Rookie Extract vs. All-Grain

[Cobberdog]

Hey everyone! So I’m fresh outta college and I wanna pick up the art of brewing after I get back from vacation. Other than reading some books and listening to some podcasts, I’m a total rookie to homebrewing. I feel like i have a decent handle on things, but I realize once I get to brewing I’ll probably feel quite lost. I was wondering whether people think it’s smart to go all-grain from the get go?

I realize that it’s more expensive (thinking BIAB) and it’s far easier to get a bad final product, but I think I would enjoy challenging myself and having more control over my beer. Just looking for some thoughts from fellow beer geeks . Much love and thanks for reading my post!

 

[Pkrd]

I don't regret going for a cheap starter extract kit. I only did a handful of brews before going BIAB but all of the gear was still useful. Size your kettle for biab.

 

[Dgallo]

I would agree that starting with extra brewing and seeping specialty grains is the best way to start. You’ll learn the process of brewing and start to see how gravities, hops, grains, and other dynamics work with only needing a kettle and a fermenter(obviously you need other little ins and outs) I Started with the Brewers best Ale Pale kit. Then it gives you time to build your all grain system piece by piece as you get better.

 

[ericbw]

Controlling fermentation temperature is probably more important than grain vs extract.

 

[Dgallo]

Controlling fermentation temperature is probably more important than grain vs extract.

Most important part of brewing. Then when he goes all grain, mash ph and water Chem

 

[Leezer]

I do biab now but am glad I did several extract kits first because they were a good way to get a good feel for the process and steps involved. Biab really just adds on a few more steps so is a good progression, in my opinion.

 

[mongoose33]

Here's my take on this. Since extract brew starts from having the wort already made, the difference between is where you get that wort from. You can do extract and then, later, add all-grain capabilities with virtually no wasted investments up front.

And if you're on your own, I think that would be advisable. Brewing isn't rocket science, but neither is it simplistic. There are a lot of moving parts, and if you can master the boil through to fermentation through to bottling, then when you add an all-grain capability, you can focus on that knowing you have the rest down pat.

I did 3 extract brews before I tried all-grain, and it was good that I did.

The problem is that there are a lot of variables; how can you tell, if the beer doesn't turn out very well, what went wrong? Bad crush? Mash temp? Mash strike water composition? Boil issues? Fermentation temps? Bottling mishap? The recipe isn't a good one? It's hard to nail it down, so if you can master this in stages, much more likely to succeed, IMO.

*******

There is a way to accelerate your learning curve. Some watch youtube videos and have had some success with that. I couldn't begin to tell you which ones are good, and which not.

A better way is to watch an experienced home brewer go through a brew day. This will accelerate your learning hugely as now you'll have a context in which to evaluate process and so on. I did this--watched a guy do an extract brew--and it was hugely helpful. You can ask questions which youtube videos aren't as effective in doing.

Even better: I taught a buddy how to brew with all-grain using this process. First time he watched me do a brew day, I explained what I was doing and why, he'd ask questions. It was a recipe he wanted to try, so I tweaked it, and we brewed it. Turned out great.

Second time, he did the work and I watched and kibbitzed along the way. So, he had in essence a supervised brew day, and the beer, again, turned out great.

Third time, he did the brew day alone. I had about 5 texts from him, and one phone call, but he got through it ok and the beer turned out...well, great.


Here's the kicker: I made all the decisions so he could focus on learning the process, water, mash temps, recipe, the whole shebang. So, when you start, let me suggest you do the same: use an established known (and relatively simple) recipe, have someone help you with water, mash temps, and ferm temp (or at least have someone like us verify them), and then go.


****

BIAB is a good way to do this. You will want a 10-gallon kettle, and you'll need a way to hoist the bag. The essential difference between using a traditional mash tun and BIAB is that with the traditional method, you remove the wort from the grain; with BIAB, you remove the grain from the wort.

Anyway, good luck, and you're asking the right questions at the right time.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

Hey everyone! So I’m fresh outta college and I wanna pick up the art of brewing after I get back from vacation. Other than reading some books and listening to some podcasts, I’m a total rookie to homebrewing. I feel like i have a decent handle on things, but I realize once I get to brewing I’ll probably feel quite lost. I was wondering whether people think it’s smart to go all-grain from the get go?

To "pick up the art of brewing", one needs to execute the "top priorities" well. Chapter 1 of How To Brew, 4e has a list of priorities. I won't list them here.

Instead, I will offer some questions that you could use to 'double check' the brew day plan that you may have in mind (based what you have read / viewed so far).

Note that a well made kit will pre-answer many of these questions. A well made extract+steep kit will remove the immediate need to answer some of these questions.

• What is your plan for selecting a good recipe?

• What is your plan for knowing that your equipment is the appropriate size for the recipe you have selected?

• What is the difference between PBW and Star San?

• What is your plan for knowing that your water source is appropriate for brewing?

• What is your plan for managing yeast before brewing, on brew day, and after fermentation (if you are intending to reuse yeast)?

• What is your plan for clean and/or sanitary equipment before, during, and after the brew day?

• steeping, BIAB, and/or traditional mash:
  • If you recipe calls for a 30 minute steep (at around 150* F for 30 minutes) or a partial mash (at around 150* F for 30 minutes) or BIAB (at around 150* F for 30 - 60 minutes), what is your plan for temperature control during this step?

• With BIAB, what is the wet weight of the grains you need to remove from the wort? What is the plan to remove those grains?

• With BIAB (or a traditional mash), what volume of water (and 'strike' temperature) will you need at the start of the mash, what volume of wort will be left at the end of the mash? What volume of wort will you need at the start of the boil? How will you make up for the difference?

• The boil, chilling the wort, and transfer to fermentation

• What is your plan for a proper boil of the wort?

• During the boil (and just before transfer to the fermenter) what is your plan for knowing that the process is "on track" to deliver a good volume of wort at a good OG? If the process is "off track", what will you do?

• If your recipe calls for a "hop steep" or "whirlpool" hop addition, what is your plan for temperature control during this step?

• What is your plan for chilling the wort?

• What is the appropriate fermentation temperature range for beer you are brewing? What is your plan for maintaining the temperature of the wort / beer during fermentation?

• What is your plan for knowing that fermentation is complete and the beer is ready to be packaged?

 

[kh54s10]

I would say that if you read up, get an all grain kit, use spring water from the grocery store there should be no good reason not to go directly to BIAB. The equipment would not be much more expensive. The ingredient kit would be less expensive.

Water and pH testing at that point is unnecessary.

But think it out, decide what type of brewing you want to do, what size batches etc. So that you don't buy equipment that you will not need.

Fermentation temperature control is very important - look into that right away.

 

[mongoose33]

To "pick up the art of brewing", one needs to execute the "top priorities" well. Chapter 1 of How To Brew, 4e has a list of priorities. I won't list them here.

Instead, I will offer some questions that you could use to 'double check' the brew day plan that you may have in mind (based what you have read / viewed so far).

Note that a well made kit will pre-answer many of these questions. A well made extract+steep kit will remove the immediate need to answer some of these questions.

• What is your plan for selecting a good recipe?

• What is your plan for knowing that your equipment is the appropriate size for the recipe you have selected?

• What is the difference between PBW and Star San?

• What is your plan for knowing that your water source is appropriate for brewing?

• What is your plan for managing yeast before brewing, on brew day, and after fermentation (if you are intending to reuse yeast)?

• What is your plan for clean and/or sanitary equipment before, during, and after the brew day?

• steeping, BIAB, and/or traditional mash:
  • If you recipe calls for a 30 minute steep (at around 150* F for 30 minutes) or a partial mash (at around 150* F for 30 minutes) or BIAB (at around 150* F for 30 - 60 minutes), what is your plan for temperature control during this step?

• With BIAB, what is the wet weight of the grains you need to remove from the wort? What is the plan to remove those grains?

• With BIAB (or a traditional mash), what volume of water (and 'strike' temperature) will you need at the start of the mash, what volume of wort will be left at the end of the mash? What volume of wort will you need at the start of the boil? How will you make up for the difference?

• The boil, chilling the wort, and transfer to fermentation

• What is your plan for a proper boil of the wort?

• During the boil (and just before transfer to the fermenter) what is your plan for knowing that the process is "on track" to deliver a good volume of wort at a good OG? If the process is "off track", what will you do?

• If your recipe calls for a "hop steep" or "whirlpool" hop addition, what is your plan for temperature control during this step?

• What is your plan for chilling the wort?

• What is the appropriate fermentation temperature range for beer you are brewing? What is your plan for maintaining the temperature of the wort / beer during fermentation?

• What is your plan for knowing that fermentation is complete and the beer is ready to be packaged?

This is a great post for showing all the "moving parts" to brewing. None are particularly difficult to learn, but taken together, lots of moving parts.

And @BrewnWKopperKat shows a great example of not complicating your life: he asks

• What is your plan for managing yeast before brewing, on brew day, and after fermentation (if you are intending to reuse yeast)?

Don't even think about reusing yeast until you have the rest of the process down. It's a needless complication that simply introduces one more variable. Your answer to the "are you going to reuse yeast" question should be "not at this point."

I just re-read his list of items. Made my head hurt. All the more reason, if you can, to have an experienced hand give you an assist. It's possible to do this without that, but if you really want to move your learning curve forward, having someone just show you the answers to the above questions is a great way.

And being fresh out of college, you should see all this as just a continuation of the learning you just completed.

 

[madscientist451]

I skipped extract and started out all all grain. I had been making wine and cider for years before getting into brewing so I had some experience with fermentation.
I started doing BIAB and had some issues with temperature swings in the mash, but using and old sweatshirt for kettle insulation and and a strike water calculator took care of that.
My early homebrewing problems came from too low of a mash temperature, resulting in a thin beer that didn't taste great, and yeast fermentation issues.
When using a new yeast strain, I make a 2 gallon batch and then save the slurry and for a 5 gallon batch. If I'm re-using the yeast after that, I pitch about 1/2 the slurry I've saved. I intially "washed" the yeast, but don't bother doing that anymore.
My 2 cents: making wort can be simple and cheap or complicated and expensive,
when starting out, make your wort as cheaply as you can and spend your money on fermentation temperature control, then kegs (bottling is a pain), then upgrade your wort making equipment if you want to.
Buy a 3 lb bag of DME check your gravity at the end of the boil (Pull a sample and chill it ) and add some DME if you've screwed up your gravity.
Use a recipe calculator like Brewer's Friend to help figure how much grain, hops or other items to add if you are changing recipes. Avoid "winging it" until you have some experience.

 

[S-Met]

My opinion:
1st choice would be to mentor with a friend who brews just as @mongoose33 said. This may not be a realistic option for you.

My next suggestion would be to do your first solo brew as cost-effective (cheap) as possible. Start with a partial volume extract brew. You may already have a kettle 12-16qt that you could do a partial volume boil and use cold bottled spring water to top up to full volume and to assist with cooling.

Also most kits are 5gal, but there s no reason you have to do 5gal batches, there is a strong community of 2.5 and 1gal brewers here that could help guide scale your recipes. For reference, 1 gal is about 12 12oz bottles, much more manageable for round one. And you can brew more frequently for pratice.

While it wouldn't be hard to start biab or full volume extract, it is a much bigger investment if it turns out you don't wish to continue.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

1 gal is about 12 12oz bottles

12 bottles x 12 oz per bottle = 144 oz.

With many one gal kits, the recommended "fill line" for carboys is 120 oz. There will be losses in volume due to trub in the carboy, dry hopping, and bottling.

For most brewers, 1 gal in the kettle at the end of the boil and a 1 gal carboy seems to yield 7-9 bottles (depending on the recipe).

 

[GnenieGone]

Good luck getting simple answers from this crowd! [emoji3]

If you just want to try it out. I'd recommend doing 3gal batches. You can buy a Home Depot bucket/lid and add a spigot/air lock and bottling wand from your LHBS all for about $9. You have to punch a hole with a drill and step bit but you're a college grad so you'll figure it out (Harbor Fright...Cheap stuff there!)

Save your *non-twist* beer botttles and rinse them out after use for free. Buy a capper/caps/Starsans sanitizer and your off and running.

Buy a 4gal kettel from Wallmart for $10 and a stainless spoon. You have a stove so no need to buy another heat source.

You're now set to brew extracts, Partial Mash or BIAB.

As far a temp control (ultra important), buy a small container to fit the bucket in and add water with a tray of ice every 6-8hrs depending on the yeast. This really only needs to be done during the 1st 18hrs of fermentation for most brews. Easy peasy. If using a Saison yeast no temp control is needed especially in the summer.

Water chemistry is critical also. I get RO from a local grocery store Kiosk and remineralize with a bit of gypsum/Calcium Cloride and maybe a tad bit of lactic acid if its a light colored beer. LHBS has all that.

Or you can go the $400-500route for a basic 6gal All-grain set up or the $3000 route for equipment for full on herms/pumps/chillers/fermenter setup.

Also, depends on want you want to brew. DIPAs? Add much more equipment and knowledge in technique. Any big +8% beer? Getting a handle on "starters" would help or as madscientist said resuse your yeast slurry. That's how I go from 6% to 11%.

I have no problem answering questions if you want to PM me. Good luck!

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

I just re-read his list of items. Made my head hurt.

Those were either 1) the "201" level (college course) level questions for merging multiple sources of information or 2) a partial outline for "How to Brew" in question format.

The "401" (senior year) level questions would likely be on how to "poka-yoke" the brewing process.

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

To get a feel for the process and keep investment to a minimum, start out with extract kits that have steeping grains. Brewing beer sounds cool, but not everyone enjoys the cleaning, or has the patience. If it turns out that you love it, great go to the next step, if not you’ll have a nice stock pot for soup or sauce. It should be noted that many very good beers can be brewed in this manner, even award winners.

I moved to BIAB after 3 such kits. Once the equipment is purchased AG is a little less expensive up front, but you are using more energy to mash, so depending on what your costs are for that, it could be a non-issue.

So welcome to the hobby, have fun.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

Good luck getting simple answers from this crowd!

... or from /r/homebrewing (where a similar question was asked today): https://old.reddit.com/r/Homebrewing/comments/c9e83y/n00b_extract_vs_allgrain/.

Tagging @Cobberdog so they are aware of the additional set of answers.

 

[S-Met]

12 bottles x 12 oz per bottle = 144 oz.

And watch out for bad math. I even did the math right, 120/12=10, but I still said a 12pk.

We are all prone to make bad math errors, especially when a few home brews are involved. For this reason alone, I rarely drink before a brew, at least not until flameout.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

And why is it that

1) the "five" in 5 gal kits generally describes the volume of beer at packaging time,

while

2) the "one" in 1 gal kits (that use carboys) generally describes the volume of wort at the end of the boil (assuming the instructions include a 'top off' / 'top up' step)?

 

[bracconiere]

'i love this time at night on HBT'....lol, that being said...

i'd go all-grain, for about a $400 bill for a boil kettle, cooler, maybe a propane burner...you can brew, 10 gal batches for $25, or $2.80 a twelver.....

(but i got in to this to save money)

 

[CascadesBrewer]

... or from /r/homebrewing (where a similar question was asked today)...Tagging @Cobberdog so they are aware of the additional set of answers.

Given that these seem to be the exact same question...I am guessing that he/she is aware of the other thread.

BIAB does open up the option of starting a with all-grain. I started with extract and was a dozen batches in before I tried an all-grain, then I did mostly extract for the next dozen batches. This was a LONG time ago, and I don't recall how that first all-grain tasted or what my process was (I have an old notebook of my first 30 or so batches...but only a few have tasting notes).

I am a big proponent of 2 to 2.5 gal batches. That is 3 to 4 six packs, so enough to drink yourself, see how they age, and share a six pack or two with friends. It is an easy volume to boil on a stove and chill in an ice bath. Bottling day is easier too. The big advantage I see is that it gives a easier path to learning and improving on batches. These days I am more excited about trying stuff with 2 and 2.5 gal batches and doing Brulosophy style split batches (either two 2.5 gal batches, or a single 5 gal batch split at fermentation time) than I am about 5 gal batches. I currently have a 4 gal Imperial Stout, a 2.5 gal American Lager and a 2.5 gal Kolsh fermenting.

As far as extract based brewing (with steeping grains), I would probably advocate 2.5 gal batches, or 5 gal concentrated boil batches (where you boil around 3 gals of wort and top up with 2 gals of cold water). I have not done that myself in a long time, but it avoids needing to boil 6+ gals of wort and chill 5+ gals.

I would add that the all-in-one electric systems are very tempting as well. My big question is them is if they will last for 10 years...where my 10 gal kettle and propane burner work fine after 20 years...the kettle looks almost brand new.

 

[bracconiere]

If you're thinking extract, there's Cider and wine too!

edit: not to mention mead, cyser....pumpkin spiced, cranberry juice? lol

 

[GnenieGone]

My 4gal Hard Lemonades cost $15. Add fruit???...another $12.

 

[Alex4mula]

Definitely extract. Buy a good kit. Watch a lot of YouTube videos. Easiest free way to learn what is what and the different ways people use it. Plan. Plan again. I think the critical point is cooling, transfer and yeast pitch. Overestimate sanitation in that part and you will be fine. Good luck.

 

[kh54s10]

I have to admit that I started out with 4 extract and specialty grain brews then 4 partial mash brews then to all grain. 8 years ago there was not much talk of BIAB and I hadn't heard about it so during the extract time I was collecting equipment for a three tier gravity system. I also got my first kit, then started reading about brewing. In the time I did those 8, I had already started buying my ingredients in bulk to save money over kits and altering recipes to my tastes.

If you research before getting started there is no reason not to start all grain right away. And if you use bottled water there is no reason to make it complicated with concerning yourself with pH. I did my first pH testing yesterday.

 

[Immocles]

If you research before getting started there is no reason not to start all grain right away.

While I would have been super anxious about all grain being my absolute first brew, I can see it being done with BIAB. I figure that if you're already reading, listening, and asking questions about it before you even bought any equipment, you're probably the type that will do well at an early biab.

I would vote for an extract kit or two first though. Even if its just to get a handle on styles, recipes and ingredients that you favor. Most kits seem to be nearly foolproof unless the brewer reeeaaaaallllyy goes rogue. My first partial mash was my 4th brew and turned out "ok". My first all grain (biab) was probably my 6th or 7th brew and was less successful. It tasted okay after it conditioned in the bottle for an extended time. Since then, things are very much more dialed in. It was nice during that time to have an inventory of good, flavorful extract kits.

 

[mongoose33]

I think the question should be where a new brewer wants to be in six months. Yeah, it's theoretically possible that they could start with all-grain and have it turn out, but in my world, that's not the way to bet. Just getting the water right isn't trivial.

If they have someone walking them through it, maybe, but if not.....

Thus, allow the learning curve to progress at a rate that will ensure success, rather than rushing to conclusion only to find something wasn't right...and having no way to isolate what that was. Take your time, and in six months, you'll be there.

My 2 cents.

EDITED TO ADD: To illustrate this very thing, check out this thread which is ongoing: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/calcium-chloride-and-gypsum.667945/#post-8631693 OP is confused about when to add gypsum and calcium chloride. We fixed that, but note just how easy it is for a new all-grain brewer to misunderstand things.

IMO, the single hardest thing for new brewers to learn isn't ferm temp, water, mash temp, boil, bottling, fermentation, sparging, etc. etc. etc.

It's patience.

 

[Saunassa]

I started out with a 15 minute boil 3 gallon pale ale extract kit with steeping grains. I could use my wife's 5 gallon canning kettle and the stove and not have to invest much to start and not a whole day either. Even used the carbonation drops so I could bottle from the fermenter. Minimized my equipment investment and variables. Used this for pale ale, stout, hefeweisen and did not have to worry about recipes. Learned about the boil and the 'fun' that can be had if you dump the whole ounce of hops in at once. Oops. I did not have to worry about mashing in, crushing of grains and was able to focus on the fermentation and bottling part and I ended up with good beer. Added equipment such as bench capper, bottling buckets and other. When I decided to move up I went to biab and crushing my own grain.
Oh and I,like many others, thought my first brew was the best thing ever.

 

[Saunassa]

I think the question should be where a new brewer wants to be in six months. Yeah, it's theoretically possible that they could start with all-grain and have it turn out, but in my world, that's not the way to bet. Just getting the water right isn't trivial.

If they have someone walking them through it, maybe, but if not.....

Thus, allow the learning curve to progress at a rate that will ensure success, rather than rushing to conclusion only to find something wasn't right...and having no way to isolate what that was. Take your time, and in six months, you'll be there.

My 2 cents.

EDITED TO ADD: To illustrate this very thing, check out this thread which is ongoing: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/calcium-chloride-and-gypsum.667945/#post-8631693 OP is confused about when to add gypsum and calcium chloride. We fixed that, but note just how easy it is for a new all-grain brewer to misunderstand things.

IMO, the single hardest thing for new brewers to learn isn't ferm temp, water, mash temp, boil, bottling, fermentation, sparging, etc. etc. etc.

It's patience.

Omg patience is a hard thing to learn.

The other major one, sanitation sanitation, sanitation. If it is not clean anything can and will grow in the wort/beer. Blech

 

[Bubbles2]

I remember when I started, the different terms (nomenclature) when something has an odd name like Wort instead of your brew (what you are beginning to steep (some say IT'S SPARGE!) So there was a little irritation in that area. Hence watch Youtube videos and you will see pattern.

Not wanting a science degree for treating water/h2o, just wanting good beer. I used two kits before moving on to buying bulk ingredients and creating my own recipes.
One thing I sorta sometimes wish I had done was buy the 10gal pot over the 7gal pot. However DME (there is one of those terms) DRY MALT EXTRACT or LME Liquid " ". I like DME, I buy in 50lb bags. Your Kit will most likely be using DME if you go over to Northern Brewer or the Likes, you will see the kit. Nothing wrong using LME.
Using DME or LME allows you to omit having to have that larger pot 10g so you could bring the water to 150º with your 9lbs of grain to then add it to some device to hold that temp for an hour all while being able to stir it.
You will be using a large pot because most recipes start with boiling 3gal, and we get larger to avoid boil overs, hence 7gal prob at least a 5gal will get you.
I am being very loose with the terms and instructions, but allowing you to wrap your head around it. That DME or LME is a concentrate from a large supplier who has been doing for a 100yrs like Breiss. The dry out the result of that 9lb boil on a grand scale, package it and send it to.
You can do comparative economics to include the time, cost, etc.

To close, I suggest you head over to Northern Brewer buy a starter package partial extract with a little grain for flavor you will see or ask for help over there, if you can buy it less the Pot, find a good pot, decide on 7g or 10g, I promise you will use that pot the rest of your life, so buy a good stainless pot. You do NOT need a Secondary Fermentor, that is old way of doing it and not suggested by most here unless you are trying to do some fancy type brew and leaving for 6 months.

Go buy enough beer to last you a month, (2 cases good bottles like Sam A or Sierra N) that is the secret to good beer. Leave it alone, make it, let it set at a 68º temp if you can, 2weeks (I let mine get to 78º and have had fine beer) Then you can measure Final Gravity (another word) and bottle or keg.

Most bottle. Those beers you been drinking while waiting... those are going to be cleaned in Oxywash REAL GOOD, like surgery real good, because those are what you are going to bottle in.

SO in your kit you should have a Pot, (to cook) fermentor (with spigot), with airlock and bung, ie., bottling bucket, (to transfer after ferment, this could be skipped but you will be gingerly stirring your priming sugar atop your yeast cake) bottles #54, capper ie, caps ie, Hydrometer (to measure SG & FG), Cooking thermometer ie, length of hose (to attach to spigot and cane), bottling wand/cane (this is for filling bottles), Star San (for sanitizing) Gloves. Your Brew Kit of ingredients.

Watch some videos, come here for help BEFORE YOU BREW with any questions, we answer fast over here. Enjoy.

 

[Saunassa]

I recommend watching Basic Brewing videos on YouTube, they are the guys who showed me I could make good beer with simple methods and minimal equipment to start.

 

[Soulshine2]

Hey everyone! So I’m fresh outta college and I wanna pick up the art of brewing after I get back from vacation. Other than reading some books and listening to some podcasts, I’m a total rookie to homebrewing. I feel like i have a decent handle on things, but I realize once I get to brewing I’ll probably feel quite lost. I was wondering whether people think it’s smart to go all-grain from the get go?

I realize that it’s more expensive (thinking BIAB) and it’s far easier to get a bad final product, but I think I would enjoy challenging myself and having more control over my beer. Just looking for some thoughts from fellow beer geeks . Much love and thanks for reading my post!

I voted for all grain. its really whatever your budget of money and time allows. if you extract brew you skip a few steps but having done both , I prefer to brew grains.
IMO- I relate extract brewing to making soup from a can of concentrate(Campbell's)...all grain is more like making soup from scratch -stock, herbs, vegetables. In the end theyre both soup but one someone else made, you just add water,heat and serve. the other you picked out the ingredients ,took the time to extract the flavors ,add the herbs and you made it yourself.

 

[Soulshine2]

I remember when I started, the different terms (nomenclature) when something has an odd name like Wort instead of your brew (what you are beginning to steep (some say IT'S SPARGE!) So there was a little irritation in that area. Hence watch Youtube videos and you will see pattern.

Not wanting a science degree for treating water/h2o, just wanting good beer. I used two kits before moving on to buying bulk ingredients and creating my own recipes.
One thing I sorta sometimes wish I had done was buy the 10gal pot over the 7gal pot. However DME (there is one of those terms) DRY MALT EXTRACT or LME Liquid " ". I like DME, I buy in 50lb bags. Your Kit will most likely be using DME if you go over to Northern Brewer or the Likes, you will see the kit. Nothing wrong using LME.
Using DME or LME allows you to omit having to have that larger pot 10g so you could bring the water to 150º with your 9lbs of grain to then add it to some device to hold that temp for an hour all while being able to stir it.
You will be using a large pot because most recipes start with boiling 3gal, and we get larger to avoid boil overs, hence 7gal prob at least a 5gal will get you.
I am being very loose with the terms and instructions, but allowing you to wrap your head around it. That DME or LME is a concentrate from a large supplier who has been doing for a 100yrs like Breiss. The dry out the result of that 9lb boil on a grand scale, package it and send it to.
You can do comparative economics to include the time, cost, etc.

To close, I suggest you head over to Northern Brewer buy a starter package partial extract with a little grain for flavor you will see or ask for help over there, if you can buy it less the Pot, find a good pot, decide on 7g or 10g, I promise you will use that pot the rest of your life, so buy a good stainless pot. You do NOT need a Secondary Fermentor, that is old way of doing it and not suggested by most here unless you are trying to do some fancy type brew and leaving for 6 months.

Go buy enough beer to last you a month, (2 cases good bottles like Sam A or Sierra N) that is the secret to good beer. Leave it alone, make it, let it set at a 68º temp if you can, 2weeks (I let mine get to 78º and have had fine beer) Then you can measure Final Gravity (another word) and bottle or keg.

Most bottle. Those beers you been drinking while waiting... those are going to be cleaned in Oxywash REAL GOOD, like surgery real good, because those are what you are going to bottle in.

SO in your kit you should have a Pot, (to cook) fermentor (with spigot), with airlock and bung, ie., bottling bucket, (to transfer after ferment, this could be skipped but you will be gingerly stirring your priming sugar atop your yeast cake) bottles #54, capper ie, caps ie, Hydrometer (to measure SG & FG), Cooking thermometer ie, length of hose (to attach to spigot and cane), bottling wand/cane (this is for filling bottles), Star San (for sanitizing) Gloves. Your Brew Kit of ingredients.

Watch some videos, come here for help BEFORE YOU BREW with any questions, we answer fast over here. Enjoy.

wort is the solution of the extracted starches converted to fermentable sugars from the grains
sparge is the action of rinsing the grains of the fermentable sugars.
watching youtubes are sometimes bad advice. Ive watched people do home improvements of their own projects and I think to myself hes lucky hes not on a jobsite or hed be run off by breaktime or that would never pass inspection. Theres a world of shortcuts out there and not enough of this is HOW YOU DO IT. Best advice is know HOW TO DO IT RIGHT before trying to make shortcuts.

 

[Soulshine2]

Hey everyone! So I’m fresh outta college and I wanna pick up the art of brewing after I get back from vacation. Other than reading some books and listening to some podcasts, I’m a total rookie to homebrewing. I feel like i have a decent handle on things, but I realize once I get to brewing I’ll probably feel quite lost. I was wondering whether people think it’s smart to go all-grain from the get go?

I realize that it’s more expensive (thinking BIAB) and it’s far easier to get a bad final product, but I think I would enjoy challenging myself and having more control over my beer. Just looking for some thoughts from fellow beer geeks . Much love and thanks for reading my post!

pick up a copy of the Joy of Homebrewing . Plenty of solid info at your fingertips to get started and enjoy this hobby.

 

[Bubbles2]

And there is the guy I was mentioning with the caps yelling... about sparge and wort. LOL

 

[Velnerj]

This is how I started and I have no regrets. Completely self taught and have had only a batch or two that didn't turn out. Glad I never wasted time or money on extract or kit brewing.

 

[brewbama]

The problem with most newer home brewers’ recipes is the kitchen sink approach. Most well crafted recipes have a well focused recipe vs everything in the cupboard.

 

[mattdee1]

I'm the kind of person who would rather make a sauce from scratch than buy a can of it, just as much for the satisfaction of it as for the quality of the result. So, when I decided I wanted to try my hand at home brewing, extract was out of the question on principle alone. I read "How to Brew" cover to cover before buying a single piece of gear. I ended up putting together the classic propane/kettle/plastic bucket/fridge/STC-1000 setup that I still use to this day, over 40 brews later. The very first one (a stout) turned out very well.

Eventually, around 25 brews in, I was in a position where I wanted to turn around a bunch of beers quickly so I did 4 or 5 extract batches - my first ones ever - using both liquid and dry extract, with and without steeped grains. Those beers were "OK" but… let's just say that I'm a full believer in the phenomenon of "extract twang." It's just not the same. You always hear about how people have brewed "award winning" beers using extract, but let's be honest… these awards are happening in spite of the extract, not because of it.

Still, I think starting with extract is a very reasonable thing to do, especially if budget/space are a concern or one wants to get up and going very quickly to see if they enjoy it. I'd just say that if that's the way you're going, make sure to actually learn about the process when doing it rather than just following a cook book approach from a Mr. Beer kit or whatever. Try to question and understand why every step of the process is there, why it matters, etc. That's one of the things about starting with all-grain… it kind of urges you to understand the process better rather than just doing a bunch of dance steps to get beer. After all, if the first thing you do is pour boiling water over poorly crushed malt, you're not going to get very far.

 

[VirginiaHops1]

I was wondering whether people think it’s smart to go all-grain from the get go?

My 2 cents is, it's totally personal preference and your comfort level. Neither way is dumb no matter what anyone says. I got a cheap starter kit to start out that came with an extract brew, and did a couple more extract kits after that then went BIAB on my 4th or 5th batch. I was a little overwhelmed my very first brew trying to follow the directions even with just extract so I'm happy I did it that way. I still use alot of the stuff from my cheap starter kit. The kettle is still my main brew kettle, and the buckets store stuff like sanitizer.

When I went all-grain I moved to smaller 2.5-3 gallon batches so I could still brew in my kitchen in the 5 gallon kettle. I started kegging and doing closed transfers around batch 8. Got into water chemistry around batch 10. Started using liquid yeast and starters around batch 15. Started fermenting in kegs around batch 20.

What I'm trying to say is, everyone moves at their own pace so just try to figure out what yours is and don't worry about following anyone else's.

 

[JPDosey]

FWIW....Get palmers book "how to brew" great for ref.....learn the basics with extract kits. Then move into all grain.