BeerBorg

shewdawg wrote:I keep bouncing back and forth if I want to go AG. In reality I'm having fun doing some partial mash recipes and learning more about the different ingredients that make up good beer. I've heard people say that you can't make good beer with extracts but to be honest the more "craft" beers that I taste, I feel that even extract with specialty recipes match some of the "craft" beers that I've had. Remember that it's a hobby and hobbies are supposed to be fun. This one we just get to drink beer with!

if your bouncing your not quite ready. wait till it feels right

As soon as I learned to steep grains, I wanted to get into partial mashes. As soon as I learned partial mashes, I wanted to get into all-grain. It's just a matter of do you feel comfortable after the previous step. Personally, I just dove right in!

Keep in mind taking the step from HMEs to all grain or even partial mashes is not a little one.

For one thing your brew day in going to get a lot longer.

Also you will be tracking and controlling a lot off measurements that need to be on target i.e. gravity readings, water/wort volumes.

You may also need things like a bigger pot, scales hop sacks etc. that you don't currently have.

Scaling up slowly allows to make adjustments to your brewing process so you are using your space and equipment as efficiently as possible.

If there are good kits available, like JS was mentioning, having excellent instructions and having all the ingredients together is a great way to start.

Don't be surprised if it takes several brew days to feel like you are comfortable. That is why so many people on the Borg advise taking lots of notes.

jimjohson wrote:

shewdawg wrote:I keep bouncing back and forth if I want to go AG. In reality I'm having fun doing some partial mash recipes and learning more about the different ingredients that make up good beer. I've heard people say that you can't make good beer with extracts but to be honest the more "craft" beers that I taste, I feel that even extract with specialty recipes match some of the "craft" beers that I've had. Remember that it's a hobby and hobbies are supposed to be fun. This one we just get to drink beer with!

if your bouncing your not quite ready. wait till it feels right

Amen Brother!