grain v kits

[topgear]

hi chaps i must be on about my 20th brew from a tin now, every one turned out ok, but over the last month i have been begging stealing and borrowing equipment to try all grain, now i have mentioned it in my home brew shop and two different people have said its not worth it, to much time and effort.(8 hours???) when the kits are so good!!!. opinions please :wha:

 

[ChrisG]

I can do an all grain in 6 hours, but yes it is a lot of work.

But the beer i make is far superior to kits. All grain is the best form of home brewing....but its a learning curve and time consuming.

I try and do it at night when kids in bed so usually finish at 1am get a bit of xbox playing in while waiting for boils.

 

[Dieseljockey]

Topgear hi.

Grain or kits??? I think most of us start off with kits..(I know I did)..but then I gravitated to AG so that I could have a play around with the recipes....Mike at my local HBS sticks with kits as he's ok with them having done AG in the past...

Only you can answer the Q Topgear...if you have most of the kit why not have a go with a simple recipe and see what it turns out like.. :thumb: you will get all the backup from the forum...do you have anyone you know that is local to you so you could sit in on a brew day? :drink:

 

[timbowden]

I agree with ChrisG.
Its a longer process but the results are better.
I enjoy the whole process of brewing so i set aside 6 hours to do this - normally with a few helpers which means that a cask of beer also gets hammered!!
As its a hobby i'm happier to invest 6 hours into a brew which can be tweaked to your hearts content (or brew your OWN recipe) rather than a quick 20min mix up from a kit which has limited scope for change.
Dont get me wrong kits are very good but for me i enjoy the whole process as well as getting a better result at the end :thumb:
I currently have two almost full king kegs in my cellar which have kit beers in. They have been there for over 1 year! All my allgrain kegs last a matter of weeks!!! :lol:

tim

 

[ChrisG]

On another note, i love getting together all the gear and figuring out how best to modify my setup.

With kits there is still that home brew flavour, but with all grain....nothing but pure excellent tasting beer.

And once fully set up it can work out cheaper per pint....i made a Scottish Heavy and it was 19p a pint!

 

[Baz Chaz]

I returned to home brewing after a 30 odd year gap in brewing, used to use kits all the time :!:

Last August I started brewing again, I used 2 kits for starters, then since then have brewed several AG beers

I doubt I will ever be the same again :lol:

..... yup I put a day aside for the brewday, but quite a bit is hanging around waiting rather than being busy all the time with it same as the others, about 6 hours covers it including cleaning up etc :thumb:

The difference comes with the drink itself, its totally different, far better than anything I ever brewed from a kit :!: and I've give quite a few samples away and everyone who's tried them loves them, I have 4 'regulars' who WILL tell me if they think its rubbish :!:

Is it worth the effort an unresounding yes :clap:

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[dennisking]

I am probably bias as I`ve never brewed a kit but I have drank kits brewed by others and think the difference is vast. As for time, I`ve never had one last for 8 hours and you can do other things, last saturday I put on the mash, drove to my LHBS and back while mashing.

 

[Dunfie]

The difference is definitely tangible but, and its a big but, you have got to want to do it.

If the idea of spending 6 hours making a batch of beer seems like a waste of time then it probably is - for you. However its amazing how many of us get a little bit enthusiastic about the whole process and it quickly turns into a hobby.

Try and find a local craft brewing group and pop along to a meeting. There is always some samples to taste and you will be able to meet other brewers.

 

[StubbsPKS]

You could always split the difference and give extract brewing a shot as well. I've heard (I've only done kits so far :cry:) that they turn out better than kits, but not as good as AG :)

Not matter what you decide, there are plenty of knowledgeable people here that have used your method at some point and are willing to help out :thumb:

 

[Ceejay]

I've just completed my first ever brewday on Sunday, AG. I jumped in at the deep end and I'm so glad I did.

It's one of those things - if you want to brew half decent beer just to save money but can't be bothered with "fannying about" with equipment, then from what I've heard you can get very reasonable results from kits.

What I really like about AG is you're properly "crafting" something and it's great if you have a day to yourself to get stuck into it and be really proud that you've seen it throuigh from beginning to end. :thumb:

 

[Tony]

to much time and effort.

Too much time and effort????

Takes me 5 hours and I love every single second of it. It's simple really - you want to create beer to your taste rather than someone else's? Then it's AG all the way.

:

 

[Springer]

There are lots of thing we do "that are not worth it". Depends on what you get out of it :? Some people would say walking the dogs for half an hour a day is not worth it. ?
Nothing wrong with kits at all, extract brewing as someone up post mentioned is a very good way to , been there.
But AG, for me, is the pleasure of producing a good quality pint of any variety I choose. My time for a brew is less that 5 hours and for quite a bit of that time you can be getting on with something else, no point watching a mash tun for 1 1/2 or them, or watching a boiler for a similar time.
It your choice, but for me AG brewing is highly recommenced, don't see or want a way back

 

[SamWise72]

I guess it depends what you want, really. If you just want decent beer on the cheap with minimal effort, kits will give you that. If you want a hobby, and total control over the process so you can create your perfect beer, then AG or at a pinch extract will be better, and if it's a hobby, then you're doing it for the enjoyment, so who cares if it takes ages? After all, why go fishing when your local fishmonger stocks so much?

 

[graysalchemy]

6 hrs is about right and you can also spend the time will the mash is on and the boil to do other things. I brew at work (self employed) and manage to get other things done. The taste is much better once you cross over you will never want to go back. :twisted: :twisted:

Good luck with your decision.

 

[Vindiv8]

6 hrs is about right and you can also spend the time will the mash is on and the boil to do other things. I brew at work (self employed) and manage to get other things done. The taste is much better once you cross over you will never want to go back. :twisted: :twisted:

Good luck with your decision.

Hmm, wonder if I cold get away with that :wha:

 

[evanvine]

Six hours of fun and pleasure, finishing up with a great sense of achievment.
The end product; much better than commercial beers! :thumb:
I am very lucky as I can brew in my garage whenever I want.

 

[topgear]

hi all thanks for all of your comments you have made me positive again !!!!!!! i will try ag :thumb: got most of the equipment anyway just need to clear the double garage thats never had a car in it for 25 years, in fact people have been seen to go in and never be herd of again ! i will keep you updated (many trips to the tip ahead)

 

[happyhoppytaff]

one day i will step over to the dark side. one day.

i dont have the space, the time, or the equipment. i will gather the equipment over time, when the kids fly i will have space. i will then find the time.

but, for now, i am very satisfied with kits. i have experimented with sugars and malt extract and have produced some surprising and enjoyable flavours. i have only made 6 or 7 brews and i still have a lot of experimenting to do- the addition of a hop tea will be my next experiment.

my brews are a bit murky, not clear like pub beer, but i still enjoy my humble kit brew more than a bottle from a shop.

good luck with the dark side if you go for it. see you there one day

 

[evanvine]

just need to clear the double garage

:mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

It's tough about having to go to the tip. :twisted: :twisted:

 

[Muddy Funker]

As others have said the sense of satisfaction from making a lovely tasting beer out of what is essentially a bag of grains is immense.

And again as has been said there is a 2-3 hour window depending on mash and boil times when you can be doing other things, i's not a solid 6 or 8 hour slog.

There is no need for an AG set up to be complicated and expensive. I went down the biab (brew in a bag) route for simplicity and costing.
The step to this from kits cost me £50, that was just to make a boiler and buy a grain bag.
And not meaning to sound a smart **** the route I've gone down is so so easy.

I appreciate I have a long way to go with regards to understanding water treatments and other more advanced steps but the basics are there and I'm very happy with what I can turn out, mates are also.

This forum is epic, spend time searching and reading and ask questions about what you can't find. The members here know pretty much everything about brewing. From what I do in it's simplest form up to the likes of Aleman who must be from the planet brewto. It's all here.

Good luck and enjoy it whatever you do :