Getting Started: If I Knew Then What I Know Now

Author: Marshall Schott

“It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble.
It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.”
– Mark Twain

It was a cold December morning in 2002, I was working in a group home just north of Bellingham, WA, when my partner for the day showed up about 15 minutes late. He explained that bottling his homebrew took longer than he expected. Like many people unfamiliar with the hobby, I assumed he was involved in some sort of illegal moonshine operation… which intrigued me. He laughed off my presumptuousness and went on to tell me about how easy it was to make beer in your home, though he warned me his girlfriend wasn’t a huge fan of some of the smells. In the year prior, my interest in craft beer had developed immensely, I was very interested in what my colleague was sharing. He provided me with the location of North Corner Brew Supply where I ended up spending nearly 2 hours that evening, my roommate and I chatting with the cool dude staffing the place, I believe his name was Mars. He pointed me to a “deluxe” kit and informed me in no uncertain terms that all new homebrewers start with extract. I bought the kit and brewed their Irish Red Ale recipe that evening. Over the next couple months, I made many more batches of beer using extract and steeping grains that came out remarkably better than I expected. I began to develop some confidence in my brewing and shared this with Mars at the supply shop. I’ll never forget my response when he encouraged me to try brewing without extract…

“Why would I do that when my beer is good enough the way it is?”

Despite his gentle attempts to convince me my beer could probably be better and that brewing all grain wasn’t nearly as complicated as it sounded, I was steadfast in my refusal to change. A few months later I got married, moved to California, and started grad school. My brewing was relatively sparse and mostly consisted of helping others out with their extract batches, though my appreciation for good craft beer continued to grow. My obsession with beer making came roaring back after graduating and landing a good paying job. After making 2 rather lackluster batches, I finally started to consider ditching the extract for grains. I did some research and eventually settled on the batch sparge method, building myself a converted cooler MLT. While a couple small mistakes were made that first all grain brew day, the beer came out immensely better than any I had made in the past. I also learned that all grain brewing was indeed far simpler than I originally thought (sorry, Mars) and have since become sort of an advocate for new brewers to skip brewing with extract altogether.

Oddly enough, the batch sparge method isn’t necessarily the one I encourage new brewers to start with. One reason for this is that, for some people, converting a cooler into an MLT seems too complicated and can cost more than they’re interested in spending– I’ve built many at about $80 with all new parts. Another reason is that there is another method, which I’ve written about before, that takes simplicity to a whole new level: Brew In A Bag.

Brew In A Bag (BIAB) is great for new brewers because it requires minimal equipment and start-up costs are very low. I’ve helped folks build their BIAB breweries for as little as $30 using “gear” they already had sitting in their cupboards. Before getting into equipment and process, I’ll address some of the arguments I’ve heard about people jumping directly into all grain brewing:

Extract brewing is a good way to start because it gives the new brewer the chance to decide if they like brewing or not, plus it’s how most of us got our start.

I’d contend that many of the people who’ve quit the hobby after a batch or 2 probably did so because their extract batches weren’t as good as they hoped… and they were left with 5 gallons to either drink or dump. While I certainly appreciate tradition, this idea that new brewers should experience brewing with extract seems silly to me.

All grain brewing is more difficult and takes way more time than brewing with extract.

If by “extract brewing” you’re referring to mixing a can of syrup with water, shaking it up, sprinkling on some yeast, and waiting a bit, then yeah, you’re right, all grain is more difficult. For most people interested in making a decently drinkable beer, though, extract brewing is no less complicated than all grain BIAB, especially when you consider the process of steeping specialty grains. Fly and batch sparge brewing can take an hour or two longer than an extract brew day, but the BIAB method laid out below shouldn’t add more than maybe 30 minutes to your typical brew day. This is certainly no excuse to refrain from brewing all grain.

All grain brewing is more expensive than brewing with extract.

This couldn’t be further from the truth! In terms of equipment, all grain certainly can be more expensive, but not necessarily… especially using the BIAB method! My original extract kit set me back $135, I’ve built numerous BIAB setups for under $50. When it comes to ingredients, extract is remarkably more expensive than grains.

Extract brewing produces 5 gallons of beer, while the small batch BIAB method you’re promoting results in less.

This is true. While it is totally possible to brew 5 gallon batch sizes using the BIAB method, I often encourage new brewers to start by making smaller batch sizes, for myriad reasons. First off, if you fuck up, you’re not throwing out a bunch of beer. Another reason is that most people already own much of the equipment needed to make 1-3 gallon batches of beer, reducing equipment costs. Finally, smaller batches tend to require less in the way of time, particularly when it comes to chilling the wort post-boil. All that said, upping one’s batch size doesn’t require much with BIAB, I’ll address this later.

Extract beers can be just as good as all grain beers.

I fully expect to pick up some flack for this, but I disagree with this statement. It’s odd to me how this has become such a sensitive subject for some people. I’ve had some really great extract beers that were fermented and treated with the utmost care, but they still tasted like extract… because extract was used! Just like all ingredients you might use in cooking, extract has a unique flavor, one I’ve actually sort of come to appreciate for the nostalgia it induces. The simple truth is I’ve never had a well-made extract beer that I’d prefer over a well-made all grain beer. There’s a reason the best commercial and home brewers make beer without the use of extracts, at least as a primary source of fermentables. This is certainly not meant to offend anyone.

Hopefully that addresses some of the more prominent concerns folks might be having. Something I want to expand on a bit is that small batch brewing means different things to different people. With BIAB, batch size is largely contingent on the size of your kettle. Something you might want to consider is the actual amount of beer certain batch sizes will yield– 1 gallon batches will get you about 10 standard 12 oz bottles.

There are a few things to consider when it comes to equipment including what you already own, desired batch size, and of course your budget. A good rule of thumb is that one’s kettle should hold at least twice the volume of their intended batch size. I highly recommend using a pot that holds at least 16 quarts (4 gallons), though I’ve known folks who make 1 gallon batches of delicious beer in 12 quart enamel stock pots. Here is a list of all the equipment one needs to get started brewing up to 2.5 gallon batches of beer. It’s possible you already own some of this equipment, especially if you’ve been brewing with extract, I absolutely encourage anyone considering this method to forage through the kitchen before making any purchases!

– 16 Quart Stock Pot
– Large Mesh Grain Bag
– Fermentor (1 gallon jug OR a clean frosting bucket from your local bakery OR 3 gallon carboy)
– Stopper and airlock
– Racking cane and tubing
– Bottling wand
– Bottle capper
– Bottle caps
– Carb Drops
– Sanitizer

Other than that, all you’ll need is a spoon, some oven mitts, a thermometer (candy or meat thermometers work fine), a funnel (if you’re using the jug or carboy to ferment in), and about 4-5 hours. Those interested in measuring the ABV of their beer will also need a hydrometer and jar. With 1-2 gallon batches, chilling can be done relatively quickly in an ice batch, though there are some really cool immersion chiller options for small batch brewers. Assuming you have to purchase all of this equipment, you’re looking at spending right about $100.

For those who want to start-off making larger batches, all you really need to do is bump up the size of your kettle and fermentor. MoreBeer sells a fantastic 8.5 gallon kettle that would work well for 4-5 gallon batches, plus it ships free! There are numerous options for fermentors including the popular 6 gallon buckets, 6 gallon plastic carboys, and 6.5 gallon glass carboys, all of which will get you to the same delicious place: beer. One thing that might save some money for those brewing these larger batches is using dextrose priming sugar or even plain old table sugar rather than carb drops, which would require the addition of a bottling bucket.

The actual BIAB brewing process is very simple! For the first few batches, I recommend choosing simple recipes until you develop some understanding about your setup and brewing in general. Tiny Bottom Pale Ale is a delicious beer that is not at all complicated to make. When looking up recipes online (there is a trove of them out there), don’t forget to scale 5 gallon recipes down to your intended batch size. When you’ve selected a recipe, use the Simple BIAB Calculator to determine your water volume and target temps. Once your strike temp is reached, drop your grain bag full of grains into the water, stir to incorporate, and monitor it regularly for drops in temperature; when the temp drops, turn your burner on low and stir until your target mash temp is reached. When the mash is complete, remove the bag and squeeze gently, turn the heat on high until you reach a boil, then add all the hops at the appropriate times. After the timer indicates your boil is complete, chill your wort, place the wort in your fermentor (don’t forget to take a sample to measure your original gravity), pitch yeast, wait a couple weeks, package, and enjoy!

If you’re like me and don’t enjoy monitoring the mash for an hour, there are a couple good options for maintaining a more steady temperature:

1. Wrap your mash tun with a bunch of blankets/towels once it reaches your target temp.
2. Place your mash tun in a large insulated bag or even a cooler.
3. Complete your BIAB mash in a small insultated cooler then transfer the wort to the kettle later.

Either way, the goal is the same, it doesn’t necessarily matter how it’s done.

To end, I’d like to briefly summarize a few other things I’d do differently if I were just getting into homebrewing:

– Reuse commercial bottles after a soak in OxiClean Free.
– Ditch the unnecessary step of transferring to a secondary unless bulk aging a high OG beer.
– Use a priming sugar calculator to dial in proper carbonation levels and avoid over-carb’d beer.
– BREW MORE OFTEN!!!

This wasn’t necessarily intended to be a “how-to” post, hence I didn’t go too deep into the actual BIAB process. Suffice it to say it is about as simple as brewing with extract. If anyone is interested in a more detailed how-to, check out my BIAB method. And as always, please do not hesitate to ask any questions or leave comments!

Follow Brülosophy on:

FACEBOOK   |   TWITTER   |   INSTAGRAM

If you enjoy this stuff and feel compelled to support Brulosophy.com, please check out the Support Us page for details on how you can very easily do so. Thanks!