cooler with a drain port without any major modification and some basic parts. If you only have one pot, collect your runnings in buckets instead of the boil kettle. This way you can still heat the sparge water.

[Mynameisluka]

Cool. This guy has a great basic tutorial for all grain brewing. You can use any cooler with a drain port without any major modification and some basic parts. If you only have one pot, collect your runnings in buckets instead of the boil kettle. This way you can still heat the sparge water.

thanks man!