Long time all grain brewer going back to extract and I'm glad I did.

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GravityBrew

GravityBrew

Radar's Dad
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Hey,

I know a lot of folks on this end of the forum are new to brewing but I wanted to pop in and tell you to get good at extract brewing before moving on..

In the last year I've taken on a very intense job and would have lost my will to brew if it weren't for the ease of extract brewing on my stove top. On my next order of ingredients, I'll get appx 450 pints around $.90/pint! Plus my brew day is only about 1.5-3 hours!

I am looking forward to being able finish my electric brewery in my basement, but for now I'm getting really great beer at a fraction of the time and at a fraction of the cost of retail.
 
GravityBrew said:
Hey,

I know a lot of folks on this end of the forum are new to brewing but I wanted to pop in and tell you to get good at extract brewing before moving on..

In the last year I've taken on a very intense job and would have lost my will to brew if it weren't for the ease of extract brewing on my stove top. On my next order of ingredients, I'll get appx 450 pints around $.90/pint! Plus my brew day is only about 1.5-3 hours!

I am looking forward to being able finish my electric brewery in my basement, but for now I'm getting really great beer at a fraction of the time and at a fraction of the cost of retail.
Click to expand...

Good points. Brewing is not a one size fits all thing. The advantages of extract brewing shouldn't be lightly dismissed. I made some very drinkable beers from extract when I first started, after the usual initial kit phase. I am doing BIAB now but thinking about mashing a bit less grain and making it up with some pale LME or DME in the boil.
 
Due to circumstances beyond my control I was forced to go back to extract brewing for a few years and was quite happy with my results. I'm set up now to do BIAB, but in my latest order I got the fixings for several more extract batches to be brewed over the height of the summer heat since I do pretty short boils ( sometimes No-boil) with extract brews.
 
From my first batch I've brewed electric BIAB all-grain, but recently I've done a few extract batches and was shocked by how much fun it was and just how little time it took. Definitely a great way to enjoy homebrewing even when I can't spend a whole day in the garage.

Extract brewing followed by kegging vs bottling is a ridiculously easy and low stress way to have fun.
 
honestly, i've been sersiously mulling the idea of getting a few pre hopped coopers kits, for when brew day doesn't happen...and maybe even using "beer enhancer".....lol

edit: i've got two likes on that, but seriously. i just spent $40 on 10 gallons of apple juice and 4lbs sugar to make 9% cider...because i'm behind on malting...and if this is the cost of pre hopped malt extract f'it!

https://www.homebrewing.org/Coopers...C7993CA5BduZvEINWgShhT6xE7SCrH2xoC59oQAvD_BwE
 
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bracconiere said:
honestly, i've been sersiously mulling the idea of getting a few pre hopped coopers kits, for when brew day doesn't happen...and maybe even using "beer enhancer".....lol

edit: i've got two likes on that, but seriously. i just spent $40 on 10 gallons of apple juice and 4lbs sugar to make 9% cider...because i'm behind on malting...and if this is the cost of pre hopped malt extract f'it!

https://www.homebrewing.org/Coopers...C7993CA5BduZvEINWgShhT6xE7SCrH2xoC59oQAvD_BwE
Click to expand...
Hey... screw that. Buy once, cry once!
Just get 650 pound drum!!

https://www.morebeer.com/products/b...KJYjpR0X2ZeqK1gkD1SdlAPvAuEZ1lGxoC8bgQAvD_BwE
I have a 15% coupon you can use, too!!
 
Early on in my brewing career, extract was used, with the addition of steeping grains. The beers were good enough at the time.
After making the switch to all grain methods, the beer tasted like...beer! Much more so than with extract brewing.
It was night-and-day different / better.
So we have never gone back.
There certainly is a place for using extract.
 
BrewnWKopperKat said:
"Past performance is no guarantee of future results" :ban:
Click to expand...

Correct, as our past performance utilized extract. Made the switch to all grain, never looked back.
As stated, there is a place for extract brewing. But we chose to employ other methods.
 
Right now I am drinking a batch I bottled 6 or 8 months ago and forgot, (because I usually don't bottle) where I brewed a no sparge BIAB batch and called that good, but then went ahead and sparged the bag twice into a separate kettle to recover all the good stuff from the "spent" grain that was gonna get tossed, and made up the gravity with a few pounds of LME. It has a great liquid bread taste and aroma that both me and Mrs. Monster like, and great body. A batch doesn't have to be all grain or all extract. "leftover" wort can be used as a flavor base with an extract. An extract batch can be made with a bag, even a fairly big bag, of steeping grains that changes the whole character of the beer. Need a quick and dirty up with the gravity of a batch? A couple pounds of DME might be just the thing, and only takes a minute to add.

Myself, I don't at this time have any desire to go back to extract-only brewing, but I do know that it works and I can make a very drinkable beer with it with way less work than my usual practices. It costs a bit more but I would still be paying less for my beer than getting it from the grocery, and be getting a better beer, typically. But hybrid methods are still very much in my repertoire. Extract is an ingredient. It is also a tool.
 
I have been dabbling more with extract brews for the past few years. It started off with using extract for simple trials like 3/4 gallon single hop samplers. I was surprised with how enjoyable these simple beers were. I have a batch of an extract (with steeping grains) on tap now along with my first ever extract + partial mash brew. They are solid beers and I see no faults that could be tied to the use of extract (Pilsner DME in my case).

Back when I started brewing extract was mostly cans of LME imported from England. Dry yeast was mostly poor quality packets labeled simply "Ale" and "Lager". When I first moved to all-grain and liquid yeast, I do think both were very solid improvements. Now I am learning that with the quality extract and dry yeast available today, both are worth using more. I am a huge fan of DME over LME.

I do enjoy the extra control, variety and involvement that all-grain brewing adds. The cost savings is nice too.
 
I've been thinking I should get an extract kit or two from Northern Brewer just to brew when I don't have time for a full brew day. See if I've gotten any better since the last time I did an extract brew, which was years ago. (kits have probably gotten better too)
 
CascadesBrewer said:
Now I am learning that with the quality extract and dry yeast available today, both are worth using more.
Click to expand...

Over the time, ingredients (DME, dry yeast) have improved. And they will continue to improve.

Processes (use low mineral water, make a slurry to prevent scorching, ...) also improve. And they will continue to improve.

If one hasn''t brewed with fresh DME or LME for a while, maybe it's time to put together a high quality process and give a try.
 
z-bob said:
I've been thinking I should get an extract kit or two from Northern Brewer just to brew when I don't have time for a full brew day. See if I've gotten any better since the last time I did an extract brew, which was years ago. (kits have probably gotten better too)
Click to expand...
I've been thinking pretty much the same thing, especially now that I have a much better handle on temperature control and yeast health.
 
@z-bob , @Novacor - look closely at the kit instructions a week or so before brew day.

As of about a year ago, some of their online kit instructions were "concentrated" boil - all the extract and 1/2 the water at the start of the boil. For "best" results, you may want to adjust the recipe (do either full boil or add just half the extract at start of boil).

I tried a concentrated boil extract boil recently (1 gal water, 2 lb DME for the 30 min boil; rest of the water at the end) and got "color darker than expected".
 
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I only brewed extracts for my first 5 batches and switched to all grain for the next 16 years. I contemplated the fact that I didn't care for the quality of extract beers primarily because the majority of people who brew extract are beginners. That's a true generalization so if you've been brewing extracts for years don't get your panties in a wad. Anyway, since most extract brewers are beginners, it follows that there are mistakes being made across all aspects of production all the way through packaging. I told myself that for a while.

If it's true that extract brewing can match the quality of all grain, someone who has mastered the end to end process, including cold side controls, pitch rates and oxygen avoidance should be able to crank out amazing extract beers. I just don't see it. I've brewed demo batches over the years for beginner brewing classes and the beers were pretty blah. Even when I've avoided using LME in favor of DME for its shelf stability it all had some level of that homebrew flavor.

I know people like it just fine and that's great but it's not for me. I do accept that for many people if extract couldn't be the simpler entrance into the hobby, they would likely not get involved at all. For that reason alone, it's a worthy process.
 
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BrewnWKopperKat said:
@z-bob , @Novacor - look closely at the kit instructions a week or so before brew day.

As of about a year ago, some of their online kit instructions were "concentrated" boil - all the extract and 1/2 the water at the start of the boil. For "best" results, you may want to adjust the recipe (do either full boil or add just half the extract at start of boil).

I tried a concentrated boil extract boil recently (1 gal water, 2 lb DME for the 30 min boil; rest of the water at the end) and got "color darker than expected".
Click to expand...
Yes, read the instructions first. I have been noticing more recipes going with the late addition of some of the extract in the partial boils. I shoot for 50% +/- preboil, remainder after flame out, that's with a 3g. boil to start on a 5g batch. It just depends on keeping it simple with numbers. One of the reasons I use BeerSmith is to tailor recipes to that end.
It may be just my eyes or imagination but I think I see better color outcome if I add the DME preboil and the LME, if it calls for it, late. I can't remember the last time I put all of the extract in the boil at the beginning.
I can't get into the AG/Extract debate and wouldn't if I could. (well maybe I would, (LOL). My guess is though, if you do all the right things like you do with AG brewing you will come up with a very drinkable extract beer. YMMV.
Cheers, :mug:
Joel B.

EDIT: With few exceptions, steeping grains are usually involved.
 
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kartracer2 said:
(well maybe I would, (LOL)
Click to expand...


you're always the last to show up to a party! 🤣 everybody is already drunk...wondering if they have a stuck mash/ferment or what not....

but you just totally took me on a tangent...and unlike that 600 whatever barrel of liquid...i'm even more seriously considering this now...

https://www.morebeer.com/products/a...5AuyBClPUuF1okOp35z6-EsOhfI0vRF0aAoyNEALw_wcB

50lb sack of dry only ~$180...hmmmm.... even easier then opening and dumping 20 64oz containers of apple juice. and about the same price! 🤔
 
bracconiere said:
you're always the last to show up to a party! 🤣 everybody is already drunk...wondering if they have a stuck mash/ferment or what not....

but you just totally took me on a tangent...and unlike that 600 whatever barrel of liquid...i'm even more seriously considering this now...

https://www.morebeer.com/products/a...5AuyBClPUuF1okOp35z6-EsOhfI0vRF0aAoyNEALw_wcB

50lb sack of dry only ~$180...hmmmm.... even easier then opening and dumping 20 64oz containers of apple juice. and about the same price! 🤔
Click to expand...

I did some quick rough ciphering and that drum could make 360 gal of 6% beer if my numbers are close. (LOL):cask:
Cheers, :bigmug:
Joel B.
 
bracconiere said:
i am serious... what's the difference of dropping a K on a year at once or, $13$21 a every other week? 👨
Click to expand...
Dude... you might want to consider a resale licensce. You could sign up for a whoesale account with Morebeer and save a few more bucks even.
I bet you could use the resale for your grains too, maybe...
 
bracconiere said:
(but shipping....)
Click to expand...

Why do I feel a road trip coming on?

bracconiere said:
i am serious... what's the difference of dropping a K on a year at once or, $13$21 a every other week? 👨
Click to expand...
Yeah, but using it before it got stale. I would think you would need CO2 or something on it before you used it all.
Cheers, :mug:
Joel B.
 
kartracer2 said:
Sorry OP.
Click to expand...


don't worry about him... 🤣 this is so totally on topic, about brewing in a fraction of the time.. i just brew once a week, and a 650lb 55 gallon barrel of LME would help take the pain out of brew day....

i clicked on the link for the $750 barrel...shipping says $227 for a total of something like 997..that's less then $2 a pound for LME....i'd be lucky to get honey for that....i'm still not sure how residential frieght works though?
 
Yeah... we 100% hijacked this thread. Sorry OP.

(Edit: actually, i think this is in the spirit of the op post- brewin' easy with extract and savin' money too).

But:
I agree Braccy- this IS more fun! Lol.

As @kartracer2 stated, you will need to get additional gear:
"Additional equipment that is required but not included is a drum gate for viscous liquids, a drum dolly, and an inert gas distrubution system."

Maybe you can split it up with a local HB club?

Also Braccy- for the shipping- you may need liftgate service which adds another like $75 or more. Ask Morebeer (aka Home Brewers outpost). They can help.
Unless.... do you have a forklift? Maybe you can find a good deal and that can be another fun diy project, a la the dryer rebuild?
 
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Jayjay1976 said:
Curious what the LODO crowd has to say on DME @Bilsch , since it must surely be fully oxidized.... I've had lots of really good beers brewed with DME, not sure they all lacked that "thing"... Most were pretty damned tasty.
Click to expand...
This thread is off-limits to the LODO crowd! Lol
 

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