First all grain

[bobeer]

Funny to see all the other firsts for ag brewing that happened this weekend. It's always fun to step up your process. I brewed a 2.5 gallon batch chocolate oatmeal stout biab style. I don't have the money for 5 gallon ag or extract batches, plus I don't drink enough to warrant it, so the 2.5 gallon batches work great. I missed the OG by a tad but the wort tasted awesome. I can't wait for it to be drinkable.
Just wanted to say thanks to everyone for asking the questions and giving the answers. Between homebrewtalk and brew tv I didn't really have to look anything up or ask any new questions. It's nice to look at the recipe section and not be limited to just extract recipes. Now I'm looking forward to getting a propane burner and better equipment so I can make even better beer!

 

[Hackwood]

Welcome to AG. I recently made the jump too and after 1 5gal batch quickly figured(as many) that 10 gallons+ is the way to go with AG.

If 2.5 works, then 2.5 is perfect. Brew what you like and stick with it. I gift a lot of my HB so 2.5 wouldn't last me long at all. haha

WELCOME!

 

[C-Rider]

Funny to see all the other firsts for ag brewing that happened this weekend. It's always fun to step up your process. I brewed a 2.5 gallon batch chocolate oatmeal stout biab style. I don't have the money for 5 gallon ag or extract batches, plus I don't drink enough to warrant it, so the 2.5 gallon batches work great. I missed the OG by a tad but the wort tasted awesome. I can't wait for it to be drinkable.
Just wanted to say thanks to everyone for asking the questions and giving the answers. Between homebrewtalk and brew tv I didn't really have to look anything up or ask any new questions. It's nice to look at the recipe section and not be limited to just extract recipes. Now I'm looking forward to getting a propane burner and better equipment so I can make even better beer!

Woo Hoo! And to heck w/5 gallon 50 bottle batches too. :cross: I also do small brews and as you can see in my signature below I have a variety of brews to pick from. I get about 16 bottles per brew.

 

[bobeer]

Woo Hoo! And to heck w/5 gallon 50 bottle batches too. :cross: I also do small brews and as you can see in my signature below I have a variety of brews to pick from. I get about 16 bottles per brew.

I totally love the ability to have a wide selection of beers to choose from. I was doing 2.5 gallon extract batches before and said screw it, I'll move up to ag. Once I upgrade to kegs who knows maybe I'll make the jump to 5 gallon ag batches but I'll probably stay with the 2.5 because then I'll be able to have a selection on tap and brew more often. I can usually pull a 24 pack of beer from 2.5 gallon batches so maybe they're more like 3 gallons

 

[BamaRooster]

Welcome to all grain brewing. I started a few months ago and never looked back. It still amazes me the level of control you have over your process and therefore, your final product.

 

[MedicMang]

How often do you small batch brewers brew? I brew 5 gallons every two weeks or so. I find myself running out. Not because I drink them all but because a lot of people are interested in what I'm doing and I give away most of it.

Also, I wanted to point out that you have a great opportunity to be very creative, somewhat worry free. If you only have 16 or so bottles to drink, go nuts and try using strange ingredients and techniques with out fear of having 50+ bottles to drink.

Welcome to all-grain brewing though. You will greatly enjoy the control you have over the destiny of your beer. It's a neat process. Have fun!

 

[C-Rider]

How often do you small batch brewers brew? I brew 5 gallons every two weeks or so. I find myself running out. Not because I drink them all but because a lot of people are interested in what I'm doing and I give away most of it.

Also, I wanted to point out that you have a great opportunity to be very creative, somewhat worry free. If you only have 16 or so bottles to drink, go nuts and try using strange ingredients and techniques with out fear of having 50+ bottles to drink.

Welcome to all-grain brewing though. You will greatly enjoy the control you have over the destiny of your beer. It's a neat process. Have fun!

Depends on how often friends stop by after a hike. Some days I have 1/2 dozen hikers helping me drink the I have to brew like once a week. Now it's mostly me so about every week and a half is enough. I rarely drink more than one a day. 16 bottles should last 16 days w/out company.

 

[bobeer]

How often do you small batch brewers brew? I brew 5 gallons every two weeks or so. I find myself running out. Not because I drink them all but because a lot of people are interested in what I'm doing and I give away most of it.

Also, I wanted to point out that you have a great opportunity to be very creative, somewhat worry free. If you only have 16 or so bottles to drink, go nuts and try using strange ingredients and techniques with out fear of having 50+ bottles to drink.

Welcome to all-grain brewing though. You will greatly enjoy the control you have over the destiny of your beer. It's a neat process. Have fun!

Thanks man! The first batch was a lot of fun so I'm going to run with it.

I usually brew every weekend or at least I try to. I have a lot of 2.5 and 5 gallon fermentors so I like to keep everything full. I can get about 24 beers out of a batch, and I don't have a lot of folks to give beer away to, so I'm starting to have a nice range of beers on hand. At most I'll have some buddy's over for a tasting or something if I need the bottles for a new batch but that only happens a few times a year.